Laura & Ben

Occupations Laura is a teacher; Ben is an investment analytics and data associate

Wedding date December 10, 2022

Number of Attendees 140

Number of Attendants 8 bridesmaids, 7 groomsmen, 1 flower girl, 1 ring bearer

How You Met The First Time We Met. Back in 2012, a mutual friend of the couple invited Laura to go to an Orioles game with her group of friends, one of whom was Ben. After tailgating in the parking lot, riding the light rail to Camden Yards, and sitting through the game, Ben thought Laura was quiet, and she thought he was cute. Back at college a few texts were exchanged but ultimately fizzled out.

The Second Time We Met. Two years later, out in Towson at the Greene Turtle, Laura saw the same group of friends from the Orioles game at the bar. She went over to them and ended up talking to Ben for the rest of the night—and every day since.

The Engagement On their way to St Michaels for Fourth of July weekend, Ben told Laura their friends wanted to meet at a beach park in Oxford for the dogs to play and to get lunch. A couple of signs here and there, Laura started to become suspicious of why they were actually going. After walking through the park, Ben got down on one knee and asked Laura to marry him. He had another surprise- instead of going to St Michaels right away, they would be staying in Oxford to go to dinner together to celebrate.

Wedding Design Inspiration With our wedding being in the winter, I knew I wanted it to feel cozy, so I went with warm tones for the bridesmaid dresses and flowers. We wanted our wedding to be a big elegant, timeless party so the dress code was black tie optional, and we had a band, disco balls and glowsticks for the dance floor. We also wanted to include Baltimore—orange crushes as a signature drink, Berger Cookies for favors, and crab cakes for dinner.

What Was Unique and Special About Your Wedding Day We had “A Love That Came Before Us” display that not only had wedding photos of our parents and grandparents, but their wedding invitations too. It was fun to see family members at the display table and talk with them about our loved ones.

Favorite Details
– Jordan (The Otherside Creatives) suggested that after the ceremony Ben and I have some time together in the bridal suite to just catch our breath and enjoy the fact that we just got married. As we walked away from the ceremony, we were handed our signature cocktails, and appetizers were set up so we could make sure we were able to eat. It was so nice to have that time together to relax before mingling and dancing the night away.

-Including our dog. He met us for wedding photos before the ceremony, was on our napkins, and had his own signature drink, the Ovi-tini.

-Once the guys were done getting ready at our house, they walked to one of our favorite neighborhood bars, Snake Hill. They were able to get some pictures inside and outside while grabbing a couple of drinks.

Most Unexpected Event On Your Wedding Day Having great weather! December in Maryland you never know what you’re going to get. We had a gorgeous day and it wasn’t (too) cold.

Piece of Advice Once you have an idea of what you want your wedding to be, limit the amount of wedding posts you view on social media. There are so many opinions and ideas, and trends are always changing that it can all become overwhelming. Get a day of coordinator! Even to this day, we talk about how we couldn’t have done it without The Otherside Creatives. They saw our vision, answered all questions, and offered amazing advice. We didn’t have to worry about a thing!

Beauty Brushed Beauty Bridesmaids Anthropologie Weddings Cake Cake by Jason Caterer Zeffert and Gold Dog Walker Dogs of Charm City Floral Design Thurman and Fig Groom and Groomsmen The Black Tux Honeymoon Grand Hotel Excelsior Amalfi & Grand Hotel Capodimonte Invitations Etsy and my mom Live Painter Patricia Bennett Location The Assembly Room Music Bachelor Boys Band Officiant Taylored Vows Photographer Corinne Thompson Rentals Pretty Little Wedding Co and The Otherside Rentals Transportation Thoroughbred Transportation Videographer Abidoodle Productions Wedding Dress Anthropologie Weddings and Baltic Born Wedding Planner The Otherside Creatives