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Call 410-223-1345 to speak with a wedding specialist
or visit FourSeasons.com/Baltimore.
contents
in this issue
4
EDITOR’S LETTER
32 THE BACK STORY
Stephanie Hershkovitz and Jacob
Wittenberg throw an unforgettable
New Year’s Eve wedding with a klezmer
band, a human pyramid, and Korean
fried chicken. Photographs by Lindsay
Hite of Readyluck.
the album
7
Susan Yager &
James Young
A Texas couple embraces their new
city with a wedding that shows
off Baltimore and their quirky
neighborhood. Photographs by
Kirsten Marie Photography.
10 Mercedes Perry &
Matt Pratt
A longtime couple takes their time
planning the perfect winter wedding
surrounded by their closest loved
ones. Photographs by Alysia & Jayson
Photography.
14 Nichole Redmond &
Brian Duttenhoffer
An inspired romance, this couple dances
to the beat of their own drum—and play
list. Photographs by Kanayo Adibe.
Brittany Lee & Michael Szemborski
A modern romance that began online culminates in an
Old World wedding in St. Michaels, with an abundance
of flowers and pickles. Photographs by CJK Visuals.
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Kari Fasick &
Steve Dolski
A workplace relationship leads to a
twinkle-light affair in an adopted city,
on a gorgeous fall day. Photographs
by Kirsten Marie Photography.
18 Kristin Nohe &
Tim Juchs
(Almost) high-school sweethearts with
a knack for design plan an anti-barn
wedding in a barn. Photographs by
Marlayna Photography.
on the cover
Local Love bride Mercedes Perry. Photograph by Alysia &
Jayson Photography. Bouquet created by Violets Florist by
Connie Clark along with the bride’s company Blooms and
Beyond. Justin Alexander wedding gown from Amanda
Ritchey Bridal & Beauty. See page 10 for Mercedes’s
wedding. Calligraphy by Laura Condouris.
CJK Visuals
22
16
www.smythjewelers.com
editor’s letter
Publisher
Stephen A. Geppi
Creative Director
Amanda L. White-Iseli
Content
Managing Editor
Janelle Erlichman Diamond
Art Director
Staci Lanham
Director of Photography
David Colwell
Research Director/Copy Editor
Ronald Hube
Research Assistant
Lindsay VanAsdalan
Digital Manager
Mike Smith
Digital Designer
Craig Forbes
Digital and Social Media Producer
Meredith Herzing
Contributing Photographers
Kanayo Adibe, Marlayna Demond, Lindsay Hite, Caitlin
Kellagher, Alysia Quinn, Jason Quinn, Kirsten Zarek
Art Intern
Chanda Kumar
Business & Production
Director of Finance and Business Development
Debbie Darmofal
Finance Manager
Jennifer Ruggles
Production Manager
Jon Timian
Advertising Design Director
Vicki Dodson
Senior Advertising and Marketing Designer
Emily Odend’hal
Office Manager
Michelle Harris
Sales & Marketing
Director of Circulation
Lori Birney
Marketing Manager
Maggie Church
Marketing and Events Coordinator
Allie Rosenwasser
F
or a few weeks every spring, I get to
interview couples about their love
stories—from the first meeting to the
proposal to the wedding day. This year, I
got to meet all the brides and most of the
grooms and see firsthand the excitement
and knowing glances. A lot of them ask,
“Why us? What made our wedding stand
out?” And I tell them, it’s because their
wedding was, simply, them. Not cookiecutter, not a checklist, but a clear celebration of who they are as a couple. One duo
I interviewed, Susan Yager and James Young, asked to meet at Café Cito in
Hampden, since the restaurant catered their wedding. Over really good breakfast sandwiches and coffee, they told me how their love story started in the
music department at Trinity University in San Antonio. Music has always been
important to them individually and as a couple, and they knew it would play a
big part at their wedding. They enlisted the help of their friend Doug Buchanan,
director of music ministries at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Roland Park and
adjunct professor at Peabody Conservatory. David organized all their ceremony
music, led rehearsals, and directed an unforgettable choir made up of a dozen
or so friends. These are the stories I love, the moments that catapult a wedding
from ordinary to spectacular.
We—art director Staci Lanham and I—are lucky to see so many of these
remarkable weddings come across our desks. This supplement—now in its second
year—was born out of the desire to show off more of these weddings. (This is the
part where we gush about all the incredible wedding photographers we have here
in Charm City!)
