Nautical Chesapeake Bay Wedding

Sharply dressed groomsmen, a waterside ceremony, nautical details, a beautiful bride… this wedding has it all. But what else would you expect when you match up the talents of Abby Jiu, Holly Chapple Flowers, and Table 6 Productions? The cheery pops of yellow, blue, and pink are sure to perk up even the gloomiest Gus!

From the planner, Lauryn of Table 6 Productions: Ally and Jeff had a sweet love story that began in the charming town of St. Michael’s Maryland, set along the Chesapeake Bay. They selected the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum as the perfect backdrop for their quintessential nautical prep wedding. Working with Ally, I designed a wedding full of nautical and personal details that created a perfectly styled and cohesive event. Guests for this destination wedding were greeted at the hotel with tin pails lined in crab paper, a crab mallet with the couples custom logo, UTZ Crab Chips, local St. Michaels Salt Water Taffy, Old Bay Seasoning and an anchor cookie cutter.

The ceremony began as Ally sailed across the Chesapeake Bay on a sailboat with her bridal party to meet her father and begin her walk down the wood plank aisle. The ring bearer carried the family bible with the rings tied on by a navy and white grosgrain ribbon and adorned with a single pink bloom. Guests found their escort sailboats on the way to cocktail hour. Each sailboat was hand folded from origami paper by Ally in the weeks leading up to the wedding to represent her distant Asian heritage. Cocktail hour was set along the museum lawn where guests could sip on the signature “Shwashbuckler” cocktail and play corn hole on custom designed boards. Guests could brush up on their nautical speak with the “nautical dictionary” cocktail napkins featuring key sailor terms.

It was important to Ally to keep the reception space very light and airy, which was achieved through using beautiful seersucker linens from LaTavola Linen. Holly Chapple Flowers designed stunning centerpieces incorporating the wedding colors as well as cheerful bursts of yellow and rope accents. Ally and Jeff cut into a Smith Island Cake, a special cake native to the Chesapeake Bay consisting of many small layers. Just before they left on a sailboat back across the bay Ally through her bouquet from the top of the Museum’s lighthouse. Favorite details included heart sailors knot tying off aisle, mini-message in a bottle place cards, Sailboat table numbers, polka dot gelato cups, and an octopus cake stand from BHLDN.