We wanted our wedding to feel intimate, timelessly beautiful, and interlaced with personal touches.
Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…
I’m Caroline (the bride) from a quaint historic port town called Annapolis in Maryland, and Ben is from the opposite side of the globe in the beloved land of Tasmania, Australia. We both work in the world of finance, I in mergers and acquisitions, and Ben in management consulting. We share in a deep love of Jesus, and our faith has been the bedrock of our relationship and the foundation we hope our lives spring from. We enjoy life’s simple pleasures: adventuring outdoors, a hand-written letter, a proper flat white (hard to come by in the States, sadly) and treasured time spent with friends and loved ones. We’re old souls at heart and often joke about how once we’re old and gray, our favorite pastimes may look more or less the same.
How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?
Ben: I first arrived in the States in 2018 to begin a college tennis career in Washington, DC. A couple of years later, I took part in a summer internship program focused on leadership, faith and values, which Caroline also happened to be in. We first locked eyes in the basement of Mt Airy, a residence just two doors down from where she grew up. There was an undeniable spark between us. Later on that summer, we shared a moment skipping stones across a river in the Shenandoah Mountains, which unbeknownst to us would be the very place I proposed four years later.
My first impression of Caroline was that she was sweet-natured, a little shy, and curious about others and the world around her. I left the summer with Caroline in my mind. It felt like there was more to uncover about her. What a gift it is to still be chasing after her and the mystery today.
Caroline: Ben and I first met just steps away from where I grew up in a summer program focused on leadership and living out the principles of Jesus. While things were a slow burn and there was quite the romantic preamble to our relationship, there was definitely a connection shared that summer that left an imprint. I was first drawn to Ben’s quiet confidence and how, though he is a man of few words, those words always seemed to hold profound weight. He had a pensiveness and mystery about him, too, that I couldn’t help but wonder about.
When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?
The moment I knew was when we were in the most beautiful place on earth, my home state of Tasmania. We were on a road trip along the east coast and stopped to climb Mount Amos and bushwalk down to Wine Glass Bay. I was testing her out a bit and convinced her to run the trail instead of walking it. We whizzed past the other walkers at a cracking pace, spurred on to feel the silky sand beneath our feet. Right before we set foot on the beach, Caroline eloquently asked to take a trip to the long drop to change into her barbers. I waited in great anticipation, of course, and was no short of a stunned mullet when she came out, gracing the dunnies steps in a red bikini and her hiking boots. As if that wasn’t enough to convince me, she willingly accepted my invitation to participate in a running race on the beach! I enticed her into the brisk Tassie waters, and soon after came that moment. I’d started looking for rings at this point without her knowing, but this was the culmination point. She had bravely followed me to Australia to give our relationship the chance she thought it deserved, and her faithful step had brought on so much fruit. We looked into each other’s eyes with such glee that we began laughing uncontrollably. It was as if we had both read the next page of our life script at the same time. We knew. However, Caroline flew off to America a couple of weeks later, and I didn’t have a ring ready at that point. After meticulously considering the design and meaning behind her ring, I finally landed on something and asked the jeweller to expedite production as fast as possible. I was ready to fly back to America and propose the minute that ring was ready! The night of Caroline’s birthday, I asked her what her birthday wish would be, and she wished that I would arrive tomorrow (I had told a white lie that I would visit in mid-April). Little did she know I was boarding a flight to surprise her the very next morning. While Caroline was talking to her friend about how worried she was that I wasn’t responding to her on my supposed camping trip, I snuck up behind her for the biggest surprise of her life. Two days later, I took her back to where it all began in the Shenandoah, got down on one knee on the muddy river bank, and asked her to marry me.
Tell us about the vision you had for the mood and style of your wedding. (theme, key styling elements, florals, colour palettes etc.).
We wanted our wedding to feel intimate, timelessly beautiful, interlaced with personal touches, and above all to be a reflection of the love we share. It felt like a no-brainer to get married at the historic home I had the privilege of growing up in, Mount Airy, considering its rich family history and that Ben and I’s love story began just beyond its property line. My dear dad devotedly and tirelessly tended to the gardens and gave the whole place a lift in preparation for our special day. We were wed on the front portico and had a celebratory grand exit in a charming vintage yellow MG convertible lent to us by a generous friend. What a joy ride it was, beeping the horn and being showered in petals and cheers and then sharing a moment of stillness and utter bliss, soaking it in just the two of us once we made it down the drive. The evening opened into a banquet-style meal. Twin candlestick tables ran the length of a canopy of oak trees and twinkling lights. It truly felt like a glimpse of heaven to have all of our dearest loved ones gathered around a celebratory feast and communing around the joy and jubilation of the day.
