Elegant Maryland Countryside Wedding
Quite possible the cutest love story ever, what started as playdates eventually blossomed into a proposal, and the wedding that followed was destined for greatness. With a focus on family, Amelia Johnson Photography captured every darling detail, while Monachetti Weddings filmed every love filled moment below!
From the beautiful Bride... Nick and I joke that it was destiny that brought us together, but years of admiration, respect and friendship that made us a perfect match. Our mothers had known each other since kindergarten, were college roommates and in each other's weddings. Nick and I had known each other our entire lives but rarely lived in the same area. It was not until high school that we became good friends, joking that we'd get married if we were not married by the time we were 28. We both went to college at Virginia Tech, and made time to hang out with each other.
Fast forward to after graduation, we were both single and blazing our own trails in our careers. We started to spend more time with each other, and before we knew it we were inseparable. I kept our relationship a secret at the beginning, afraid I'd spoil a close family friendship, but once I let my parents know they were thrilled! Two years later, Nick proposed on top of a mountain, at sunset, on a mountain in Spain. We came back to so much love and support from our families, and friends that have known both of us our entire lives. We knew our wedding had to be a celebration of all the love and support we felt.
When we first started planning our wedding, Nick and I were not sure if we wanted a sleek urban celebration that was more my aesthetic, or something more rustic for Nick. We did know, however, that we wanted a place where we could be surrounded by all our friends and family. My now-husband Nick, my mom, sisters, dad and even my brothers traveled around Northern Virginia, DC and southern Maryland before my mom and I finally drove up to Stone Manor and knew it was "the place." Between the rolling hills, gorgeous historic house and big tent, we knew we'd found the perfect place for Nick and I to say "I do."
It is a family tradition for the bride to carry something of her mother's on her wedding day. My mother generously offered her wedding dress to be cut up and wrapped into my bouquet, but I could not take the shears to it! So, I cut the tulle under the skirt of the dress into long streamers and had my incredibly talented florist tie it in to my bouquet. This inspired her to also ties beautiful streaming ribbons into the bridesmaids bouquets as well. It was a gorgeous homage to my mom.
My father cut out all the wooden signs, and helped me stain and assemble them. I came home diligently the weeks before the wedding and painted each sign using my favorite fonts (I was very particular about the graphic design of the day!). I love printed goods and the excitement of opening up a letter, and wanted my guests to feel the same, so we hand cut-out all the invitation liners and bands, and used vintage stamps that referenced architecture, Washington, DC, Virginia, and the outdoors that referenced our interests and life. We had multiple craft days where my mom, sisters, mother in law and bridesmaids came over and painted table numbers, glued moss onto foam-core letters that formed the signage over the dessert table, and tied tags on to the Tabasco favors. My mother tied hundreds of ribbons on programs and even made the arrangement on the flower girl's pillow (whose father had carried at my parent's wedding), and my mother-in-law made white and grey striped pillow covers for the lawn chairs. My aunt and grandmother even embroidered all the initials on the bridesmaids's getting-ready shirts. The biggest DIY's were the large initials above our siblings-only "Cool Kid's Table," and the table assignment target. I had Nick out on our apartment balcony cutting the wood for the target while I was inside staining and gluing moss on it. It was quite an endeavor, but I was thrilled with how it turned out!
The best advice I received was to be true to myself and Nick. While planning our wedding, I received so much advice and so many opinions. I knew they all came from a good place, but I realized I had to make decisions that reflected who Nick and I are as a couple. At the time it was tough, but after the wedding we received so much positive feedback from our family and friends and we knew each part was true to us.
The photo that truly resonates with me is of Nick and I holding hands, my veil about to fly off, walking back to the party. We were so excited to be married, and to get back to our celebration and the people that were there for us, you can see the joy in our eyes! We could not be more overjoyed that we found such a phenomenal photographer to capture our day and be with us.
Fast forward to after graduation, we were both single and blazing our own trails in our careers. We started to spend more time with each other, and before we knew it we were inseparable. I kept our relationship a secret at the beginning, afraid I'd spoil a close family friendship, but once I let my parents know they were thrilled! Two years later, Nick proposed on top of a mountain, at sunset, on a mountain in Spain. We came back to so much love and support from our families, and friends that have known both of us our entire lives. We knew our wedding had to be a celebration of all the love and support we felt.
When we first started planning our wedding, Nick and I were not sure if we wanted a sleek urban celebration that was more my aesthetic, or something more rustic for Nick. We did know, however, that we wanted a place where we could be surrounded by all our friends and family. My now-husband Nick, my mom, sisters, dad and even my brothers traveled around Northern Virginia, DC and southern Maryland before my mom and I finally drove up to Stone Manor and knew it was "the place." Between the rolling hills, gorgeous historic house and big tent, we knew we'd found the perfect place for Nick and I to say "I do."
It is a family tradition for the bride to carry something of her mother's on her wedding day. My mother generously offered her wedding dress to be cut up and wrapped into my bouquet, but I could not take the shears to it! So, I cut the tulle under the skirt of the dress into long streamers and had my incredibly talented florist tie it in to my bouquet. This inspired her to also ties beautiful streaming ribbons into the bridesmaids bouquets as well. It was a gorgeous homage to my mom.
My father cut out all the wooden signs, and helped me stain and assemble them. I came home diligently the weeks before the wedding and painted each sign using my favorite fonts (I was very particular about the graphic design of the day!). I love printed goods and the excitement of opening up a letter, and wanted my guests to feel the same, so we hand cut-out all the invitation liners and bands, and used vintage stamps that referenced architecture, Washington, DC, Virginia, and the outdoors that referenced our interests and life. We had multiple craft days where my mom, sisters, mother in law and bridesmaids came over and painted table numbers, glued moss onto foam-core letters that formed the signage over the dessert table, and tied tags on to the Tabasco favors. My mother tied hundreds of ribbons on programs and even made the arrangement on the flower girl's pillow (whose father had carried at my parent's wedding), and my mother-in-law made white and grey striped pillow covers for the lawn chairs. My aunt and grandmother even embroidered all the initials on the bridesmaids's getting-ready shirts. The biggest DIY's were the large initials above our siblings-only "Cool Kid's Table," and the table assignment target. I had Nick out on our apartment balcony cutting the wood for the target while I was inside staining and gluing moss on it. It was quite an endeavor, but I was thrilled with how it turned out!
The best advice I received was to be true to myself and Nick. While planning our wedding, I received so much advice and so many opinions. I knew they all came from a good place, but I realized I had to make decisions that reflected who Nick and I are as a couple. At the time it was tough, but after the wedding we received so much positive feedback from our family and friends and we knew each part was true to us.
The photo that truly resonates with me is of Nick and I holding hands, my veil about to fly off, walking back to the party. We were so excited to be married, and to get back to our celebration and the people that were there for us, you can see the joy in our eyes! We could not be more overjoyed that we found such a phenomenal photographer to capture our day and be with us.