Brightly Colored Wedding at Cylburn Arboretum

Photographer’s remarks: “The tale of Josh and Aleida is really just a classic tale of a doctor of space science and aerospace engineer falling in love, really. They were married on the 45th anniversary of the first time the man walked on a moon and the bridesmaids were dressed in a rainbow of Pantone colors. Aleida wore a flower crown, and with stars in their eyes, they celebrated their wedding day with a scenery full of green at the Cylburn Arboretum. They had space suits on their wedding cake, calligraphy scientific symbols as their placards, and hot air balloons as their centerpieces. And this is how it went:”

Overall theme for Ceremony and Reception

Remarks from the bride: “Our theme was “no theme.” We just wanted bright colors galore and to include the things that we love most or have personal meaning for us. We were married on the 45th anniversary of the moon landing and space is part of daily life in our professions, so we chose to have a space-themed cake complete with astronauts. Fun fact: we were physically closer to space during our wedding than we were to either of our hometowns. We used scientific physical constants for the table numbers and we did hot air balloon centerpieces as a tribute to Josh’s first attempt at proposing (in which the wind did not cooperate and we didn’t get to go up in one as planned.) We incorporated a few nautical things and had the party at an arboretum since Josh loves sailing and I love flowers. Many guests remarked afterwards that the theme was us, plain and simple.”

Describe the Bride’s Attire

“My dress was Sottero & Midgley and the seamstress at Serendipity Bridal & Events was able to give me the lace back I wanted. The veil also came from Serendipity. My something old was the pearl necklace from my dad, something new was the flower crown, something borrowed was the earrings from my sister, and the something blue was the killer blue glitter heels I wore all day.”

Best advice you received while planning your wedding?

“My advice would be to do what you want. It’s your wedding, and afterwards friends and family might not remember the details, but you will. Also, plan, plan, plan, plan before, and then on your actual wedding day, just go with it, it’s not worth getting upset at that point, you’re getting married!”

What accessories did you buy for your wedding day?

“A flower crown made by whichgoose from Etsy.”

Music played during the Ceremony

“We went classic with the music. The family was seated to Jesu Joy of Man’s Desiring and Bach’s Arioso. The bridesmaids, flower girl, and ring bearer walked out to “Ave Maria,” and my dad and I walked down to Charpentier’s Prelude to Te Deum. The two personal touches were the groom and his men entering to the tune that is always played for Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings movies, and taking communion to the hymn Be Thou My Vision. We exited to the typical Mendelssohn Wedding March because, hey, I wanted to feel like Cinderella! “

Types of Flowers

“My goal for the bridal flowers was to have the biggest and brightest bouquet possible! The florist was able to come up with precisely what was in my head with lots of color and lots of variety! The bridesmaids each carried a bouquet of different white flowers: carnations, lilies, hydrangeas, dahlias, and chrysanthemums. The flower girl had a bright little pomander and the guys matched accordingly.”

Highlights from the Ceremony and Reception

“It was paramount to me that all our family be honored and included in the wedding and it was wonderful to know that all our friends and family were their to witness, support, and bless the start of our marriage. On the funnier side, my poor flower girl had a meltdown just as she was supposed to be walking down the aisle. We all kept a cool head though, and her mother (my matron-of-honor) just carried her and held her throughout the ceremony. We chose to have a sweetheart table for dinner and we loved the intimate space. We got to have a conversation just between us and actually taste our food. And of course, dancing with all our people who had traveled so far for us!”

Describe the Groom’s Attire

“We wanted to do everything by the book for the suits for maximum fanciness. Since we were married in the afternoon that meant going with formal morning dress for the guys. After trying a few on we rented from The Tuxedo House in Baltimore because they offered the best fit. The only difference between the groom and his men was the ascot tie. The groom also wore a gold watch from his great-grandfather for the occasion.”

Describe the Bridesmaids’ Attire

“The bridesmaids wore dresses by The Dessy Group and green leaves in their hair. They fit the feeling of the day perfectly.”

Wedding Invitations

“We used Wedding Paper Divas for the save the dates, menus, and programs, and Printable Press for the invitations.”

Wedding Favors

“The table assignments were little bags of salt water taffy from our favorite candy shop on the Wildwood, NJ boardwalk. Wildwood has been a special place for us for many years (we even had our engagement session there) so we wanted to include our love of the shore somehow.”

Where did you go on your Honeymoon?

“We traveled to Tulum, Mexico for a week! Rather than stay at an all-inclusive resort we opted for The Beach Tulum boutique hotel. We had a pool outside our front door and the beach out the back door, but also got a feel for the local culture. It was the perfect landing pad for exploring the Mayan ruins in town and our day trip to Chichen Itza.”