Charlie and Lisa's Newport Engagement Pictures

Charlie McCurdy and Lisa Gabrielson will be married on December 3rd of this year in Newport, at the St. Paul’s Methodist Church on Marlborough St., followed by cocktails, dinner and dancing at the Newport Vineyards and Winery. They are SO excited to celebrate their wedding with family from near and far — most of their guests are coming from out-of-town, some as far as Nova Scotia and Alaska! Lisa sent over their gorgeous engagement session and a sweet bio about she and Charlie. Read on!

“Our wedding style is classic with a rustic twist to play off the beautiful wood panels and beams at the Vineyard. My fiance is in the U.S. Army National Guard, and will be wearing his dress uniform, which is navy and black with touches of green and gold. So, I kept with those colors, as well as of course the traditional white, the beautiful walnut shades of the vineyard and I added a French blue for our bridesmaid’s dresses. Because Charlie’s uniform is so formal, we are having a black tie wedding!

Charlie and I met in college, in 2010 at American University in Washington DC, where I was studying Journalism and he Political Science. I actually tried to set Charlie up with my friend Jessica, and we were supposed to go on a double date with another friend. My date bailed, so I third-wheeled along with Charlie and my friend, and by the end of the date it was pretty clear the pairing was all wrong and that Charlie and I were a great match! We fell in love quickly and after college, Charlie joined the Army National Guard and was away for training when I move to Newport. When he finished his training in the spring of this year, he moved here, too.

Charlie proposed over New Years, when we were vacationing in Florida with his family. He proposed at baggage claim in the airport, which at first glance doesn’t seem very romantic, but for us it was the sight of many years of reunions after long stretches of times apart because of the Army. We have so many happy memories of reuniting at baggage claim that it was absolutely perfect.

My engagement ring (photos in the gallery) is an heirloom center stone, passed down from my great-grandmother. There’s even a family rumor that it was her mother’s, meaning it’s from before 1920. It’s very special to me and my family, as it was part of an earring and the matching stone is in my brother’s wife’s engagement ring.

Our photos also include a few photos with our dog, Blaze, who we rescued while we were still living in DC right before Charlie left for his first round of Army training. He was a snuggly companion while Charlie was away, and now that he’s home, they’re best buddies.”