01:00 AM EDT on Sunday, May 9, 2004

Christine Cunha and Kevin Mimoso

St. Elizabeth Church, Bristol

4.17.04

Christine Cunha and Kevin Mimoso will be celebrating their marriage with, at last count according to the RSVPs, 452 guests at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet.

"It has to be this big," says Christine. "We have really big families, and close extended families. Like my third cousins are my best friends!"

Both Christine's and Kevin's parents came to the United States from Portugal: Kevin's from the mainland, Christine's from the Azores. "So we both learned Portuguese before English," says Christine. And she and Kevin still speak the language with friends and families, much, if not most, of the time.

Christine is a travel consultant at AAA Travel in Barrington. Kevin is a T-Mobile territory representative. They met in December 2000 thru mutual friends --Christine's cousin was dating a friend of Kevin's. They all hung out together, often at Portuguese festivals in Cumberland, where Kevin lived. "Everyone was always saying we would make such a cute couple," says Christine, so they decided to give it a try.

A year and a half later, they became engaged. She took him to Chloe's in Boston for his birthday. When the waiter delivered her crlée for dessert, perched on top was a diamond ring. "I said 'Oh my God,' and started crying. Kevin got down on one knee -- everyone was watching. The man at the table next to us said 'Can you guys stop! You're making my wife cry!' It was so unexpected. We had a cruise scheduled for November, and I sort of expected something then, but not on his birthday."

Today, I meet up with the bride, groom, and their entourage after the ceremony, at The Lippitt House Museum on the East Side, where their photographer is making the formal portraits. In the limousine, during the drive from Bristol to Providence, a fair quantity of beer and wine has been consumed by the wedding party, a seemingly gregarious bunch in any case.

The bride and groom remain inside the staid old mansion, while, outside, at the RIPTA bus stop, the group taps the cooler in the limo. They shout and wave to passing motorists, many of whom look mildly embarrassed but respond with everything from timid to boisterous honking, almost in spite of themselves.

And Kevin and Christine get a roaring ovation when the photo session finally ends and they stroll hand in hand to the limo.

The reception will feature a DJ, playing a mixture of Portuguese and American selections. "We're all into Portuguese music, even the current stuff," says Christine. "And of course, we're having the 'Portuguese menu' at Rhodes, which means two main courses, in addition to soup and salad. It's traditional to have a fish main course first followed by a meat main course." The next day, Christine and Kevin will leave for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for their honeymoon. In the bride's room, as Christine's maid of honor makes adjustments to her hair, Christine says: "I need to work on my Brazilian Portuguese tonight."