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Erica and DJ were married at Maryland’s beautiful Chesapeake Bay Beach Club.

The Chesapeake Bay Beach Club sits along the Eastern Shore’s waterfront. The ceremony room was full of sunlight and colorful autumnal flowers.

Erica shares, “I will never forget the moment that I took my first steps down the aisle with my Dad. It’s a moment filled with so much joy and excitement. As I took those steps toward DJ with my Dad by my side, I looked around at all the smiling faces of the people I love most in this world. And in that moment, I was so touched that all of them came from near and far to share in our special day. It really almost took my breath away when I realized just how blessed I am. And just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, I saw DJ standing there, so handsome in his tux, waiting for me at the end of the aisle.”

After a rainy morning, the sun broke through the clouds!

Erica and DJ have a very sweet proposal story, ” We continued to date throughout college, making a long distance relationship work as I attended school for three years in North Carolina. He made so many trips down to see me, even driving late at night after a long day at work. When I graduated, I moved back home, and we were so excited to finally be together in the same state again. On December 6th of that year, DJ made plans for us to spend the day together in Annapolis. I thought we were going shopping for rings, but little did I know DJ had the ring in his pocket the whole time. Nonetheless, he let me drag him in and out of ring stores. It was a cold day, so we went in to buy some hot chocolate. Just as we stepped out onto the street, a beautiful horse-drawn carriage sat at the corner. I had dreamed of taking a ride in one of these my whole life.

As we hopped on board, DJ very stealthily handed the ring to the coachwoman. Annapolis was decorated so beautifully for Christmas. We took in the sights, and then she stopped the carriage to offer us a very sweet deal. She pulled out a tiny little sterling silver carriage and said we could purchase it to commemorate our trip, but truly DJ had this all planned out. DJ got down on one knee and opened the carriage to reveal a ring. He slipped the ring onto my finger as I very quickly said yes. I didn’t wear my gloves the entire way back even though my hands were freezing, couldn’t take my eyes off the ring and couldn’t believe all of this was really happening. Of course, the rest is history!”

Erica and DJ shared their first dance to Christina Perri’s song A Thousand Years.

The couple had many special and personalized details like these delicious homemade cookies.

Erica said, “We really wanted our wedding guests to have a great time with tasty food, good drinks, fun music, and delicious desserts. We wanted them to kick back, relax, and enjoy the night as much as we were. For us, it was a celebration of the start of our lives together as husband and wife. But, it was also a celebration of two families becoming one.

I’ve always really loved fall, so we tried to capture the beauty of fall colors in our decorations with a little bit of country chic mixed in. I think you could say our wedding was elegant, with a touch of sophistication, but laid back and cozy too!”

Congratulations Erica and DJ!

Check out more photos in the slideshow:

Special thanks to all the vendors:
Venue: Chesapeake Bay Beach Club
Officiant: Pastor John Zachry
Cake: Diane Gibbs
DJ: Crow Entertainment, Ivan Moore
Florist: Little House of Flowers
Invitations: Carlson Craft
Makeup: Behind the Veil
Hair: Behind the Veil
Rings: Jared’s and Dickinson’s Jewelers
Bride’s Dress: Bridals by Elena
Bride’s Shoes: Kelly & Katie
Jewelry: Charming Charlie
Bridesmaids’ jewelry: Etsy

Jeff and John were married on a beautiful autumn day at the Renwick Chapel at Oak Hill in Washington, D.C.

John shares, “Jeff and I met in 1999 and we’ve been together ever since. When marriage equality came to DC in 2010 we knew we wanted to marry, and we knew we wanted a classically traditional service but the when, how, where and who were stumbling blocks–until we found the Renwick Chapel, every detail fell into place after that. The Renwick Chapel in Oak hill, Georgetown, DC, provided an outstanding backdrop with ideal fall weather foliage, seclusion and reverence. Jeff and I planned everything from the small to the large and it all came together on the day: the flowers in the chapel were perfect and coordinated with the surroundings brilliantly, the Sage String Quartet set the perfect respective mood and our priest, Reverend Emily Guthrie, conducted a very lovely, touching ceremony. Jessica was absolutely terrific in having us walk around the grounds of the Chapel the hour before the service taking pictures. She kept us laughing and occupied so we didn’t have time to get nervous.”

