Today’s absolutely stunning wedding is filled to the brim with stunning details, gorgeous flowers, and – most importantly – a couple who is truly & madly in love! The very talented Jacqueline Schmitz Campbell of Schmitz Wedding Photography submitted this wedding to us very recently and we couldn’t help my jumping a little in our chairs! We especially love the classic elegant details with a nautical touch and that incredible ZOMBIE CAKE with the bride and groom shooting off monsters from the top tier!

It isn’t every day that you see the perfect combination of all the little things that make a wedding perfect! Amazing couple, fabulous location, and memories to last a lifetime! Congratulations to the newlyweds and viewers – prepare yourselves… it’s a good one!

From the Bride, Lisa:
“For Garrett and me, choosing a location for our wedding was the easiest part of planning. Since our favorite getaway spot is Maryland’s Eastern Shore, we knew Garrett’s family home near St. Michaels would be the perfect spot. Living in New York City, we also knew that having a rural destination wedding would be a challenge, but we were excited by the idea of a fun and unique celebration with handcrafted touches that would still incorporate the traditional aspects that are important to us. We held our ceremony at St. Michaels’ Christ Church, a stunning example of 17th century gothic revival architecture that houses the most wonderful clergy and congregation. For our lawn reception at the Kennedy’s Broad Creek Cabin, we created a space from scratch, renting everything from tents to linens. While this gave us a blank canvas, it also exposed us to the wedding industry’s limitless options.

Having chosen the ideal venues for our ceremony and reception, we focused on hiring some truly great vendors such as Gourmet by the Bay who provided the catering. Their sophisticated take on classic shore comfort foods fit perfectly with our vintage nautical theme, and their signature raw bar with live oyster shucking was a great touch to our extended cocktail hour. For a beautiful backdrop, we chose Maine-based Sperry Tents which manufactures tents from sailcloth material and uses wooden poles—reminiscent of ship masts—to frame the structure.

After determining our foundation, the rest of the design elements fell into place. Chalkboards became a motif; we hung rustic chalkboard escort card tags from old crab pots and used French-style framed chalkboards to display the table numbers. We set out cigars from our favorite Philadelphia smoke shop in a chalkboard bottomed tray with vintage matchbooks for our guests to enjoy. The craftspeople at Etsy.com with whom we worked were consistently excellent, like Sweet Pea Sea Shells who printed 70 last-minute place cards when a DIY project had to be scrapped. For the flowers, traditional English garden varieties like peonies, hydrangeas, roses, sweet peas and Queen Anne’s lace were featured prominently with Bells of Ireland representing our Celtic heritage. Assorted configurations of silver mint julep cups, silver candlesticks, wrought iron lanterns, mirrored glass boxes and crystal lamps rendered each table’s centerpiece unique. Festive seersucker tablecloths and cri
sp white hemstitched napkins complimented the platinum banded bone china that we selected to match our personal wedding china.

Back in New York, we had our indigo and white invitations printed at Judy Paulen Designs, the wonderful Bloomingdale’s stationer. Rather than searching for that perfect wedding dress, I decided to build my bridal ensemble based on my antique art deco engagement ring. I discovered the ideal complement in designer Elizabeth Dye’s precious Alencon lace bolero. That standout piece inspired the rest of my attire: an elegant Nicole Miller strapless sheath, crystal beaded sashes by Ivy and Astor, and an Erica Koesler chapel-length veil. A gorgeous silk and pearl clutch from Hong Kong handbag designer Angee W. completed the look. Much help with putting the pieces together came from the fashionable stylists at Lovely Bride, a charming West Village shop that focuses on indie bridal fashion.

Once the sun went down, we danced the night away to old-fashioned rock ‘n roll underneath glowing bistro lights — reminiscent of a romantic night we shared strolling the lit canals of Venice — right into the after-party when we were served delicious bar food and Garrett’s groom’s cake. As lovers of B horror films, the only appropriate cake for us was a two tiered ganache confection with zombie hands clawing through buttercream flowers. Toppers crafted to look like Garrett and me fighting off a horde of zombies made our guests cheer and our parents smile bemusedly. It was the perfect end to our perfect day, and a symbolic declaration of our commitment to always loving one another, and to always getting each other’s backs. Of course, to compliment the slightly ghoulish cake, we served a tasty desert bar as well.”

The Fabulous Vendors Who Made this Day Possible:
Getting Ready: The Inn at Perry Cabin
Ceremony: Christ Church of St. Michaels, Maryland
Reception: Private Residence
Planner: Sharia Riley of StyleHouse Weddings
Bride’s Dress: Nicole Miller
Bride’s Bolero: Elizabeth Dye
Bride’s Shoes: Stuart Weitzman
Makeup: Shaune Hayes
Hair: Elijah Blue Salon and Retreat
Groom’s Suit: Burberry
Caterer: Gourmet by the Bay
Tent: Sperry Tents
Band: Right Foot Red
Bagpiper: Randy Welch
Cake: Freedom Bakery
Cake Topper: Zombies by WeddingBot
Photographer: Jacqueline Schmitz Campbell of Schmitz Wedding Photography
Second Shooter: Kristen Finn