THE MAEWOOD JOURNAL

#NotJustSummerLove

Real Weddings

June 6, 2018

The weather may have skipped Spring and jumped right to Summer, but this is #notjustsummerlove!

It’s all in the details. And every single detail of the Foster-Summer wedding extravaganza at Pond View Farm was the perfect marriage of Lauren & Martin’s southern style, innate playfulness, and love of family. From their humorous-yet-whimsical wedding website, to their “not just summer love” motif (complete with hashtag & Victory Summer Love beer cans), to their intimate, heartfelt ceremony led by Lauren’s uncle, Rev. Ron Foster, to their southern-inspired florals and décor, our bride & groom’s personalities were intricately woven into the tapestry of their day.

These easygoing, fun-loving, yet sincere and thoughtful attitudes were reflected in every aspect of their day. On the one hand, southern charm abounded with classically romantic elements and natural textures throughout. The family heirlooms Lauren & Martin incorporated into their respective wedding day accessories (Lauren wore her Grandmother’s high school ring and had both her Great Grandmother’s broach and Martin’s Grandmother’s broach fitted to her bouquet, while Martin’s wedding band and cufflinks were passed down to him from his Grandfather), the soft, luscious florals from Flowers by Bauers, custom wooden signs, and various other subtle touches of the couple’s home states of Maryland and South Carolina created an atmosphere infused with rustic elegance and tradition. On the other hand, Lauren & Martin’s lightheartedness shone through in many ways too. With a funfetti cake (Lauren’s favorite!), glowsticks on the dancefloor, monogrammed flasks, an EPIC candy bar and dessert table, and cornhole (a staple at just about any MD and/or SC wedding) set up for guests, there was no question about our sweet couple’s ability to have a good time!

Although the details of their wedding day were amazing and beautifully tied together their love story, what we truly understood on their wedding day is how Lauren & Martin bring out the best in one another. They balance each other in a way that allows their “roots to grow together” and their love to make it through the tests of time. As Reverend Ron, Lauren’s uncle, stood under the willow tree branches lightly blowing in the wind with his hand over the hands of Lauren and Martin, he shared an excerpt from the novel Captain Corelli’s, written by Louis de Berniere, describing what enduring love truly means, which also happens to perfectly depict the kind of love Lauren and Martin share. “Love is a temporary madness, it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of eternal passion. That is just being ‘in love,’ which any fool can do. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Those that truly love, have roots that grow towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches, they find that they are one tree and not two.” After six years and many adventures, Lauren and Martin have become one tree, a tree with deep roots of family and love for one another.

To Martin, Lauren is his everything. He shared with Reverend Ron that the first word that comes to his to mind is ‘Bright’ – “in all of its facets. She is intelligent, fun, brightens up my day, driven. Brings a little sunshine into my life.” Lauren shared that Martin is “the kindest and most loving person” she’s ever met. “He’s serious in a good way but can kick back and have fun, too. He brings out a good person in me – He’s [my] person!” Watching Lauren & Martin see themselves through the other’s eyes brought tears to ours! As Reverend Ron spoke, the two, hand in hand, just looked at each other in awe and giggled at the words being shared. Reverend Ron continued, while the guest seated in neat rows sat in silent wonder of the love and beauty before them. We are honored to have witnessed such a deep-rooted love with entwined roots and branches reaching for the sky.