Family from all over the world gathered in the chapel for the ceremony. John has an Irish background and many family members came in from Europe.

After the ceremony, the guests made their way to the Dupont Circle Hotel for a cocktail hour and reception.

John continues, “Our cocktail time at the Heights, the rooftop deck of the Dupont Circle Hotel, was festive and joyous as family and friends celebrated with the spectacular setting sun.

Dinner downstairs in the Glover Park Room was intimate with Sage Jazz providing wonderful mood music from the great American songbook.

The best part of the day was the goodwill, love and support we received from all our friends and family as we held onto each other savoring every minute and producing glowing memories for years to come.”

Congratulations Jeff and John!

Church: Renwick Chapel at Oak Hill
Venue: Dupont Circle Hotel
Officiant: Reverend Emily Guthrie
Hotel Event Coordinator: Kate Porter
Music: Sage String Quartet and Sage Jazz
Cake: Fancy Cakes by Leslie
Florist: Ultra Violet Flowers
Invitations: Write for You
Rings: David Yurman
Grooms’ Suit Designers: Burberry and Hugo Boss
Photography: Jessica Schmitt Photography

Sharon and Michael were married at Sharon’s parents’ home in the Hudson Valley region of New York.

Sharon and Michael shared a first look on the grounds of the property with the gorgeous fall foliage in the background. I just love Michael’s expression!

Sharon and Michael grew up in Congers, NY, where they attended the same elementary school, middle school, and high school. The first time they met was when Michael at the age of 7 came over to ask if Warren, Sharon’s brother, could come out and play. Since then Michael became a close friend of Warren’s and the family. At one of the Fong family’s annual July 4th barbecues in 2007, Sharon and Michael reconnected and started dating.

Currently, Sharon and Michael live on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Sharon is a clinical director of physical therapy at an orthopedic clinic on the UWS. Michael is a radiation therapist at Memorial Sloan in Sleepy Hollow, NY.

Sharon and Michael included a spice ceremony in their wedding ceremony. Each parent and the couple mixed a spice into the blend. Their minister, Reverend Jeffries, shares:

“Each spice represents a blessing – when they are mixed they become Chinese Five Spice – a blend of flavors and tastes enjoyed throughout the world.

The crane, a strong and graceful bird, is a traditional Asian symbol of love. The crane mates for life and has become a popular image in weddings to represent honor, harmony and fidelity. Asian lore tells a story of three holy creatures that can live for 1,000 years, one of them is the crane. Sharon actually folded 1,000 origami paper cranes herself to represent the 1,000 years. This custom represents the majestic “bird of happiness” carrying her prayers and wishes for a strong and happy marriage to heaven. This beautiful custom has been popular for centuries.

The spices from the spice ceremony were also mixed to give as favors and an origami crane led each guest to their seat.

At the end of the evening everyone made their way outside to send wishes to the bride and groom through Chinese water lanterns. Each guest wrote a wish on the side of the paper lantern and then sent it off into the pond.

The moon lit up the pond and the lanterns danced along the water creating such a magical scene! It was beautiful.

Congratulations Sharon and Michael! 

Check out more photos in the slideshow:

Special thanks to the team:
Wedding Coordinator: Belle Marie Events, Katelyn Dennin
Minister: Maureen Jeffries Interfaith Minister
DJ: Scratch Weddings
Makeup: Alexandria Gilleo Makeup
Hair: Celeste Von Damon Hair
Catering: Anne Booth Catering
Cake: Calico Cakes
Rings: Bourghol Brothers
Bridesmaid Necklaces: Bourghol Brothers
Wedding Dress: Pronovias
Groom’s Suit: Theory
Videography: Dideo Films
Photographer: Jessica Schmitt Photography with Eric Swartz

Joe and Scott traveled from Phoenix for an autumn elopement in Central Park. We started off the wedding day with some portraits at Grand Central Station.

