A Stylish Annapolis Wedding: Maria + James

Remember this adorable engagement session I featured a few months back? Well, that super cute couple got married and I’m sharing their pretty wedding today. :) Maria + James held their reception at St. Johns College in Annapolis, a small school where Maria and James met. A peak into the planning from Maria, “James and I were engaged for over two years. In that time, we became teachers, grad students, and coaches. We decided that since our schedules kept us away from home often, we would take planning slowly and do it together. We kept waiting for the moment when the process would get stressful or frustrating, but it never came (thank goodness!). We both thought the planning was tons of fun!” James even added, “The fact that we were allowed to get really creative with it and put our own aesthetics into action made it engaging and enjoyable.” Thanks so much to Gabe Aceves for the gorgeous photos!

blue and yellow bouquet

blue and yellow wedding invitations

saja wedding dress

dc-wedding-mj-04

blue bridesmaids dresses

groomsmen with striped socks

wedding party

saja wedding dress

I just LOVE Maria’s gorgeous Saja’s dress!

bride and groom photos

saja wedding dress

dc wedding bow tie

table design wedding ribbons

pinwheels at wedding

dc wedding reception dinner

Our favorite part of the day was absolutely the reception. We immediately felt at home and comforted in the middle of what James and I had put so much planning and thought into. It was perfect.

dc wedding reception dinner

wedding first dance

From Maria: “For me, the wedding morning was full of anxiously excited butterflies! I loved the long process of getting ready, it felt ritualistic and soothing. Right before we went downstairs to get into the car, I felt my stomach sink like a rock and my hands started shaking. Luckily the hotel room service sent up the world’s fastest glass of Chardonnay, and my nerves settled a bit. Once I saw James and the ceremony started, everything was a breeze! I seriously had a ball at my own wedding. Yep, we both ate the food – from appetizers to dessert. We danced until we dropped, and had so much fun visiting with all of our friends.”

From James: “The wedding day was epic. I barely got any sleep the night before and then got so nervous in the morning that before I even got to the church, I felt totally drained. It was funny, but I sort of got all my nervousness out of me before anything really happened, and was thankful for that. The ceremony would have felt totally surreal to me had Maria not been with me the entire time. My favorite part was seeing her walk down the isle. She was gorgeous. Also, a funny side note. The priest, my best man and I were chatting it up for about 20 minutes before the ceremony about foreign films and film houses. Right before we walked out we somehow got to The Importance of Being Earnest with Rupert Everett and Colin Firth, when mid-conversation the priest looks outside and sends us out to the altar.”

Congrats you guys + thanks so much for letting me share your day!

vendors:

photography: Gabe Aceves // venue name: St. Johns College // wedding dress: Saja // bride's shoes: (ceremony) Pour La Victoire (reception) TOMS // bridesmaid dresses: Anthropologie // hair stylist: Varuna SalonSpa // makeup artist: Varuna SalonSpa // groom attire: Alfani Red Label (at Macy's) // catering: Ken's Creative Kitchen // music: DJ Rusty (via DJ D-Mac // earrings: Swarovski, a gift from my dad to my mom that she lent me // necklace: Swarovski, a gift from my dad to my mom that she lent me // headpiece: Anthropologie // guys socks: Paul Smith // floral design: Flowers by Judy

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