When asked what her vision was for her wedding day, Amanda Banning-Pankhurst says "Since our wedding was in the spring we wanted to capture the essence of spring and 'a new beginning' theme. My vision for the wedding was a beautiful spring day in May, partly sunny and 70 degrees...outside by some kind of arch or gazebo overlooking a view...flowers and nature everywhere. I wanted to be surrounded by our closest family and friends, in other words, a small wedding...some kind of Classical guitar or violin music in the background... an evening wedding... Candles everywhere. I wanted lots of fun, good food and good times. I wanted an intimate day."

Built in 1783, the farm is listed on the National Historic Register. During week days, the farm, with its rolling hills and horse stables serves as a riding academy to 75 students. The property sits atop a hill and is surrounded by large trees with a view of miles of farmland. You can see the front porch when you come up the dirt driveway, a light green pony trap is situated near the house and you can see a gazebo at a distance from the back porch. Three parking attendants greeted me dressed in colonial style clothing and parked my car for me. The parking area was situated between an old smoke house and corn crib.

The gazebo was decorated with white tulle and silk garland comprised of greenery and purple flowers to match Amanda's color scheme of purple lilac and cream.

The back porch of the farmhouse had the same flow of decorations and included the couple's cake and gift tables along with an assortment of pictures of the two. Since Amanda is a photographer, it didn't surprise anyone that her decor included lots of pictures. The wedding cake was designed in a cream color basket weave embellised with florals in purples and pinks and the cake table included pictures of the couple's parents and grandparents, another of the couple's sentimental gestures. The Bride's attendants wore lilac colored dresses with spaghetti straps and matching scarves. Each of the bride's attendants wore a portion or all of their hair up with miniature purple flowers carefully arranged within and carried silk wild flower bouquets. The groomsmen wore black tuxedos with white shirts, silver gray ties and patterned vests and had individual wild flower boutonnieres.

Amanda wore a ivory satin ballroom style gown and had hand sewn buttons down the back. She had a seamstress put in a traditional bustle and pleats at the waistline. She carried a bouquet of lavendar roses, fresia and some greenery. The groom donned a black tuxedo with a white tie and white vest and wore a single lavendar rose.

The ceremony was officiated by Dr. Eric Peterson, Pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in La Plata. The couple exchanged vows (they had written themselves) in front of the gazebo which overlooked the "gentle hills of Southern Maryland". They lit a unity candle which was arranged inside the gazebo while Charles Reilly sang and performed "At Last" by Etta James on his acoustic guitar. Meanwhile, photographers from Sandi Foraci Photography quietly and unobtrusively positioned themselves to capture the day's special moments and as you can tell, the pictures turned out magnificently.

Following the ceremony, guests enjoyed a Southern Maryland style Barbecue reception, complete with chicken and ribs and all the fixins provided by Randy's Ribs & BBQ of Hughesville. Entertainment was provided by DJ Greg Kapanowski.

Guests received a personalized thank you to friends, family and service providers on the back of the couple's picture post card.

The couple honeymooned in the Shenandoah Valley.

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