What styling and visual elements worked best for you? (could be things, the florals, particular hire products or your marquee etc., something the stylist created or simply just the scenic beauty of your location or the existing design of your venue).
The most memorable part of our wedding day was the release of monarch butterflies that we incorporated into our ceremony in honor of my late Mum. The monarch butterfly has been a recurring emblem. I feel God has sent it to me to remind me of my mom’s presence in my lowest valleys along this road of grief, and so it felt only fitting to weave them into our ceremony somehow. To my awe and wonder, just moments before Ben and I opened the box to release 100 of them, my eye caught a solo monarch butterfly gliding just underneath the tree line, hovering over our guests. I knew that was her quiet hello just for me. Shortly thereafter, we unraveled the monarchs, and hundreds of them took flight, with one even landing on my hand and peacefully lingering there for a good while during the ceremony. It was simply breathtaking.
What did you enjoy most about the planning process and do you have any tips for couples starting their wedding planning journey?
I most enjoyed designing and hand-painting our wedding invitations, as I loved expressing my creativity in that way and creating an element that was unique and a keepsake we’d want to hold onto. It was one of those details that made the day distinctly personal to us as a couple.
My advice to other couples would be along those same lines. With social media now, it’s so easy to get bogged down with an overload of inspiration and swept up with what the person next to you’s big day may have looked like. I’d encourage couples to truly distill what’s important to them, how they hope the spirit of the day to feel, and while the details are important and there are play calls to be made, not to lose sight of the ultimate joy in the love you’ve found in choosing to commit your lives to each other.
Tell us about your main outfits, what was unique, is there a story?
I wore a vintage veil passed down from Ben’s family. The veil had been worn by his great auntie, Mum, and both sisters, and it is a precious family heirloom. Having the wedding in the States, it was a really special touch to have this piece of home for Ben. I also accessorized with a matching set of diamond earrings and a pendant necklace designed by my mother and father when I was firstborn to be a gift on my future wedding day. My mom had passed away a year before our wedding, and so wearing such a sentimental piece held deep meaning for me and felt like I had her close to my heart.
What was one, or two elements that were most important to you both that you were happy to spend a little more on? (food, photography, florals, the venue, your outfits?).
We both really valued timeless photography that would capture the story and magic of the day. We could not have been more pleased with Amanda as our photographer. She gave us a mix of film, digital, and Polaroid shots and had such a gifted eye in snapping the raw, sentimental vignettes of the day with just the documentary style we were hoping for. Worth every penny!
Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?
I am chuckling reading this question! Yes, indeed. The most comical mishap on the day would have to be the swarm of bees that discovered our punch! We had two bar tables set up, and in a matter of minutes, they were infiltrated by these bees, coming up from the ground and horrifying the poor bartenders. But these bees didn’t just go for the punch; once they learnt there was more food and drink, they spread throughout the venue. To the server’s delight, we made the call to remove the delicious, fruity, sticky punch on which the bees were gorging themselves. As the evening went on, they subsided, but stuck around long enough to fly up Caroline’s wedding dress and sting her the very moment she was running on to the dance floor for Sweet Caroline. She promptly shrieked and jumped away with a flurry of her girlfriends following her tail, while the rest of us looked on very puzzled as to why she was running away from the dance floor!
BRIDE Caroline, @caroline.s.barnett BRIDE Benjamin VENUE Private Estate – Mount Airy PHOTOGRAPHER Amanda Owen, @amandaowenphoto FLORIST Beth Silverberg – Lake Soleil, @lakesoleil ENTERTAINMENT Marcus & Carolina Akin, @carolina.akins, @marcusakins HIRE & MARQUE Grand Rental Events, @grand_rental_events CATERING The Palate Pleasers, @palatepleasers CAKE By Ben’s lovely gran STATIONERY & SIGNAGE By the Bride WEDDING RINGS Ascot Diamonds, @ascotdiamondsdc ENGAGEMENT RING Cushla Whiting, @cushlawhiting BRIDE’S WEDDING GOWN Laurel Strapless Sweetheart – Jenny Yoo, @jennyyoonyc BRIDE’S SHOE Carlan Heels Off White Silk – Dolce Vita, @dolcevita BRIDE’S ACCESSORIES Vintage Veil – Passed down from Ben’s family HAIR & MAKEUP By the Bride BRIDE’S FRAGRANCE Wood Sage & Sea Salt – Jo Malone, @jomalonelondon TUXEDO Suitsupply, @suitsupply
