A Seaside Celebration in Sea Glass Hues at Gibson Island Club

[section title=”The Planning”]
[field title=”Wedding Colors”][/field]
[field title=”Design / Vibe / Vision”]

After both growing up on the Chesapeake Bay, we wanted to incorporate shades of sea glass that can be found on the beaches of the places we grew up. We ended up focusing on light blues and greens, with splashes of lilac.

We had one of our first dates at Gibson Island – we played tennis, walked on the beach, and had awesome food. Since then, it has been a special place for us, and the amazing view and beauty of the clubhouse helped us land on a seaside wedding design. We wanted to capture a classic, elegant, and whimsical vibe that worked well with the outdoor event space.

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[field title=”Proposal Story”]

We met in Murray Hill in Annapolis and spent a lot of time going on paddleboarding trips around Annapolis Harbor before we started dating. On one of these paddleboard outings, Thad asked me to be his girlfriend. A few years later, on another paddleboarding excursion on a gorgeous August day, Thad and I paddled around a point to a sand bar where Thad said that three years prior, he had asked me a question on a paddleboard that had changed his life forever, and he was hoping to ask another question to change his life again. It was the perfect moment. A little later, a friendly boater also enjoying the weather took our first picture together as an engaged couple!

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[board_carousel title=”Getting Ready”]

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[board_carousel title=”Bridal Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”Flat Lays”]

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[section title=”The Fashion”]
[field title=”Wedding Gown”]

I went to Lovely Bride in Georgetown to try on wedding dresses, and fell in love with the Georgia dress by Made With Love. I was looking for a dress with a fitted silhouette, a low back with buttons, and thin straps. I tried on the dress with a veil, but decided that I wanted to forgo the veil and make a hair pin with pieces of my mom’s wedding veil.

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[field title=”Bridesmaid Dresses”]

The bridesmaid dresses were from Birdy Grey and Azazie. My bridesmaids were my three sisters, Thad’s sister, and my bonus daughter, Jane. I wanted my bridesmaids to feel confident and comfortable, so I had them all over for dinner, and we went through the dress styles in the colors Thad and I preferred, and each bridesmaid got to pick the style they liked the best for themselves. My maid of honor wore a dark blue dress, and the other bridesmaids wore dresses in light greens, blues, and purples.

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[field title=”Groomsman Attire”]

The groomsmen wore dark blue suits with blue ties, white shirts, and brown shoes and belts. They ordered their suits from Black Tux. Thad’s dark blue suit was from Boyd’s in Philadelphia, and he wore a patterned light blue tie with a pocket square and brown shoes.

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[board_carousel title=”Wedding Party”]

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[board_carousel title=”Ceremony”]

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[board_carousel title=”Cocktail Hour”]

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[section title=”The Details”]
[field title=”Food & Drink”]

All food was prepared and served by the venue! The salad was a delicious strawberry, watermelon, and feta salad, the soup was the frosted crab soup from Gibson Island (Thad’s favorite!), and the entree selections were either a fish with rice and roasted vegetables, or a steak with glaze and vegetables. We offered an open bar, with our signature cocktails – a mojito for me, and a Lavender Fizz for Thad. Thad happily ended up having three bowls of his favorite frosted soup – an excellent groom perk!

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[field title=”Florals & Decor”]Our fabulous planner, Cristina Calvert Weddings, introduced us to Holly Chapple, a florist located in Maryland. We worked closely with the team to bring to life our vision for an asymmetrical flower arch for the ceremony, and flower arrangements that included some of our favorites blooms – lilies for Thad, and Gerbera Daisies for me. Our goal was to have a whimsical, not too polished presentation that was still classic and elegant. Decorations were provided by Perfect Settings and BBJ La Tavola to complete our vision, and all paper products were created by Inquisited and many guests were blown away by the beauty of our invitation suites. [/field]
[field title=”Wedding Cake”]

We chose not to have a wedding cake and instead worked with Gibson Island to have a gelato cart and milkshakes (a huge hit!). We used to walk into Downtown Annapolis to get milkshakes from Red Bean or Annapolis Ice Cream Company, and wanted to incorporate this element of our love story into our wedding for guests to also enjoy.

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[field title=”Readings, Ceremony Music, Reception Songs”]

We asked my uncle to officiate our wedding and crafted our ceremony flow on our own. Thad and I wrote our vows to exchange privately before the ceremony, with a second version to share with our guests during the ceremony. We incorporated readings by Robert Fulghum and an Unknown author. We had our DJ, Harvey from Mixing Maryland, play Yo-Yo Ma, “Inspired by Bach: The Cello Suites” as guests arrived and as the wedding party proceeded down the aisle. We used “Invisible String (Stripped Wedding Cover)” by Ana Done for the bridal processional, and played “Emiliana” by CKay as our recessional song. Our first dance was to “Imagine (Acoustic)” by Ben Platt, and our DJ did a fabulous job with the soundtrack for the reception, getting everyone on their feet all night! Our final dance was to “Feels Like Home” by Bonnie Raitt.

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[field title=”Special Detail #1″]

Our first look and private vows were at the point on Gibson Island. It was where we went on one of our first dates, and it was the perfect location for that intimate moment. I wore a bracelet from my mom as “something borrowed”, and blue shoes during the cocktail hour as my “something blue”. The hairpiece I wore was crafted from elements of my mom’s wedding veil and was my “something old”. Thad’s dad gifted him cuff links that he had received as a gift from Thad’s mom on their wedding day, 35 years ago.

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[field title=”Special Detail #2″][/field]
[field title=”Special Detail #3″][/field]
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[board_carousel title=”Couple Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”Reception”]

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