Date: Oct. 3
Her story: Andrea Gensler, 29, was born and raised in Baltimore. She works at the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in Washington. Her parents, Norlene and Kenny Gensler, live in Pikesville.
His story: Rudy Wagoner, 32, was born and raised in the Cleveland area and moved to Baltimore to teach at Patterson High School. He now owns an online vinyl record business. His mother, Jeanne Wagoner, lives in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, and his father, Edmund Wagoner lives in Stow, Ohio.
Their story: The two met in August 2008, on Andrea's first day as an algebra teacher at Patterson High School. Rudy was a "mentor" teacher, and one of his duties was to help Andrea set up her classroom.
"I was attracted to him, but I kind of was scared of him. He's 6 [feet] 4 and I'm 5-2. I was a little bit intimidated by him," Andrea said.
The two wound up chatting and hit it off.
"He won me over with all his stories about his dog, Biscuit, and the rest was history," she said.
They live in Federal Hill.
The proposal: After six years of dating, the two went to Jamaica on vacation July 1, 2014.
Unknown to Andrea, Rudy was carrying her engagement ring in his wallet.
Rudy had previously talked to Andrea's father about his intention to ask her to marry him. Andrea's father gave Rudy a diamond ring that was passed down from Andrea's grandparents.
Rudy planned to purpose during an elaborate setup later in the trip, but he became anxious carrying the ring around in his wallet. So he popped the question right when they arrived at their hotel in Jamaica.
"He didn't want to be in charge of the ring anymore," Andrea said.
Andrea was "just shocked" by the proposal.
"I had no idea where he got the ring," she said. "I didn't know when he talked to my parents. I didn't know how he did any of it."
Venue: The wedding at Richardson Farms in White Marsh was attended by 135 people. The couple originally planned to do the ceremony and cocktail hour outside, but because of the rain and wind that week and the approach of Hurricane Joaquin, they opted to move everything inside the barn.
Although the bad weather held off, the couple felt that having the wedding in the barn made for a more "beautiful, intimate, romantic and fun" experience, Andrea said.
"It certainly wasn't the original plan to have people sit at their tables during the ceremony, but it was perfect," she said.
Flowers and Decor: "A lot of the flowers and rentals were supposed to be used outside, but My Flower Box and Vintage Affairs did an amazing job incorporating everything we had planned to use outside into the barn," Andrea said. "The inside of the barn looked so romantic and magical with all of the flowers and furniture."
The couple didn't have specific wedding colors.
"We just wanted softer colors with lots of garland and greens," Andrea said. "The florist also created a beautiful last-minute indoor chuppah," the traditional Jewish wedding canopy.
Her dress: Andrea wore an A-line ivory gown with a sheer lace back by Amsale from Garnish Boutique. She added a shawl by BHLDN, which she purchased online.
Bridesmaids' attire: Although Andrea did not have a wedding party, she had a few friends who helped her get ready. Coincidentally, all of them showed up in navy blue dresses and hunter boots.
"I could not have picked more perfect 'bridesmaid' dresses," Andrea said.
Men's attire: Rudy wore a navy Hugo Boss suit from J.S. Edwards.
Music: Astrograss, a bluegrass band from Brooklyn, N.Y., provided the music.
Food and dessert: The chef at Richardson Farms, Ben Simpkins, prepared appetizers that included oysters, lobster rolls, lamb chops, tomato soup with grilled cheese sticks, and truffle fries. Dinner featured braised short ribs, crab-stuffed shrimp, mashed potatoes, and butternut squash with Brussels sprouts. Dessert included assorted pies, liquid nitrogen vanilla cinnamon ice cream — which was made on site — and a chocolate fudge and "Funfetti"-style wedding cake from La Cakerie.
Favors: The couple handed out tote bags with a drawing of their dog, Biscuit, on them.
Special touches: The couple signed the ketubah, the Jewish marriage contract, after the ceremony in Andrea's father's Airstream recreational vehicle. The couple honeymooned in Jamaica for a week, at the same place where Rudy popped the question.
Just wedded? Or planning your nuptials? Tell us about it. Email your wedding details and contact information to weddings@baltsun.com.
