Smaller Weddings, Bigger Meaning

Story by Demi Guillory

Photos by Venus Queen Photography

The year 2020 is ingrained in the memories of many in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but for Jennifer Quinn and her husband, Ryan Roche, it also holds great personal significance, marking the very beginning of their love story and journey to becoming wife and husband.

“My husband and I met in college, funny enough, in an English class,” Jennifer shared. “We became close friends and after college, we started dating and ever since then, it’s just been lovely.” They began dating in early 2020 and were engaged four-and-a-half years into their relationship before marrying last fall.

Traditional wedding planning was initially not part of the plan at all.

“We actually considered eloping,” she said, revealing that a traditional ceremony was not something they were exploring. Jennifer and Ryan knew they wanted to scale their experience to be more intimate and sacred and thought a small reception would suffice. Reality turned out to exceed their expectations.

“We decided to do the whole thing and have a wedding where we had the ceremony and reception all together,” Jennifer explained. Deciding on the venue was easy because one thing had not changed: they knew they wanted the space to have sentimental value and a personal connection for both of them – ”somewhere that meant something to us.”

Jennifer grew up on the Eastern Shore, living on the same farm her parents still are today. When Ryan, who is from Baltimore, moved to the area, the farm is where he spent time not only getting to know Jennifer and her family better but the place he now calls home as well. For them, it made sense to integrate Jennifer’s childhood home into the special day, choosing “a special place to continue to make more special memories.”

It also made the wedding planning process less daunting because of logistics. Being well-acquainted with the venue, “there was never any stress of ‘oh, I don’t know where I’m going,” Jennifer said. They had access to the property that allowed them to be uniquely involved in the entire process, like getting to put decorations up a week ahead of the wedding and being able to assess for planning as much as they needed.

“There were no restrictions — we were able to go there whenever we wanted to and take a look at the spaces where the ceremony and reception were going to be, make plans and take measurements.”

With a vision already in mind, Jennifer and Ryan enlisted the help of Hannah Belle Events to help bring it to life — Caralisa worked with them throughout the process, including on the big day to keep things running smoothly and efficiently. Her passion as one of the lead planners ensured that they hired all of the vendors they needed and they had all of the accounts they needed, “She really helped us coordinate our rehearsal dinner and made sure that our day-of timeline was great and that we had good communication between all of our vendors,” Jennifer said.

A creative visionary herself, Jennifer took charge of the decorations adorning the spaces that held 98 of their close friends and family, only outsourcing a florist to complete the missing details.

Small weddings on private properties are popular for many reasons, but one of the most common misconceptions is that they cost substantially less than larger weddings.

“You still spend a lot of money, you just spend it on different things,” she explained. Except for the tables and chairs that were rented and the plates, “we bought everything else.”

There were additional costs to convert the previous space into a modern barn for their reception, installing electricity and lights and replacing a dirt floor. The final reveal right before the reception was a special moment for everyone.

“The barn has these huge sliding doors, so both my husband and I grabbed a door and revealed the space to our entire guests.”

What Jennifer calls these temporary “logistical challenges” are now accommodations that not only aided in creating their ideal reception but also provided her father the space to conduct his business on the farm. Despite the hard work, Jennifer and Ryan could not imagine their wedding day having gone any better.

“It comes down to: know your budget and make sure that you’re fitting your vision,” Jennifer said. “That includes inviting the people who you see being able to celebrate you and your spouse,” which she also believes is a part of why more people are starting to gravitate towards smaller, more personalized weddings.

The personal connections extended beyond the venue and created an even more cherished experience for both her and Ryan.

“We had people there who we enjoyed seeing and that we were excited to have,” Jennifer added, who even had the family’s beloved farm dog take part in the events.

“It’s your day,” she said. “You want to have a good day–your spouse, you–you should be able to relax, smile and just have a great time without feeling the stress of the extra budget or extra people that you don’t really want.”

---

Vendors:

Hannah Belle Events

Venus Queen Photography

Booms Escape Videography

Wildly Native Flower Farm

Catering By Jamie

KC Artistry

Cakes by Mimi

Lux Lavs

DJ Buck

4 Shore Tents and Party Rentals

K&B Bridal