WEDDING IDEAS

Katie cruised right to Thread when she began her own search. "They had a color called cherry that I fell in love with. It was bright and I knew it would perfectly complement all the green (grass) and blue (Maryland‘s Eastern shore) of our outdoor wedding," she explains. "Suddenly we were having a pink wedding!" The pink-on-pink palette she chose for the dresses, which were in cherry pink duchesse satin with a lighter pink trim, soon became the color scheme.

Katie and Scott kept the ceremony décor simple and let the natural beauty of the Eastern shore speak for itself. The wedding party processed down a hill toward the guests, and the couple exchanged vows standing before a small floral arbor with Queenstown Creek, opening onto the Chester River behind them.

After the ceremony concluded, waiters handed guests pink "Loverlee-tinis," a Cosmopolitan in a sugar-rimmed glass.

The reception celebration took place in a peaked tent nearby on the property. Tables were set with sage-striped linens and green-tinted glasses. Katie explains, "We had pink lighting in the top of the tent, but this wasn’t actually because my theme was pink. It just made the tent look warmer."

Wildflower-style centerpieces of peonies mixed with veronica and snapdragons brought in the pink palette.

An enormous white oak tree growing nearby the tent was used for the escort cards, which also featured the peony motif from the invitations. Katie and Scott used fishing cord and clothespins to wind strings of the cards around the tree‘s trunk.

Katie wanted a slightly different look for her own bouquet: light pink orchids were surrounded by snapdragons and veronica, giving the spring bouquet a wildflower feel.

Sweet and stylishly simple best describes the couple‘s three-tiered chocolate-chip-flavored cake with white buttercream icing. Light pink fondant flowers with a silver bead center cascaded down one side.

Katie and Scott danced to "Better Together" by Jack Johnson.

Wedding invites from Pantry Press, which featured a pink peony motif, provided the rest of the inspiration for their style. "I spotted them in a magazine and fell in love!" Katie says. "They were one of my favorite details of the entire wedding.” Peonies became the blooms of the day -- the lush flowers were especially prominent in the bridesmaid bouquets and the centerpieces.

Katie & Scott in Queenstown, MD

Photos By: Kathy Blanchard Photography
Event Design: Carl Johnson, an Affair!
Location: A private residence

College sweethearts Katie Herrick and Scott Bugbee used their long engagement to their advantage in planning out every detail of their Maryland wedding.

The Bride Katie Herrick, 28, former online editor of The Nest
The Groom Scott Bugbee, 28, vice president of commercial finance
The Date June 10

With help from the bride's upstate New York family and a wedding planner in Maryland, the two Manhattanites managed to make their big day -- hosted at the bride's grandfather's Loverlee estate -- work perfectly. "My mom and I looked at a lot of venues, but we kept coming back to the fact that nothing was as meaningful as my grandfather's house." Katie recalls. Or as picture perfect. The one hitch in this shoreside wedding? Everything had to be brought to the site, right down to the lavish loos. “I thought people would talk about how great the band or the food was, but most people couldn’t get over the bathrooms!” the bride laughs.

-- Kate Wood