1. Real Weddings

Jamie & David: An Outdoor Wedding in Queenstown, MD

Sometimes, trusting your intuition really pays off. “I’m not big on giving out my number to strangers, but I had a feeling,” says Jamie. She had just

Sometimes, trusting your intuition really pays off. “I’m not big on giving out my number to strangers, but I had a feeling,” says Jamie. She had just moved to DC when she met David while watching a Redskins game at an area pub. The Bride Jamie Benedict, 30, toxicologist The Groom David Strong, 32, chef The Date April 29 Her instincts were definitely right on: Eventually, the two moved in together and began talking about marriage. One night, “Jamie was quite stressed from work, so when we got home I asked her to open an early Christmas present to make her feel better,” David remembers. Jamie demurred, but David coaxed her into unwrapping a beautiful crystal ring holder -- then got down on one knee.

The couple chose a pink and green palette (“David was willing and happy to embrace my love of pink!” Jamie says) to bring the theme together.
Jamie carried a bouquet of peonies, ranunculuses, roses, stephanotis, and hydrangeas.
The four-tiered confection of red velvet cake with Chambord and cream-cheese filling was iced with ivory buttercream and wrapped in pink and green grosgrain ribbon at the base of each tier.
Beyond the blooms, Jamie and David worked to personalize every detail of the day. “Everywhere our guests turned there was a little piece of us,” the bride says, from the wax seals on the invitations to the personalized aisle runner.
Pink and green escort cards rested on a bed of flowers.
Guests indulged in a candy bar that included rock candy, licorice, Lindt chocolate, Hershey’s kisses, M&Ms, gummy grapefruit, jellybeans, lollipops, and chocolate-covered pretzels, all in pink, green, and white.
The bridesmaid bouquets were hydrangeas, mini calla lilies, roses, and ranunculuses.
Afterward, the reception was held beneath a tent decked out in pink, white, and green, from the garlands of peonies, roses, and Granny Smith apples to the candy bar and the peony motif cards explaining the couple’s favor donation in honor of Jamie’s late grandfather and David’s grandmother.
The afternoon ceremony took place overlooking a pond on a golf course green beneath a white awning decorated with flowers. Jamie and David exchanged traditional vows in a Catholic ceremony.
The theme was a springtime garden party filled with flowers. “My family has owned a flower shop since 1881,” Jamie explains. “I grew up around flowers, and I really wanted this reflected in our wedding decor.”
The bright color scheme spilled over into the planters filled with layers of flowers and pomander balls hanging from shepherd’s hooks.
“Laura was the first and only photographer we talked to; we just clicked,” Jamie says. “She had photographed a wedding at our venue before, and we loved the pictures.”