Date: Oct. 24
Her story: Meghan Carole Manniso, 27, was born in northern New Jersey and grew up in Newark, Del. She's an art and photography teacher. Her father, Stephen Manniso, lives in Arlington, Va. Her mother, Alicia Dabalos, lives in Wilmington, Del.
His story: Devin Matthew Rose, 29, was born in Silver Spring and grew up in Columbia. He works as an accountant. His mother, Suzanne Anderson, lives in Olney. His father, Shannon Rose, lives in Silver Spring.
Their story: The couple say that their story is not "super exciting or original."
"Like most people our age do, we met in a bar," she said.
It was a Tuesday night, and the two both ended up seeing a band at the Recher Theatre in Towson.
"I was basically forced to go out to accompany a friend, and I swore that the night would end by 9:30 because I had to get up early the next morning for student-teaching," Meghan said. "Long story short, I didn't make it home until well after midnight. We ended up talking a lot. When we first started chatting, it was clear that we have a lot in common."
The two have been inseparable ever since. They now live in Charles Village.
The proposal: "The proposal was perfect," Meghan said.
On Christmas Eve in 2014, Meghan participated in a family tradition of Devin's.
Ever since he was little, Devin's mother had arranged for a friend to dress up as Santa Claus and get "caught" putting presents under the tree.
"It's a very special and sweet tradition that she still does for Devin's 9-year-old brother, Connor," Meghan explained.
That year, when Santa arrived, everyone assumed their hiding places. When he walked in the house and made his way into the living room, Meghan was ready with her camera, waiting for Devin's younger brother to get a sneak peek at Santa Claus.
Meghan was unnerved when she heard Santa say, "Meghan? Where is Meghan?"
A confused Meghan walked through the house, and realized that all eyes were on her. When she reached Santa, he dug into his sack and retrieved a small, maroon box.
"Chills rose up my spine as I started to understand what was happening," she recalled. "I muttered a very unladylike exclamation and wheeled around to see Devin on his knees. He asked me to marry him right there and then. I was really confused. I was very overwhelmed and elated and excited.
"It was such an overwhelming and joyous moment that we shared with one another in the company of St. Nick and our loved ones."
Venue: One hundred and fifty people attended the wedding and reception, which were held at The Cloisters in Brooklandville.
Flowers and decor: Creative Floral Design was responsible for the assorted floral arrangements that fit within the couple's colors of ivory, eggplant, pewter, wine and taupe.
The couple describe the style of the wedding as vintage and romantic with "just a touch of Hogwarts."
Her dress: Meghan wore a vintage-inspired, A-line gown with a chapel-length train from Lily's Bridal in Arbutus. The dress also had lace applique and an off-shoulder beaded strap.
Bridesmaid dresses: Bridesmaids wore a variety of styles of dresses by Bill Levkoff.
Men's attire: Devin wore black dress pants, a black vest, a white dress shirt, a dark-gray tweed jacket, and a paisley maroon bowtie and pocket square from Men's Wearhouse. The groomsmen wore dark gray suits, white dress shirts, and maroon ties and pocket squares — also from Men's Wearhouse.
Music: Crow Entertainment provided the music. The couple's first dance was to "You and Me" by the Dave Matthews Band.
Food and dessert: Zeffert and Gold Catering provided the food. Dinner included a choice of two main courses: beef medallions with a port sauce or a roasted half chicken.
Passion Bakery from Sandy Spring made the vanilla cake with raspberry filling and buttercream icing.
Favors: The couple handed out customized drink jackets, handmade paper roses, and bronze bottle opener key chains.
Special touches: The couple honeymooned in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
