Woodlawn Farm Wedding | Quinn & Zack | September 2024

Quinn & Zack’s Woodlawn Farm Wedding was unapologetically them. As high school sweethearts who had been together for 10 years, they didn’t see their wedding day as their beginning. It was a commitment to their continuation.

Bride's dress and cowboy hat hanging in the manor house at Woodlawn Farms

How They Chose a Woodlawn Farm Wedding

As Southern Maryland locals, Quinn & Zack knew they would find their venue close to home. Their main priorities were an outdoor ceremony and overnight accommodations for their wedding party and family. Nestled in the serene countryside of Ridge, Maryland, Woodlawn Farm fit the bill perfectly.

With their love of the outdoors guiding their venue search, it was no surprise when they fell in love with Woodlawn Farm. It was easy to picture their ceremony at the water’s edge overlooking a calm Calvert Creek.

Between the Manor House and guest cottages, Woodlawn Farm offers overnight accommodations for up to 18 guests. Even as locals, Quinn and Zack were able to fully immerse themselves in their wedding weekend. They stayed onsite from Friday to Sunday, along with their wedding party and family.

Woodlawn Farms Wedding Venue Aerial View

The Planning Process

As we planned their wedding day, a few elements clicked into place. Since Quinn and Zack had been together for 10 years, we honored their history by naming each table after a year in their relationship. Each table featured a photo of the couple from that year, along with a few sentences about what they were up to during that time.

We also knew we wanted to honor their English Cream Retriever, Bandit, as much as possible. Their bar, aptly named “Bandit’s Bar,” featured signature cocktails named after him, a life-sized cutout of Bandit, and cocktail napkins with his illustration. Bandit even made a guest appearance at the photobooth via a cutout of his head, which was a huge hit. And yes, Bandit made it to the dance floor too!

As part of Quinn’s “something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue”, we incorporated her mom’s vintage Mustang, which had recently been restored. The car was displayed outside Woodlawn’s Manor House as guests arrived for the ceremony. Not only was it a stunning conversation piece during cocktail hour, but it also added a meaningful tribute to Quinn’s family.

Their Wedding Day

On a beautiful 21st night of September, the wedding day was finally here! Quinn spent the morning getting ready in Woodlawn’s Manor House with all of her girls, sneaking away for a few minutes to finish her vows while sitting in one of the ceremony chairs. Zack and the boys enjoyed a whiskey tasting courtesy of Tobacco Barn Distillery. And of course, they made time to go fishing at Calvert Creek, just steps away from where their ceremony would take place in a few short hours.

While Quinn and Zack opted out of a first look, they chose to share a private first touch, during which they exchanged personal vows. Amidst the hustle and bustle of their wedding morning, their private first touch served as an anchor point for the soon to be Newlyweds to calm their nerves and take everything in before their ceremony began. It was also a beautiful way for them to share personal vows, without the pressure of reading them aloud during the ceremony.

One of my favorite moments of their wedding day was their private cake cutting. Quinn & Zack opted not to announce this, and instead, we just brought their parents & grandparents over to observe the moment. After cutting their cake, Quinn & Zack also shared a glass of Knob Creek Bourbon Whiskey that they’d bottled themselves in Kentucky! The bottle was even sealed in wax with their thumbprints on the top. As the cake cutting was the last formality of the evening, we adorned them in their light up cowboy hats as they made their way back to the dance floor. Soon, the rest of their guests had received a light up cowboy hat and were ready to dance the night away in style!

And of course, we couldn’t let the significance of their wedding date pass without a nod to September by Earth, Wind & Fire. The song inspired the wording of signage throughout the day and was the perfect last song on the dance floor. It’s safe to say that we’ll always remember the 21st night of September!