It’s been an exciting year for Baltimore Bride and we are very proud of our
standalone issue. Our fall/winter issue will be on newsstands next month—with
another gorgeous Local Love couple on the cover.
For now though, you get seven beautiful weddings. I think you’ll enjoy meeting
these couples as much as I did.
Baltimore Bride Sales Manager
Michelle A. Coughlan
Senior Account Executives
Jodi L. Hammerschlag, Stacey Lynn Munsell
Account Executive
Nina C. Land
Janelle Erlichman Diamond
Managing Editor
Advertising Traffic Coordinator
Nia Lyles
Newsstand Consultants
The Centofante Group
Advertising/Editorial/Business Offices
1000 Lancaster St., Suite 400
Baltimore, MD 21202
Phone: 443-873-3900, Fax: 410-625-0280
baltimorebridemagazine.net
Look for the 2016 fall/winter issue of
Baltimore Bride on newsstands in July.
For more Local Love weddings check out
baltimorebridemagazine.net/local-love.
Rosebud Entertainment LLC does not necessarily support the opinions of authors.
Baltimore Bride magazine (ISSN 2159-4112) is published semiannually by Rosebud
Entertainment LLC. Copyright (c) 2016 by Rosebud Entertainment LLC. All rights
reserved. No part of the publication may be reproduced without
the written consent of the publisher. Baltimore magazine,
Baltimorean, Baltimore Life, and Baltimore Monthly are trademarks
of Rosebud Entertainment LLC. Printed in the USA.
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Jolly Edition
Chief Operating Officer
Richard M. Basoco
DC Metropolitan Area
202-524-6801
dcdelight@rougecatering.com
Baltimore Area
410-527-0007
delight@rougecatering.com
www.rougecatering.com
Photo By Michael Brandon
Whether you’re dreaming of a
wedding on the Chesapeake
waterfront, a country chic setting,
a traditional ceremony with historic
undertones, one with a modern flair,
or some other style all your own, look
no further than Annapolis and the
Chesapeake Bay.
PLAN YOUR DAY
www.WeddingsInAnnapolis.com
nce upon a time, along a winding country road, a fair princess and her dashing young
prince discovered an enchanting waterside inn. They came under the spell of its magical cove, and knew in
their hearts that The Oaks would become the setting for chapter one…in a life lived happily ever after.
Storybook Weddings at The Oaks
25876 Royal Oak Road, Royal Oak, Maryland
One hour from Annapolis, minutes from St. Michaels
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Local
Love
Susan & James
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Local Love city chic
photographs by Kirsten marie photography
Susan James
August 1, 2015
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It was love at first note for Susan Yager
and James Young: The two Texans met in
the music department at Trinity University
in San Antonio. “I was a shy kid so I never
made any moves,” says James. “The closest I
got was writing music for her.” After graduation, James headed to the University of Louisville for his master’s, but the two stayed
in touch. Next, James went to the Peabody
Conservatory for his doctorate. “And then I
was able to pull Susan to Baltimore,” he says.
For the proposal, early one morning, while
Susan was sleeping, James stealthily set up
candles on the first floor of their home and
placed tiny papers around them with lyrics
from songs they’d sung to each other. Then
he placed sticky love notes on everything in
the house that had meaning to their relationship: a piece of art they bought together,
one of the letters they exchanged while dating long distance.
They took their time with planning, looking first at a few venues in Texas before
deciding they wanted to get married in their
new city. They fell in love with Church &
Company, which was in their Hampden
neighborhood and worked perfectly with
their vibe: intimate and local. The ceremony was super important to them and “we
knew we wanted to have a lot of music,” says
Susan. They held the ceremony upstairs in
the venue, which once housed a church. Then
the cocktail hour was outside in a little tent
in the back, while the venue space was transformed into their reception site. In keeping
with their “neighborhood vibe,” Café Cito
catered the wedding: a taco bar, Mexican
wedding cookies, and great coffee. It was a
perfect Texas-meets-Baltimore representation, including bottles of Shiner Bock and
Flying Dog. Center Cut brought big, beautiful
doughnuts—a favorite included a custom tres
leches—and the Day of the Dead cake topper
came from Milagro on The Avenue.
The wedding day, for James, wasn’t about
a specific moment, but rather the day as a
whole. “It’s one big feeling,” he says. “It’s like
thinking back on a song or a piece of music
you like. You don’t think of a lyric or a word
or a melody, but the sound of it.”
