This Maryland farm celebration has all of the rustic wedding necessities: burlap accents, a pastel color scheme, and an open-air, natural setting. But Eric Benjamin (Benji) and Jody Taylor’s nuptials also include a few unique ideas, such as their ceremony altar florals and cute cake topper. Take a look through their wedding below, photographed by Angela Newton Roy, for a few ideas to add to your rustic wedding Pinterest board ASAP.
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Jody was enjoying a girls’ night out at a DC wine bar when Benji arrived to crash it. “When he first showed up to dinner I thought he was ridiculously good looking,” says Jody. “After dinner I was more impressed that he could hold his own and hang with a group of outspoken girls who had consumed a lot of wine.” Even though Jody didn’t immediately make her attraction known—she actually tried to pass the handsome stranger’s attention off to a friend—that only made Benji more determined to woo her. Benji next popped up at Jody’s 6 AM hot yoga class before he was able to nail down one-on-one time with her over drinks in Georgetown.
Three years later, Jody’s sister and mother were in town to celebrate Jody’s acceptance of a new job when Benji told Jody he had to go out of town for a day on a business trip. Instead of traveling for work, however, Benji flew to Jody’s hometown in Ohio, where he asked her father for his blessing. When he flew home to Jody, he wasted no time, asking her to be his wife in the wee hours of the morning.
As a little girl, Jody had loved the swans in the Father of the Bride movie and had joked that she’d want the birds at her wedding someday. That dream came true—sort of. “On the day of our wedding, my family surprised us with a giant inflatable [swan],” she says. “It was a total hit in the photo booth area and by the end of the night it even ended up on the dance floor.”
Along with the swan, Jody and Benji’s late summer wedding served up orange and grapefruit crushes to keep guests cool during cocktail hour, followed by a barn reception featuring a personalized sign that read, “All About the Benjamins” over the head table. After an evening of celebrating, guests were sent home with Cheryl’s cookies while the bride and groom departed under a shower of sparklers with plans to honeymoon in St. Barths.
VENDORS
Venue: Woodlawn Farms | Photographer: Angela Newton Roy | Event Coordinator: Sweetface Events | Bride’s Gown: Enzoani, Betsy Robinson’s Bridal Collection | Groom’s Tux: Jean Yves, Geoffrey Lewis | Hair & Makeup Artist: Ariel Lewis | Cake: Graul’s Market | Florist: Flowers by M | Caterers: R&R Catering | Transportation Borden Transportation | Music/Entertainment: DJ Richard Barreto | Wedding Cookie Favors: Cheryl’s | Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas | Marquee Sign: Brightly Ever After
Keep the dance floor filled all night long with the help of one of Washington’s best deejays, entertainers, or musicians.
Caroline Cunningham joined Washingtonian in 2014 after moving to the DC area from Cincinnati, where she interned and freelanced for Cincinnati Magazine and worked in content marketing. She currently resides in College Park.
