Atlantic Beach Club

Natalie Williams & Stephen Hartley
Atlantic Beach Club
July 16, 2011
Published in Newport Wedding Magazine 2012

Natalie Williams knew Stephen Hartley planned on proposing, but she’s no fortuneteller. “I had many wrong predictions! He told me he had a special gift and I told my friends I thought it was a ring … it was a video camera,” she laughs. Waiting with bated breath each holiday, Natalie was surprised when he presented a ring with gems from her grandmother’s earrings on a summer hike.

Newport was the obvious choice for the North Kingstown residents’ big day, and after visiting venue after venue, they fell in love with Atlantic Beach Club’s waterfront beauty, central location and first-class New England cuisine. “We liked that they would cater the entire event. The food was amazing!” The 170 guests dined on crab cakes, chowder and clam cakes, surf and turf with lobster tail and roasted chicken breast with mandarin sauce. An event coordinator that “put them at ease” and a ceremony in the park adjacent to the venue sweetened the deal, and the Atlantic Beach Club turned their dream wedding into reality.

It was a coastal celebration with plenty of personal touches down to the seashell decorations. Reminiscent of the babbling mountainside brook where Stephen got on his knee, family and friends left their well wishes on river rocks rather than a guest book. “These stones will be kept in our house and garden with the blessings from our guests,” Natalie shares. In addition to a sandcastle wedding cake, she arranged for a groom’s cake topped with the Philadelphia Eagles logo befitting of the diehard fan (Stephen was raised in P.A. and is a Penn State alumnus). Before jetting off to St. Lucia, the newlyweds borrowed a gracious bystander’s shiny 1965 Vespa for some carefree shots to top off the day.

DETAILS:
Bridal Gown: Alexandra’s Bridal Boutique, Fall River, MA
Rehearsal Dinner: Newport Harbor Hotel & Marina, Newport
Flowers: Studio 539 Flowers, Providence
Caterer: Atlantic Beach Club, Middletown
Transportation: Newport Wedding Trolley, Newport
Ceremony Music, Reception Entertainment, Photographer & Videographer: Main Event Weddings, Greenville
Accommodations: Quality Inn & Suites Atlantic Beach, Middletown

Jessica Castiglia & Kris Cummings
Atlantic Beach Club
December 31, 2010
Published in Newport Life Magazine November/December 2011

It wasn’t the ice-cold cocktails that made Jessica Castiglia a regular at Sambar on Thames Street; it was the bartender, Kris Cummings. When he served up an engagement ring designed just for his bride to be, the Newport couple knew they had to wed in the city they call home. “We wanted to bring all of the people we love into the city we love,” Jessica shares. From her family in Wisconsin to the groom’s in Maine, 200 loved ones gathered for the December celebration at the Atlantic Beach Club, where Jessica worked as an event coordinator. “We wanted to throw a huge New Year’s Eve party and knew it was the perfect location, from the huge centralized dance floor to the gorgeous ocean view.”

Before saying “I do,” the couple snapped photos in front of an elegant shell mural at Forty 1° North hotel, where the luxurious atmosphere set the tone for the occasion. Guests entered the reception in style on a red carpet and were treated to a sushi station, late-night pizza and customized dessert bar by the glow of candlelight. The bride used her pull with the house baker, laughing, “After working with me for years, he knew exactly what I used to like to taste test!”

Champagne glasses and party hats were lined up for a midnight toast and followed the New Year’s Eve-inspired color scheme of silver and gold. A magnificent silver trumpet vase with sparkling white branches stood at the middle of each table, surrounded by glimmering Christmas ornaments with glass mercury and bud vases. Hundreds of streamers rained down over the dance floor as the clock struck midnight – a moment the bride recalls as her most cherished. After a brisk Polar Bear Plunge dip and a taste of paradise in the Dominican Republic, Mr. and Mrs. Cummings returned home to Newport.

DETAILS:
Rings: Michael Ferrazzoli, North Kingstown
Hair & Make-up: Jennie Kay Beauty Parlor, Middletown
Nails: Angel Nails, Newport
Caterer: Atlantic Beach Club, Middletown
Officiant: Michael Eagan, Heavenly Weddings, Conventry
Transportation: Newport Wedding Trolley, Newport
Photographer: Erin McGinn Photography, Warwick
Wedding Planner: Jessica Castiglia Events, Providence
Wedding Night Stay: Pearls Boutique Hotels, Newport
Guest Accommodations: Atlantic Beach Club Hospitality Group Hotels, Newport

Meredith Blakeley & Derik Gaudini
Atlantic Beach Club / Tennis Hall of Fame
September 10, 2010
Published in Newport Life Magazine July 2011

Birds of a feather can sometimes become more than just birds. In the case of Meredith Blakeley and Derik Gaudini, two Rhode Islanders who met at a fraternity party while attending the University of New Hampshire, they took matters a little further. After spending that first evening talking and having such a “blast,” as Meredith described it, the two became lovebirds. Five years later, Derik’s proposal came on a chilly beach in March, when he asked if she wanted to meditate at sunset. “He asked me to close my eyes,” she recalls. “Anxious, I opened my eyes a little early, when he was nearly on one knee.” No matter. There was no going back. “I jumped up and down and said yes!”

For their big day, the couple chose a classic Newport landmark for their ceremony: the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and for their reception, a classic Middletown venue: the Atlantic Beach Club. Having her mother and father, Barbara and Warren Blakely, in Newport, and the bride herself being a local, the chance to marry in one of the most storied locations in the country was a no-brainer. “I absolutely had to have Newport as my wedding locale,” says Meredith. “There were too many memories, and it was just ‘home.’”

Bedecked in purple, white and pewter, accented with lots of crystals and tea lights for that intimate feel, The Atlantic Beach Club helped the couple celebrate with 140 guests on a beautiful late-summer night. “The panoramic views were just amazing,” recalls Meredith. While in the midst of the reception, the dancing and all the well wishes, Meredith remembered her favorite moment. “Derik and I worked hard to create a beautiful and meaningful ceremony. I spoke words from my heart and Derik reciprocated. There wasn’t a dry eye in the place.” Mr. and Mrs. Gaudini jetted off for a honeymoon in Mexico’s Playa del Carmen. The lovebirds now reside in Dedham, Massachusetts.

DETAILS:
Bridal Gown: Alexandra’s Bridal, Fall River, MA
Rehearsal Dinner: La Forge Casino and Restaurant, Newport
Hair: Highpoint Salon, Portsmouth
Make-up: The Apothecary, Newport
Nails: Star Nails, Newport
Caterer: Atlantic Beach Club, Middletown
Officiant: Jeanette Bessinger, Portsmouth
Bride and Groom, Bridal Party and Guest Transportation: Viking Tours, Newport
Ceremony Music and Reception Entertainment: Aquidneck Island Music, Providence
Photographer: Kathryn Whitney Lucey, Middletown
Wedding Night Stay and Guest Accommodations: Quality Inn and Suites Atlantic Beach Hotel, Middletown