These College Sweethearts Survived Long Distance, Then Wed Surrounded by Spectacular Florals

We Laugh We Love Photography

If you’re looking for a glam outdoor wedding full of jewel tones and more florals than you could ever dream of, you’re in luck. College sweethearts Meredith Dougherty and Andrew Devine’s wedding was exactly that. See the stunning event planned and designed by Shannon Wellington Weddings with florals by Fresh Designs Florist in the gorgeous photos below from We Laugh We Love photography.

Upon meeting in a Michigan State dorm room, Meredith and Andrew both felt something right away. “He was that funny guy everybody wanted to be around,” Meredith, a landscape designer, recalls. Their chemistry continued to build during a first-date hayride. “It was a crisp fall night filled with music, flannels and cider,” she adds. “We talked for hours.”

Fast-forward four and a half years: After surviving a long-distance relationship that pinged from Minnesota to Philly to New York, the couple settled in Stamford, Connecticut. Andrew, a finance coordinator, popped the question on the Long Island Sound with a bouquet of flowers and a heartfelt card.

Twenty-one months later, the pair exchanged vows in a flower-filled celebration along the Delaware River. (Meredith grew up locally, in Elkins Park.) “Putting our feelings into words in front of all of our loved ones was an incredible moment,” she says. Meredith is Jewish and Andrew is Catholic, so both a rabbi and a priest officiated the wedding. A tree branch blocking the chuppah was decorated in blooms to blend in with the ceremony site.

“The floral installations over the dance floor and on the bar area were absolutely breathtaking!” Meredith says. Meredith asked florist Susan Davis for “the biggest bouquet she could make.” It included lisianthus, lilacs, delphinium, and more than 10 other types of blooms.

Flanked by moody black pillar candles, the escort-card wall featured a quote from British writer Virginia Woolf.  Guests were encouraged to share snaps during cocktail hour using the hashtag #LoveIsDevine.

Draped in amaranthus, huckleberry greens, larkspur and more, the dramatic hanging floral installations were the focal point of the reception space. There, the couple’s 155 guests sat for a dinner of roasted salmon and ricotta manicotti.

Custom cocktails — a vodka-grapefruit “Thyme After Thyme” for the bride, a bourbon-and-bitters “MC Hamaretto” for the groom — fueled an ebullient dancing of the hora, and, come dessert, faux-succulent cupcakes were served in a nod to the bride’s horticultural background. Officially husband and wife, the couple celebrated with an island-hopping honeymoon in Mykonos, Ios and Santorini.

THE DETAILS

Venue: Glen Foerd on the Delaware | Photography: We Laugh We Love |Event Planner & Designer: Shannon Wellington Weddings and Events | Florals: Fresh Designs Florist | Bride’s Gown: Pronovias from Elizabeth Johns | Hair & Makeup: ONLO Beauty | Groom’s Attire: The Black Tux | Catering: Jamie Hollander Catering & Events | Cake: Nutmeg Cake Design | Videographer: Well Spun Weddings | Lounge and Rug Rentals: Maggpie Rentals | Music: PZO Productions | Invitations: Rachel Marvin Creative | Escort-Card Wall: Ever Laser | Escort-Card Calligraphy: Caitlin Jane Calligraphy | Transportation: Krapf Transportation | Photo Booth:We Laugh We Love

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