Emily Aguggia Thomas Catinella

WEDDING DATE: SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

NUMBER OF GUESTS: 150

LATE NIGHT SNACK: GRILLED CHEESE + TOMATO SOUP SHOOTERS

INSPIRED BY AN ANEMONE FLOWER

The Oaks Waterfront Inn | Astrid Photography

IN SICKNESS + IN HEALTH

Emily and Thomas met during their first year of law school, but became close while on a study abroad trip to Rome. “I liked that he was very smart; he always had these random facts in his back pocket about Italian history,” she says. Emily was also impressed by Thomas’ nurturing personality. They had adjacent hotel rooms, and Thomas would bring Emily breakfast every morning and kept her mini fridge stocked with Diet Cokes. When Emily got sick on a weekend trip to Venice (technically, the couple’s first date!), Thomas was the person who nursed her back to health.

Buttercream Bakeshop replicated the lace overlay from Emily’s Carolina Herrera gown to create a beautiful pattern for the cake.

A VENUE NEAR MOM

Emily considered throwing a wedding in New York, but when she started planning, COVID restrictions had the state on lockdown. The Eastern Shore, where her parents had just bought a house, was more open. Plus, having started a demanding job as a federal prosecutor, Emily knew she would need to rely on her mom for a lot of help. “If the wedding was in Maryland, it would be easier for her to meet vendors,” Emily explains. Emily and her mom quickly settled on the Oaks Waterfront Inn as the site for the ceremony and reception. “We loved that we had the whole venue to ourselves and that it had both indoor and outdoor spaces,” she says.

Emily had a hard time choosing a first dance song, but ultimately picked “Latch” by Sam Smith because of the romantic lyrics.

THE ‘PANDA’ MOTIF

Bold colors are not Emily’s thing, so she selected a neutral palette mixing whites and ivories, with touches of black. On the recommendation of a family friend, she hired Devon Pearce of Pineapple Productions to bring her vision to life. “From mini insert cards in the invitation suite, to the bridesmaids’ bouquets and dinner table centerpieces, to the hand-painted cookie favors, Emily’s favorite flower, the Marianne Panda Anemone, was woven throughout her wedding,” Devon says.

LOVE LIBS

Guests were invited to fill out a “Love Lib” for Emily and Tom, as part of the guest book designed by Cheree Berry Paper. Inspired by the popular “Mad Libs” game, these “Love Libs” prompted friends and family to think about the secret to a [adjective] marriage, or how Tom should surprise Emily with [noun] when he walks in the door before whisking her away to [verb]. Since both Tom and Emily are lawyers, the most personalized “Love Lib” asked guests to describe how [noun] is evidence of Emily and Tom’s love for each other.

AN ‘EXCEPTIONAL’ BAND

One especially superlative vendor, Emily says, was Veronica Martell and the City Social Band. They were hard to book (they had recently broken up because of COVID), but worth the added effort. “Our guests still talk about how good the band was, to this day,” Emily says.

THE DETAILS

BRIDE’S GOWN: CAROLINA HERRERA (DESIGNER) + MARC INGRAM ATELIER (SHOP) BRIDE’S HAIR + MAKEUP: LOU STEVENS GLAM SQUAD CALLIGRAPHY: LAURA HOOPER CALLIGRAPHY

ENTERTAINMENT:

VERONICA MARTELL + CITY SOCIAL BAND FAVORS: ITTY BITTY BAKING COMPANY FLORALS:

AMARYLLIS DESIGNS LIGHTING: DIGITAL LIGHTING PHOTOGRAPHY:

ASTRID PHOTOGRAPHY PLANNING: PINEAPPLE PRODUCTIONS RENTALS: PERFECT SETTINGS STATIONERY: CHEREE BERRY PAPER VENUE: THE OAKS WATERFRONT INN VIDEOGRAPHY: SHAKING HANDS PRODUCTIONS