1. Real Weddings

A Spring Wedding in Lancaster, PA

Mutual friends thought Alison and David would hit it off on their first date. They were wrong. “Alison thought I was pompous and self-centered, and I

Mutual friends thought Alison and David would hit it off on their first date. They were wrong. “Alison thought I was pompous and self-centered, and I thought she was emotionally stonewalling,” says Dave. Several months and accidental run-ins later, the two chatted at a friend’s house party, which led to a second date and, eventually, a relationship. The Bride Alison Fairbairn, 28, outpatient therapist The Groom David Pidgeon, 30, freelance journalist The Date April 4 After a year together, the subject of marriage had come up, but Dave didn’t seem especially into it. That’s why Alison was shocked when Dave proposed at the Pinnacle, a rock outcrop overlooking the Susquehanna River. Once she said yes, the couple met Alison’s parents who were waiting in the parking lot.

Unsure of how to decorate their cake, the couple went with their baker’s suggested pattern of flourishes. Fresh roses and ranunculus matched the bouquets, while the fondant birds coordinated with the escort cards.
To play up the day’s bird theme, Alison added white feathers to her girly bouquet of roses, tulips, ranunculus and hydrangeas.
In a city of country clubs and hotel ballrooms, Riverdale Manor stood out. “We liked the hardwood floors, the high ceilings and the beautiful property,” says Alison.
Alison’s boss made a pillow that the bride’s nephew carried down the aisle. Feathers and eggs in a nest highlighted the bird theme.
The couple made their grand exit through a tunnel of sparklers. Then, they hopped on a school bus with all of their guests who were heading to a hotel nearby.
The couple’s graphic-designer friend helped create the ceremony booklets, which had bird and flower images on them like the rest of the stationery.
To complement the high ceilings, the couple decorated the tables with tall centerpieces. Hanging amaranthus gave the mix of roses, alstroemeria, hydrangeas and hypericum berries a unique shape.
Like the bride, the maids held pink and peach roses, but alstroemeria, lilies and looping twigs distinguished their bouquets from Alison’s.
Pink, orange and yellow ribbons, nameplates and birds popped against the white, embossed cards.