1. Real Weddings

Jennifer & Dan: An Outdoor Wedding in Annapolis, MD

Immediately after Dan Hageney proposed to Jennifer Burns, she turned her home into an arts and crafts factory. I was the opposite of a bridezilla. I t

Immediately after Dan Hageney proposed to Jennifer Burns, she turned her home into an arts and crafts factory. I was the opposite of a bridezilla. I took everything upon myself, says Jennifer. I am a perfectionist and tend to get a little carried away with things like this. THE BRIDE Jennifer Burns, 29 THE GROOM Dan Hageney, 34 THE DATE June 29 Some of the nitty-gritty details: Jennifer hand-embossed the couple's initials onto every cocktail and hors d'oeuvres napkin; hand-threaded all the programs with embroidery floss; and, along with her mother and some friends, handcrafted each wedding favor. To match the Annapolis waterside wedding theme, they designed two stained-glass ornaments -- a green crab and a blue and white sailboat.

Other personal touches: to match the nautical-theme save-the-dates, invitations, and favors, Jennifer and her mother also crafted welcome bags for each guest. Magazines, brochures, a schedule of events, Swedish Fish candy, and bottles of lemonade and iced tea were stuffed into canvas bags adorned with a hand-painted sailboat or crab.
Guests started arriving on Friday for a crab feast held at the bride's parents' home. The next day, everyone headed out for an open-bar, three-hour cruise on the Chesapeake Bay. A rehearsal dinner that offered crab cakes and steak and featured numerous speeches, including one given by the couple in honor of the bride's parents' 34th wedding anniversary, was topped only by the pending wedding celebration. The ceremony took place the following evening in the gardens of the William Paca House. As guests were seated, they were offered fans and refreshing drinks (raspberry champagne spritzers, sparking water, and iced tea). Both families, along with friends of the bride, took part in the readings, which were specifically picked by the bride and groom.
Jennifer and Dan danced their first dance as husband and wife to Grover Washington Jr.'s Just the Two of Us. It was one more very personal touch. Jennifer explains, On our second Valentine's Day together, we decided to start giving gifts from the heart. I wrote Dan a poem. And he performed Just the Two of Us for me.
Jennifer wore an empire-waist mermaid gown in ivory duchesse satin by Vera Wang.
The bridesmaids wore pale pink silk shantung dresses from NYC's Serafina. The groomsmen wore blazers from Paul Stewart, slacks from Brooks Brothers, and shirts from Thomas Pink.
The Cake