July 5, 2019
Sammy + Frankie
Rosecliff Wedding
Newport, Rhode Island
I can still remember the exact moment I received the inquiry from Jodi, Sammy’s mom, to help with the wedding planning. I was at the grocery store, just about to get in line to pay for my items, and I legitimately squealed out loud as I read the message:
Hi Joe! It’s Jodi – Kyle’s mom. I think you saw on Kyle’s social media that his little sister, Sammy, just got engaged! We are thrilled! It also means we have another wedding to plan.
Just a year and a half earlier, I helped Jodi’s son, Kyle, plan a wedding – so I actually had already been introduced to Sammy and Frankie and I just knew I would love working with them. Of course, I was right ;)
We planned a classic romance wedding at Rosecliff, which served as the inspiration for most design details because when you host your wedding at one of America’s most well-known historic, seaside mansions, that’s what you do. We went with a limited color palette of pink (to match the original awning of Rosecliff, which Sammy fell in love with), gold (to match all the ornate details of the property), and white to bring in the classic wedding details. Because Rosecliff is so beautiful on its own, there was no need to transform the space: just some enhancements with the use of florals and lighting. We wanted guests to be able to experience the true Rosecliff.
One thing I noticed very early on working with Sammy and Frankie: they have amazing personalities – always smiling and joking with one another, super down to earth, and all around just great energy. I loved being around them, but I also knew that we needed to find ways to soften the super fancy venue – so we added in a few quirky details to lighten the mood: a surprise second-line style band after the ceremony to lead guests to cocktail hour, dinosaur cake topper and margaritas as a signature cocktail!
