Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Hotel Wedding | Sophia & Tyson

posted on

04/13/2019

Meghan

posted by

filed in

When a wedding planner herself is getting married, you know the vision and execution will be clean, elegant and classic. Which was the exact vision Sophia, owner and lead designer of By Sophia & Co had for her own Royal Sonesta Baltimore Wedding. Sophia and Tyson wanted an intimate fun affair where they hosted their nearest and dearest in what would be for most of their guests, a destination wedding. Along with multiple guests from all over the country and even some from around the world, Sophia and Tyson themselves flew in from Boston. Keeping their wedding classic and timeless with their black, white and gold color palette allowed them to focus more on the moments while allowing the beautiful details to speak for themselves. Moments such as writing their own vows, which Sophia says “was the most emotional I had felt all day. It was like time stopped and we got to share this incredible moment of love and intimacy.” During the reception a recording of Tyson’s late Grandfather was played. He was an Ambassador to the UN and an incredible orator. Having him present in this way left the room quiet, moved and full of emotion as he spoke to his family about life and love.

Even though Sophia made sure the wedding day focused more on the moments, she didn’t ignore her details. She collaborated with her floral designer to create all the florals, wanting to play up the juxtaposition of white and black with lots of greenery. Her bouquet included dahlias, stephanotis, chocolate cosmos, quicksand roses and various greenery like spiral eucalyptus and magnolia leaves. Her gown was a Romona Keveza trumpet style dress covered in lace. Their buttercream wedding cake hosted four different flavors – funfetti (the cake they cut), carrot cake, spice and banana foster!

When asked what advice Sophia would have for future brides, “Figure out what things you can let go off. My husband and I got married in Baltimore, Maryland on a whim. We were looking for a mini-destination wedding to accommodate our families that were coming from Canada, Florida and all parts in between. As such, we didn’t have the luxury of meeting all of our vendors or viewing the church in person before booking. We had to make peace with that early on and trust that we were going to have a beautiful wedding day.”

Being that Tyson and Sophia were coming from Boston, there was no time before the wedding for an engagement portrait session. Instead, the two opted for a sunrise portrait session the next morning. Where we explored Fell’s Point capturing more bride and groom portraits on the water and through the cobblestone streets that this part of Baltimore is known for.

Sophia and Tyson met the spring of 2010 at a bar and lounge in downtown Boston. Sophia was there with cousins celebrating her acceptance into Berkeley and he was there with a friend from college. They talked, danced through the night and exchanged numbers at the end of the night. Given their busy schedules, it was three weeks before they got together for their first date.

Once the date finally arrived, Tyson made reservations at 3 restaurants because he wanted to take Sophia to a place she had never been to before. Sophia, impressed by his effort and the flowing conversation agreed to a second date two days later and a third the very next day. It went on like this for five months until Sophia moved to Washington, DC for graduate school. With neither a fan of long distance relationships they agreed to take a break and secretly they both hoped they would find their way back to one another. And less than six months later, despite the many miles between them they did.

Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Hotel Wedding

Because they are living in Boston and couldn’t get to Maryland for an engagement shoot, the morning after their wedding we headed out for a sunrise session around Fells Point. Talk about gorgeous!