Inaugural Delaware/Main Line Bride inspires brides north and south of the border.

BY SUZANNE LOUDERMILK 

What do you do when you’re already proud of your magazine? You combine forces with a sister publication to come up with an even bigger, better product.

In this inaugural venture, Delaware Today and Main Line Today have pooled their resources to create an expanded version of Bride—one packed with more useful content for those getting ready to tie the knot.

Such a joint effort made a lot of sense. Brides throughout the region regularly travel between Delaware and Pennsylvania to find just the right dresses, accessories, venues, flowers, caterers and more. And we think you’ll agree that Delaware/Main Line Bride is a more definitive guide for everything associated with the big day.

Our planning actually started months ago on a warm spring afternoon, when we headed to Winterthur to scout out a backdrop for the fabulous gowns in our “Return to Tradition” feature (page 34). We wanted to complement the dresses, not distract from them.

So Winterthur communication manager Liz Farrell tucked us into a large golf cart for a tour of the stately property. Also on board were Today Media creative director Ingrid Lynch and Delaware Today assistant art director Stephanie Senner. And off we went.

As soon as we saw the estate’s elegant reflecting pool, we knew we had found our place. The stone staircases and walls, garden nooks, and intimate groves were a bonus. We all could envision being married there.

Our location secured, the hunt was on for gowns, shoes, jewelry and bouquets, with the help of our new art director, Gigi Hunt. We tapped vendors in both states for a mix of styles and sensibilities, enlisting two of our favorite photographers, Sunny Miller and Luigi Ciuffetelli, to capture it all.

And no wedding magazine would be complete without real-life stories. Kate Lester and Adam Mowery shared their breathtaking reception on Kate’s family farm in St. Georges. Another bride, Michele Marbach, realized her dream of marrying on the grounds of Villanova University, where she wed her college sweetheart, Jon Yost. And Gaby and Lew Indellini are still talking about their DIY wedding, with a celebrity best man, Keith Powell, a former Delawarean and Toofer on NBC’s 30 Rock.

Inspired by Gaby and Lew’s DIY spirit, our assistant art director pulled together an amazing page of make-your-own favors and other wedding knickknacks. As it turns out, Stephanie is thinking about her own wedding somewhere down the road, and I was married just a year ago. As my husband, Greg, and I stood there, facing each other, holding both hands and tearing up, we knew that these “I dos” were forever.