"Photography is the simultaneous recognition in a fraction of a second of the significance of an event.”  Henri Cartier-Bresson

Credits 
Ceremony Venue: Peakland Baptist 
Reception Venue: Boonsboro Country Club 
Florals: the Arrangement Company 
Cake: Billy's Cakes 
DJ: Music Music and More Music 

You're married! Help me tell your story... 

How did you meet? 
A mutual family friend had told me about Will and that we would be perfect for each either. Now, my perception and other people’s perception of perfect are sometimes a little different. While I was open to the possibility of meeting this man, I wanted to do some of my own investigating. This friend had also told Will the same thing about me, he too thought he would do some studying up on this so called perfect girl. 
For a few months we scrolled through each others facebook, not making contact. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it appeared that he really did seem to have some of the same interests as myself and looked like he enjoyed living life (not to mention he was handsome!). One day Will sent me a message and we talked back and forth for a few days. We both agreed we should meet for dinner, and so a date was set. He pulled up in his big diesel truck, good looking ride, good looking man, things are looking promising. We enjoyed a casual meal and spent several hours talking over coffee. The conversation was easy, entertaining, serious and comical. Pretty much from that point forward we were inseparable; we WERE perfect for each other. 

How did you choose your venue? 
I had been attending Peakland Baptist Church regularly for several years prior to meeting Will. A gorgeous church, it also was a place that not only my faith but Wills too, grew and was nurtured by the congregation and the church leaders. Peakland carried me through some of the hardest times in life and I knew it was a place that would also help carry us through the covenant of marriage. A highly spiritual place, based on a foundation of love; that is where we wanted to exchange our vows. Jim Hunter, our pastor was the perfect man for the job; a great leader, an approachable guide, a kind and giving soul, we adore Jim! 
My parents were members of Boonsboro when I was growing up so I spent a great deal of my youth there, whether in the pool or at the Spinsters dance, Boonsboro has always been the venue throughout my life. As an adult, Boonsboro was where Will and I would go for a quiet dinners or festive club events. When it came time to pick a venue, Will actually brought up Boonsboro first. Knowing that they always do an excellent job, the food is wonderful, the service is outstanding and it is such a picturesque setting, I agreed. Working with Lauren, the event coordinator for Boonsboro Country Club was a dream. She was always eager to help, professional, easy going and accommodating. Given the weather during our reception, I again was glad we had chosen Boonsboro. They were able to accommodate everything inside easily and tastefully, the evening went off without a hitch! 

Tell us about your dress, shoes and other accessories! 
My dress is a Maggie Sotter, Madison Marie. When I tried it on it reminded me of a simple, elegant old Hollywood glam. My Mom and my Maid of Honor both started to cry when I tried it on, and I fell in love with it immediately. Glitz and glam has never really been my thing but this dress had the perfect balance of embellishment and simplicity. I loved the little seed pearls and the fabric was divine! It was so soft, and luxurious, I truly felt special wearing such an amazing gown. The ruched bodice and the gentle gathering made this an extremely flattering dress. 
My shoes were pretty little strappy heels that were accented with a few petite crystals. 
For my “something borrowed,” I wore my mother’s pearl earrings that my Dad had given her. I wanted to carry a piece of both my Mom and my Dad as I was walking down the aisle and as I entered marriage. My necklace was a single pearl my Dad had given me when I was young. I knew he was with me but I wanted to carry his love close to my heart. 

What detail did you like best about your wedding day? 
Oh Wow. That is a tough question. Amy Thornberg with the Arrangement Company did an amazing job. The bullet boutonnieres were exactly what I was hoping for, and the skull accents on the tables were awesome!!! The table that was draped with my Dads quilt that had a photo of my Dad and I dancing was a special sentimental touch, honoring my dad and reminding us he was there celebrating with us all. The portraits and photo displays that were set up were a big hit, I had so many people come up to me and tell me how much they enjoyed them! I also loved the group photo that Allegra took after the ceremony was over. 

Describe your decor and how you chose it! 
I wanted to go with a simple, natural décor that embraced the outdoors while still remaining elegant and unique. Will and I love to hunt so I was thinking bullets, birds and little bit of the wild side with a bit of southern sportsman charm. Working with Amy was so much fun! I pretty much told her about a few of my ideas and basically who I was as a person and told her to have at it; she is so talented, I wanted to let her work her magic! I had wedding wish cards available for our guests to fill out and had an old metal pill “ammo” box for them to drop their cards into. The flowers were whimsical, unique and the perfect warm fall tones that I had hoped for, I especially like the flower “love in a puff.” She accented he bouquets with pheasant feathers and the boutonnieres with quail feathers. Several of the tables had skulls cleverly placed beneath the centerpieces. Everything was just so, a perfect enchanted forest with my favorite people! What was your favorite moment during your wedding day? Another tough question! It is hard to say which moment was my favorite, the whole experience was magical. The amount of love that I felt not only from Will, but from our friends and family made this the most special of occasions. Saying “I do” was the pinnacle moment in the wedding for both of us, charged with emotion it was a surreal experience, we were finally married! Other highlights were the horse drawn carriage into the reception. It was pouring rain and the wind was gusting, a perfect setting for to avid hunters! The cool rain on my face and the whipping wind was an affirmation that I had married my soul mate, my partner in adventure. 

Tell us about your food and cake! 
We decided to do the tapas and food stations because we wanted people to be able to mingle and have a variety of options. We also love the food at Boonsboro and we already had a few favorites like the Fried Oyster on a Ritz, and the Seared Tuna. Will and I are big seafood fans so we also had a shrimp and grits bar. The other Tapas were beef tenderloin on a potato cake and also a Mediterranean chicken. There was also a baked potato bar, and a wonderful salad bar. Our hope that there was enough variety for everyone to have something that they enjoyed, small enough portions that our guests could have as much or as little as they desired. We both have had so many of our guests tell us how much they enjoyed the food and how well everything was done. 
Billie of Billie’s Cakes and Catering is amazing. I come from a family of excellent bakers and I have had my share of good cake. Her wedding cakes are the best wedding cakes I have ever had, hands down. Will and I wanted to have a variety of cakes for guest to choose from so we each chose two flavors. He picked strawberry and pumpkin, and I vanilla almond and orange almond. They didn’t necessarily have to go together because each one was eaten individually. We ended up with some leftover orange almond. Delicious. 

Why did you choose Allegra’s Studio for your photography? 
Allegra’s artistic style and amazing previous work are why I was drawn to her. Her creativity and ability to think outside the box are exactly what I was looking for. Also when I got engaged everyone had advice for me on everything! Allegra was the common theme for a photographer, my friends and family said Allegra was the best! Working with Allegra was a treat, we had so much fun together and my photo sessions were one of my favorite parts of my wedding journey.