Bed and Breakfast 4th of July Wedding

Q1: Tell us about your wedding!

“In the beginning, so many people asked us what was our theme and honestly we didn’t know how to respond other than, ‘Uhm.. Marriage?’ Eventually we realized that every bit of decor we were using was in an antique/vintage style and thus we accidentally landed on our theme!

“Brian and I easily settled on a more neutral color palette, with easy pastels and light blues to tie everything in.

“During our ceremony we had my matron of honor read a religious encouragement for us that included why a man leaves his mother to become one with his wife and that two are better than one. This was particularly touching because Carol was one of the main people that helped my husband and I find, and keep our way, to Christ. The whole reading was perfect, but the best part was when Carol stepped in front of the microphone to introduce herself, she started off with, ‘Hi, I’m Maggie!’ to which I interrupted her saying,’No, I’m Maggie. You’re Carol.’

“She didn’t realize she had made that mistake, but the whole congregation was laughing and we all joked about it for the rest of the evening. It set the tone for a light ceremony and I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

“When discussing if we wanted to do any additional religious pieces during our ceremony, we found that the most meaningful addition would be a knot tying ceremony.

“We purchased a beautiful wooden sign from TheRusticEarth off Etsy that had Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 written on it and three strands of rope to be tied. To us, Brian and I are each one strand of rope and God is the third. During the ceremony, Brian and I braided the rope, and our pastor came over to tie the knot at the end keeping the braid together. We have it hanging in our house as a beautiful reminder to always keep God in our lives.

Q2: Let’s talk wedding decor

“Once we did figure out a theme, I realized that my mother’s house had almost all the decor we needed! Apart from the lights going around the tent, all of our decor was DIY.

“My mother, an avid antique fan, has always had unique and memorable pieces of decor in her home – from old wooden benches and crates, to tin milk cans and antique books. The hardest pieces for her to give up for the wedding were her treasured antique chests as they were active parts of the furniture in her home! The benches, chests, and crates were integrated to hold certain decor and signage. A 1930’s typewriter was originally brought to serve as a Leave a Note station, but the roll ended up being stuck so it was just a cool piece of decoration instead!

“All of the centerpieces were from my mother’s house and each table was unique! Stacks of old leather-bound books, candle sticks, tins, etc. were placed about and some tables even had my great-grandmother’s lace doilies that she made in Poland.

“Having those special touches really tied the reception together for us. Another one of my favorite pieces of decor used in both the ceremony and reception was this beautiful hand-dyed cheesecloth. We ordered several bolts of it from LinenLark on Etsy and they made for beautiful table runners and fabric to drape on the pergola for our ceremony.”

Q3: What were the florals like in your wedding?

“The only live flowers were in my bouquet and the boutonnieres, but we spent extensive time going through Michael’s craft store to gather the remaining bouquets, table decorations, and additional flowers.

“Brian was so helpful here, as he really had a good eye for matching peonies, cabbage roses, and other flowers in the pastel color theme we chose. When it came to working with our florist for the live flowers, she easily picked up on what we envisioned for the bouquet: pastel colors, peonies, and draping vines and eucalyptus.

“It was a very large bouquet (and was quite heavy!) but it was almost exactly as I had envisioned!

“One of my favorite pieces of floral decor, however, was for the ceremony. It was a beautiful swag placed on the pergola we stood under. The floral swag was given to us by my best friend, and matron of honor, and it had been used in her wedding ceremony.

“We loved having so many meaningful things from friends and family incorporated into our wedding.

“We also purchased dried lavender and small succulents from the Etsy vendors, PaulaJeansGarden and ExoticSucculent, respectively. The lavender made for a lovely scented addition to the table decorations and the succulents we packaged in little glass jars as wedding favors for all the guests! The succulent gifts were a smash hit!

Q4: Did you personalize the day in any way?

