A Classic, Vintage-Inspired Wedding in Newport, Rhode Island-Belle Mer venue.

It was a long shot that Nicole Pereira and Brian Brigham’s paths would ever cross, but fate works in strange ways. Nicole was part of a group of 30 Harvard Business School students hosted by a South African classmate on a tour of his country. Before their travels, two of the men in the group bumped into Brian, a friend from their undergrad days at Princeton. After hearing he would be in Zimbabwe during their trip to South Africa, they invited him to meet up with their group.

Brian and Nicole seemed to hit it off in casual conversation, but Brian had drunk the local water and was not feeling his best. He asked to see her when they returned to the States. Since Nicole was commuting to New York City to interview for jobs, she agreed. “When I moved to New York, things got pretty serious pretty quickly,” says Nicole

While strolling together in Central Park on a beautiful fall day, Brian kept veering off on side paths. “I was in ballet flats and a silk blouse, and wanted to stay on the beaten path,” says Nicole. Eventually, Brian coaxed her down a quiet trail with a small stream and went down on one knee to ask her to marry him. After she said, “Yes,” they headed to the restaurant where they had gone on their first date. Nicole was thrilled to see her parents waiting there to celebrate.

Nicole, who grew up in Rhode Island, chose to marry oceanside at Newport’s Belle Mer. Despite unsettled weather on the day of the wedding, they went ahead with a short outdoor ceremony officiated by a friend. The couple wrote their own vows ending with, “You are my love and my life, today, tomorrow, always and forever.” Nicole’s mother surprised the newlyweds with a butterfly release finale.

By the time the rains came, guests were indoors for the reception. The glow of candlelight on blush, white and ivory décor details was warm and welcoming. Heirloom Madeira linens, reflecting the bride’s Portuguese background, and the crocheted artisan handiwork of Nicole’s mother and grandmother topped every table.

The newlyweds made their grand entrance down a flight of steps, moving directly into their first dance choreographed to John Legend’s “All of Me.”

“We were worried about whether people would dance,” says Nicole, “but the band had everyone, from the youngest to the oldest guest, up on the dance floor right away.” The couple paced the music to start easy and ramp up, but the energy in the room was so high that they dropped the slower numbers.

“The amount of fun we had on the dance floor was amazing,” says Nicole. At one point, everyone, including the bride and groom, donned playful oversized sunglasses. “Brian picked me up and spun me around, and I remember feeling like I was flying!” says Nicole.

Brian planned their two-week tour of the Hawaiian Islands, including stops in Maui, the Big Island and Kauai with time for activities from helicopter rides and swimming with manta rays to spa treatments and relaxing on the beach.