BRIDESMAIDS
J. Crew
DESSERT
Center Cut Doughnuts
CATERER
Café Cito
FLOWERS
Flowers & Fancies
GROOM
J. Crew
HONEYMOON
Cancun, Mexico
LOCATION
Church & Company
MUSIC
Choir gathered by Doug Buchanan,
director of music ministries at St.
David’s Episcopal Church
OFFICIANT
Ray Bagby
REHEARSAL DINNER
Woodberry Kitchen
RENTALS
Loane Bros. Inc.
STATIONERY
Jenifer Sirkis Designs
TENT & LIGHTING
Loane Bros. Inc.
TRANSPORTATION
FreedomCar
WEDDING DRESS
J.Crew
WEDDING PLANNER
Celebrations Event Management
& Design
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Local Love winter elegance
Mercedes Matt
January 15, 2016
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photographs by Alysia & Jayson Photography
Mercedes Perry and Matt Pratt
have always done things at their own
pace. Their first meeting was during the
blur of a New Year’s Eve party and barely
registered a blip, but two months later,
when they went on their first date (after a
second random meeting), they instantly
became inseparable. Two years later, they
became parents to a little boy, Braxon, but
Mercedes didn’t feel pressured to become
engaged or quickly marry. The fall that
Braxon turned 2 (autumn happens to be
Mercedes’s favorite season), the family was
pumpkin-picking at Weber’s Cider Mill
Farm in Parkville when Matt handed her
a pumpkin and asked, “How about this
one?” Carved on it was, “Will you marry
me?” with the ring inside. The answer
was “yes,” but again, with no need to rush
down the aisle, they took two years to save
and plan.
Since both hate being hot, they chose the
very not hot month of January (luckily, the
week before the blizzard hit). If Mercedes
seems like the world’s most calm bride,
it’s because she spent two years worrying
about other people’s weddings. In her previous life, she worked for Violets Florist by
Connie Clark as a day-of coordinator. “This
whole wedding thing is in my back pocket,”
says Mercedes. So, the Tuesday before her
Friday wedding, she hit a floral wholesaler
and picked out every bloom, from her bouquet to the centerpieces. Connie assembled
everything and brought it to Antrim 1844
the morning of the wedding.
After all that time together, Matt and
Mercedes knew exactly what they wanted
for their wedding day: an intimate, vintage
affair heavy on family and glamour. Onehundred people gathered on that lovely
winter day.
Mercedes spent the entire day beaming,
from the moment she woke up until the last
song was played. The whole idea, she says,
was to “have a really good time with the
people that we love the most.” And for two
people who grew up six blocks from each
other but didn’t meet until decades later,
that’s exactly what happened.
BEAUTY
Kelley Unthank Makeup Artist
BRIDESMAIDS
Bella Bridesmaids
CATERER
Antrim 1844, Smokehouse
Restaurant
DESSERT
Flavor Cupcakery & Bake Shop
FLOWERS
Violets Florist by Connie Clark
designed with Blooms and
Beyond
GROOM AND GROOMSMEN
Men’s Wearhouse
HONEYMOON
Sandals Montego Bay
LOCATION
Antrim 1844 Country House Hotel
MUSIC
Mixing Maryland
OFFICIANT
Kyle Kozdras, a friend
REHEARSAL DINNER
Antrim 1844, Smokehouse
Restaurant
RENTALS
Vintage Affairs
STATIONERY
Wants and Wishes
TENT & LIGHTING
Uplighting by Mixing Maryland
VENUE COORDINATOR
Elizabeth Fortier at Antrim 1844
Country House Hotel
WEDDING DRESS
Justin Alexander, Amanda Ritchey
Bridal & Beauty
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www.elizabethbaileyweddings.com | 443.519.5062
Planning And Design For Weddings And All Celebrations
Envision ~ Relax
~ Celebrate
6555 Belmont Woods Road
Elkridge, MD 21075
410-313-0200 | www.belmontmanormd.org
@belmontmanorhouse
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Wedding Receptions on the water!
