When it came time for Carolyn Botelho to plan her wedding to Michael Chaves, she knew exactly where she wanted to have it: Ochre Court, the former “summer cottage” of banker Ogden Goelet in Newport, R.I.

Its dramatic Great Hall is three stories high, framed by three stories of windows that face the ocean. Although it now serves as the Administration building for Salve Regina University, it’s been a popular spot for weddings since 1903 when Goelet’s daughter, May, married there. As alumni of Salve, Carolyn had intimate knowledge of the mansion, which she fell in love with as a college freshman.

“As soon as I found out that weddings were held there, I knew I always wanted to be married there,” said Carolyn, who works in the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office. “It was a dream come true for me.”

In 2004, Carolyn was out clubbing with her best friend, Julie, when they ran into an old friend that Julie hadn’t seen since high school: Michael Chaves. She introduced the two and they hit it off immediately. “I thought he was absolutely handsome,” Carolyn said.

They danced all night and talked on the telephone for several weeks after that discovering a number of things they had in common. From their Portuguese ancestry, to their Catholic educations; both are from Providence and are only children. A month after they first met, Michael asked Carolyn to dinner and they never stopped dating.

Michael proposed in December 2006 during a moment that caught Carolyn totally by surprise.  He hired a private chef for the evening and invited Carolyn and another couple to dinner. When she arrived, Michael handed her a menu that read: “A Night to Remember by Chef Richard.”

“I should have gotten a hint from the menu, but I didn’t,” Carolyn said.

They all enjoyed lobster bisque, scallops and filet mignon. Toward the end of the evening, the other couple left the room and Michael walked over to Carolyn’s side, got down on one knee and proposed.

Carolyn spent the next year and a half planning her wedding. She secured the Great Hall for the August 30 ceremony and booked the Ocean Cliff Hotel for the reception. She found the perfect gown by Priscilla of Boston—a sentiment which she shared with her mother who wed 36 years prior—and found the perfect Manolo Blahnik shoes.

She hired a band and DJ that played Portuguese folk music and planned the reception menu: your choice of filet and lobster or filet and salmon. And chose a wedding cake of Tiramisu.

Michael, who owns his own transportation company, admits he had little input. But he was very impressed with how it all turned out. “Carolyn did a beyond awesome job,” said Michael, who put together a three week honeymoon to Europe that included a 12-night Eastern Mediterranean cruise.

Carolyn, meanwhile, felt like her wedding day flew by too fast. “I’d love to relive it all again,” she said simply.

> Written by Marisa Carbone Finotti