United States Naval Academy Wedding, Annapolis, MD
Cara and Carrington’s wedding at the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, MD last June was one I won’t soon forget. Their wedding was one I had been looking forward to for sometime. Seriously. I didn’t know Cara and Carrington personally, but our mutual friend (Allie, one of the bridesmaids) would rave about her parents mid (Carrington) and her sorority sister (Cara) and their story was so sweet. Allie told Cara and Carrington about me and we all got chatting once they were engaged and planning their wedding. We finally got to meet to do their engagement session and it was dreamy… so I could not wait for their wedding day!
The Love Story
Cara and Carrington’s love story is a super memorable one! If you’re familiar with the Naval Academy and Annapolis, you have definitely heard of Croquet. The Annapolis Cup Croquet Match is a fun event held every year where USNA plays croquet against St. John’s College. Allie’s family typically attends and the midshipmen they sponsor join their tailgate. In 2013, Allie knew Cara was living in the area and invited her to join! Cara and Carrington met then, but didn’t start dating for a while. HOWEVER, I was told that Carrington went up to Pam (Allie’s mother) and told her he was going to marry Cara. The fact that they met at a Naval Academy event meant that having their wedding at the Naval Academy is the perfect full circle moment!
The Engagement
After dating for quite a few years, Carrington finally decided to propose. Cara and Carrington had been stationed in California and were invited to Cara’s Aunt & Uncle’s house for Easter Sunday in 2018. He hid the ring in the glove box of Cara’s car for over two weeks!! Carrington joked and told me that he had never, ever seen her open the glove box and knew Cara would never look in there.
We were supremely lucky to have a beautiful fall engagement session at the Naval Academy in October of 2018. It was a rainy day but then the storms parted and we had an awesome sunshiney session.
Cara and Carrington are the best mix of low-key and high-energy that you will ever find in a couple. They knew how to celebrate and how to soak in moments with all of their favorite people. These two definitely set the bar high for couples I get to work with – Cara and Carrington are both so kind, energetic, warm and can BREAK IT DOWN on the dance floor. It was also so amazingly apparent how loved these two are – they had family from all over the place… Alabama, Ohio, Ireland, and more… all come to Maryland to celebrate their love.
The Wedding
The day started at Allie’s parents house… aka The Toomey’s house. Since the Toomey’s played such a role in Cara and Carrington getting together in the first place, it makes so much sense that the ladies would get ready there! ALSO, the gents started off at the Toomey’s neighbors house (shout out to Mr. Bill!).
Everything was smooth sailing from the time Cara put her dress on to their first look, which was just the cutest thing ever. The day was 98 degrees out, so a bit… toasty…but regardless, it was beautiful!
After their first look, we did a bunch of portraits – including all the wedding party portraits so we could get those done before the ceremony. They had a lovely ceremony indoors at the Naval Academy Chapel, and while we were inside, it started pouring – but it was totally fine just in time for their sword arch exit.
We did a few family portraits outdoors but then had to run to the reception hall because it was about to get all rainy again on us. After some family photos and cocktail hour, it was time for a poppin’ reception!
With some amazing dancing, heartfelt and humorous speeches, and a little bit of cake to the face, these two made it a night to remember!
Cara and Carrington, no one deserves this perfect day more than the two of you. I am so, so, so happy that I got to be there to witness the beginning of your next big adventure – love following your current chapter on social media. Thank you a for being such an incredible duo to capture. Your joy is contagious and I absolutely loved being surrounded by it on your wedding day. Cheers to many more decades of love and happiness!
Vendor Credits
- RECEPTION/CEREMONY VENUE: United States Naval Academy
- VIDEOGRAPHER: In Motion Video
- PLANNER: Wedding Savvy
- FLORIST: Fantastic Flowers of Maryland
- CAKE ARTIST: Graul’s Market Annapolis
- DJ: WRoyal the DJ
- HAIR AND MAKE-UP ARTIST: Alison Harper & Company
- BRIDESMAIDS DRESS: Adrianna Pappel, David’s Bridal, LuLu’s
- TUXES: Men’s Warehouse
- BRIDAL GOWN: Mikaella Bridal
- BRIDAL SHOES: Inc.
- INVITATIONS: Ginger Lettering (all envelopes, seating chart signs) & Vintage Deldu (menus, welcome bag inserts, in loving memory sign)
[…] share a love of Annapolis as they are both Naval Academy grads, but they didn’t meet until they were stationed in Norfolk, VA a few years post-grad. […]