The Oceancliff in Newport Rhode Island, was where Claire and Andrew decided to have their destination wedding. It is a beautiful seaside hotel and resort in the famous town of Newport, on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island. The town is famous for the many opulent mansions such as The Breakers and Miramar that were built during the Gilded Age by some of America’s wealthiest families such as the Vanderbilts and Astors. The Oceancliff is one of the mansions which was converted from a private residence to a luxury wedding venue and it has some of the most enchanting views of Narragansett Bay and the sailboats it hosts.
When I was working as an architectural photographer some years ago, I hired the bride Claire, as my intern and we became great friends. She had just moved to this country and hit the ground running as an interior designer. I witnessed Claire and Andrew’s relationship from the beginnings, and saw their happiness grow. Over the years, I have met some of Claire’s closest friends and family from Taiwan and Canada. When Claire and Andrew got engaged, they wanted to find a wedding venue at a memorable destination which families from afar would truly appreciate. As a wedding vendor, I was asked many questions by the bride in relation to wedding advice and planning, and at some point I was hired to be her wedding photographer. I was excited and to be honest, a bit nervous!
On Claire’s wedding day, I arrived at the mansion finding my way up winding stairs to her bridal suite. The room had great big windows, and having a room to get ready with great natural light is essential on the wedding day. This not only is something a wedding photographer loves, but a makeup artist has an easy time working with the right colors for the bride.
For the wedding the bride and groom chose Tiffany blue and orange for their colors. Claire is an interior designer and fine art painter and has a great sense of style. She printed some DIY wedding invitations and menus, and applied stamping and cutting by hand. The guys wore black Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars and the ladies wore matching blue bridesmaid dresses and carried orange and blue bouquets.
When it came to making sure my good friends had the best Boston area DJ for their wedding, I recommended that they enlist Beat Train Productions. As a Boston wedding photographer, I hear a lot of great music, and a lot of not-so-great music, so I didn’t want Claire and Andrew to be stuck with any old DJ. As you can imagine, similar to wedding photographers, Djs can span a whole spectrum from great to cheesy. Just like Beat Train did for Karen & Robbie’s barn wedding (which will be published in an upcoming issue of The Knot Magazine) and Mary & Steve’s coastal maritime wedding, they kept the guests dancing non-stop. Without any hesitation, if you ask me who the best Boston wedding DJ is, I am going to say Beat Train. All of my clients above will agree hands down. I also just learned that Beat Train is expanding to New York City with select dates available. My guess is that a lot of Boston area brides and grooms might have their weddings back “home” in NYC/Brooklyn and want to meet their DJ before the wedding.
During the outdoor summer ceremony overlooking the ocean, Claire and Andrew exchanged vows amidst perfect weather.
They incorporated unity sand into their wedding ceremony with sand from various significant locations. 
Being that their destination wedding was in Newport, there were plenty of sailboats that afternoon.
Claire’s father who speaks Mandarin Chinese, made a toast which was his first speech in English. He did a great job with no mixups and happily welcomed Andrew into their family. 
Claire’s sister Claris came all the way from Taipei to share such a happy occasion with her sister.
Andrew’s father also gave a toast to the newlyweds.
Both Andrew and Claire were ecstatic on their wedding day and their smiles were contagious to everyone in the room at their reception.
As an asian bride, Claire integrated Chinese tradition by changing into a qipao. The bridesmaids changed into red qipao, while the bride blended eastern and western tradition, choosing a white qipao.
The cake was perfect for a destination wedding, using a beach theme integrating shells and adirondack chairs.
Newport RI Vendor list:
Wedding Ceremony and Reception Venue: Oceancliff Resort / Oceancliff H0tel
Newport Rhode Island Wedding Florist: Stone Blossom
Newport Wedding Photographer: Heather Parker Photography
Wedding Hairstylist: Wedding Tresses
Wedding Makeup Artist: Tada Yourself
Boutique Wedding DJ: Beat Train Productions
Wedding Cake Bakery: Cappucinos
Officiant: George Whitehouse
If you would like to see more Asian weddings including Chinese weddings, Taiwanese weddings, Korean weddings and other similar weddings please check out:
Milly and Ross W Hotel wedding
Jo and Rich’s Ivy Room wedding
John and Panle Le Meridien wedding