410-727-3663
Tabrizis.com
Local Love modern timeless
NICHOLE
BRIAN
October 3, 2015
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Somewhere between their first meeting (when they were paired up to work on a
class project in Comm 101 at the University of
Maryland) and their first real date, Nichole
Redmond and Brian Duttenhoffer were taking a break in her dorm room listening to
music. Brian asked to hear her most-played
song on her iPod play list and she put on
“Beast of Burden” by The Rolling Stones. He,
in turn, played Lauryn Hill, who happens to
also be one of her favorite artists. “You look at
us and expect something and get something
else,” says Nichole. “That’s just us.” From
there, the two made a connection and eventually became the best of friends, before finally
dating. Eight years later, they got engaged.
Not content with just being the next bride,
Nic interviewed vendors just as she tackles
projects as an Under Armour event planner:
with intensity, with a list of questions, and
looking for the best. Music was especially
important to these two, and as she presented
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photographs by Kanayo Adibe
her umpteenth DJ with the same scenario—
“Picture a very diverse crowd, dinner has
just been cleared, the dance floor is empty.
What are you going to put on?”—she was
thrilled when DJ Titus threw out “Before I
Let Go” by Maze featuring Frankie Beverly.
They spoke on the phone for three hours
and made the entire play list. “Besides the
photos, it’s the one thing that everyone talks
about,” says Nic. “Frank Sinatra to Biggie
Smalls. Who plays Biggie at a wedding at
the Peabody?”
Also unexpected was Hurricane Joaquin,
which luckily didn’t make landfall but for a
while seemed to be heading directly toward
Charm City. There was lots of rain, but the
state of emergency was lifted.
“It was a really special day. Something
that we and our families will always remember,” says Nic. “There were moments I would
look over at Brian and realize everything
was happening the way it should.”
online ex
clusive
Listen to the
wedding play
list
BEAUTY
Tymia Yvette (makeup); Phillip
Michael Studio (hair)
BRIDESMAIDS
Watters Bridesmaids, Betsy
Robinson’s Bridal Collection
CAKE
Chef’s Expressions
CATERER
Chef’s Expressions
DAY-OF COORDINATOR
Stacey Ullrich, friend of the bride
FLOWERS & Rentals
Joe Ennd
GROOM AND GROOMSMEN
Elegant Touch Bridal and Tuxedo
HONEYMOON
Montego Bay, Jamaica
LOCATION
George Peabody Library
MUSIC
String Poets (ceremony); Titus
Touch Music Professional DJ
Services (reception)
OFFICIANT
Pastor Ken Patterson
REHEARSAL DINNER
Ware House 518
STATIONERY
The Pleasure of Your Company
LIGHTING & DRAPING
Event Dynamics
WEDDING DRESS
Sottero and Midgley, Elegant
Touch Bridal and Tuxedo
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15
Local Love romantic glam
Kari Fasick and Steve Dolski met at
work. “A Jim-and-Pam office story,” she
says with a laugh.
The two sat next to each other at Lockheed Martin in an office outside of Philadelphia, and Kari, a recent transplant,
desperately wanted a tour of the city. Steve,
who was living outside of Philadelphia,
really didn’t know downtown but offered
to give the pretty new girl a tour. It was
105 degrees. And they got lost. “I was trying to be nice,” says Kari, “but I wanted
to kill him.” Love, sticky and sweaty, still
bloomed. After a year of (secretly) dating,
she got a job in Washington, D.C., and
started studying for her MBA. Steve followed (job + MBA, too).
Two weeks after he proposed, they had
nailed down their reception venue—the
American Visionary Art Museum—and
Kari even had her dress.
She had always wanted a fall wedding.
November weather teeters between fall and
winter, but after a morning drizzle, their
wedding day was brilliant and beautiful.
As Kari walked down a very long aisle at
Christ Lutheran Church, Steve was awestruck. His gaze kept going between Kari
and everyone watching her.
Later it was party time. Under the steady
hand of Lemon and Lime Event Design,
the reception was simple and romantic
with lots of gold accents, twinkle lights,
and perfect details (like the globe guest
book). It was a mix of Baltimore charm
(exposed brick, views of the city, Berger
cookies, and Natty Boh in the welcome
bags) and family elements including a
musician uncle who played with the band
and a brother who “sang” with them. (The
video is epic.) And Kari and Steve had their
first dance to Billy Joel’s “Just The Way You
Are,” since both sets of their parents also
danced to that on their own wedding days.
After six years together, being married
“doesn’t feel different,” says Kari, “but it
feels good to say ‘my husband.’”
