1. Real Weddings

Samantha & Nathan: A Ballroom Wedding in Bensalem, PA

Samantha and Nathan met by chance at a birthday party. The guest of honor was Nathan’s best friend’s girlfriend and Samantha’s college friend. About s

Samantha and Nathan met by chance at a birthday party. The guest of honor was Nathan’s best friend’s girlfriend and Samantha’s college friend. About six months later, the two started dating. The Bride Samantha Strand, 27, senior accountant The Groom Nathan Trimmer, 26, systems administrator The Date April 24 After a year-and-a-half of dating, Nathan was ready to propose. He decided the perfect time would be during a trip to New York City to see the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center, something Samantha had always wanted to do. But the hustle and bustle of the city that day proved to be overwhelming, and Nathan couldn’t find the right moment to pop the question. Instead, he seized a much quieter moment that night.

Samantha and Nathan were married outside Pen Ryn Mansion, overlooking the Delaware River. Arrangements of roses, lisianthus, and hydrangeas stood out on either side of the couple.
To pop against the black and silver wedding colors, Samantha carried an all-pink bouquet of garden roses, peonies, and ranunculus wrapped with ivory ribbon. The brooch accent matched the ones on the bridesmaid dresses.
Samantha and Nathan’s friend made the cocktail napkins by hand with a gocco printer and used the couple’s custom-designed logo.
As an alternative to floral centerpieces, Samantha bought cylinder vases in varying heights and filled them with glass beads and candles. She added black damask table runners and sprinkled rose petals around each arrangement to incorporate the third signature hue.
Black ribbon and fresh roses and hydrangeas decorated Samantha and Nathan’s three-tiered, square wedding cake.
Samantha decided to wear big chandelier earrings with a vintage look to match her ball gown. As she walked down the aisle she carried her “something old,” a watch that had belonged to her great-grandfather who, coincidentally, shared her groom’s name.
The cocktail hour took place in three different rooms, all of which had fireplace mantels. To decorate them inexpensively and make the venue feel like home, Samantha placed framed photos of her and Nathan growing up and of their families.
On the escort card table was an arrangement of roses, peonies, hydrangeas, orchids, and Manzanita branches that had been painted silver. The arrangement served as a focal point at the wedding reception, even after all the cards had been taken.
Pen Ryn Mansion sits right on the Delaware River -- the perfect backdrop for all of Samantha and Nathan’s preceremony wedding photos.