Antique Secret Garden at Antrim 1844

Real Weddings

Ben & Elise

Wedding Date: October 4, 2025; Number of Guests: 135; Venue: Antrim 1844; Photographer: Molly McManus Photography; Best Bite: Homemade dips from LoverBoards

"Despite it being bigger than Elise had ever imagined, “it felt incredibly personal and intimate. The details in the planning and design of the day really helped to make it feel like us, not just another beautiful wedding.”

Moments on an Evening Walk

During the summer of 2020, Ben and Elise started talking on Hinge. She thought Ben was sweet and smart, and Ben thought she was very amusing. “We agreed to risk it, this was still Covid quarantine days, after all, and take our dogs for a walk one night in early July.” The plan was to take a quick walk with the pups to get crushes from a restaurant in Elise’s neighborhood. But then the pair went back to Elise’s backyard and spent the night talking, bonding over shared childhood experiences, why they moved to Baltimore, and a love of spicy food. At 10 p.m., they realized they hadn’t eaten dinner and ended the night by ordering Indian food.

A few years later in early October, Ben and Elise took a weekend trip to her family’s cabin in the Catskill Mountains to go leaf peeping. “Over the course of our relationship, it became a special place for us, with Ben growing to love it there as much as I do.” The first night there, they walked to dinner and stopped at a scenic overlook along the Delaware River. “I was looking out at the river and yapping to Ben about my retirement business idea, a food truck parked next to the river,” Elise says. Meanwhile, Ben had gotten down on one knee and asked Elise to marry him. “It was an immediate yes, followed by lots of hugs and tears with my parents, calls to his parents, and champagne at La Cigogne.”

Party in the Garden

Since Ben and Elise both grew up in Maryland, they knew they wanted to get married in-state and look for a venue that could host guests for a weekend. They wanted a Friday welcome party the night before their Saturday afternoon ceremony. They toured Antrim and fell in love with the antique-filled mansion and gorgeous rose garden. “We’ve always had a shared love of gardens and really wanted our wedding to reflect that.” The pair both love green, so the shade was incorporated into their color scheme along with vibrant flowers to add a burst of color. “We wanted it to feel like the last party of the season in the secret garden.”

Unexpected Drama

Looking for a wedding dress, Elise knew she wanted floral elements but she didn’t want a traditional veil. “I was unsure what I wanted for a bit of drama in its place.” She gave her thoughts to the Curvaceous Couture team, who said they had just gotten a dress that was unlike any other and might just be what she’s looking for. It was a multi-layered lace dress with a large bow at the top of the back. “I knew I had found exactly what I was looking for,” Elise says. The dress also featured an overskirt that Elise wore for the ceremony and took off for the reception, allowing for a second look without doing a complete outfit change.

Not a Bridezilla, but a Benzilla

Elise had never pictured a huge wedding growing up, but rather something small and simple. It was Ben who wanted to go all out. “We had a running joke that our wedding didn’t have a Bridezilla, it had a Benzilla,” Elise says laughing. He took charge of the music for the day: a string quartet for the ceremony and a band for the reception since he likes to dance. Elise took the lead on details and décor, infusing her love of antiques into the day’s design. The escort card display was a gallery wall featuring a collection of their antiques and art. Mementos and antiques were also incorporated into each table design.

“The cupcakes and cookies from Peony & Meringue were the best sweet bites from the wedding.”

Dream Design Team

Balancing their personal schedules with wedding planning was one of the biggest challenges. Elise owns an antique boutique and is always on the go as an antique dealer and Ben is currently in culinary school and working in restaurant kitchens. Their wedding planner, Caitie Hanrahan, helped to keep the planning process on track. “She made sure we didn’t miss any details or deadlines, while also pulling together an incredible design scheme.”

Their florist, Kate Campbell, also helped bring the design concept to life. Elise and Ben splurged on florals to set the tone for the celebration. After all, you couldn’t have a garden party theme without statement blooms. Along with incorporating some of the antiques into her design, Kate also designed a beautiful chuppah for the ceremony. “I don’t know if I’ll ever stop talking about how gorgeous our chuppah was!” 

Laughs, Tears, and a Broken Chair

Having Elise’s older brother officiate the wedding made the ceremony even more meaningful. Along with Ben and Elise writing their own vows, “every little thing just felt so incredibly personal to ‘us’. We laughed, we cried, we laughed some more.” Elise’s beloved dog was also honored during the ceremony. “Sadly, [he] passed away three months prior to our wedding, so to honor and include him in the celebration, I decoupage a picture of him on to the lectern where a cross had originally been.” It was a sweet way for a pup that had been in the couple’s lives since the first date to enjoy the day too.

Another way Ben and Elise were surrounded by family was during the Horah. It was Elise’s first time being lifted up in the chair, but Ben was “cool as a cucumber.” He assured her it would be a blast and nothing would go wrong. “Then his chair broke, but the celebration didn’t stop. Now we have a commemorative chair back to display next to the photos.”

The Details

Planner: Caitie Hanrahan Venue: Antrim 1844 Photographer: Molly McManus Caterer: Antrim 1844; LoverBoards (Charcuterie/Grazing Table) Desserts: Peony & Meringue DJ/Band: The Source (band) Pop Culture Strings (quartet) both via Washington Talent Florist: Kate Campbell Hair: NoFilter Glam Makeup Artist: NoFilter Glam Officiant: Matthew Ruland, Bride’s older brother Rentals: Select Event Group, DC Rentals, Reverie, The Sourceress Stationery: Social on the Weekends Bride’s Attire: Dany Tabet, Curvaceous Couture Bridesmaid’s Attire: Alice & Olivia Groom’s Attire: Nordstrom