KARI STEVE
November 7, 2015
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BEAUTY
Amie Decker Beauty
BRIDESMAIDS
Bella Bridesmaids
CAKE
Nicky Glasscock
CALLIGRAPHY
Just Write Studios (seating chart)
CATERER
Rouge Fine Catering
FLOWERS
Local Color Flowers
GROOM AND GROOMSMEN
Men’s Wearhouse
HONEYMOON
South Africa
LIGHTING
Event Dynamics
LOCATION
Christ Lutheran Church
(ceremony); American Visionary
Art Museum (reception)
MUSIC
Bachelor Boys Band
OFFICIANT
Pastor Breonna Roberts, Christ
Lutheran Church
REHEARSAL DINNER
Rusty Scupper
RENTALS
Chair Covers & Linens
STATIONERY
Minted
TRANSPORTATION
Skyhawk Limousine
WEDDING DRESS
Martina Liana, Garnish Boutique
WEDDING PLANNER
Lemon & Lime Event Design
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17
Local Love something blue
Kristin
Tim
September 12, 2015
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Kristin Nohe and Tim Juchs missed being
high school sweethearts by just a few months.
They started dating after their senior year,
right before Kristin headed to the Maryland
Institute College of Art and Tim to Frostburg.
After graduation Kristin scored a job as a
designer at the Target headquarters in Minneapolis and Tim went with her. Suddenly,
they went from dating long distance to living
together in a new city far from home.
One Friday, Kristin got home from her job
and found Tim with a new haircut and wearing nice pants. They took their corgi Pollo
(they both like Mexican food) for a walk
around the lake. Pretending he needed to do
something with the dog, Tim bent down, pivoted toward Kristin, and proposed.
During a wedding-planning trip home, they
visited Pond View Farm. “The only thing rustic about my wedding was that it was in a
barn,” says Kristin. “We loved the venue.” They
booked it on the spot. A few months before the
wedding they were back living in Bel Air and
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photographs by Marlayna Photography
Kristin turned her creative juices to the event,
designing all the paper goods including the
invitations, programs, and place cards.
As it goes with weddings, the only thing
you can’t control is the weather. Rain was
scheduled all day long. And it did rain all day
until exactly 4:45 (15 minutes before the ceremony) when radar showed one hour with no
precipitation. “It was so insanely weird how it
all worked out,” says Kristin.
Another thing that worked out? The ceremony box. After hunting on Etsy, they finally
found a box at a local craft store. They went
through all their mementos from their time
together and picked out the really important
ones to place in the box (along with their
vows): a favorite picture of them in 2012, a
swatch of her prom dress she gave him to
match his vest, a note she had written to him
early in their courtship, and their tickets to
the after-graduation harbor cruise, during
which Tim told Kristin he liked her for the
very first time.
BEAUTY
Jordan Thomas Salon & Spa
BRIDESMAIDS
David’s Bridal
CAKES
Flavor Cupcakery & Bake Shop
CATERER
WOLO food truck
Favors
Yellow Paper House
FLOWERS
Willow Oak Flower & Herb Farm
GROOM AND GROOMSMEN
Men’s Wearhouse
HONEYMOON
Secrets Royal Beach Punta Cana
LOCATION
Pond View Farm
MUSIC
Avalon Entertainment
OFFICIANT
Rachael Zajac
REHEARSAL DINNER
Steelefish Grille
STATIONERY
Lefty Lettering
WEDDING DRESS
Melissa Sweet, David’s Bridal
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Weddings
AT TURF VALLEY RESORT
Memories for a lifetime...
172 Rooms and Suites • Four Beautiful Ballrooms • The Garden for Outdoor Ceremonies • Two Championship Golf Courses
Alexandra’s American Fusion for Rehearsal Dinners and Post-Wedding Breakfast •Indoor and Outdoor Pools • Relaxing Spa
Complimentary Parking and So Much More
Call our Wedding Professionals at 410.465.1200 or Visit TurfValley.com/Celebrate
Our 37th Annual Wedding Extravaganza is on Friday, February 24, 2017
VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT TURFVALLEY.COM/WEDDINGSHOW
2700 Turf Valley Road | Ellicott City, MD 21042 | 410.465.1200
WWW.TURFVALLEY.COM
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it
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BMag Page 45
Groom
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Dr. Michele Shermak loves to help people look and feel their best. An accomplished,
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An expert on Body Contouring & Mommy Makeovers, Facial rejuvenation and all
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to allow patients maximum flexibility and support in choosing the procedure that best
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TOP
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Selected a Top Doctor- Baltimore magazine 2014
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Brittany and Michael
| September 26, 2015
Old, New, Borrowed,
A St. Michaels wedding weekend allows a
bride and groom to celebrate a flourishing
love with all their favorite people.
by Janelle Erlichman Diamond
photographs by CJK Visuals
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23
This is a
that involves pickles and
pregnancy. But not in the way you think.
