Liz Stewart

Romantic, Rustic-Modern Rosemont Wedding with Family and Friends

lizstewart — Thu, 18 Mar 2021 20:30:16 +0000

Kaylyn Rossi is a Civil Engineer from Pottstown, PA and Russell Forte is a CPM Scheduler from Ellicott City, MD.

Kaylyn and Russell met through Baltimore Flag Football and mutual friends in the summer of 2015. Kaylyn’s first impression of Russell was cute, genuine, and funny. Russell’s first impression of Kaylyn was smart, funny, and beautiful. Their first date was to Shoyou Sushi in Baltimore. Russ brought a bottle of wine and they ordered a few sushi rolls. Kaylyn hadn’t gone out for sushi before and it was funny because, she says, “I could barely use the chopsticks”. They’ve since celebrated every anniversary by going there for dinner, even when they moved to Charlotte. Kaylyn jokes, “I’m much better at using chopsticks now!”

Kaylyn and Russell were engaged at the top of a familiar ski mountain in the Poconos, PA. Kaylyn’s family enjoys going on local \ ski trips, so they ventured up for a day of skiing and free concerts on the mountain. After the concert ended and it was just the two of them, Russ took Kaylyn out to a private area on the slope and proposed. The following day his family drove up from Maryland to enjoy a joint family dinner and engagement celebration. Kaylyn and Russell dated for 3 years before getting engaged.

Kaylyn and Russell have been dating since 2015 in DC, Baltimore, and now Charlotte. They’ve lived together since 2016, have purchased a house together, moved together, renovated a new house together, own a dog together, share values and their dreams together. They are mostly excited to be officially be joined together and to plan the next stages of our lives together. They were engaged for 1 year and 7 months, from January 2019 until August 2020, before getting married.

Kaylyn’s favorite wedding details were the floral arrangements on her bouquet and decorating arbor, desserts at the reception, and wedding favors for their guests with their favorite coffee from a local Baltimore business.

Russell’s favorite wedding details were burying the bourbon tradition and their table arrangements with photographs of them on the backsides.

Their honeymoon to Hawaii was postponed to 2021, but they had a mini moon in September at Glacier National Park and Yellowstone.

The newlyweds currently resides in Charlotte, NC.

Hairstylist and Makeup Artist, Nadirah with RefEYEance, bestweddinghairandmakeup.com
Hairstylist, Cori Campbell, cori-campbell.squarespace.com
Makeup Artist, Anna Marie Kaczmarzewski, cori-campbell.squarespace.com
Planner, Michael Haymaker at rosemont1811.com
Ceremony Venue, Rosemont Manor, rosemont1811.com
Reception Venue, Rosemont Springs, rosemont1811.com
Bride’s Dress Designer, Stella York, essensedesigns.com/stella-york
Brides Dress Purchased from Poffie Girls, poffiegirls.com
Veil, Westwood Collection, thewestwoodcollection.com
DJ, Greg Sanchez, gsproductions.net
Officiant, Pastor Erik Evenson, premierweddingpastors.com
Guest Favors, Baltimore Tea and Coffee, baltcoffee.com
Florist, Stephanie at sponsellersflowershop.com
Cake, Sweet Tooth Bakery, sweettoothcakesandpastries.net

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Nautical, COVID-friendly Nuptuals with Family and Friends

lizstewart — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 00:39:48 +0000

Kaitlin and Phillip met in 2014 in North Carolina. Phillip was in the Army and living in the Fayetteville area, but frequently escaped to Raleigh, where Kaitlin was living at the time.

Kaitlin’s first impression of Phillip was thoughtful, motivated, intelligent, and great sense of humor. Phillip’s first impression of Kaitlin was sublime, resplendent, and recherché.

Kaitlin and Phillip met at The Oxford, a (now closed) gastropub in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina on October 18, 2014. Tennessee played Ole Miss that night and Phillip experienced college football season through Kaitlin’s eyes for the first time. They stayed out past the end of the game, had great conversation and truly enjoyed each other’s company. The two had such a great time, they made plans and met up for breakfast the next morning.

Kaitlin and Phillip met in late 2014 but due to distance and a deployment, the relationship became serious closer to the end of 2016. They were engaged about a year and a half later. Kaitlin and Phillip took Smokey, their beagle and fur-child, to Pups at the Park with a group of other local beagle parents. Before the baseball game, they were allowed to walk their dogs around the track. As they were about to exit the field, Kaitlin looked back to get one final view of the stadium and saw Phillip down on one knee. She said yes and they were engaged at Nationals Park on June 23, 2018.

