Garden estate wedding at the bride's childhood home

Grey & Stephen wanted a casual wedding being that it was going to be held outdoor, whilst still retaining a hint of elegance. They were lucky enough to have the brides family home for their wedding venue – which also held extra meaning given her parents had married there 31 years earlier. The bride tells us, "I love shades of purple and gold, and wanted greenery as well to give it a spring garden feel. There were several touches that I was so excited to have that I felt added elegance and formality, such as the chandeliers and crepe myrtle trees. Our goal was for everyone to feel welcome and have fun, and I think we succeeded!" KRYSTAL KAST PHOTOGRAPHY captured their sweet garden wedding, which was planned by KAST EVENTS NC.

HOW DID YOU MEET? We met in Frederick, Maryland while both living and working there. When we first met I jokingly told myself maybe I'll marry him. We have had several periods of living apart whilst I attended graduate school in North Carolina and Stephen joined the Army and began medical school, but love has always prevailed and kept us together.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR PROPOSAL: Stephen proposed at our home in Bethesda, Maryland at Christmastime. He knows how much I love Christmas and the entire apartment was decorated topped off with a tree filled with lights and ornaments. As if that wasn’t enough, he surprised me with all of our closest friends that traveled up for a weekend of celebrations with us in Washington, DC.

TELL US ABOUT FINDING YOUR WEDDING DRESS: I knew I wanted a dress from BHLDN, I am absolutely in love with their style. I knew my wedding would be outdoors at my childhood home, so I went with a more boho look with a pale pink skirt and white lace top. Easy to dance in! It was the first thing I tried on and I knew instantly that’s what I wanted to wear on my wedding day!

DESCRIBE YOUR WEDDING FLOWERS: Our flowers were incredible! Beautiful spring bouquets of blush/mauve/lavender and greenery.

FAVOURITE DETAIL OF THE DAY: String lights and chandeliers made for a stunning atmosphere after dark!

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE OUT TO A COUPLE PLANNING THEIR WEDDING? Leave it to the professionals! Our vendors/planning team took everything we wanted and made it a dream come true.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT? Stephen spilled red wine on my dress shortly after the reception began – luckily I had a back up top and made a quick change without too many people noticing! It sure made for a memorable picture though.

ANY OTHER DETAILS THAT HELP TELL THE STORY OF YOUR DAY? Having our wedding at home made it the most comfortable atmosphere for the entire day while getting ready. Our best friends and bridal party were with us all day, and I could see them all peeking out the windows while Steve and I had our first look just outside. It was perfect – and we had probably the biggest wedding sleepover of all time!

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR HONEYMOON: Stephen had to live in Washington state for three months after the wedding for a medical school rotation, so our week long honeymoon was in Seattle and Vancouver. We love going places that we can do lots of things and explore, so it was absolutely perfect. The weather was amazing the entire trip. We spent the night in a cozy waterfront cabin on our drive from Seattle to Vancouver, where we could whale watch from the front porch! We made the most of our week together before I had to travel home without him.