The engagement. The proposal was simple but special for Ryan and Clarissa, who had been dating for eight years. After popping the question in the kitchen they share, the two of them picked out a ring together the next day before sharing the news with their family. They then began planning a wedding to coincide with their nine-year anniversary of dating.
rThe dress. Clarissa, 26, an employee at the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, was a two-dress bride. The first was a fitted ivory silk trumpet style strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline, with buttons up the back and lace detailing on the train. For the party, she changed into a short dress with a square neckline and full skirt. "It was the perfect mix of classic modern and vintage all rolled into one," she says. "The second dress was necessary because of our first dance... we performed a choreographed swing dance to Plain White T's 'Rhythm of Love.'"
rThe reception. During cocktail hour, a string trio entertained guests while they nibbled on mushroom profiteroles and barbecue shrimp skewers. When Clarissa and Ryan, 27, an employee of Mumford & Miller LLC, joined the party, they showed off their choreographed dance skills. "We really wanted a place where we could get married outdoors with a reception indoors—but it had to be warm and inviting," Clarissa says. "Kent Manor Inn was exactly what we were looking for." For dinner, the guests dined on Chicken Marsala, salmon, pasta salad, red potatoes, rolls, and salad, which Clarissa says was wonderfully fresh and locally grown.
rThe pinwheels. It was important to the couple that every aspect of the wedding be meaningful to their lives, while still being simple and chic. The wedding carried a theme of pinwheels and was included everywhere from 125 homemade yellow and gray pinwheels for the cupcake display to the groomsmen wearing the same pinwheels as boutonnières in lieu of flowers. They even used the pinwheels as escort cards, which Clarissa says guests ended up using as nametags—"Totally not planned, but fun!"
rAfter the wedding. The newlyweds enjoyed a week-long getaway to Maui, Hawaii, a gorgeous location nestled right on the Pacific shoreline. When they returned home as newlyweds, "We are closer than ever before," Clarissa says. "Even though we thought it would be just the same after dating for nine years, marriage has brought us together on a different level."
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The Details
rFlorist: Jen Mor Florist, Dover, Delaware
Cupcakes: Peace of Cake, Stevensville
Wedding Dress: Brides & Grooms, Newark, Delaware
Bridesmaid dresses: David's Bridal
Men's attire: Calvin Klein
Jeweler: Reeds Jewelers, Dover, Delaware
Stationer: Design Circus, Etsy.com
Hair/makeup: Kelly Clark, Middletown, Delaware
Dance lessons: The Blue Ballroom, Wilmington, Delaware
Programs: Baumbirdy, Etsy.com
Hair fascinators: Bridal Shoppe, Etsy.com
DJ: Chad Hastings, Upper Echelon Entertainment, Greenwood, Delaware