The parties involved, Brittany Lee and Michael Szemborski,
met on match.com.
“My approach was spray and pray,” jokes Brittany. She
“winked” at a ton of different people. “He happened to be one
of the people that I winked at solely based on their profile
pic,” she laughs, “and he messaged me back.” (If that isn’t love
at first sight . . . ) Their first date a month later was epically
long. It involved meeting in the parking lot of an Outback
Steakhouse, driving over the Bay Bridge to a music festival,
being disappointed by said music festival, heading back
across the bridge, and then hanging out at Coconut Joe’s in
Edgewater. But the entire time, they laughed and talked.
By July Fourth, he was in love. (So was she. He just said it
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first.) And by that fall, Michael was starting to think about
proposing. By early spring, Brittany had gotten in the habit of
thinking she was going to be proposed to. “Anytime we went
anywhere, she was always patting me down to see if I had a
ring in my pocket,” says Michael. The night he did propose
she didn’t find the ring—he had, thank goodness, stuffed
the box in his sock. After dinner, they headed to a fountain
in front of the courthouse in Alexandria, Va. She had always
told Michael she wanted “complete seclusion” when they got
engaged. But he found the fountain mobbed with people
even though it was late. “Finally, people start leaving,” says
Michael. “I spot this lamp in the background. I bring her back
there, and at this point the ring is still in my sock. I finally get
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The Local Love Issue 2016
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Baltimore Bride
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Beauty
Katherine Rae Bridal Beauty
BRIDESMAIDS
ABS by Allen Schwartz, Saks Fifth Avenue
CAKE
Blondie’s Baking Company; 3-D Testudo
groom’s cake by Peace of Cake
CALLIGRAPHY
Butler’s Pantry Calligraphy
CATERER
The Oaks Waterfront Inn and Events
FLOWERS
My Flower Box Events
GROOM & GROOMSMEN
Jos. A. Bank
LOCATION
Saints Peter and Paul Parish, Easton
(ceremony); The Oaks Waterfront Inn
and Events, St. Michaels (reception)
MUSIC
Two Rivers Chamber Music (ceremony
and cocktail hour); DJ Jacob Jensen,
EventPro DJ (reception)
OFFICIANT
Father James Nash
PICKLE BAR
DC Dills (pickles); Laura Hooper
Calligraphy (pickle bar sign)
REHEARSAL DINNER
Bistro St. Michaels
RENTALS
Select Event Group
STATIONERY
Patti Coleman, Indigo Ink
Videographer
Peter von Kahle
Wedding Dress
Emmeline by Vera Wang, Maddison
Row Bridal Chic
WEDDING PLANNER
Lauren Niles Events
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down on my knee and quickly scoop it out.” Brittany did not
mind the sock ring. She balled happy tears.
The two had gone on a date to St. Michaels (not the ill-fated
concert date) and fallen in love with the town. “We wanted
something that was a destination wedding but not a destination wedding,” says Brittany. Something, she explains, that
would feel like a weekend away without a lot of travel. The Oaks
Waterfront Inn and Events offered the entire bed and breakfast
and event space from Friday until late Sunday, and they were
hooked. “We had the entire place to ourselves,” says Brittany.
That decision was one of the easier ones. Wedding planning
was “very much an evolution,” says Michael. “My ideas and her
ideas were so apart at the very beginning.” Michael, despite
coming from a very large family, wanted a more intimate wedding. Brittany was thinking more along the lines of 250 people.
(They eventually met in the middle.) “I learned very quickly
to take the back seat to my significant other,” says Michael.
But there was still plenty of him represented at the wedding,
including his Polish heritage. They incorporated Sto Lat—a
traditional Polish wish of congratulations and a desire that the
marriage last 100 years—into the reception along with a Polish
game that Michael’s dad surprised them with. It involved cards
that “predict” the couple’s future. It was completely random
which cards they received, so it brought down the house when
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Michael got, “I’m going to control the money,” followed immediately by Brittany’s, “I’m going to spend the money.”