Scott is from Santa Rosa, California, and moved to Phoenix, Arizona, to work for Charles Schwab in 2001. Joe is from Laurel, Mississippi, and moved to Phoenix in 2002 to go to Physician Assistant school. Through a mutual friend, Scott and Joe met at a birthday party in Palm Springs in 2011. Their friend, Craig, had wanted the pair to meet thinking they would hit it off, but as Joe puts it, “didn’t really know that it would be such a fantastic match.”

He continues, “We instantly hit it off and had a fantastic long weekend in Palm Springs. We exchanged numbers and planned to chat more when we got back to Phoenix. We both couldn’t wait to get back to Phoenix as we were both texting each other the entire way home. For our first official date, we took a bike ride around downtown Phoenix and ended up at The Deuce (a fun Midwestern style bar).”

We stopped in Campbell’s Apartment for a few quick shots and then took a cab up to the park.

When we entered the park, we had to stop for a photo by this whimsical sculpture of blue clouds by Olaf Bruening. Then it was time to walk to the bridge for the ceremony.

A good friend of theirs performed the ceremony.

During the ceremony a friend read the lyrics to First Day of My Life by Bright Eyes.

You said “this is the first day of my life
I’m glad I didn’t die before I met you
But now I don’t care I could go anywhere with you
And I’d probably be happy” 

MARRIED!

Joe shares, “In December 2013, we had planned a trip to NYC for a fun vacation. We had an amazing time. I had always wanted to see NYC at Christmastime and Scott loves New York but had never seen it at Christmas either. The city was so beautiful. We saw several friends and family while there and while we were out for dinner one night it started snowing. We woke the next morning to a beautiful blanket of snow and a cancelled flight out of NYC. We decided to take advantage of the snow and go for a walk. We were walking along the southern part of the park, near Gapstow Bridge, when Scott turned around to me and asked me, “Joe, would you make the happiest man in the world and marry me?” Of course I said “yes.”

He continues, “Our wedding day was absolutely amazing and I can’t believe everything came off so well. We had a relaxing morning and then went back to our room to get dressed. We were finally headed to Grand Central and you could suddenly feel the anxiety. We were both nervous and anxious at the same time. It was all good anxiety, but anxiety the same. As we were having our photographs taken, suddenly all of my worries and anxieties went away. It was a fantastic feeling. It all seems like a blur after that. Seeing all of our friends and family in the park suddenly made us almost giddy. Lara, our officiant, was so comforting and was extremely helpful in keeping us calm and in the moment.

Scott says that what he remembers about that day is “my face when we were saying our vows and how sweet and sincere I was” and “all of our friends and family gathered around us.”

An intimate reception was held at Uncorked, a wine and tapas bar on East 59th Street.

The day ended with a magnolia cupcake in the face!

Congratulations Joe and Scott!

Special thanks to the team:
Ceremony: Central Park, Gapstow Bridge

Flower design: Carla Jones
Officiant: Lara Gillette
Reception: Uncorked
Suits: Ted Baker
Cupcakes: Magnolia Cupcake
Photography: Jessica Schmitt Photography 

Autumn in Central Park is my favorite time of year. It is so beautiful and perfect for an elopement! With the help of A Central Park Wedding, I met Cara and Neal for photos all around Bethesda Terrace, Bow Bridge, Oak Bridge, the Ramble and the Ladies Pavilion.

Cara shares, “Neal and I met in Virginia in 2007 when he interned at the veterinary clinic where I was working. We immediately hit it off and several months later he was accepted into a residency program in Arizona. A few weeks after that, he asked me to move away with him and I accepted. After several more years together and a move to Las Vegas, he proposed to me on a summer trip to Montenegro on a little island off the coast of Perast. I, of course, said yes.”

After walking around the park for photos, the couple met their family in Central Park at the Ladies Pavilion for their wedding ceremony.

Cara adds, “When planning our wedding we kept shifting between having a big ceremony and running off to privately elope together. After several more months of trying to decide, we chose to have a small private ceremony with our parents and siblings in Central Park.

Congratulations Cara and Neal!