One Couple's Crab Fest Rehearsal Dinner at The Crab Claw in St. Michaels, Maryland

"As a Maryland girl, I think there's no better way to celebrate in the summer than to throw a crab fest," Laura says. She and Eric hosted their rehearsal dinner at The Crab Claw in St. Michaels, Maryland. Invitations modeled after Old Bay cans invited 35 guests to an all-you-can-eat seafood rehearsal dinner on a Maryland marina. Laura's Kate Spade crab purse and accessories were on theme and personal. "I wanted to include some element of Chinese culture for Eric and his mom," Laura says of her tassel earrings shaped after the Chinese good luck charm.

Coleslaw, potato salad, corn on the cob and hush puppies served buffet style were the perfect companions for crab.  Cheery sunflowers complemented the restaurant's red napkins, patterned tablecloths and instructional placemats.  Guests took home crab mallets as favors. 

Once dinner wrapped, Laura rode back to the Inn at Perry Cabin, where the wedding took place the following day, via water taxi with her bridesmaids -- and a bottle of bubbly.