They planned to have 2 years between engagement and wedding for extra time to plan. Then in 2019 they decided to convert expensive, monthly rental payments into mortgage payments. They bought a house together, but before closing September 20, 2019, they had a marriage ceremony a few blocks from the DC Superior Courthouse. They kept the private ceremony a secret and planned to have a big wedding on September 5, 2020. Then COVID-19 changed their plans even further, but they were happy to have family and very close friends with them on the day they celebrated their marriage.

Kaitlin wore a charm bracelet that was gifted to her from her paternal grandfather; it was her “something old” for the wedding day. Kaitlin recalls, “He was my biggest cheerleader, and would be so proud of where I am today. I pinned the bracelet to my bouquet so that he would be with me throughout the day”.

Phillip’s favorite wedding detail was the memory table at the entrance that served as a tribute to his late father.

They are excited to be married because it solidifies the bond they have and will continue to show the support they have for each other for the rest of their lives.

For their honeymoon and official one year anniversary, they spent a week at their favorite mountain cabin in Blowing Rock, North Carolina. Kaitlin went to college at Appalachian State, and the High Country holds a special place in her heart.Phillip is an avid fly-fisherman, so he took advantage of the many rivers and they spent a lot of time together hiking and relaxing.

Kaitlin is an Attorney Advisor at U.S. Dept. of Homeland Security from Durham, North Carolina and Phillip is a Program Support Specialist at the U.S. Dept. of State from Cleveland, OH.

The newlyweds currently reside in Springfield, Virginia.

Hair and Makeup, Perry Warren, chmd-by-perrywarren.com
Flowers, Marita Alabaster at Wedding Loft, weddingloft.com/holland-flowers
Coordinator, Emily at Harbour View, harbourviewevents.com
Ceremony Venue, harbourviewevents.com
Catering, Harbour Grille, theharbourgrille.com
Connie’s Cake Creations, conniescakecreations.com
Officiant, The Honorable Robert A. Salerno, D.C. Superior Court Associate Judge
Bride’s Dress, David’s Bridal, davidsbridal.com
Bride’s Shoes, Kate Spade, katespade.com
Bride’s Earrings, Kendra Scott, kendrascott.com
Bride’s Bracelet, Kate Spade, katespade.com Bridesmaids Dresses, Lulu’s, lulus.com
Groom’s Shoes, Salvatore Ferragamo, ferragamo.com
Welcome Bags and Favors, Amazon.com (assembled by Bride’s Mom)
Invitations, Minted, minted.com

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Casual, Intimate Wedding with Rustic Details in Frederick, MD

lizstewart — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 13:44:23 +0000

Melinda and Devin met as college freshmen at the University of Pittsburgh in the fall of 2013 and started dating soon after. Their first date was at Rita’s Italian Ice with a buy-one-get-one coupon. After ice cream, they went to a Penguins hockey game together.

The two dated for 5 years before getting engaged. After a very long hike in Shenandoah National Park, Devin proposed overlooking a waterfall! They were engaged for 2 years before getting married. Melinda and Devin are most excited to be able to go on adventures together forever. Melinda’s favorite wedding details were their rings and Devin’s was the glass sculpture from the ceremony.

For their honeymoon, they went backpacking and camping in Virginia.

Melinda is a Registered Nurse from Adamstown, MD and Devin is a PhD Student from Silver Spring, MD.

The newlyweds currently reside in Yardley, PA.

Flowers, Blossom and Basket Boutique, blossomandbasket.com
Invitations, Minted, minted.com
Hair and Makeup, Kaila Moseley, kmhmuartistry.wixsite.com
Dress, Essence is Australia, essensedesigns.com
Dress and Veil, Posh bridal, poshbridalmd.com
Groom’s Suit and Shoes, Jos.A. Bank, josbank.com
Jewelry, Olive and Piper, oliveandpiper.com
Officiant, Shannon Sullivan, Associate Pastor at Calvary United Methodist Church
Ceremony Venue, Calvary United Methodist Church, calvaryumc.org

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An Elegant, Whimsical Beaux-Arts Ballroom Reception with Polish Traditions, Personal Touches

lizstewart — Tue, 26 Jan 2021 15:00:17 +0000

Margaret is an international law attorney from Fairport, NY and Mark is an attorney from Wayne, NJ.

Margaret’s first impression of Mark was genuine, handsome, and intelligent. Mark’s first impression of Margaret was genuine, beautiful, and smart. Their first date was at Teaism in Penn Quarter. Polish people drink a lot of tea, and Mark thought it would be a cute and appropriate idea for a first date, since they are both Polish.

