The rainy, windy day could not put out the fire of this bright and bold wedding for these two lovebirds! On the contrary, the weather created amazing photos and the most intimate, personal ceremony any of us could have ever imagined. You could feel it in the air - it was electric!
Brendan and Lara met while in college - they were actually set up by Lara’s best friend and college roommate, Brendan’s sister! Lara grew up in Hawaii and attended Princeton on a crew scholarship. Brendan is an Annapolitan through and through -he might be known to burn his socks in the spring if you needed any further proof! He was also a college athlete and attended Princeton on a water polo scholarship.
Their wedding was full of LOTS of BRIGHT, PASSIONATE colors which were the perfect fit for Lara and her Mom, who was the planner extraordinaire. Mom, a proud Hawaiian, hand picked the colors and flawlessly communicated the sunny feel of the island right here in Annapolis.
The forecast was ominous so Wedding Savvy and the entire vendor team worked together to adjust things ensuring it was still a fabulous day for the couple and guests. Wendy Hickok did an amazing job of making the weather work for her with steamy first look photos with moody clouds. We made the call to switch from an outdoor ceremony to indoors making the most of the pretty decor of colorful lanterns as the perfect backdrop. Guests gathered in an intimate circle around the couple as they then parted for the Bride’s entrance with her dad. A Hawaii native served as our officiant and sung “somewhere over the rainbow” on his ukulele as Lara entered with her dad.
The toasts were magical in the Philip Merrill center with lightning flashes behind the Maid of Honor as she told the story of Lara & Brendan meeting. (Way to go, Elyse! YOU ROCK!)
During the evening, Lara did a traditional Hawaiian dance for her new husband and it was amazing to witness how flawless she moved and each move was filled with love and happiness, just like her!
After dinner the couple offered a Hawaiian shaved Ice station just like the famous one in Hawaii that had all the flavors you’d want and then some. Kudos to Ken’s Creative Kitchen for making it happen.
The night was very fun one with the Red Hook Orchestra from New York getting everyone on the dance floor but officially hit epic levels when groom got his college band back together on stage for honest to goodness one of the most awesome renditions of Cold play's “Clocks” this wedding planner has ever seen by a grooms party!?! Amazing. Guests were rocking the deck and it was truly a capstone moment to “seal the deal” that this. Wedding. WAS AWESOME.
Thank you, Lara and Brendan, for allowing us to share your day with you. It is seared into our hearts and minds as one of the best nights of all time, due 💯 to who you both are as people and a couple. We're still smiling over here :) Congratulations!
“I cannot imagine getting through my wedding without Raquel and her team from Wedding Savvy. Though we only had a “day-of” coordination package, she started working with us nearly two months ahead of time to make sure we’d thought through all the details. She helped us create timelines, the all-important “who needs to be where when” document, and also recommended local vendors that were able to put the finishing touches on our special day. She even let us borrow a decorative bowl from her dining room to collect our guests’ cards. It was very clear from the other vendors how lucky we were to have her organizing our wedding day, they were all delighted and excited (and relieved) to be working with her. Our outdoor wedding day ended up getting rained out but she didn’t miss a beat - we ended up finding a way to do the ceremony indoors and it was still incredibly special, and started on time! She also seemed genuinely excited for us as a young couple the whole time we worked with her. She was hands down the most valuable investment we made in our wedding. Crazy huge bang for our buck! Wedding Savvy, we love you!” -Lara, Bride
Two Month & Day Of Coordinator: Wedding Savvy
Photography: Wendy Hickok Photography
Venue: Chesapeake Bay Foundation
Flowers: My Flower Box
Band: Red Hook Orchestra
Lanterns: Event Dynamics
Catering: Ken’s Creative Kitchen
