Springfield Manor Wedding in Frederick, MD
Springfield Manor in Frederick, MD is a popular wedding venue but Jessica and David created a unique and special day of their own. When I first met David and Jessica on a video chat session I knew I was going to love working with them. Anyone who meets them can tell you they have charismatic personalities, work really hard, and can play even harder. I find them to be so inspirational as individuals and in turn as a power duo in life. Jess is a beyond detail oriented, incredibly organized woman, who accomplishes absolutely everything she sets out to do, and she does it with a genuine smile on her face. David, an award winning elementary school teacher, is a thrill seeker with this zest for adventure (which can frequently be seen on his sometimes nail biting action-packed GoPro videos) who makes you want to get up and try new things right now! They were so friendly and sincere that they felt like my friends from moment one.
The two were married on one of the coldest days of the year in Maryland in a beautiful traditional church ceremony and partied the night away at an elegant winter reception set for over 200 guests. The decor was classic and sophisticated with personal touches. David is really big into cycling, so they included a tandem bike in their engagement photos and used it as the card holder on the wedding day. Jessica has practical and elegant taste but wanted their wedding to be uniquely David and Jessica whenever possible. It was important to them that they had a winter wedding feel without it feeling too Christmasy or like the live set of Frozen. As you can see in the images below they figured out how to achieve that style perfectly at their reception. The words elegant and traditional can sometimes lead to thoughts of stuffy and unoriginal, sooo not the case here! They used juxtaposition all over the place. They let their guests know this was going to be a night of fun by entering the ballroom rocking out with blowup guitars and stunner shades to David's favorite karaoke jam Higher by Creed and made it a point to stay true to their laid back go-to party beverages of Dickel & Dew and Miller Lite as the his and hers choice for signature drinks. Jessica LOVES pie so they had a pie bar for desert instead of cake and had her hometown favorite doughnut shop Krumpe's Do-Nuts deliver a late night round of glazed doughnuts for their guests.
Decor wasn't the only outlet for the couple to make the event theirs. Jess and David carefully thought out their music choices to let their personalities and mutual preferences shine through. Instead of using the ever popular A Thousand Years- by the Piano Guys as a bridal entrance song, a violinist played Hallelujah-by Leonard Cohen. This moment brought tears to my eyes then and I am brought back to that special moment of their day any time I hear it. David's very talented family members performed To Make You Feel My Love-by Bob Dylan during their ceremony. Unlike many of the couples married in 2015 and 2016 that danced to Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud they danced their first dance as husband and wife to a sweet and simple tune that was special to them, When I Get My Hands On You (also written by Bob Dylan). Music was important to them so they made it a point to budget hiring an amazing band (one of David's favorites) The Muddy Crows , to entertain their guests for the night.
The pair planned their spectacular winter wedding in a way that was truly them. When I asked if Pinterest played a big part in their wedding planning the answer was "Not really. I wanted it to be original, I didn't want a replica of someone else's day." This is food for thought for anyone planning a wedding. While Pinterest can be a wonderful way to get inspired (I used it for my wedding to figure out what type of centerpiece and color scheme really appealed to me) it is one of the main reasons I see the exact same design elements and details appear at the majority of weddings I photograph. I have also seen Pinterest ideas dictate the flow of a wedding day and the photos on a shot list that are taken for pictures sake and not the reality of an action. Jess and David were careful not to do this and it resulted in a relaxed heartfelt day of nothing but joy of celebrating the beginning of their forever.
Happy Anniversary David and Jessica Dulberger!
