Congratulations are in order! Jennifer Lawrence and Cooke Maroney tied the knot this weekend in one of the lesser-known Gilded Age mansions dotting the Rhode Island coast, Belcourt of Newport. It is one of several historically significant homes in Newport originally owned by well-known families such as the Vanderbilts and the Astors. Originally designed to take after Louis VIII’s hunting lodge in Versailles, the 60-room “summer cottage” is rich with history and the perfect setting for a wedding.
Lawrence and Maroney said “I do” surrounded by 150 guests, including Adele, Emma Stone, Amy Schumer, and Kris Jenner. The couple couldn’t have gotten married at Belcourt of Newport at a better time. Since 2012, it has been undergoing an extensive renovation project costing the new owner, celebrity jeweller Carolyn Rafaelian, about $15 million (£11 million) to complete.
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Now, it has been restored to its Gilded Age glory and can be seen even without a coveted invitation to Lawrence and Maroney’s wedding. Belcourt of Newport is open regularly to the public for tours. The hours vary, but you can find all the information on their website for how to see the historic halls and gorgeous rooms for yourself.
The estate features a sizeable courtyard in the centre, a gothic ballroom on the second floor, and a sprawling lawn. Tours take about an hour will run you about $17.50 (£13.50) per person.
A view of the estate from the front lawn.
Just inside the courtyard of Belcourt of Newport.
The home features a gothic ballroom on the second floor.
The mansion, one of many along Newport’s historic Bellevue Avenue, has quite the history. Starting off as a bachelor pad and summer home to socialite Oliver Hazard Perry Belmont in 1891, it became a meeting place for the early women’s suffrage movement when Alva Vanderbilt married Belmont in 1896. It changed hands a few times over the years, and eventually fell into disrepair as the venue for questionable parties and haunted ghost tours in the ‘90s.
Now, Belcourt of Newport can add being the location of Jennifer Lawrence and Cooke Maroney’s wedding to its storied history.
Now, Belcourt of Newport can add being the location of Jennifer Lawrence and Cooke Maroney’s wedding to its storied history.