Hi all!

I am Sarah, or Beach Bride, the latest chatty bride to join this wonderful blog! I've been reading up since I got engaged.

My Fiancé James and I were engaged in December after dating for nearly six years. We met at a wedding and have been to over 30 weddings together and as a result have been known as the wedding couple. I've been making mental notes on how I envision our big day for years and am excited to see everything come together!

James popped the question under the Christmas Tree in Boston's Faneuil Hall and surprised me with an engagement party moments after he proposed.

We have a lot planned already! The big day is June 11th 2011. The ceremony will be at Kay Chapel in downtown Newport and the reception will be at the Atlantic Beach Club. I have been coming to Newport my whole life and, as cliché as it may be, dreamed about my some-day Newport wedding. I'm so lucky to be able to get married there!

Here is a photo of us at one of the many weddings we have attended!

We mailed out the invitations last week and yesterday I received my first responses!!! This is so exciting!!! I went back and forth between theknot and my mother, theknot saying to send out invites 3 months ahead of time, my mother saying 6 weeks. 6 weeks?!?! I went with a little over 2 months. Once I got them back from the friend who addressed them for me I could not not send them out!

As a bride, you are basically 'on display' at your wedding. It's your time to shine, and be the Real You...and often times the real you comes with bold accessories! Daring colored shoes or bright crinoline, a big bejeweled necklace, cowboy boots, a beautiful jacket, cocktail rings, and shiny things! Are you going the BOLD route? Or are you going for simplicity or more traditional?

Photo: Lisa Frechette

Dear Chatties,
First, Thank you!! This blog and all of you have been an awesome resource for ideas and vendors...

Mr. T and I have been engaged since the end of last August and our date 3/4/11 has been set since we met with Father G in October. Since we are both very busy professionally we have been very proactive in accomplishing things sooner rather than later.

Since November we were penciled in at the Roger Williams Casino and finally in early February we met with the coordinator, and sigh of relief, gave our deposit and signed contract.

We fell in love with the Casino, built in 1895. And the location couldn't have been better less than 10 minutes away from the Parish I grew up in. Since we both knew we didn't want a Country Club or Hotel setting this was the perfect alternative...especially considering the interior of the location was a huge factor in planning a March wedding.

...Are three beautiful little girls who are all approaching their first birthday's in the next two months. They are also the children of some of our best friends. Matilda and Isabelle are coming from England with their Mums and Dads for the big day, and Grace, my angel, is a local. Our wedding is in September, and all should be walking and communicating by our big day. My little cousins (elementary school age), Sydney, Aiden, and Troy will also be there with bells on. Or if I know Troy, riding on "horsie."

Mr. British and I are among the last of our friends to get married, and while we never thought we'd have a wedding with children (I used to have to serve massive tureens of hot soup with children running all over the dance floor when I was a banquet waitress), but since these children have been born, we can not imagine our lives without them. We were in all the parents' weddings and it is just so important to us that they are all there, and that they feel included.

We have sorted out a babyminder for the British children for whenever the parents need someone while they are over, which we think is a good idea. We are also going to have a comfortable area in a side room at the reception for the parents to go with the children if they have any 'meltdowns,' which since they are all perfect, we are sure will not be needed lol!

Their places at the tables will be marked by the ubiquitous red double-decker busses of London...

I have been searching for comfortable shoes for myself and my maids to change into after the ceremony. I am not a flip flop girl for weddings. I just wanted to keep it a bit more elegant. I noticed that Martha mentioned a company called "Fit in Clouds" on her website the other day and I looked into it. Sure enough, a total score! Cute, fun flats that can be folded up and kept in your purse! How perfect! I was about to buy 5 pairs and check out when a light bulb went off. I wondered if I could get a discount for purchasing so many...I emailed the contact info on their website and sure enough I got 20% off! It was exactly like getting one pair for free! What a deal!

Fit In Clouds

We had previously worked with Liz from Blush Design Studios and were SO impressed that we asked for her to design and letter press our rehearsal dinner invites! She is so talented and fun and flexible that I can't stop thinking of other projects she could help with! Here is a sneak peek at our RD invites and the link to her blog! Love her!

http://blushdesignstudio.blogspot.com/2010/03/bright-sunny-day-with-yellow-everywhere.html

I fell head over heels for this photo by Joe Elario Photography. I confess I have an odd obsession with vintage neon signs. (I took about 500 pictures of the Old Canteen Sign up on Federal Hill in Providence for a class a few weeks ago.) I emailed Joe to see if I could show you all, and funny enough, he was off to get married himself! The amazing Jessica Claire will be taking his pics. I always love seeing who photographers pick to photograph them. More photos of this shoot are up on the Joe Elario blog.

Enjoy your weekend! I'm off to enjoy a wedding reception tonight! I was lucky enough to be a part of the lovely ceremony high up in the mountains of Vermont last Friday, and now we party down!

What wedding tasks are you working on this weekend?

I cannot believe it's been a full year as of next week!!!! TIME FLIES!!!!!
I need some chatty help....what will you get your hubby for your first anniversary gift??? (I'm on a deadline because our baby is due the SAME DAY...what a year)!!!!

As the 5 month count down is rapidly approaching, I sometimes question if I should still be purchasing bridal magazines in the airport. I suspect I am nurturing a slight event planning addiction!

Regardless, I found an interesting article in the Brides magazine I purchased last weekend on weddings by region in the US. There was a one pager on New England weddings. I tend to pride myself on incorporating unique aspects into just about everything I do (don't we all, I suppose!), and thus I was a bit surprised about how many of the typical New England wedding elements I was incorporating. So I thought it would be fun to share some of the "marital musts" for a "yankee doodle wedding."

Location, location, location!
• Ocean views - (no big surprise here) with light houses considered an added bonus.