“Our wedding date is actually the most personal thing we could have chosen for our wedding. Brian’s parents were married on July 4th, 1981. Brian’s maternal grandparents were married on July 4th, 1958. AND Brian’s paternal grandparents were married on July 4th, 1950. When we got engaged, there was no question of what day we would be married on – July 4th. I could picture no better way to join his family than to be a part of such a wonderful tradition. To celebrate all the anniversary’s, Brian and I purchased signs from RaiseYourWords, a local Etsy vendor, that stated their wedding date and what anniversary year it was for them. We even had a sign made for ourselves that said July 4, 2019 – Just Married! We originally would have loved to have food trucks at our wedding, but given that it was a holiday, all of the food trucks were off at festivals and unavailable to cater. However, our final choice ended up being much more personal to us as a couple anyway! Anyone who knows us knows how much we love Chipotle Mexican Grill. After joking about having Chipotle cater our wedding for a bit of time, we sat down and realized it was actually very possible to have one of our favorite meals at our wedding. So we put a plan into motion and had Chipotle as one of our caterers! Guests were so excited to hear about the Chipotle food option and it really fit into the 4th of July experience better than a traditional caterer.My favorite part of our wedding was absolutely the ceremony. I’m sure every bride says their wedding was the best, but I’ve never been a part of a ceremony that had so much love and support before! Brian and I have been together for 10 years, and all of our friends and family have supported us through the good and the bad. There were so many tears, especially from us, but you could really feel how happy everyone was to finally see us married. While Brian says that my personal vows to him were perfect, his were the best. For some background, as a joke Brian has started every card he’s ever given me with the phrase “It’s been an incredible journey.” Guess how he started his vows? Here’s a the beginning of his vows:”It’s been an incredible journey. Even though that phrase has always been used in every birthday, Christmas, or Valentine’s card, lately it’s had a much deeper meaning for me. Being able to have you in my life, experience the memories that we’ve had, eventually getting you to like cats, and fall in love with you, I’ve cherished every day. Even though it’s taken us 10 years to get here, it’s brought us together and I wouldn’t change a single moment.” He went on to reference key moments in our lives, reminding me that I’m everything to him, and subtly throwing in “The Office” references that I’m not sure anyone else caught. I encourage every couple to write personal vows to each other. We have ours framed and I can’t wait to show our future children the love we share for each other.”

Q5: Let’s talk fashion

“In a way, I’ve always known what general style of dress I would wear as almost every prom gown has been the same way, either a mermaid or sheath dress.

“When I put on Maggie Sottero’s Tuscany Lynette dress, the only way I can describe it is it just felt right. It felt like the perfect dress to move in on a hot summer day while still showing all my curves and making me feel beautiful.

“When I asked Brian what style of dress he wanted me in, he kissed my hand and simply said, ‘Whatever makes you feel beautiful.’

“Well, that dress definitely did that! The entire dress is covered in shimmering lace motifs that accented the allover lace. The top of the dress has beaded spaghetti straps that connect to the lace bodice with a plunging sweetheart neckline.

“My amazing seamstress took extra lace and made the neckline a bit more modest, but the sweetheart style was perfect. The bodice, excluding the neckline, is sheer with lace and the sheer back added an extra wow factor without being too much.

“For Brian, we were stuck between a grey or navy suit. Prior to going out and trying suits on, he was leaning very much towards a grey suit. When we were at Macy’s, he tried on at least three grey suits and none of them felt right. I picked out a fitted navy suit and made him try it on. When he came out of the dressing room I could have swooned.

“The navy blue color went incredibly well with his deep hazel eyes and brown hair, made his tan skin even tanner. He looked so handsome even standing there with no shoes or belt on. As if my reaction wasn’t enough to confirm this was the suit, he was beaming at himself in the mirror the whole time. We eventually found a grey vest and a beautiful baby blue cotton tie to complement the ensemble.

“The day of our wedding, I had someone bring over to him the wooden tie clip and wooden monogrammed cuff links I bought from GratefulGadgets off Etsy to complete the look. I swear he’s the most handsome man I’ll ever know.”

