Jennifer Kilkus, age 23 and a freelancer for the American Psychological Association's PsycINFO department, married Casey Poe, age 23 and a Spanish translator, on April 14, 2007 – and their big day was a springtime outdoor wedding in Maryville, Tennessee.

Their choice of location two hours away gave all of their 130 guests an easy escape to a gorgeous setting and the celebration of a lifetime.

The couple brought Semper Fi and the proud tradition of the Marine Corps into their wedding day with several time-honored rituals, including the couple walking underneath an arch of swords after their ceremony.

Life took them on several paths after their teenage connection, but their paths converged again when the time was right. And in a symbol of new beginnings, butterflies played a big part in their wedding plans.

“Chris is really laid back, and I knew a black tie event would be uncomfortable for him. Plus, we wanted something that everyone could enjoy.  Everything else just kind of fell into place as simple elegance as I call it, which was a nice mixture of formal ideas dressed down a notch or two for our wants.”

When Lesley Jo Eagle and Kenneth Lyn Neal exchanged vows on May 6, 2006 in Princeton, West Virginia, their traditional wedding and reception was everything they hoped it would be.

Abilene, Kansas was the location for the nuptials of Angela Owens, a 29 year-old registered financial associate, and Andy Holt, a 28 year-old farmer/rancher. Their large, traditional wedding (with 200 guests!) on April 22, 2006 reflected the couple’s favorite romantic icons.

"We wanted the focus not to be on a theme or the decorations, but our love and our celebration with our families,” says Maran LaGrave, a 23 year-old teacher, of the August 12, 2006 wedding where she married Mario Reyes, a 25 year-old business process analyst. 

Wilma Sarmiento Ramos, a 30 year-old entrepreneur, and Robert Benito Galvez Tolentino, a 30 year-old security professional, held their large, gorgeous Filipino wedding on January 6, 2006 in Tandang Sora, Quezon City, Philippines.

Carrie Kovar Boris, who was then a program coordinator with the nonprofit Aspen Institute in Washington DC, turned 28 nine days before her marriage to Paul Boris, a 40 year-old software engineer for a government contractor. Their November 26, 2005 wedding took place two days after Thanksgiving – which has since become their wedding anniversary. Carrie says, “We figure that we’d most likely celebrate on the closest weekend anyway, so we just tell people it is the Saturday after Thanksgiving!” Now in her dream job with Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts as a Communications and Marketing Assistant, Carrie shares the details on their wedding at St. Anne’s Episcopal Church in Reston, Virginia, and their reception at Maggiano’s restaurant in Tysons Corner, VA.