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Name: Tiffany Townsend
Fiancé's name: Tucker Smith
Engagement date: Fe uary 14, 2009
Wedding date: August 21, 2010
Wedding venue: Ceremony – United States Naval Academy Chapel; Reception – Annapolis Yacht Club
Proposal story: We were in our senior year at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon, and we had plans for dinner at a nice restaurant downtown. Downtown Corvallis is along the Willamette River, so we took a walk along the river after dinner, and as we were headed back to the car, Tucker just got down on one knee and pulled a box out of his pocket. Before he opened it he jokingly asked, “Weren't you expecting this?” (We had been dating for about five years at that point).
Then, of course, he asked if I would marry him, to which I said “no”…which was obviously the answer to his first question. After we both laughed at my first answer, I said “yes!”
How did you choose your venue?
The Naval Academy Chapel is where Tucker attended in high school while his dad was stationed at the Naval Academy, so when we moved back to Annapolis after college it was the logical choice. As for the reception, we are so lucky that my parents are members at the Annapolis Yacht Club. Because it is one of the best waterfront venues in Annapolis, that was a pretty easy decision.
What types of food are you serving at the reception?
We covered the bases pretty well with a little of everything. We couldn't go without crabcrakes, so those will definitely be there; we also have vegetarian, chicken and beef entrees. We aren't doing a sit-down dinner, so there will be food stations throughout the venue, and our guests will have the choice of any and all of our options!
What are your wedding colors, and how did you choose them?
Bright orange with royal blue accents are our wedding colors. Orange was the school color at our alma mater, Oregon State University, and in my time there, I grew to love orange! Plus, Tucker's a big Orioles fan, so we both were in for the orange. As far as the blue goes, I knew EVERYTHING couldn't be orange, so I just picked something that would compliment the orange well.
How many people are in your idal party? 15 total -- My best friend from high school will be the maid of honor, with two other friends from high school, one from college, one from childhood and the grooms' sister making up the five other idesmaids. The grooms' best friend from high school will be his best man, with three friends from college, the grooms' other and the ides' other making up the five other groomsmen. We will also have one flower girl and two ring bearers who are all cousins of the groom.
What as the most fun part of planning your wedding? Definitely cake tasting! Our cake is from Palate Pleasers, and when we went for the tasting we had so many options to try, everything from the yellow cake to carrot cake! I also really enjoyed shopping for our wedding bands; although we both had a good idea of what we wanted, it was fun to try all the styles on.
What was the most difficult part of planning your wedding?
Hands down, researching vendors. Since I grew up in Annapolis, I used my previous knowledge for some things, such as a florist, but there are so many things that are specific to weddings that it's hard to know where to look. Word-of-mouth recommendations were great, but you still had to resort to the Internet to get most of the information. Once we had our venues, we asked each coordinator for a list of their recommendations, which was very helpful!
What advice do you have for future ides?
It's all about balance. Balance between having too many requests or not enough direction; balance between it being all about you and realizing it takes two people to get married; balance between keeping yourself happy and keeping yourself sane. And, most importantly, have fun!
Do you want to be a featured ide on "Here Comes the Bride?" E-mail weddings editor Kelsey Collins at kcollins@whatsupmag.com.
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