Wedding date: March 9, 2013
Her story: Julie Zuramski, 34, grew up in Lutherville. She works in sales at National Envelope. Her father, Joseph, is retired from sales, and her mother, Josephine, is a real estate agent for Long & Foster.
His story: Matthew Shevlin, 38, grew up in West Conshocken, Pa. He is an employee benefits consultant for Engle-Hambright & Davies in Philadelphia. His father, Joseph, is a vice president for the Eastern region of AMG Resources and his mother, Kathleen, is a teacher.
Their story: Julie and Matthew met through Matthew's first cousin, who also happens to be Julie's good friend. Their first date was the annual Mummers Parade in Philadelphia in January 2010.
The proposal: On Aug. 3, 2012, after driving to New Jersey to visit friends, Matthew proposed to Julie on the beach with a round solitaire diamond ring from Sol Rafael, a New York jeweler.
"He'd asked me to take a walk and I'd just settled down, so I said 'No way,' " Julie says. "He let it go for a while, and 10 minutes later he asked again. I said the only way I'm getting up is if we get engaged on this walk, as a joke."
The venue: About 180 guests attended the ceremony at the Basilica of the Assumption. The reception was held at the Peabody Library.
"We looked at a lot of places, but when I was a little girl, I went to a wedding at the Peabody," says Julie. "Ever since I went there, I said I'd get married there. It was gorgeous, like a fairy tale."
The dress: Julie wore a lace trumpet Jim Hjelm gown and a cathedral-length veil from the Bridal Garden in Marlton, N.J.
Bridesmaids' dresses: The bridesmaids wore full-length chiffon pewter grey dresses by Amsale from Garnish Boutique in Towson.
Something blue: Instead of wearing "something blue," Julie gave 10 of her girlfriends matching blue purses to carry during the wedding.
"Traditionally, brides wear something blue to symbolize purity, love and fidelity," she wrote in the wedding program. "I listed all of their names and said they are the most pure, lovely and loyal friends a girl could ask for."
The tables at the reception were also named after the girls, with their names written in calligraphy on a book.
Men's apparel: The men wore traditional black tuxedos and striped charcoal gray bow ties from the Tie Bar to match the bridesmaids.
Flowers: Blue Sage in Phoenix, Baltimore County, used white freesia, garden roses, ranunculus, brunia berries and dusty miller in the bouquets and boutonnieres. Julie's flowers were wrapped in a piece of the wedding dress her grandmother wore 66 years ago.
Entertainment: The couple selected the Groove Shop, a wedding band from New York City, to entertain their guests.
Food: Chef's Expressions designed a special menu to incorporate a Maryland touch, which featured crab cakes and seared Maryland rockfish. The caterers also created the cake, which featured three different flavors: yellow cake with lemon curd and fresh blueberries; chocolate cake with chocolate mousse; and carrot cake with cream cheese icing.
The couple used the cake topper from the bride's grandparents' wedding in 1941 and assorted cheesecake lollipops were served on the dance floor at the end of the evening. Julie and Matthew also served two signature drinks: the "Matt"hattan and a white grapefruit mint "Jule"up served in Mason jars.
Favors: In lieu of favors, the couple made donations to the ASPCA, in honor of their dog, Abby —a Cavalier King Charles spaniel.
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