Refreshing New Ideas That Blend With Tradition

By Robin Bussow

Spring is a celebratory time signifying renewal and grace, with plentiful blossoming flowers offering environmental beauty that can effortlessly be incorporated into your blissful wedding day. Utilizing nature to embellish your venue décor can create enchanting photographs to commemorate the essence of the charming season. 

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Stunning Scenery

Spring is a fabulous season for weddings! With tame temperatures and abundant foliage, it’s the perfect time to take advantage of beautiful outdoor scenery during your ceremony. Picturesque backdrops allow for gorgeous photos, and the ornamental features of your venue make all the difference in adding to the charm of your springtime wedding.

Gazebos and Pavilions

Padonia Park Club, located in Cockeysville, Maryland, houses a stunning lakeside gazebo that offers elegant couple and wedding party photo opportunities along the water. With lush floral surroundings and bright green trees bordering the lake behind, this gazebo is the perfect place for a serene first look or to recite your vows.

Morningside Inn located in Frederick County, Maryland, is another great option for a scenic, outdoor ceremony experience. A private estate surrounded by 300 acres of rolling hills, the tranquil and noise-free property is perfect for taking photos under the shade of its gorgeous pavilion sitting on a brick patio. The pavilion overlooks a view of quaint ponds and a bright lawn- a backdrop sure to capture the essence of spring on your special day!

Herrington on the Bay, located in North Beach, Maryland, hosts The Herring Bay Garden, and Polynesian Lawn, both outdoor venues with timeless pavilions facing a beautiful bayside view. The vibrant flowers and lawns contrasting with the blues of the water create picturesque springtime bliss, making the pavilions ideal for photo ops.

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Foliage

Blossoming flowers bring a renewal of energy and color that will ultimately make your wedding day even more dynamic and elegant. The Cylburn Arboretum is a wonderful example of foliage immensely enhancing the beauty of your outdoor wedding venue. Blooming magnolia trees and pink peonies are some of the many flower types seen throughout the gardens of Cylburn, located near the Mansion. A variety of colors and textures of plantings ornament the grounds of Cylburn, making it ideal for your springtime wedding celebrations and photographs. 

We spoke with Karen Hillman of Raimondi’s Florist & Café, a full-service floral design shop for weddings in the Baltimore-Metro area, for insight on how to best incorporate spring flowers and greenery into your outdoorsy wedding. With endless possibilities of how to best add foliage into gazebo canopies, arches, or as decorations along decks and patios, Karen noted how the most popular spring wedding themes this year are bohemian barn and garden themes, with a variety of décor being available for both. 

“We see pedant lights, hanging chandeliers, aluminum pots with flowers, and shepherd hooks holding flowers,” Karen shared. She also mentioned how the most popular floral arrangements, which can be delicately wrapped around arches or easily placed in pots along a patio, are often composed of pampas grasses, roses, hydrangeas, and orchids around this time of year.

Unpredictable spring weather should never be an obstacle when it comes to displaying your unique selection of beautiful flower arrangements, so Karen suggested some tips on how to keep flowers stable in rainy or windy conditions. First, Oasis foam can be incorporated into various arrangements for quick stability, with the weight of the foam keeping your flowers looking exactly to your liking. Karen also noted how garlands made of flowers and foliage are a durable décor option sure to withstand tricky weather and maintain their beauty throughout your wedding day.

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For Rain or Shine

While rain on your wedding day may first seem like an obstacle, it actually symbolizes fertility and cleansing, preparing you for the new chapter of your life following your special day. Springtime showers are often inevitable, so we’ve come up with the best ways to keep you dry while enjoying the good luck brought by a rainy wedding day. 

Umbrellas

Regardless of the forecast that comes your way, umbrellas are a versatile tool that can be used to not only keep your wedding party dry, but also as fun photo props to commemorate your wedding day weather. 

Popular clear bubble umbrellas are perfect for protecting both you and your partner from the rain, while still allowing for breathtaking photos. With their durable plastic coating or protectant seals, these clear bubble umbrellas are a reliable water repellent. Effortlessly romantic, the photographs of you and your partner underneath a comfortable clear umbrella will be a perfect tribute to your wedding. 

Wedding umbrellas can also give a fun pop of color to wedding party photos, with many brands offering numerous colors to best fit your style. Need something blue? A blue umbrella could be the perfect option. They can also be customized to include monograms or text in a variety of fonts and colors, adding an easy touch of personalization. Floral designs, holographic material, colorful hardware, and so many more customizable features can be added to your umbrellas, making them unique souvenirs that you and your wedding guests can enjoy. 

Parasols

Similar to umbrellas, trendy parasols come in a variety of colors and act as a fashionable accessory to any wedding day outfit. With endless style options, such as intrinsic beading, fragile lace designs, or extravagant feather borders, parasols can easily be customized to your unique wedding theme. 

Even with beautiful clear skies, wedding parasols are proven to be very useful in protecting your wedding party from the springtime sun. Try including them as part of a gift offering for arriving guests as a thoughtful and practical party favor.

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Elegant Spring Makeup

2023 is a year of natural beauty, and with your spring wedding encapsulating this grace through scenic foliage and a renewing atmosphere, finding the makeup look that is right for you is crucial for tying together the charm of your special day. 

We spoke with Cindy Hoke, owner of Fresh Faces by Cindy, a licensed makeup artist and Esthetician who provides on-site services for brides and wedding parties in Baltimore, Maryland, to learn more about spring makeup trends and tips.

Cindy first suggests that finding the perfect wedding day makeup should be an enjoyable process and reflect upon your unique style. Try dazzling shimmers, sparkles, and glitter. Make a statement with black eyeliner. Enhance your wedding makeup with facial embellishments such as rhinestones, pearls, and gemstones. There are endless possibilities to play around with when creating your ideal wedding makeup look, so have fun with it!

According to Cindy, bolder lips are in. “They can be a stand ALONE look this season with illuminating skin and complimenting blush,” she says. The most popular shades for blush and eyeshadow this spring? Vivid reds and pinks, purples, peaches, and turquoise. These options can be used to create anything from a soft, all-natural look to a fun and bright look complete with pops of color. The versatility of these shades ensures they can easily be incorporated into your wedding look this spring. 

Cindy adds that the most important tip for applying gorgeous makeup is “MORE water!” The golden rule is to take your body weight and divide it in half to determine how much water you should be drinking daily for the perfect skin.