Romantic Backyard Southern Maryland Wedding

If rain is supposed to be good luck on your Big Day, then what about flooding?! This Bride and Groom – who got married at the Bride’s parents’ waterfront home the day of a massive flash flood – think so! Thanks to quick thinking by Hitched By Heather, this Birds Of A Feather-captured wedding went off without a hitch, and was completed with late night sliders, dancing under the stars, and surprise fireworks!

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From Hitched By HeatherJess and Ray were wed at the Bride’s childhood home. It was a magical day where there were laughs, tears and dancing under the stars, literally. The Bride wore a stunning Vera Wang gown and a smile for days. The Groom picked out a custom made suit that fit him like a glove. Rewind to exactly one year before their Big Day to when I first met with the blushing Bride and those were the very few details that were on her must list.

Through the entire planning process, Jess knew she wanted a light and airy wedding with pops of color and fun. That was accomplished by bright white linens, light gray stripes, pinks petals and natural elements like green grass, blue water and twinkling stars. The real design elements came when arranging the backyard to have a separate ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner and dancing section. Four unique areas with room for 200 people. I was up for the challenge.

When getting married at an outside space, the weather can never be trusted. The night before, the entire east coast flooded, including the picture perfect wedding location. After a few hours of moving around, the ceremony location was relocated from a water view, to a garden view. Luckily, the Bride’s grandparents lived right next door and have a beautiful garden that played part as a stunning backdrop.

Cocktail hour was conveniently located under the parents’ wraparound porch and was paired with acoustic tunes and a boat full of beer. Dinner took place under the large pole tent where the Bride and Groom’s favorite foods were served in stations inviting guests to mingle and enjoy the tranquil scenery. For toasts and dancing, guests were ushered to the area beside the tent where the dance floor was located with beautiful lights overhead. The wraparound couch made it possible for guests with aching feet to sit and watch, and still partake in the fun.

The evening was nothing short of magical as it ended with a surprise firework show from the Bride’s uncle. The extremely talented duo, Birds of a Feather, captured Jess and Ray’s day to perfection. Their natural light photography skills were the type of artistry needed to give the photos the same feeling that was had on the wedding day. The love between these two were apparent through their handwritten vows, pure happiness and endless laughs. It was a true honor to help bring this wedding day dream to reality!

From The Bride…We had always distantly known the other from high school on, however it wasn’t until my 2008 fall break at the annual Thanksgiving Eve party that Raymond offered to buy me a drink. He didn’t know it but I saw him scrambling through his pockets for cash he didn’t have on him and soon he was asking one of his friends to borrow a few dollars in order to keep to his promise, and the rest was history. A year later, we couldn’t deny that we were falling in love and we spent the better part of the next 5 years apart as I completed my schooling. We knew we were going to make it official; it was just a matter of when.

Raymond and I got married at my parent’s breathtaking waterfront home in beautiful Southern Maryland. The natural beauty of the landscape speaks for itself so we wanted to keep the décor light and clean — mostly whites with shades of light grey and pink in the dresses and flowers. I am what some might call “basic” and never need a pop of color. The green grass and blue skies took care of that piece! We held our ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception all within the backyard and while cohesive, they all felt like their own space. To start off the day, my girls and I got ready in a hotel suite overlooking the beautiful Patuxent River while Raymond and his boys got in a few games of basketball and relaxed with the same view of the Patuxent River at a friend’s home. After the ceremony, Ray told me he had broken his hand playing basketball, AFTER I had spent the past 20 minutes squeezing his hands with excitement. And while most couples go on honeymoons the next day, we spent the afternoon at the hospital getting his hand casted.

It was the only day of the entire year that the East Coast flooded — and I mean the whole backyard was covered in water that morning. Two hours before the ceremony, my wedding planner, Heather, scrambled to relocate the whole ceremony to a different spot in the yard that had magically dried out. I had no clue what I was walking into with all the last minute changes that had to be made. Heather enlisted the help of our family and friends to recreate the ceremony to be even prettier than I had imagined, without ever worrying me about any of the details. It wasn’t until the next morning that I saw the various pictures of the water taking over the yard and all things wedding, but our amazing photographers managed to capture all of the beauty without anyone ever knowing it had all been covered in water that morning.

From our hand written personalized vows to the cocktail and reception band… from the s’mores bar to the late night sliders… from the dance floor under the stars to the end of night fireworks… our goal was to create a personal feel. We wanted anything but traditional and with the help of our amazing wedding planner, family, friends, and vendors who helped our vision come to life, we had the wedding of our dreams.

My life has vastly changed in the past few years, and while I could’ve chosen to focus on the imperfections, I instead chose to believe in our love and have never been more sure of anything in this world.

Photography: Birds of a Feather | Florist: Davids Flowers | Wedding Dress: Vera Wang | Caterer: Milloffs Catering | Hair: Katherine Rae Bridal Beauty | Band: The Piranhas | Venue: Private Residence | Ceremony Harp Music: Elizabeth Herrera | Rentals: Bailey's Party Rentals | Wedding Designer And Consultant: The Hitched Company