Life Is Better With Your Best Friend

Written by Taryn King | Photography by Mark Boatright (Wedding & Reception) / Maria DeForrest (Engagement & Rehearsal Dinner)

Let’s start at the beginning. Sarah and Andrew first met in undergrad at the University of Virginia in Economy 101. According to Sarah, “We might have gotten together sooner if Andrew had actually shown up to our 8 am discussion section more than twice; naturally, he still aced the course!”

While there’s some debate as to whether or not Andrew knew who Sarah was before she asked him to join her for a Chi Omega date function —Space Jam at the infamous Charlottesville bar, Rapture—They both agree that it was essentially a blind date for them both. “As romantic a combination of cheap booze, sticky floors, and blaring music in a sea of alien costumes may seem, it’s tempting not to call that pivotal night a true date.” 

But it did create the opportunity for Andrew to invite Sarah to a philanthropy fundraiser dinner two nights later. Given the chance to actually hear each other speaking, they both sensed something special between them. Fast forward a few weeks, and they made their relationship official in April 2017.

Born and raised in Oklahoma, Sarah and her family have been vacationing in their family-owned homes located in Rehoboth Beach her entire life. A tradition her great-grandparents started in the 1930s, and one that Andrew soon joined in on.

Andrew’s proposal, on the beach at the end of Wilmington Ave. (the same street where Sarah’s parents met), came after six years of dating and countless memories made in Rehoboth. “Cheering sunbathers, tears of happiness, and an unshakable ‘Yes’ were all captured by local photographer Maria DeForrest. Following a quick photoshoot, we strolled on the boardwalk to Funland and took a ride on the Sea Dragon to celebrate our engagement!”

More than 225 people from all over the country gathered in Rehoboth Beach—many for their first time. They welcomed folks to Rehoboth beginning on Thursday with tennis, bike-riding around Gordon’s Pond, and a bonfire on the beach. Each guest received a welcome box filled with various treats that carried personal touches from the couple—Oklahoma Bedre chocolate, Virginia peanuts, Rehoboth Beach taffy, etc.

Following the rehearsal dinner Friday evening, the Welcome Party took place at Funland, so Sarah and Andrew could show their friends what they consider “the world’s most wonderful amusement park.” They handed out bookmarks with their story of Funland and their favorite rides, water bottles with personalized labels, and bags of popcorn.

“By the time the marriage ceremony started at 4 pm on Saturday in the packed “Little Church by the Sea,” Westminster Presbyterian Church, the wind was gusting to 40 mph. This was a challenge but made for some epic photos, captured by the talented Mark Boatright.”  Afterward, the iconic Jolley Trolley transported the wedding party to the Rehoboth Beach Country Club for cocktail hour and a tented reception. The cocktail hour, in the upstairs ballroom and balcony, overlooked Rehoboth Bay. Even though howling winds them to put down the sides of the fabulous cloth tent for the reception, it was everything Sarah and Andrew dreamed of. “Inside [there was] a gorgeous 16’ circular bar, custom built to match the greens and blues of our palette, displayed an array of beverages with florals, custom matchbooks, and personalized frosted cups flanking each side.” Guests danced all night long to the music of the Dexter Lake Club Band. The Bride and Groom chose to dance their first dance to the song “Best Friend” by Queen. The father/daughter dance was a mix of 4 songs: “Here, There and Everywhere” by The Beatles, “What is Love” by Haddaway, “Never Gonna Give You Up” by Rick Astley, and “Isn’t She Lovely” by Stevie Wonder.

A stunning highlight of their wedding was the three-tier vanilla and buttercream wedding cake, baked and decorated by Rehoboth Beach Country Club’s new pastry chef, which was covered with a colorful variety of individual stemmed flowers and was devoured by guests. Late-night Grotto pizza was passed to guests as they worked up second appetites on the dance floor. To ramp up festivities, orange & blue light-up Pom Poms, glowing spirit sticks, blinking beach balls, and hats printed with “Virginia is for Lovers” were handed out to the guests.

At the end of the reception, Andrew and Sarah exited through a tunnel of waving, light blue ribbon wands, as a trumpeter led the two out to the tune of “All You Need is Love” by the Beatles. Shuttles then took guests to meet the newlyweds at the Rusty Rudder for ongoing celebration!

When asked to describe their wedding with three words, Sarah said, “Personal, Joyful, Rehoboth—we wanted every detail to be meaningful to us, our families, and our guests. We wanted our guests to feel like they were a part of our family and truly feel our love for each of them making a long trip to Delaware. We wanted the night to be the most fun party anyone’s ever been to, with festive cocktails, curated song lists, surprises, etc. We wanted our guests to experience so much of Rehoboth over the weekend and fall in love with the Delaware Coast. We wanted love to be felt at every turn.”

After the wedding, the couple “took a ‘mini-moon’ to Maine in August and will be taking our honeymoon to Italy and France this September [2024] following Andrew’s graduation from law school and completion of the Bar Exam.”

If there’s one piece of advice the couple can offer other soon-to-be newlyweds, it’s this: “Let your wedding reflect your love. Don’t get wrapped up in trends or what the internet claims is ‘in and out.’ Celebrating your commitment to each other with a party, surrounded by the people you love and who love you is such a true gift and privilege—savor it even through moments of stress.”

For those curious about what this first year of married life has been like for Sarah and Andrew—it’s been filled with ups and downs that the couple fully embraced, leaning on each other during moments of difficulty, and supporting each other and family in their personal growth and happiness. For the couple, this first year has gone by quickly. “Marriage is a beautiful picture of teamwork (shout out to taking turns doing the dishes), and it is also fun, silly, unexpected, humbling, and vulnerable…the list goes. We both feel so grateful for the gift of marriage, the love and support of our friends and family, and the unwavering devotion we have to each other.”

Sarah and Andrew spent their first anniversary in their happy place—Rehoboth Beach. Andrew surprised Sarah with his take on the traditional ‘paper’ gift by inviting her out to the backyard to plant a persimmon tree. With this imaginative gift, Sarah said, “He shared his hope that together over the years we’d nurture what is just a sapling into a beautiful mature and blossoming tree and that the vibrant persimmons would be a physical representation of the fruits of our labor—the hard work we will always put into our marriage, in the place where it all began.”  

Featured Vendors:

Photographers - Mark Boatright Photography | Maria DeForrest Photography

Entertainment - Dexter Lake Club Band

Ceremony - Westminster Presbyterian Church

Venue | Catering | Cake - Rehoboth Beach Country Club

Flowers - Innerbloom Floral

Hair | MUA - Bad Hair Day?

Invitations - Arzberger Stationers

Rings - Gary Gosling

Tents - Coastal Tented Events

Transportation - Jolly Trolley

Additional Vendors - Grotto Pizza | Rusty Rudder