Taylor Loftus and Jeffrey Kopocis
Belcourt Castle
September 25, 2010
Published in Newport Life Magazine January/February 2012
Taylor Loftus knew that one day she would marry in her hometown of Newport. What she didn’t know was that her engagement to Jeffrey Kopocis, whom she’d met on a chance encounter in Washington D.C., would also take place there. “On the last day of our Newport trip, we walked down to the entrance to Cliff Walk, which we always do on the last night of vacations here,” recalls Taylor. “Jeff got down on one knee and all I remember was running to the nearest street light on Memorial Boulevard to see the ring because it was pitch black!”
If it was destiny that Taylor’s big day would be in the City-by-the-Sea, where her mother and father, George and Laura Loftus, still live, the choice of venue was up to the winds of fate. The sale of Astors’ Beechwood, their original venue, eight months before the wedding had the bridal party scrambling. But in Newport, one thing you can be sure of is that if one mansion can’t accommodate your wedding, there are plenty more that will. “We worked quickly to find a new location and fell in love with Belcourt Castle,” says Taylor. “The space allowed us to have a very unique format, creating an intimate dinner space downstairs and then to move guests to a larger dancing space upstairs – the perfect surroundings.”
With 140 guests looking on, Taylor walked down the aisle at St. Mary’s Church in a Monique Lhuillier Swan Lake gown. “Jeff and I are old souls and drew inspiration from the very classic aspects of John and Jackie Kennedy’s wedding at the same church,” Taylor says. “We followed the black and white color scheme and infused pops of deep purple and cobalt blue into linens, flowers and candles.”
The reception was styled to be “reminiscent of an old Newport Ball” – a formal seated dinner with dancing in the ballroom and an outdoor courtyard with an open bar for guests to enjoy the mansion’s impressive gardens. For the Newport bride, the recollection she cherishes the most was walking down the aisle. “To walk with my father and see the faces of everyone who has been a part of shaping my life was special. When I arrived to Jeff I was beaming ear to ear.”
DETAILS:
Tuxedos/Suits: Viking Tuxedo, Newport
Rehearsal Dinner: International Tennis Hall of Fame, Newport
Hair and Make-up: KiRa Salon, Newport
Flowers & Décor: Perfect Surroundings, Newport
Caterer & Cake: Blackstone Caterers, Newport
Bridal Party and Guest Transportation: South County Trolley, South Kingstown
Bride and Groom Transportation: Newport Pedicab, Newport
Entertainment: Souled Out, CT
Photographer: StudioFoto, Stamford, CT
Wedding Night Stay: 41°North, Newport
Guest Accommodations: Newport Bay Club, Newport
