Tell us about your day: Our big day was perfect from the beginning! The rehearsal dinner was Friday evening at 15 Point Road in Portsmouth. Everyone enjoyed the food and we had our own private upstairs room with water views. The girls and I all stayed at the Escobar Farmhouse Inn in Portsmouth, RI and I woke up and went for a long run in Newport along the Cliff Walk and Bellevue Avenue. It was a great start to the day, but it didn’t calm my nerves as much as I would have thought. The hair stylist, my cousin Marisa Capozzoli, and makeup artist from Salon KG in Cranston arrived at 11 a.m. The photographer arrived at 2 p.m. and started shooting pictures of us getting ready and hanging around on the farm.
I couldn’t have asked for better weather! Our ceremony was beginning at 5 p.m. so arrival time at Blithewold could be no sooner than 4 p.m. Jimmy got there before me, the first time that’s EVER happened! I got into my gown with the girls and popped a bottle of bubbly in the new, gorgeous bridal suite that was just built next to the permanent tent on the Blithewold property. Now, when guests need to use the restroom, they don’t have to walk up to the mansion; there are brand new facilities that were built along with the bridal suite. John Orton of Warren had delivered my flowers and they were absolutely breathtaking! They were one of my favorite parts of the wedding. The ceremony was short and sweet, only twelve minutes from start to finish.
The three things we wanted to do for our guests that we felt would make the event a true success were to keep the ceremony short, provide a top-shelf, open bar all night and have a great band. We had a seven-piece band with jazz during cocktail hour and they played everything from classic rock to hip hop during the reception. For our wedding party, we skipped introductions into the tent and shortened our first dance. We wanted to keep the flow going and enjoy ourselves, too! Everything went smoothly. The menu choices were salmon with a balsamic reduction served over northern beans and filet mignon with mashed sweet potatoes and vegetables napoleon.
The timing was impeccable. Our cake from Scrumptions in East Greenwich was delicious — half lemon with raspberry filling and half chocolate with hazelnut filling all covered in delicious buttercream frosting. The best part of the day was saying “I do” to the man of my dreams: an amazing father, friend, brother and son. The funniest, kindest, most driven and generous person I know, always with a smile on his gorgeous face!
Bride’s name: Julianne M Forchione
Groom’s name: James E Joly
City: Bristol
State: RI
Venue: Blithewold Mansion, Gardens and Arboretum
Catering/Cake: Pranzi Catering/ Scrumptions
Photography: Jamie Corbman
Bride’s dress: Pronovias
Bride’s hair: Salon KG
Bridesmaid dresses: Dessy/Alexandra’s Boutique
Wedding Planner/Coordinator: Lisa Mattiello
Men’s Formalwear: Men’s Warehouse
Stationery: Wedding Paper Divas
Music: Ways and Meanz