Originally, we had planned a cruise to Alaska and my plan was to propose to Lisa sometime during that trip – I didn’t know exactly when so I was going to have to look for a good moment. Leading up to the trip I imagined proposing on a glacier, and then the thought of dropping the ring down an ice crevasse scared me to death!
Unfortunately, we had to cancel the trip to Alaska due to Lisa’s mom getting ill (mom is now fine), so that saved me from the whole “ice crevasse” situation.
After Mom was better, we planned a new trip to Asheville, NC to visit the Biltmore and, later, spend some time in a cabin enjoying nature. Again, I didn’t have an exact plan of when I would propose.
Our first night we decided to eat in the restaurant of the Biltmore Hotel. We dressed up and got a very nice table with a view of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Mount Pisgah. It was clearly the perfect moment, and I proposed before dessert.
I think the waiter was annoyed that I didn’t give him a heads up, so guys, maybe throw your waiter/waitress a hint at what might be going down so they feel prepared with a bottle of champagne!
It was a wonderful memory that we will cherish forever!
During the ceremony, we received a very welcome surprise as a water taxi with a bunch of friends floated just a short distance away and cheered to our wedding.
For the wedding, we planned a date of October 4, 2020, before we knew what COVID was. As COVID hit we knew we would have a hard decision to make. We simply would not put our families and friends at risk.
We felt very strongly that we wanted to keep our planned wedding date, but knew deep down that we couldn’t have the big wedding we planned. So, we canceled the big event and planned a smaller outdoor event that we could be sure would be safe and easy to socially distance.
All of our vendors were great about the reschedule. We were very grateful and fortunate. It confirmed we made the right choices with our vendors.
The BMI was simply amazing handling our reschedule. They made it easy to move the big party to a year later and even made it possible for us to still be married on their dock with our small event on the date we planned! Amazing people!
We had our ceremony with 12 guests, then a quick toast, and a cupcake.
During the ceremony, we received a very welcome surprise as a water taxi with a bunch of friends floated just a short distance away and cheered to our wedding. When we cut our wedding down to only 12 people from our original 125 they decided to make an “appearance” from the water. It was very fun and festive and provided a party atmosphere that we got a kick out of.
Lisa’s best friend and her husband drove from New Jersey to be at the wedding and they are the ones who decorated our car. They also tied cans to the back which made quite a ruckus driving through downtown Baltimore on our way to the Pendry where we spent the night.
We both are very happy we went forward with getting married on our planned date. It wasn’t the big party we planned but we really enjoyed it and now get to look forward to the big party one year later to celebrate!
Written by Lisa Bergman and Kevin Hughes
Participating Vendors:
Accommodations: Pendry Baltimore
Beauty: #NoFilter Glam
Caterer & Cupcakes: Zeffert and Gold
Ceremony & Reception: Baltimore Museum of Industry
Favors: Custom Facemasks from Etsy
Flowers: Scentsational Florals
Formal Wear: Christopher Schafer Clothier (custom shirt)
Invitations: Zola
Jewelry: Francesca’s (earrings)
Officiant: Reverend Andy Vineberg
Photography: Living Radiant Photography
Planner: RCC Weddings & Events
Rings: Radcliffe Jewelers
Shoes: Ivory Lace Vans from Etsy
Wedding Gown: Francesca’s Bridal