Though Paige Perry and Andrew Pennock met in a decidedly un-romantic setting (a fraternity basement!), their life together since then has been much more idyllic. The two met while attending Dartmouth, when they were briefly introduced at a fraternity party. Andrew thought Paige to be a good catch, and attempted to set her up with one of his friends. However, he quickly realized his mistake, decided his duties of friendship paled in comparison to his own potential with Paige, and e-mailed her the very next day to ask her out on a dinner date. So began their sweet courtship, which culminated in a marriage proposal in March of 2002 while the couple was vacationing with Andrew’s parents in Florida.

Planning on a proposal at a later date, Andrew had asked his parents to bring his grandmother’s ring with them on the trip. However, out of excitement (plus the fear that he would lose the ring), Andrew couldn’t wait and popped the question before they left Florida.

Paige considers herself to be a fairly traditional person, and a traditional wedding was well suited to her personality. She and Andrew tried to keep things relatively simple, and the result was a charming, very personal celebration of their love. During their one-year engagement, Paige and Andrew decided that the Spring Break, in April, would provide the perfect opportunity to accommodate both Paige’s teaching schedule and Andrew’s plans to begin medical residency that June. Fortunately, finding the locations was no trouble at all, as the church that Paige grew up attending would be the ceremony site and the Perry’s would host the reception at their home.

Three hundred guests were present to witness Paige and Andrew exchange vows at The Village Community Church in Rancho Santa Fe. Fitting for the springtime date, the color scheme was kept to a crisp white with a few hints of soft color. The front of the church was decorated with all white French tulips, and the pews were adorned with white irises and roses. Paige and her bridal party carried bouquets of tulips and the mothers and grandmothers of the bride and groom carried lilacs. One of Paige’s college roommates, an opera singer, performed during the prelude, adding a very personal touch to the ceremony. Looking back on her wedding, Paige shares the sentiments of so many other brides by holding her walk down the aisle with her dad very close to her heart, a moment that is perfect in its simplicity.

Following the afternoon ceremony, the guests took a quick five-minute drive to the Perry Residence for the reception. Paige tried to match the decorations to the color scheme of the home, which is blue, white and yellow. She also added dashes of soft pinks and purples to the florals for the centerpieces. The party included cocktails and appetizers around the pool, and then a seated dinner of steak and fish, mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables. The white wedding cake was simply covered with tiny white “buttons” and fresh flowers. The band, which was a major priority for Paige and Andrew, really set the tone of the party and kept the energy high until late into the evening. Because they knew that the night would seem to go by in an instant, Andrew and Paige had wisely decided not to stress over trying to talk to every single person at the wedding, but instead focused on having a good time themselves, and they advise other couples to do the same. However, one thing they wished they had done was designate a few people from the bridal party to bring them drinks during the reception – they got so caught up chatting that they never even got a glass of wine!

Though hosting the reception at her family home meant a ton of work for her parents, Paige knew it would make the event truly unique and special. Among the details involved in transforming the yard was the tenting of the tennis court, which Paige’s dad actually expanded just to accommodate the guest list. Also, special lighting was installed for the poolside cocktail hour, and a caterer, bar, espresso bar and a myriad of rentals were required for the night. In the end, Paige’s simple “backyard wedding" was actually a very elegant, beautiful party in honor of Paige and Andrew’s new life together.

Due to work commitments, the couple had time for only a short mini-honeymoon at The Hotel del Coronado right after the wedding. But, as an incredible wedding gift from Andy’s parents, the couple will be taking their official honeymoon in Hawaii this April for their one-year anniversary.