The Couple (From the Bride’s Perspective):
“We were neighbors!! Ben grew up in Columbia and works for Howard County Police and I grew up in CT and moved to MD for school and to begin teaching for Howard County Public Schools in Columbia in 2013. When I accepted the job in Columbia I bought a condo on Columbia Rd. My condo looked out onto the parking lot and his was right around the corner. I still didn’t know anyone so I spent a lot of time sitting on the patio talking to the neighbors. I also began fostering dogs so I would sit outside on my patio and let the dog sit on the grass and enjoy the outdoors. My mom said she would know when Ben would come home because I would be on the phone with her talking and then I would suddenly have to go. We were friends for a year or so and would hang out on the patio and then eventually began dating around the summer of 2014. We ended up adopting one of our foster dogs and I’m pretty sure that’s the only reason Ben stays around (haha just kidding!) In 2015 we moved into a house together in Eldersburg!Â
In April of 2017 we were going to a Bed and Breakfast in Lexington VA for my spring break. We had been there a few times before and it’s beautiful and we get to bring the dog which is a huge plus for us. We had been talking about weddings (even though Ben had always originally said he never wanted to get married) and so I was also joking around with Ben about proposing and even as we were leaving the driveway he said he forgot something and I asked him if it was the ring. To which he promptly reminded me he wasn’t ever getting married. Anyways we got to the Bed and Breakfast and took our dog around the property for a walk off the leash. We were sitting down and I looked over and Ben had a ring box in his hand. I was so surprised and happy but I promptly said “What the f*** is that?” and he said “Wait, should we do this later? We can do this later, I can put it away”. Apparently he was still trying to collect his thoughts but I looked back and realized what was happening too soon. So eventually through our laughter he managed to get the words out and we were engaged!
We always wanted a small wedding with mostly just family. Ben honestly had it all planned out soon after we were engaged. We got married on Sunday October 22nd 2017. We picked that date because that was his grandparents anniversary and he was very close with his grandfather before he passed and he is close to his grandmother now. The actual ceremony was in Rocky Hill CT. One of the sweetest things was that Ben said it was really important to him that we had a CT marriage license since I love CT and most of my family still lives there. And since we live in MD and we were doing it on his grandparents anniversary he wanted me to have that CT touch. Even though neither of us are religious we did end up getting married in a church. We got married in the church where my grandparents went (and my dad grew up in and my parents currently attend) which is also the town where my grandfather was the fire chief for a few years. There were 22 people total at the wedding and afterwards we went out to delicious dinner to celebrate! So yea! That’s about our story. We weren’t sure if we were going to do a party/reception after to celebrate but obviously we decided to go for it! Ben and I both have a lot of family from out of town and it was important to Ben to have the party so that everyone could feel included but also so that his family from Texas and MD and VA could get together (for a reason other than a funeral!) Otherwise though we are pretty low key and laid back about it.”
Ben and Carla have a dog, Molly who is a rescue Mutt though she looks like a lab/golden mix. They also have a cat named Annie who Molly thinks is her best friend!
The Maryland Reception:
Since Ben and Carla got officially married in Connecticut, they wanted to have a reception in Maryland with their Maryland friends and family. I am a little envious of Carla because she got to wear her wedding dress twice!! The reception was at Circle D Farm in Woodbine, Maryland. We started with pictures of just Ben and Carla outside. Their friend Mike came early to the reception so I put him to work holding my light 🙂 We worked quick because it was HOT outside! The flowers were beautiful and everyone came ready to party! Ben’s work friends are especially outgoing lol! Carla facetimed outside with someone who couldn’t make the Maryland reception. The cupcakes looked amazing! Many parents watched over youngsters to make sure they didn’t get the adult filled ones haha! The night couldn’t have been any better. The DJ kept the party and spirits high and they danced into the night. The perfect ending to a 2 state wedding!
The Details:
