It was a January night when Preston walked into a school gym, ready to play indoor soccer. However, the moment he saw the opposing team, he was totally distracted by Morgan. He made it a point to get to know her, and they met up at a charity event. An arch of time passed, and on one evening, the couple went on a walk just before sunset. When they reached the path overlooking Georgetown, Morgan turned to see Preston on one knee. She squealed, accepted and grabbed him for a big hug. But then they noticed their dog rolling on top of a dead turtle. Her squeals of joy turned to “No no no!!” “This would happen to us!” Morgan remembers thinking.
Their playful natures shined through on their wedding day as they laughed alongside family and friends at the unexpected, yet wonderfully memorable moments throughout the day. In Preston’s words, “I enjoy every moment I’m around Morgan, and she makes every day of my life happier and fuller than I ever thought I could be. Now, I get to marry her!”
Morgan’s dress was designed by Sassi Holford, a designer based in London. Once Morgan saw the dress, she immediately fell in love with it. “I called the New York store and they sent me to a small boutique somewhere in Pennsylvania to pick up the dress. I was more than willing to drive 5 hours to get my dress!” Her shoes were Christian Louboutin with a delicate satin half bow matching her dress and bright red soles. Preston already owned his tuxedo by Joseph Abboud, so Morgan and Preston ordered the groomemen’s tuxedos from the same designer to coordinate. They also purchased paisley ties in shades of blue for the groomsmen and in ivory for Preston. Morgan joked about Preston’s shoes, “ They were Salvatore Ferragamo …. and so handsome I referred to them as the male version of my shoes.”
The couple’s ceremony site was Saints Peter and Paul Church. “I am Catholic and it was important for me to be married in the church. Saints Peter and Paul was a large, newly built church and was absolutely beautiful. The officiant lives next door to my parents in Syracuse, NY and lived there my entire life growing up.” Morgan laughed, “I think the ceremony truly showed our goofy nature when Preston couldn’t get my ring on so he turned to our guests and asked “Excuse me, does anyone have any bacon grease?”
After the ceremony, everyone made their way over to the reception at the Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Golf Resort, Spa and Marina.
Morgan remembers, “We picked this site because it truly allowed us to have a destination wedding while everyone still had the ability to drive. The hotel had everything from water slides, to tennis, a fantastic spa and a beautiful golf course.”
When the couple walked into the ballroom at the Hyatt, they were blown away. Morgan remembered, “Words cannot explain the excitement that we both felt seeing the room and realizing it was even more then we had dreamed.” Morgan described the concept, “We really wanted the reception to be magical like walking into a dark room only lit by twinkling candle light and direct spotlights on each table with large floral arrangements of Calla Lilies. We had every table and chair covered in ivory silk and the walls had draping ivory fabric back-lit by hundreds of small twinkling tea lights.
To start the party, Preston and Morgan danced to the fun, upbeat, “You Are The Best Thing” by Ray LaMontage. Morgan chose this song because, “I have to say that the lyrics to the song are very fitting… Preston is definitely the best thing to ever happen to me!” Everyone joined in dancing after the first chorus, enjoying the music by the Winn Brother’s Band. They played songs that every generation could appreciate and dance to together. {Photographer’s note: This band was fantastic! As you can imagine, I’ve seen many wedding bands, but…these fellas are pure energy.}
Morgan said their cake was absolutely delicious, “Each layer was wrapped with a fondant ribbon bow that tiered down the cake. I showed Preston several cakes and was so thrilled when he picked the one with the bows that went with my wedding dress without even knowing!”
The guests also enjoyed a photo booth, where they posed for fun photos. They got one copy for themselves, and one copy for the guest book, to place next to a note for the couple. From the automated photo booth to the photographer, Morgan was very excited about her choices, “Shane was absolutely wonderful to work with. He allowed us to be our goofy, fun selves and took more photos then we could have ever asked for. It was as if every time I wished he was there to catch the moment he was one step ahead of me.” Morgan’s father and Preston ended the evening singing together. Morgan explained, “One of the first experiences Preston had with my family was when they told him he had to sing a solo to get everyone’s approval. At the end of the reception when all of the guests started chanting “One more song, one more song…” Preston and my dad got on stage and sang You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling a cappella with everyone joining in for the chorus. It was AMAZING!!”
Credits:
Photography: Shane Carpenter
Ceremony: Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church Easton, Maryland
Reception: Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay
Event Design: The City Florist
Ceremony and Cocktail Music: Elan Artists
Reception Music: The Winn Brothers Band
Photo Booth: Five Star Amusements
Sound and Lighting: Katz Audio
Cake: Julie Bakes