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Our super-sweet bride and groom for this fantastic wedding were actually middle school sweethearts! Kirsten and Michael grew up together in a small town in northern New Jersey and became friends when they began middle school. Once they reached the eighth grade, they started dating officially and have been together ever since!
Since they had been together for so long, the two talked many times about marriage over the years. Michael was determined, however, to make sure the actual proposal was a surprise to Kirsten so he decided that the proposal location must be somewhere that he and Kirsten visited frequently. One day after work, he met Kirsten for dinner at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, an area in which they dined often. And there, along the scenic waterfront, Michael proposed to the love of his life! Kirsten said, ‘yes’ and they celebrated with champagne and dessert. But the next day, Michael surprised Kirsten again with an engagement photo shoot and party with their closest friends and family!
We couldn’t wait for Kirsten and Michael’s wedding day to arrive! Their entire wedding event was held at the exclusive and gorgeous country estate, Foxfire, in Monkton, Maryland. This private venue is situated in ‘horse country’, with the grand manor house found down a lovely shaded, tree-lined drive past rolling, green pastures. It was absolutely beautiful… and so exciting for us as it was our first time visiting this venue!
And speaking of beautiful, Kirsten and her bridal party prepared for the day in the manor house onsite. As they got ready, they posed for photos in their matching robes. Her lovely bridesmaids then dressed into their matching white gowns and carried pretty floral bouquets from Steelcut Flower Co. in blush, watercolor gold and white. Michael and his groomsmen had fun playing games on the lawn and just hanging out and relaxing before dressing into matching classic black tuxedos for this very special day.
Kristen then dressed into her gorgeous fit and flare silhouetted gown. It was covered in beautiful lace appliques, with those delicate buttons down that eye-catching illusion back! She wore her hair up in a loose bun and accessorized with beautiful earrings and a long veil for the ceremony. She looked so amazing!
It was time for the two sweethearts to meet and see each other for the first time on their wedding day. In front of the manor house, Kirsten tapped Michael’s back to let him know she was there… and both were so much in awe and simply couldn’t stop complimenting each other! The team from Michael & Carina Photography was there to take photos as we filmed this and all the events for this fantastic wedding and it was so wonderful to work with them! (And we got a peek at Kirsten and Michael’s engagement shoot earlier and the photos were all so incredible!)
Kirsten and Michael’s ceremony was held outside on the side lawn at Foxfire, with beautiful floral arrangements in the same sepia tones as Kirsten’s bouquet framing the view of the graceful green fields. Kirsten walked down the aisle to stand beside Michael, and their personalized ceremony was officiated by her stepfather. The two wrote their own vows, vows that were filled with both humor and with heartfelt emotion.
Then, the couple’s reception was held in the open, fresh air on the back lawn with pretty market string lights overhead, rows of long tables for dinner and the entire ambiance adjusting with the setting sun. The couple’s sunset photo shoot a bit later was also so incredible.
Kirsten’s stepfather opened the reception with a beautiful welcome speech, then toasts were given by Kirsten’s sister and maid of honor and by Michael’s best man, his brother. All of the toasts were so well written and delivered and were very touching… and so funny too!
After their photo shoot, the couple returned to the dance floor for a wonderful first dance together, followed by sweet parent dances, including a dance with Kirsten and her mother.
Guests celebrated and danced all evening long to the hip sounds of the band, Jukeboxx! The whole evening was so much fun! And Elizabeth from East Made Co. did such a fantastic job with helping to put this beautiful wedding together with the couple.
We loved having the opportunity to visit Foxfire, but more than anything, we were so overjoyed to be a part of capturing this perfect wedding event for this wonderful couple. We’re sending all our best wishes to Kirsten and Michael!
Photographer: Michael & Carina Photography – Richmond, VA
Floral Design: Steelcut Flower Co. – Baltimore, MD
Hair Stylist: Caitlyn Meyer Hair & Makeup – Baltimore, MD
Makeup Artist: Caitlyn Meyer Hair & Makeup – Baltimore, MD
Wedding Dress: Calla Blanche
Entertainment: East Coast Entertainment – Jukeboxx – Alexandria, VA
Cake: Santoni’s Marketplace & Catering – Glyndon, MD
Wedding Planning/Design/Styling: East Made Co. – Elizabeth Gopal – Baltimore, MD
Venue: Foxfire – Monkton, MD
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