Raven and David met on match.com in August 2015. After a few messages they hit it off but then David fell off the map. Come to find out, he got really sick for a few weeks. It was mid-September when I got a text from David and our first date was finally planned. We met for dinner at Longhorn Steakhouse at Arundel Mills Mall on September 19th.
Enjoying each other’s company, we started seeing each other more — going to different restaurants, hiking, wineries, the Circus, etc. Soon we discovered our love of food & became partners in the kitchen- Our Favorite Place! Many of you know the garden we have each summer, big enough to feed an army.
When we went shopping for the engagement ring, David found “the ring” within minutes, he just knew it was it. I spent about an hour looking at all our options and in the end, it was David’s pick! Being the impatient person I am, I would wonder when & where David would propose.
We had talked about going to Medieval Times and so there was a Groupon deal and David said, “Baby, April 19th mark the calendar- 7 pm Medieval Times at Arundel Mills Mall” David bought the VIP package- which means early entry, picture with King & Princess, souvenir towel”… I said, “Ok baby, it’s on the calendar”. Just thinking it was a date night, I was looking all around the arena and the show was about to begin. The King needed to make some special announcements. The King said “Tommy got straight A’s, someone bought a home…. and the last one was: Lord David wants to ask Lady Raven to take his hand in marriage”. My mouth dropped and I basically blacked-out. Then I looked at David (Mr. 6 foot 6) who was trying to get down on his knee in the close seating space. I saw “the ring” on his finger, and whattaya know, I started crying. That’s when he asked me to be his Queen! 🙂
The weather reports were not looking too good 2 days out – the forecast was lots of rain, high winds. I was getting extremely nervous that my dream day with David would not be how we both envisioned. Somehow, someway, someone, something was watching over us.
The weather was looking pretty good for our wedding day. For those who may not know, Maryland can still have the summer heatwaves and it’s hurricane season. A week before our wedding day, Hurricane Dorian formed and there was a potential to interfere with our big day. With an outdoor ceremony planned, I was not too happy to hear this at all. We had thought of Plan B (just in case) but never did we think we would need to consider it. The weather reports were not looking too good 2 days out – the forecast was lots of rain, high winds. I was getting extremely nervous that my dream day with David would not be how we both envisioned. Somehow, someway, someone, something was watching over us. The morning of our big day there was light rain and it was overcast ~ I now was a nervous wreck~ but by the time my girls and I arrived at Seasons at Magnolia Manor, the sun started to peek through, the clouds started to clear, and the most beautiful blue skies and sunshine appeared!
Our pride-n-joy Spencer, the cutest Boston Terrier in the world was the “Ring Barker”. Unfortunately, on August 28, 2020, we lost Spencer to a degenerating disc/spine disease. We have many memories of our “Little Man” especially those from our wedding day!
Florist: Flowers by Wendy Carol
The weather could not have been more perfect- it was about 75 degrees with a slight breeze. We were overjoyed and so very blessed that this meant we would also have a gorgeous sunset. The sunsets pics at Seasons at Magnolia Manor were something we were looking forward and they are so glad they didn’t miss out on them!
Written by: Raven E.
Bridesmaids Dresses: Azazie
Cake: StoneHouse Cakery & Cafe in Taneytown
Caterer: Taste of Life
Entertainment: Santana Entertainment
Flowers: Flowers by Wendy Carol
Formal Wear: Men’s Wearhouse
Hair & Makeup: Christopher Williams/Makeup by Jenn Marie
Invitations: Etsy
Jewelry: Jared Galleria of Jewelry
Officiant: Jay Day
Photography: Alana Renee Photography
Reception Venue: Seasons at Magnolia Manor
Videography: Abidoodle Productions
Wedding Gown: Cameo Bridal