Laura and Tom at Mallard Island Yacht Club

Laura and Tom met at a daylong frat party while attending Penn State University in the spring of 2010. The two struck up a conversation over a beer, and following that social they continued to run into each other on campus. “I knew the crazy, fun, beautiful girl I met that day was something special, but I had no idea how special. That didn’t occur to me until years later when I was living, stationed, and deployed overseas. We reconnected in Philadelphia when I was home on leave, and Laura stuck around and was always there for me on the rare occasion I got to come home,” Tom reminisced on their relationship early on. The duo managed to make the transatlantic relationship work, and Laura even knew for a while that Tom was the one. “I think it was watching Tom in a room full of my close friends and family and how seamlessly he fit in and how happy he was to be there,” Laura recollected. On the way to happy hour at Twisties in Ocean City, New Jersey, Laura’s sister wanted to pull over and get photos of the sun setting over the bay. As they were walking to get a better view, Laura noticed a blanket with rose petals and candles set up, which stopped her dead in her tracks. After Tom got down on one knee, Laura looked up to see her parents had been hiding in the marshes, capturing everything on camera.

Laura likes to spend as much time as possible down the Jersey shore in the summer, so the couple began their venue search there. Upon walking into Mallard Island Yacht Club, they were blown away with the grounds and how the open-air chapel is nestled right on the bay. “Mallard Island was the first venue we toured and set an impossible bar to beat. I wanted to avoid being on the sand in a wedding dress, and Mallard offered a shore wedding with the elegance of a ballroom on the bay, in Long Beach Island,” Laura mentioned.

SUMMER SOIREE

ALL-AMERICAN

It took seven appointments before Laura found her dream wedding gown, but she ultimately said yes to a fitted, trumpet-style gown. The Sareh Nouri number featured a v-neckline and back with cathedrallength train, button details along the back zipper, and a French bustle. “It felt special to be supporting an American business that takes pride in the dresses being handmade and manufactured in the United States,” Laura noted.

A TOUCH OF PATRIOTISM

The groom sported two looks on his wedding day. Tom first wore his formal U.S. Navy dress whites, showcasing his medals, hat, and sword–later used for the cake cutting–and then changed before dinner into a formal black tuxedo with bow tie and white pocket square.

ON CLOUD NINE

“My favorite moment was before we were announced walking into the reception. Tom pulled me in for a quick kiss right as they announced our name before we took our first steps into the ballroom. Dua Lipa’s ‘Levitating’ was playing, and the energy was already electric, and I just remember walking in feeling like I was on cloud nine,” Laura shared.

WEDDING VENDORS

Ceremony & Reception Location: Mallard Island Yacht Club • Officiant: Christopher Kelly • Caterer: Merri-Makers Photographer: Susan Elizabeth Photography • Cinematographer: Visual Rose Productions Entertainment: The Clara Jordan Band from Hank Lane Music • Floral Designer: MDS Floral Design • Cake Designer: The Bake Works Wedding Gown Designer & Veil: Sareh Nouri • Shoes: BHLDN • Formal Attire: Bonobos Tux and Navy Uniform Invitations: Lewes Lettering Co. • Favors: Johnson’s Popcorn and Shriver’s Salt Water Taffy • Hair Stylist: Top Knots by Aimee Makeup Artist: Gina Brown • Honeymoon Location: Hawaii