Wedded: Courtney Munzer and Lee Spence

Wedding date: May 18, 2013

Her story: Courtney Munzer, 24, grew up in Middletown, Del. She is a pediatric nurse at Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters in Norfolk, Va. Her mother, Deborah Munzer, works at AstraZeneca, a biopharmaceutical company, and her father, Mark Munzer, is a software engineer for Seimens.

His story: Lee Spence, 27, grew up in Townsend, Del. He is a nuclear engineer for the U.S. Navy and assigned to the USS Enterprise. His mother, Kelly Doremus, works in the financial department at the University of Delaware, and his father, Walter Spence, is a welder fabricator at DelStar Technologies in Middletown, Del.

Their story: Courtney and Lee met when they were 11 and 14, respectively, through their mothers, who are best friends.

"He and his mom came to my house before a [Philadelphia] 76ers game," explains Courtney. "I came downstairs, and that's where I first met Lee. He says he fell in love with me in [our] kitchen."

The proposal: Lee proposed to Courtney on Dec. 31, 2011, with a round diamond solitaire engagement ring from Tiffany & Co. The couple had been preparing to attend their friends' New Year's Eve party.

"I was standing in the entrance to my mom's kitchen, and he got down on one knee and asked if I knew the significance of this location," she says. "He told me it was the first place he met me and told me he loved me. I saw the Tiffany's box, and he asked me to marry him and I said yes!"

The venue: About 145 guests attended the ceremony and reception at Kent Manor Inn in Stevensville.

"I felt Kent Manor really suited our personalities," she says. "We're very laid-back people, and we don't like anything too fancy. The dining was very Eastern Shore. I love crabs and seafood."

Her dress: Courtney wore a strapless satin gown by Allure Bridal from Claire's Fashions in Wilmington, Del. She also wore pearl earrings from her mom and purple peep-toe pumps from David's Bridal to match the bridesmaids' gowns in her favorite color.

Bridesmaids' dresses: The bridesmaids wore various styles of deep purple gowns from David's Bridal.

Men's apparel: Lee and the other groomsmen in the Navy wore their dress uniforms during the ceremony and changed into black tuxedos from David's Bridal for the reception.

Flowers: Elana's Broad Street Floral Shop in Middletown, Del., designed the bouquets and the centerpieces, which were composed of green and purple flowers in Mason jars.

"My grandmother gave me one of her brooches that she wears to church to put in my bouquet," says Courtney.

Music: D&J Deejays of Bear, Del., entertained the guests. Courtney and Lee danced to Brad Paisley's "Then" for their first dance.

"The DJ had the coolest vibe, and his energy was very positive, very uplifting," says Courtney. "Everyone had a great time."

Dessert: Sweet Melissa in Middletown, Del., created a cake ball tower for the couple.

"The small portions were perfect," says Courtney. "We wanted the whole concept to be 'grab-and-go' so our guests could grab a cake ball and keep dancing."

The couple also had a candy bar full of various candies, including Gummi bears, marshmallows, rock candy, Hershey's Kisses, Dove chocolate and chocolate-covered pretzels, for guests to take home as favors.

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