They were engaged on January 20, 2018, in Washington, VA. Mark planned a weekend for them at the Inn at Little Washington, where they were supposed to meet a few of their friends for a dinner and wine tasting to which one of our friends had received an invitation. When Mark and Margaret arrived, he said our friends were not there yet, and suggested they go for a walk around the area while they wait for the friends to arrive. They walked to this open area with a couple of adirondack chairs looking out over a beautiful view. Margaret was tired from and early morning and immediately sat down. Mark asked her to stand up, to which she said “whyyy??” Needless to say, he finally got her to stand up so he could get down on one knee! It turns out that the whole weekend was a setup – his friends were never coming, and he had created a fake invitation to get Margaret to go out there. They ended up having a really nice dinner at the Inn to celebrate their engagement.

They dated for a year before getting engaged and they were engaged for 8 months before getting married. Margaret and Mark are most excited to celebrate and to spend forever together, and to start a new chapter in our lives, with all of our friends and family.

Margaret wore jewelry from her grandmother and her bracelet was a gift from her mom.

The escort card and guest tables were a nod to their honeymoon trip on safari in Sri Lanka with fun elements like the safari animal card holders, which kept things from feeling too serious.

At the very beginning of the reception they honored a Polish tradition by taking a shot of vodka followed by bread, dipped in salt.

Their first dance was choreographed to both Coldplay and La La Land.

Margaret’s favorite wedding detail were the framed wedding photos of parents and grandparents. Mark’s favorite detail were the groomsmen’s bobblehead gifts.

The couple wanted their wedding to have both Polish and American traditions. Their use of soft colors and candlelight made for a classy and sophisticated setting.

It was important to Margaret and Mark for attendees to feel like they were part of the wedding, not just spectators. They kept it personal and spent as much time with their guests as possible. Family members attended all the way from Poland and friends came from Canada, California, and Colorado.

Margaret and Mark spent their honeymoon in the Seychelles exploring a secluded island, Sri Lanka visiting ancient cultural relics and going on safari, then spent time in the United Arab Emirates touring well-known sites in Abu Dhabi.

The newlyweds currently live in Washington, DC.

#onyourmarkgetsetgosh #malgosiaandmark

Planner, Tabitha Roberts, robertsandcoevents.com
Florist, Jill Medawar, Toulies en Fleur, oulies.com
(bridal bouquet of ivory roses; bridesmaid bouquets of Rosita Vendela roses)
Hair Stylist – Remona Soleimani, hairbyremona.com
Makeup Artist – Georgetown Bride, georgetownbride.com
Alterations – Green and Blue Studios, greenandbluedcweddings.com
Bride’s Dress – Lovely Bride, lovelybride.com
Bride’s Ceremony Top – Lea Ann Belter, lea-annbelter.com
Bride’s Reception Top – Jenny Yoo Collection, jennyyoo.com
Bride’s Skirt – Theia Couture, theiacouture.com
Bride’s Shoes, Jimmy Choo from Saks Fifth Avenue, saksfifthavenue.com
Bride’s Veil – J.Crew, jcrew.com
Bride’s Earrings – Kenneth Jay Lane, kennethjaylane.com
Groom’s Suit – Hugo Boss in CityCenter, hugoboss.com
Groom’s Shoes – Allen Edmonds, allenedmonds.com
Groom’s Cufflinks – Tiffany & Co., tiffany.co
Wedding Bands + Engagement Ring – Cartier, cartier.com
Ceremony Venue – St. Ann Catholic Church, stanndc.org
Officiant – Msgr. James Watkins, stanndc.org
Invitations – Minted.com
Reception Venue – Cosmos Club, cosmosclub.org
Transportation – Lasting Impressions, lastingimpressions1.com
Choreographed Dance – Nikki White from Put a Swing On It
Catering – Cosmos Club, cosmosclub.org
(charred Wagyu Beef chef station, hors d’oeuvres, tuna poke, poached pear riesling salad, filet mignon, arctic char, or pumpkin ravioli)
Bride’s Signature Cocktail – Belvedere vodka, St. Germain, lemon juice, Taittinger champagne, rosemary garnish
Groom’s Signature Cocktail – Belvedere vodka, angostura bitters, soda water, sugar cube, orange peel
Cake – Buttercream Bakeshop, buttercreamdc.com
(almond cake with fresh raspberries + Nutella buttercream frosting, red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting)
Entertainment – DJ Enferno of Exclusively Entertainment, exclusivelyentertainment.com

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