Graduation was only a few weeks away when Kyle invited Kara to his family’s graduation dinner, despite the fact that they had known each other for only a matter of days.
They had met the same weekend their university won the 2016 National Championship, and Kyle jokes that he knew almost immediately how he felt about her. What began during one particularly memorable college weekend grew into nine years together, a life they built side by side, and eventually a family of three with their goldendoodle, Heidi.
The beach became one of their favorite places throughout those years, no matter the season. So, in January 2024, Kyle brought Kara and Heidi back to Cape May and proposed by the water.
When it came time to plan their wedding at Isaac Smith Vineyard with help from Bel Momento Weddings, another piece of Cape May became the inspiration: the brilliant coral peonies that bloom each June in Southern New Jersey.
Coral peonies inspired the entire wedding
For Kara and Kyle, the coral peony became much more than a favorite wedding flower.
Its vibrant color and connection to the season provided a visual thread that ran throughout the Cape May celebration. Photographed by Rachel Pearlman Photography, peonies appeared across the stationery and floral arrangements before being reinterpreted through the dance floor backdrop and even Kara’s bridal fashion.
The wedding flowers made that connection to place even more meaningful. Designed by a local florist, many of the blooms were handpicked from a nearby farm just days before the ceremony, ensuring they were at their most beautiful for the wedding.
Rather than simply choosing a colorful floral palette, Kara and Kyle built the design – with help from Everly at Railroad and Primrose and Company – around a flower that was actually blooming around them.
A hand-painted Lela Rose wedding gown
Kara’s wedding gown from Lela Rose Bridal Atelier carried the floral story into one of the day’s most memorable fashion moments.
She wore a Lela Rose gown featuring delicate white peonies hand-painted across layers of tulle. For the ceremony, she added a matching bolero and coordinating veil, creating a romantic, dimensional look that felt beautifully connected to the flowers appearing throughout the rest of the wedding.
Against the vivid coral peonies, the gown’s white floral artwork offered a softer interpretation of the same motif. It was bridal fashion that didn’t simply complement the wedding design – it became part of it.
Saving the first look for the aisle
Kara and Kyle chose to skip a private first look, saving the moment they saw one another for the ceremony itself.
Guests gathered at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church in Cape May, where a string quartet accompanied the ceremony and Kyle’s sister performed a song.
The anticipation of waiting until the aisle made that first glimpse particularly emotional. After exchanging vows, the newlyweds emerged from the church and descended steps lined with flowers as guests greeted them with a celebratory burst of streamers. It was traditional in all the right ways, but still unmistakably theirs.
A Cape May wedding in full bloom
Outside the church, the floral design took on another life.
Flowers lined the steps as Kara and Kyle made their exit, while the coral peony motif continued throughout the larger celebration. Because many of the flowers had been sourced locally and picked only days earlier, the arrangements felt intrinsically connected to Cape May and the fleeting beauty of early summer.
That sense of place had been important from the beginning. Cape May wasn’t simply a picturesque destination they selected for their wedding – it was already part of their relationship, from countless days spent at the beach to Kyle’s winter proposal with Heidi by their side.
You may also like
Cloud-like florals and coastal chic on the shores of Sardinia
Southern charm in full bloom – a bright summer wedding in Virginia
An interior designer planned her colorful fairytale wedding in Italy
A family wedding cake tradition
For dessert, Kara and Kyle looked beyond the traditional tiered wedding cake and toward Kara’s own family history.
They served Stock‘s pound cake from Philadelphia, continuing a tradition that had already appeared at two generations of family weddings.
The same cake had been served at both Kara’s parents’ wedding and her grandparents’ wedding.
Against a celebration filled with fresh design ideas and personal style, the familiar dessert became a simple but meaningful link between generations and a reminder that sometimes the most memorable wedding details aren’t new at all.
A sequined Anne Barge mini for the final hour
For the final hour of the reception, Kara traded her romantic floral Lela Rose gown for something made for the dance floor. She changed into a strapless sequined mini dress by Anne Barge, shifting the fashion story from hand-painted romance to full-on celebration.
With the band playing Bruce Springsteen and Whitney Houston classics, the sparkling second look felt perfectly suited to the energy of the evening’s final stretch. After a day filled with sentimental details and traditions, there was only one thing left to do: dance.
A love letter to Cape May in coral peonies
Kara and Kyle’s wedding worked because the details weren’t chosen simply for how they would photograph.
The peonies reflected Southern New Jersey in June. Many of the flowers came directly from a nearby farm. Cape May’s beaches already held years of memories and the story of their engagement. Kara’s gown transformed the wedding’s floral motif into fashion, while a beloved Philadelphia cake connected their marriage to two generations before them.
Together, those details created a celebration that felt deeply rooted in both place and family. Kara and Kyle described it as “a weekend we’ll never forget.” And perhaps their most convincing review of all? “And it was downright fun!”
