A Backyard Wedding at an Historic Maryland Farm

As a former member of Penn State University’s golf team, it’s no surprise that Christina Vosters loves golf—or that she met her now-husband, Thomas Foley, at the university’s golf clubhouse. They hit it off, and after four years of dating, Thomas surprised Christina with a summer trip to Carmel by the Sea, California. “I had no idea where we were going until we got our boarding passes at the airport,” she remembers. Once in Cali, they checked into The Lodge at Pebble Beach, a destination perfect for two golf lovers. “Thomas told me we were going to play golf there the next day, and that we’d need special golf balls for the occasion," Christina says. "And then he handed me a Titleist 10 that said ‘Will you marry me?’ on the side!”

For their May 14, 2106 wedding, Christina and Thomas surprisingly didn't choose a golf course! Instead, they opted to say "I do" on the 17th-century farm in Maryland, where the bride grew up. (It was the perfect setting for their English garden-inspired celebration—plus, thanks to the acres and acres of farmland, it had more than enough space for their 220 guests!) “The hardest part was preparing the farm for the event because it’s so remote,” she says. “But our team was so supportive of our vision.” The entire event was a DIY project, which involved mulching and landscaping the grounds and arranging all the centerpieces by hand (thanks to a group of 20 women and plenty of bottles of champagne). The result was an English-inspired, backyard wedding that even a little rain couldn't ruin. Keep reading to see Mary Neumann Photography's pictures of the DIY affair!

“My parents were married at the farm 43 years—almost to the day!—before our wedding,” says Christina. And the wedding itself was absolutely a family affair—with family and friends helping to fix up, repaint, and plant all over the property to get it event-ready.

The bride channeled the wedding's simple, elegant theme in a V-neck floral lace gown (with a champagne skirt!) from BHLDN. “It wasn’t the dress I went in wanting, but I never tried on another dress after I put it on,” she says. Christina accessorized with sparkling J.Crew wedges (a smart choice for the grassy setting) and her grandmother’s floral statement earrings. Her bridesmaids looked equally as classic in navy blue cocktail dresses from Alfred Sung.

Thomas and his groomsmen (all in Brooks Brothers) made their entrance in the groom's1965 Chrysler Imperial Convertible, which he inherited from grandfather and lovingly restored in college. Talk about the perfect transportation for the wedding party!

The weather was beautiful all day—that is, until everyone sat down for the ceremony. “A huge gust of wind came through, blowing pine needles everywhere and blowing a limb out of a tree nearby," says the bride. “Thomas quickly ushered everyone beneath the tent to stay dry!” The bride’s mother, however, held out as long as she could. “She looked over her shoulder at the horses, who were still standing by the hedge, and stayed in her seat until the horses took cover," Christina says, laughing.

After the pair said “I do" inside the rain-proof tent, guests headed back onto the lawn to sip on the couple's signature cocktail (a Seven & Seven) out of cups printed with the farm’s name.

Back in the tent for dinner, guests gathered at long tables topped with white linens and colorful centerpieces of hydrangeas, roses, and pink stock flowers—all arranged by the "Flower Brigade," aka a group of the mother-of-the-bride's friends.

The couple exited in Thomas’s Chrysler to head to their honeymoon—a trip to Bermuda that Christina won in a hole-in-one contest the year before. “Don’t sweat the small stuff,” says the bride. “It will be what it will be, and as long as you’re having fun, everyone will have a great time!”