Remember our couple, Callai and Austin?
Well they’re married now and they slayed the wedding game with Zoom dance classes, gourmet s'mores, and prairie grass foraged from Callai's grandfather's home in Iowa.
Callai and Austin toured four venues, but Herrington on the Bay beat the bunch with its waterfront view and onsite aesthetics. "The ceremony areas are beautifully landscaped, which decreased our need for florals," Callai says. The couple was also impressed with the warmth of the venue's staff and its catering service, which sources many of its ingredients from local farms.
Callai's vision for her wedding
was to create a comfortable, "boho-esque vibe" with pampas grass and muted gem tones. In lieu of suits, the groomsmen wore chinos and leather suspenders. One of the advantages to having an onsite event was that the wedding party could chill out all morning long. While getting ready, the guys played "rambunctious" versions of lawn and beach croquet and the girls meditated, pulled cards and jammed to 90s music. Callai made mala prayer beads for each of her bridesmaids with Indian agate and moonstone beads -- signifying courage, protection, and feminine self-love -- and Austin gifted his groomsmen his favorite books.
When it came to the dress, Callai was looking for something sexy and sparkly. She visited a few shops in the Midwest with her mother and sister before finding "the One" in Columbia, Maryland: "It had an empire waist, which flattered my petite shape; a low back, which my mom wanted; and TONS of sparkle," she says, of the Essense of Australia gown.
Before slipping into their dresses,
Callai wanted the girls to center themselves so they carved out some time to meditate and pull out Tarot cards. They all sat in a circle and passed the deck around and shared with each other what the cards meant to them. Callai also hand made Mala necklaces for her bride tribe. Malas are used as a tool to help the mind focus on meditation, or count mantras in sets of 108 repetitions.
First Looks
were happening left and right on their day. Callai decided to do a first look with her girls which bought on so many happy tears and she did it again with Austin who seemed to be even more impressed than the girls!
For their reception
Austin and Callai took West Coast Swing lessons from Jody Moscaritolo to ensure their first dance -- to "May I Have This Dance" by Francis and the Lights -- was fun and memorable. They did 6 one-hour lessons via Zoom, learning moves like the Sugar Tuck (Callai's favorite) and Whips (Austin's fave). "We definitely won’t get called for Dancing with the Stars, but we had so much fun doing it!" Callai says.
Austin's biggest priority
was to make the wedding a multi-day experience. The Carrolls accomplished this in two ways: First, they scheduled their ceremony and reception for a Friday, which allowed them to save money but also ensured guests could hang out for an extra day before traveling home. Second, they rented an Airbnb for the week leading up to the wedding, so the wedding party could maximize their time together.
VENDORS
Bride’s gown: Essense of Australia (designer), The Bridal Boutique (boutique) Bride’s hair: Bmore Bobby Pins Bride's makeup: The London Eye Beauty Bridesmaid dresses: Baltic Born Clothing Caterer: Herrington on the Bay Dance lessons: Ministry of Swing DJ + photo booth: Chris Styles Events Florals: Mother of the groom Groom's attire: Jos. A. Bank Month-of coordinator: Oak Poppy Event Co. Officiant: Ceremony by Rachael Venue: Herrington on the Bay Videographer: TuckMedia
Photography: Megapixels Media
Some of This narrative was derived from the creators of What’s Up Mag, you can check out the Feature HERE.
This is what a 10 hour day looks like with us! Fun, right? If you’re interested in having Us as your wedding photographers, we would be happy to chat with you! You can message us HERE or email us at Hello@MegapixelsMedia.com. Speak with you soon!
Love Deeply,
Megan + Garrett
Denise + Shinae