BALTIMORE | 100 | WEDDINGS
“My mom and I loved every part of planning this wedding,” says
Arianna. From sourcing the stamps for her invitations to collecting
mismatched china—from Craigslist and thrift stores—for all 135 guests
to making all the signage. Arianna also created all the bouquets, cen-
terpieces, and boutonnieres, picking up the stems the Wednesday
before her wedding. She and her mom strung beakers and flasks filled
with flowers to the tree limb over their ceremony site—a nod to Ari-
anna’s science field.
The day of the wedding, Arianna’s stepdad took her partway down
the aisle before passing her off to her dad. “I got up to that altar and a
sense of peace came over me,” says Arianna. A friend officiated, and
vows were exchanged. “I opened my vow book and I killed it. I won,”
says Arianna, showing off the playful competitive nature she and Tyler
share. A confetti cannon went off, and it was time to party.
After the reception officially ended, Arianna and Tyler hosted an
after-party with even more friends (including lab mates) who hadn’t
come to the wedding. “We had drinks, desserts, and dancing until
midnight.” A lot of guests stayed the night—setting up tents and
campers all over the backyard. “People had so much fun,” Arianna
says. “The entire bridal party, including me and Tyler, slept in the
garage. My air mattress deflated on my wedding night.”OCTOBER 28, 2017 | PHOTOGRAPHS BY BRITNEY CLAUSE PHOTOGRAPHYLOCAL LOVEARIANNA & TYLER
“O
ur love story usually starts with, ‘He was someone else’s
prom date,’” says Arianna Anzmann with a laugh. Tyler
Anzmann was in the same limousine as Arianna, who was heading to
her prom solo, and soon realized his date had invited another guy. He
didn’t seem to mind. He and Arianna spent the night talking, dancing,
and laughing. She put her number in his flip phone, and he had the
self-restraint to wait “two whole days to call,” recalls Arianna.
They dated the rest of high school and then headed to separate
colleges, Tyler studying business and playing baseball, Arianna on a
science track. (She’s currently a Ph.D. student in human genetics at
Johns Hopkins.) “Being young and in love is not easy,” says Arianna.
“But we’re very stubborn people.”
Nine and a half years after Arianna gave Tyler her phone number,
he proposed. “He couldn’t get the words out before I was screaming,”
says Arianna. Tyler told her, “We grew up together, now let’s grow old
together.” Arianna was ready. “I found the Knot at a very young age,”
she says. She would make up a date—the furthest one possible—so
she could log on to the wedding planning website and peruse ideas
and vendors. “I’ve been thinking about a wedding for a very long
time,” she says. Arianna also knew she wanted to get married at home
in her parents’ backyard.