Q6: How did you meet?

“Nearly a decade ago, two high school students became interested in one another during a flurry of marching band practices for the Veteran’s Day Parade in NYC. After a night under the Brooklyn Bridge, Brian finally held my hand, and my first question was, ‘Does this mean we’re more than friends?’

“We made it through high school at Bald Eagle Area, and undergraduate and graduate degrees at Penn State Harrisburg side-by-side using the other for guidance and support. For the proposal, basically everyone but me knew.

“A month prior he had asked my father for his support and blessing and spoke with his family about marriage. He consulted my best friend on the ring and proposal choices. He even called my mom the day before to fill her and my sister in on the plan!

“Brian originally planned to take me to one of my favorite restaurants to celebrate our birthdays which are one day apart, but an intense snow and ice storm made it unsafe to travel during our original reservation. Brian, ever undeterred, pivoted quickly and devised a new proposal plan.

“As we’re both The Office fanatics, Brian took a page out of Michael Scott’s book and went from there. When we arrived at his house, Brian made me pause in the kitchen while he went and arranged what I thought was going to be a birthday gift for me. When he came back, he took me outside to the front of the house and said, ‘This is where we decorated for Halloween, and where I hope to decorate and celebrate many more holidays with you.’ He then took me around to the back of the house to our herb garden and said, “This is where we grew amazing plants and where I hope to have many more summers of basil and veggies.” I was a little unsure as to what was happening, but Brian was clearly revving up for something bigger.

“We then went inside to the kitchen where Brian said, ‘This is where we cook incredible food together and enjoyed all those great memories. This is also where I hope to have many more dinners with you and our friends and family.’

“At this point, my brain recognized that this was panning out to be like The Office Season 7 Episode 19, but having already waited ten years to marry this man I had my reservations as to how this would end. The final stop was the bedroom, where Brian had candles and roses all over the room. He led me inside, turned me to face him, and said, ‘And this is where I ask you to marry me, where I hope to hold you every night and wake up to you every morning.’

“At that point we were both crying, but he got down on one knee, pulled out the most gorgeous ring, and asked me to marry him. Of course I said yes!”

Q7: What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day?

“The most anticipated moment of the day? Marrying my best friend! That seems like a silly answer, but the entire day getting ready that’s all I could think about – I finally get to marry Brian! Even when it started to rain and it looked like our outdoor ceremony location needed to be moved, I was the least stressed bride ever.

“Much of that was thanks to the excellent care and attention the venue owners took, but overall I couldn’t care where I stood, what the weather was like, or where the guests were; I just wanted to marry my best friend. Luckily everything worked out and we were still outdoors, but I had one singular goal to achieve.

“Hearing his vows to me, wiping each other’s tears from our faces, looking into the eyes of the man I love and have loved so deeply since I was fifteen. Just thinking about it now brings me such joy. Getting to promise the rest of my life to this man was absolutely the most anticipated and special moment of the whole day.”

Q8: Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you’d like to share with other couples planning their day?

“My biggest piece of advice is to remember that it’s your day. Don’t feel the need to compromise what you and your fiance want based on the opinions of others because in the end you know yourselves the best. Your guests are there to celebrate your union, so don’t feel like you need the most expensive gifts, food, and drinks to please them – if they’re really your friends and family, they’re going to be happy for you either way whether they have a glass of sparkling juice or the finest champagne in their hand.

“Make a budget before you start and track expenses the entire time – the little things add up! If you can’t afford a wedding planner, don’t worry. Just make sure you AND your fiance are committed to sitting down and working out the nitty gritty details – no procrastination!

“Remember, planning a wedding is a team effort, but sometimes your method of working may be different than your fiance’s.

“Make sure you know how each of you best plan things, whether it’s listing out everything and divvying up responsibilities, knowing who’s best at research, etc. as this will surely save you some frustrations later down the road.”