Our shared love of the Boston Red Sox brought us together. We were both hanging out with friends on Landsdowne Street, celebrating the Sox victory over the Minnesota Twins on August 10, 2002. Marc approached my friend Cheryl and asked if she would harass his friend Greg, a Twins fan. Cheryl gladly obliged. We all made fast friends and knew we had formed a special bond. When the weekend was over, we went our separate ways (or so I thought).
Luckily for us, Greg remembered my last name from the driver's license I had shown at the door of one of the many bars we visited that weekend. Marc used his keen investigative skills & tech-savvy to track me down online. My mother called me about a week later to let me know that there was a beautiful bouquet of flowers waiting for me at her house, although she wasn't really sure who they were from or why they were delivered to her address. I was delighted to find out that they were from Marc, thanking me for a wonderful weekend... and enclosing his phone number. Needless to say, I was thrilled.
The rest is history. Since that fanstatic weekend in 2002, we have had many great adventures... and watched A LOT of Red Sox games together!
We are getting married at SS John & Paul Church in Coventry, Rhode Island. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 2:30 in the afternoon. It will be a full Catholic Mass and Fr. Peter D'Ambrosia will officiate.
There is ample on-site parking and the front of the church is handicapped accessible. Information about the church can be found at www.stsjohnpaulri.com.
All guests are invited to join us at Laurel Lane Country Club for a reception following the ceremony. Laurel Lane Country Club is located at 309 Laurel Lane, West Kingston, Rhode Island. From the church parking lot, take a right onto Route 3/Tiogue Avenue and travel approximately 3 miles. Merge onto Route 95 South via the ramp to Westerly. Follow Route 95 South for 2.7 miles to exit 3A and merge onto Route 138/Main Street toward Newport/Kingston. Follow Route 138 for approximately 6.5 miles. At the sign for Laurel Lane, take a right and drive about 1/2 mile to the course.
Cocktail hour is scheduled to begin at 5:00 in the evening. A sit-down dinner will be served. MC Music Productions will be spinning music all night for your listening pleasure. We are in the process of creating a reception playlist, so if there is anything that you would like to hear just let us know!
The attire for the reception is “dressy casual” or “casual elegant.” A few websites on wedding attire provide this guidance… “the men wear a suit or dressy slacks and a blazer, perhaps paired with a festively colored or patterned tie, the women should just wear whatever they would normally wear to an afternoon wedding, something along the lines of a pretty day dress with jewelry”…”you'll want to dress somewhere between formal and casual, he should wear a tie and she should wear a cocktail dress or a dressy skirt and top”…“dressy casual calls for dressed-up versions of casual looks, for him, it could be trousers and a sport coat, for her a dressy pants look or dress; jeans, shorts, T-shirts and other casual looks are not appropriate for dressy casual.” It can get chilly at night in September and there is an outdoor porch at the reception site. Ladies may want to consider bringing a wrap or light sweater.
Public places in Rhode Island are smoke-free. However, there is an area on the outdoor porch where cigar and cigarette smoking will be allowed.
Guests traveling from out of town can fly into T.F. Green airport (PVD), located approximately 14 miles from SS John & Paul Church. A number of car service companies & shuttles are on-site at the airport and various car rentals are available as well. A list of all ground transportation options can be found at www.pvdairport.com. There are Amtrak stations located in West Kingston (KIN) and Providence (PVD); these are located approximately 23 miles and 22 miles from the church, respectively. There is also a bus station located in downtown Providence, approximately 22 miles from the church. A listing of the taxi cab companies serving the Greater Providence area can be found at www.thecityofprovidence.com/taxi.
Fifteen rooms have been blocked for September 18th-20th at the Holiday Inn South Kingstown. The rate is $179 per night and payment can be made at check-in. Reservations can be made by calling 877-805-9008 (be sure to mention the Perkins/Wakeman wedding) or at www.HolidayInn.com/skingtownri, using the reservation code PER. This rate is available until August 15th. Other local accommodations include the Hampton Inn South Kingstown and the Ocean Rose Inn in Narragansett. Each of these properties is located thirty to thirty-five minutes from the church and ten to fifteen minutes from the reception site. None of these hotels provide shuttle service.
Rhode Island is a lovely place to visit in September. The summer tourists have gone home, but the weather is still warm & beautiful. The beaches of Newport and Westerly are only a short drive away and Providence is a vibrant city with great restaurants and attractions. The average temperature in West Kingston in September is 64 degrees, with a high of 74 and a low of 55. Information about interesting things to do in Rhode Island can be found at www.visitrhodeisland.com and at www.providencedowntown.com.
Anyone needing assistance with travel arrangements can feel free to contact our travel agent, Sue Rezendes at The Travel Connection. Sue can be reached at 401-946-6010 or at sue@travelconnectionri.com.
We are so excited that you will be able to join us to celebrate our wedding day. If you have any questions or need assistance with anything, please send us an email at lkbigday@gmail.com or call us at 401-385-3858.
Our engagement photos are in! They can be viewed at www.portraitprints.com. Type "marc" then select "August" & "2009." On the next screen, select "Marc & Nikki." The password is lkbigday.