Michael, who works in the athletic department at the University of Maryland, College Park, of course also had his buddy Testudo, the university’s terrapin mascot, at the wedding. Those elements, says Brittany, were a nod to him and his heritage. “Mine
was more décor and style-related,” she says. Wedding planner
Lauren Niles described the reception style as Old World, with a
dash of organic romance: different colored metals, lots of greenery, and an abundance of florals. Brittany even chose her dress
with florals in mind. “I didn’t want a lot of design or fabric,”
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she says. “I wanted soft and elegant tulle that would make the
bouquet pop and be the big accent.” She succeeded. The amazing oversized bridal bouquet from My Flower Box Events shined.
“Everything,” says Brittany, “had a soft romantic feel.”
Even the pickle bar. Michael—the fifth of six kids in his
family—was nicknamed Pickle ages ago. A sister who couldn’t
say Michael called him Mickle, then Mickle the Pickle, then
just Pickle, and now he’s called Uncle Pickle by his nieces and
nephews. So Brittany came up with the idea of a pickle bar during cocktail hour. There were beautiful bell jars with sweet tags,
filled with all sorts of pickles from Old Bay to spicy hot. “It was
a hit,” says Brittany. Another big hit: the music. The second-tolast song was “Shout” and literally every single person was up
dancing. “Even my parents, your parents,” Michael says to Brittany. “It was awesome.”
They planned their honeymoon for that December, when
things would slow down in the athletic department. And as
they boarded the plane, first to Carmel, Calif., and then Kaua’i,
Hawaii, they were already well into their next big event: a baby
due very soon.
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a n E v E n t d E s i g n a n d c at E r i n g c O M pa n y
ExclusivE catErEr at OvErhills MansiOn
The start of something wonderful...
Our beautiful, historic mansion provides an elegant setting for
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ceremonies, receptions, corporate events and galas. Your guests
will be delighted by our farm-to-table fine dining cuisine, made
from scratch and locally sourced to provide a one of a kind catering experience. A 3 generation, family owned business that has
been catering and designing events in the area for over 30 years.
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the back story
online ex
clusive
more weddin
g pics and ve
ndor list
Jake and I decided in September to get hitched on New Year’s Eve, setting us up
for a fast and furious round of wedding planning that pretty much mirrored our fast
and furious courtship. Our primary focus was on the ceremony, but we wanted to
follow that with a blowout dance party. Our unofficial theme was “Dance Your Pants
Off on New Year’s Eve,” and, to set the mood from the start, Ladderback Design and
Gilah Press and Design made a custom invitation for us with a drawing of Jake and
me dancing sans pants.
We chose B’Nai Israel congregation for our ceremony because we loved the beauty
and intimacy of the jewel box of a building from 1876. In keeping with the Jewish
tradition of the bride and groom coming to each other pure, Jake and I fasted on the
day of our wedding, symbolically shedding any previous debauchery and bacchanalia
in which we may or may not have engaged (only the NSA knows for sure). To set a
calm and serious mood, guests held lit candles for the ceremony and the lights were
dimmed. My first cousin Peri Schuster, who has such an amazing voice that it casts
doubt on our biological connection, sang the Beatles’ “I Want To Hold Your Hand,”
accompanied by her brother Andrew Schuster. This beautiful, personal touch was
echoed when our old family friend, cantor Avraham Albrecht, sang “To Life” from
Fiddler on the Roof after the breaking of the glass.
Next, it was off to The Engineers Club for the festivities. I wanted clean, modern
décor to contrast with the beautiful old furnishings of the Garrett-Jacobs Mansion,
so that the event wouldn’t look precious. We used a mix of sofas and tables for the
prime lounging comfort of our white-and-gold-clad guests (because what other dress
code might one request for a New Year’s Eve bash?), and Blue Vanda Designs curated
a mix of white flowers and candles that managed to be sparse, intimate, and glamorous all at the same time. It was important to my parents that the food be kosher, and
Hoffman & Co. outdid themselves with a custom multistation extravaganza of foods
from all over Asia, with everything from a dumpling station to Korean fried chicken.
And then we danced, first in a circle with a klezmer band and then anything-goes
style with DJ Neal Becton. The signs of a successful party? Neckties around heads,
where they belong, and a human pyramid for the grand finale.
— Stephanie Hershkovitz married Jacob Wittenberg on December 31, 2015
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photographs by Lindsay hite of Readyluck
Everything you need for the perfect wedding
Everything you need for the perfect wedding