Date: June 14
Her story: Lauren Gottlieb, 30, grew up in Lower Merion, Pa., a township northwest of Philadelphia. She is a veterinary student at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in North Grafton, Mass. Her parents, Valerie and Jonathan Gottlieb, live in Cockeysville.
His story: Adam Hodes, 30, grew up in Bedford, N.H. He is an internal medicine resident at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, Mass. His parents, Margie and Jay Hodes, live in Bedford.
Their story: A mutual friend introduced Lauren and Adam in 2004, during their sophomore year at the University of Rochester in Rochester, N.Y.
"I've got to say, it was kind of [an] instant attraction," Lauren says. "We started dating pretty soon after we met, and things just went from there."
Their first date was dinner at a Thai restaurant in Rochester, followed by a round of games at a nearby arcade.
"We're both very competitive," Adam says.
The couple played air hockey, Skee-Ball and mini golf, and won just enough tickets to claim a small prize — a pair of green Army figures.
They live in Worcester, Mass.
The proposal: Adam proposed on April 24, 2013, the couple's ninth anniversary. They were living in New York City at the time while Adam attended the Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine. They spent a day exploring the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, and when they stopped in front of a decorative waterfall, Adam got down on one knee and proposed.
"I was having a great time looking at all the flowers, totally oblivious to what was going to happen," Lauren says. "I knew [the proposal] was coming sometime over the course of the year, but as to that day, I had not a clue."
Venue: About 150 guests attended the ceremony and reception at the Evergreen Museum and Library in Baltimore. Adam's father officiated at the ceremony.
Flowers and decor: Wicked Willow in Baltimore used Lauren and Adam's vision of a natural, organic theme to create centerpieces featuring purple, white and green flowers accented by twigs, tree bark and river rocks.
Her dress: The bride wore a sleeveless tulle A-line gown with floral lace appliques and a beaded sash by Enzoani from Francesca's Bridal Salon in Nottingham. She wore a crown of flowers in her hair for the ceremony.
She carried Adam's grandmother's beaded purse as her "something old" and wore jewelry lent by her mother's friend as her "something borrowed."
Bridesmaids' dresses: The women wore dark gray dresses in varying styles.
Men's attire: Adam and the groomsmen wore custom tuxedos from Wm. Fox & Co. in Washington. The store owner's son, Ryan Fox, is a friend of Adam and Lauren's.
Music: A string quartet played throughout the ceremony and cocktail hour.
Jukeboxx, a band with EastCoast Entertainment, played during the reception. Lauren's father, a guitarist, performed with the band for one song.
The couple's first dance was to "Lovin' in My Baby's Eyes" by Taj Mahal.
The night ended with "all of our guests, who were a little rowdy and raucous by then, cheering for the band to keep playing," Lauren says. "They had to get unplugged by management. It was a fun night."
Food and dessert: The Classic Catering People in Owings Mills served gazpacho, fried green tomatoes, crab cakes and filet mignon for dinner.
They also made an assortment of desserts, including cheesecake lollipops, chocolate-covered strawberries, Key lime tartlets, apple tartlets and a small cake for Lauren and Adam, which was topped with the two Army figures from their first date.
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