Chris + Katie: Fall Wedding on the Chesapeake

Chris and Katie were married at Herrington on the Bay on a beautiful fall evening in October 2017. Check out more from their special day including photos from their Paradise Ballroom wedding and the story of how they met, their wedding planning process, and what advice they’d give to other couples about to get married.

How They Met

One night at a bar in Bethesda, they were introduced by mutual friends. Then, they were friends for around three years before they even started dating! In the summer of 2014, after a weekend spent together, the rest was history!

The Engagement Story

With Katie’s outgoing personality, and Chris’s reserved personality they complement each other quite well. Chris knew that he didn’t want to propose in public, and he wanted it to be a surprise. After Katie continuously asked him if they had any plans every weekend leading up to the proposal; she thought he was onto her because he ended up proposing on a Wednesday afternoon in their apartment with their two dogs. It was absolutely perfect!

Wedding Planning Process

Katie did almost all of the wedding planning herself! She began by searching for waterfront venues using wedding magazines and found a few that they wanted to visit. Once they visited Herrington on the Bay, they knew where they wanted to be. Plus, Herrington offers a wedding planner as part of the venue service, which was ideal for the DIY bride in Katie.

“Brittany was so helpful during our initial visit, and even helped us plan out the entire day before we even put down a deposit.” – Katie

Big Day Recap

Though the entire wedding was incredible for a Chris and Katie, one of their favorite parts was keeping the guests entertained by the plethora of activities. Whether they wanted to be on the dance floor (with Katie), playing corn hole on their customized boards, snapping photos in the photo booth, or sitting outside on the patio in the beautiful warm, fall night – everyone had something to do. And they rounded out the celebration with a fun song that everyone would remember.

What about the details?

Katie never actually wanted to have a wedding theme, but rather for it to just look beautiful. She’d always wanted a fall wedding, and for one of their main colors to be gold, so they originally picked champagne gold for the table linens and then worked from there. Flowers were also always on her radar at weddings, so they were one of the most important aspects. The blue hydrangeas, white roses, and greens looked beautiful and bright on the gold linens.

Wedding Advice

Katie and Chris received the best pre-wedding advice from a stranger who told them to pause during their three favorite moments during the night, hold hands, and look at each other and say let’s remember this moment. It worked, and they’ll forever cherish those moments.

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