It was 3rd times the charm for Philadelphia lovebirds Kara and Dean and their 2020 wedding. Due to COVID restrictions, their wedding went from a May Philadelphia wedding for 200 guests to a July Baltimore wedding with the same count, to finally a mini wedding for 48 guests in the Maryland countryside. Though a micro wedding, this couple didn’t skimp on style, with an elegant tented reception that still felt true to them as a couple. The event was expertly planned by Elizabeth Bailey Weddings with social distancing in mind in a way that was chic and sophisticated. Scroll to see all the dreamy details captured by Karena Dixon.
As corny as this sounds, we were inspired by ourselves. We really wanted our wedding to be true to who we are as a couple. We did not want a ballroom wedding – we wanted the venue to be a relaxing place that our family and friends left saying, “That was so Kara & Dean”. We love playing games, so it was important to us that there were lawn games around the backyard that people could play whenever they felt like it.
Having an open-house pool party the day before couldn’t have been more perfect. Our wedding planner, Elizabeth Bailey, really understood what we wanted out of our wedding from the beginning and helped us make that a reality. From the décor, to the florals & tent, everything about the wedding was so “us”, which was ultimately exactly what we wanted.
Some of our favorite wedding day details were the flowers, the food definitely, the games set up in the backyard, all of the string lights making it so romantic. We loved being able to spend quality time with our friends and family that were there being that it was such an intimate setting – that definitely wouldn’t have happened with a much larger wedding.
Some advice we would give future couples planning their wedding are to not sweat the small stuff. It is so easy to get wrapped up in all of the little details of planning a wedding – I know we did during the first go around. At the end of the day, things get messed up and don’t go as plan. Remember that your wedding is going to be beyond perfect because all of the people you care about in your life are there and you are marrying the love of your life. Enjoy the process of being engaged & remember the reason you are getting married in the first place. There will be a ton of opinions – warranted or not. Make sure you are making decisions based on what the two of you want ultimately, and not because you are trying to please others.
Photography: Karena Dixon | Venue: Foxfire | Planning: Elizabeth Bailey Weddings | Florals: Blue Vanda Design | Stationery: Papers Plus | Videography: Paper Boys | Cake: Sugar Bakers | Catering: Classic Catering | Rentals: Party Rental Ltd | Rentals: White Glove Rentals | Rentals: Loane Brothers | DJ: District Remix | Bridal Salon: Francesca’s | Submitted via Matchology
