A Family-Focused Wedding at Home in Maryland

As Cameron Pastrick and Jake Ruppert sat hand in hand at their ceremony, a torrential rain began to beat down on the church's stained glass windows. "I thought, 'There aren't enough umbrellas in the world to keep this dress dry!'" recalls Cameron. But the weather couldn't dampen her enthusiasm as she and Jake exchanged vows, with 300 loved ones—including six of their grandparents—watching on September 13, 2014.

For the Bethesda, Maryland, couple, who met on a blind date in August 2012, planning came down to one thing: family. "Jake and I have always said that we aspire to have a marriage like our parents and grandparents do," says Cameron, an interior designer. "We both have big families," adds Jake, an equities broker. "A small wedding was out of the question." After weighing in on the guest list, Jake let his fiancée run the show. "Cameron had worked in event design, and her mother had recently spent a year planning her sister's wedding," he says. "I just got out of their way." 

Within weeks of the couple's July 4, 2013, engagement, Cameron and her mom, with the help of a planner, got the ball rolling. The early start left the bride time to focus on the more personal details, like writing Jake letters to open at milestones during their marriage, and having cuff links made for her dad with lace from her mother's wedding gown.

On that cloudy September Saturday, the storm stopped just before the ceremony ended, and a 1930s London taxi whisked the newlyweds to Sunnyside Farm, the bride's maternal grandparents' home on the Miles River. Inside two clear tents draped with lanterns and leafy chandeliers, guests sipped French 75s and Moscow Mules, tucked into a dinner of steak frites, and sampled goods from a cigar bar and, later, a crème brûlée station. "Through it all, we never lost sight of what the day was about," says Cameron. When the pair saw their grandparents, with almost three centuries of marriage among them, swapping stories, "I found myself thinking, 'I hope that will be us in 70 years,'" she says. If their wedding is any indication, it will be, come rain or come shine.

Watch Cameron and Jake's Wedding Video

The colors of the coastal location inspired the letterpressed, foil-stamped invitations by Cheree Berry Paper. The night of the pair's wedding, the sunset painted the sky in the same soft pinks and grays.

Upon checking in, each guest received a cocktail-hour themed welcome bag, complete with the makings of the bride's favorite cocktail, a French 75, Old Bay-seasoned popcorn, wasabi peas, dark-chocolate sea-salt caramels, and a schedule of events for the welcome party, wedding, and day-after brunch.

Cameron spied her Marchesa gown in a magazine the day after Jake proposed (her sister, who had gotten married a few weeks prior, rushed out to get a few). To cover her shoulders for the Catholic ceremony, she had a custom lace bolero fashioned so it looked like one piece with the dress.

"I wanted it to look like I went out into a field and picked my own flowers—but had a florist artfully arrange them," says Cameron of her desire for natural and somewhat untamed greenery. Her bouquet, tied with a piece of lace from her mother's wedding dress, included gardenias, white ranunculus, lysmachia, snowberries, and white and blush garden roses.

Once Cameron was dressed and ready, she shared a moment alone with her ailing grandfather. "It was so emotional," she says, "but it makes you realize what the day is about."

Cameron's bridesmaids wore metallic gray dresses by LulaKate.

The bridesmaids carried 'Café au Lait' dahlias, gardenias and gardenia foliage, porcelain vine, white ranunculus, and olive sage, in bouquets made by Beehive Events.

For cocktails, there was a special his-and-hers drink selection: "Hers" was a French 75 and "His" was a Moscow mule, inspired by Jake's favorite drink and an homage to the couple's first date at Bourbon, a D.C. bar that's known for its Moscow mules. In addition, caterers came through the tent with old-school bar carts equipped with Champagne and various fruit juices and purées for made-to-order bubbles.

Piecing together a seating chart for 310 guests was no easy task. In the end, Cameron settled on a few long farmhouse tables, plus round and square dinner tables, and a mix of woven linen and ghost chairs. The tent opened up to a view of the water, and after the reception, the couple made their exit by boat.

Dahlias, gardenias, garden roses, mint, and burnished persimmons were arranged in ceramic urns and handblown glass vases.

The duo's monogram was foil-stamped onto booklets of fun stats about the pair, and their initials appeared on cigars, too.

Oyster shells were calligraphed with guests' names and table numbers. Each place was set with china edged in a Venetian lace pattern, topped with a graceful menu.

Wrought-iron chandeliers wrapped with hop vines were suspended from the tent ceiling.

The very same London cab used by Cameron and Jake also escorted the bride's parents at their wedding 30 years earlier.

Guests cheered on the newlyweds during their first dance, to Nat King Cole's "L-O-V-E."

Early in the planning process, Cameron decided she wanted a clear tent and a black-and-white dance floor, which she took to for a dance with her father. Says the bride: "A classic, elegant coastal scene kind of emerged," she says. "I wanted our wedding to be subtle and timeless."

Ceremony location, Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church

Event planning and design, Pineapple Productions

Flowers, Décor, and furniture and linen rentals, Beehive Events 

Catering, Susan Gage Caterers 

Photography, Kate Headley 

Stationery, Cheree Berry Paper 

Calligraphy, Arney Walker Calligraphy 

Tent rental, Sugarplum Tent Company 

Bride's gown, Marchesa 

Bride's accessories, Tia Mazza veil; Boone & Sons Jewelers earrings; Sergio Rossi shoes 

Groom's tuxedo, Jos. A. Bank 

Videography, Hart to Heart Media 

Cake, Maggie Austin Cake 

Music, Carte Blanche (cocktails); The Dexter Lake Club Band (reception) 

Rentals, DC Rental 

Hair, Ismail Tekin of George at the Four Seasons Salon 

Makeup, Carlos Gallegos of Salon L'eau 

Bridesmaids's dresses, LulaKate

Groom's accessories, Brooks Brothers bow tie, suspenders, and shoes,; Boone & Sons Jewelers cuff links

Lighting, Frost Lighting Company of DC 

Transportation, Linder Global Events 

Valet, MJ Valet 

Rings, Boone & Sons Jewelers