BALTIMORE | 98 | WEDDINGS
They both knew the wedding would take place in Maryland. “Plan-
ning a wedding long-distance forced me to stay on schedule,” she
says. They used the year and a half to take their time and not get too
bogged down in the planning process. They both agreed their wed-
ding would have a “very clean, natural, urban-chic vibe,” says Vanessa.
The Accelerator Space, a repurposed 90-year-old auto dealership in
Govans, gave the industrial loft feeling they were both after and it “felt
like Baltimore.”
The wedding also celebrated their heritage. “We jumped the broom,”
says Vanessa. “That was really important to me. It was a nod to my
African-American history. I really liked the symbolism behind it. Antho-
ny and I broke tradition in so many ways—this felt like something old,
iconic, and memorable.” The rest of the wedding was a happy blur: lots
of dancing, white Air Force 1 sneakers as their guest book, Vanessa’s
mom’s famous crab dip as an appetizer, and a late-night French fry bar.
It’s easy, says Vanessa, to think, “‘Why are we doing this?’ as
thousands of dollars are depleted from your bank account.” But, she
says, “The wedding was us. I took it all in. All our friends. My dad was
happier than I’ve ever seen anyone in my life. We threw a party and
everyone we love was happy, and that’s so much bigger than Anthony
and me.”APRIL 28, 2018 | PHOTOGRAPHS BY BEKAH KAY CREATIVELOCAL LOVEVANESSA & ANTHONY
I
t wasn’t exactly love at first sight when Vanessa Buenger and
Anthony Conway met as theater students at Towson University. “She
was kind of cold to me,” says Anthony. “I’m not hitting on you. For
real,” he reassured her. For Vanessa, that allowed her to just relax into
their friendship as they shared in the many plays and auditions that
followed. It wasn’t until both were cast in Dreamgirls at Toby’s Dinner
Theatre after graduation that their friendship flourished into some-
thing more.
“I always knew Anthony was going to be in my life forever. He’s
such a grounded force and a really authentic person,” says Vanessa.
“I think the moment when I knew this was a real thing was when we
started to meet each other’s families. I loved watching him exist in a
space that didn’t involve me.” They both moved to Chicago together,
but then Vanessa relocated to New York.
For the next year and a half they made it work, talking and texting
daily and jumping on airplanes for quick weekends.
He proposed on her birthday when they were both back home in
Baltimore for Thanksgiving. She was still in bed, her mom hiding in
the hallway. He had hidden the ring in one of her childhood dresser
drawers. He got down on his knee. “No frills,” says Vanessa. “That’s
exactly who Anthony is.”