Cara & Michael

Cara Shank & Michael Schad

October 23, 2020 at OceanCliff

Couples from out of state usually get married in Newport because they have so many fond memories of past visits here. Not Cara Shank and Michael Schad. Up until the week of their wedding, the pair had never set foot in Rhode Island. “We planned the entire wedding sight unseen,” says Cara, a Florida resident whose earlier efforts to visit the Ocean State were stymied by COVID-19 travel restrictions. But the couple loved the pictures they saw, and OceanCliff checked all the boxes for a waterfront location convenient to Michael’s home state of New York, with rooms where guests could stay, too. — By Fred Albert, Newport Life magazine, September 2021

In Sickness and …

The pair met five years ago, when both worked for the same company in Boca Raton, Florida. Michael did little to conceal his interest. “We would be in company meetings, and he would state, ‘This is our 29th date,’” Cara laughs. By the time they went on an actual date three years later, it didn’t take long for things to turn serious. In fact, Michael proposed the day he got the ring from the jeweler – even though Cara was sick on the sofa with a bad case of flu. “I immediately said yes, then had to go back to sleep,” she says.

Style Meets Safety

The couple exchanged vows last October. Cara was dressed in a Hailey Paige ball gown with a spaghetti strap bodice, sweetheart neckline and cascading tulle skirt, flanked by bridesmaids in mauve chiffon. Michael and the groomsmen wore blue suits with mauve ties. At the reception, guests were greeted by a floral wall rack of filled champagne flutes bearing their seat locations, and windows hung with strands of string lights that gave the room an ethereal glow after dark. In lieu of cake, the couple served donuts and dessert shooters — and made sure everyone had plenty of hand sanitizer.

Where Are They Now?

After a honeymoon in Mexico, the couple returned to Florida and learned Cara was pregnant — then resumed their jobs as a vice president of support services (her) and a department manager (him) for technology companies.

Featured Vendors:

Photographer: Joanna Fisher
Venue, Caterer: OceanCliff
Event Planner: A Pretty Affair (Florida)
Bridal Gown: Hailey Paige, Boca Raton Bridal
Bridesmaid Dresses: Birdy Grey
Suits: Men’s Wearhouse
Hair, Makeup: Shelby White, SW Beauty
Flowers: Sayles Livingston Design
Entertainment: Entertainment Specialists