Upon their first encounter at a Maryland bar, Ashley Sherman and Brian Allen could not deny their mutual attraction. As time passed and their love grew stronger, Brian was ready to make Ashley’s dreams come true. “In my proposal dreams, I imagined confetti, sparkles, and lots of family and friends. Brian took this very literally and built a confetti cannon in his little apartment,” she reveals. He popped the question at Ashley’s parents’ house on Fenwick Island. “After I said yes, Brian set off the celebratory cannons while friends and family ran out of bedrooms and popped up from behind couches,” muses the bride.

The pair decided to tie the knot at a family beach house in the same Delaware locale where they became engaged. “Fenwick Island has been the location for some of my most favorite memories with Brian,” the bride explains. With help from Blair Peterson of SoCo Events, they arranged their nuptials within a year. “We had some unique challenges, due to our location being a home and not a wedding venue [but she] guided us on what we needed to do to make it happen!” Ashley tells. More than 200 friends and loved ones attended the alfresco ceremony, which featured a gorgeous natural backdrop of the bay and a special surprise following the vow exchange. “As an homage to our engagement, we surprised guests with confetti cannons when Brian and I were introduced for the first time as Mr. and Mrs. Allen,” shares Ashley.

The newlyweds trusted in their coordinator to execute a chic, beachy ambience for the occasion. “When I showed her a picture of my white striped wedding dress, she made the whole theme come together by incorporating crisp whites, beachy grey-blues, and a fun striped pattern on the printed materials, welcome boxes, and wedding day décor. Everything coordinated beautifully!” the bride tells. Another unique element was the use of two different tents. “We had a sailcloth tent with beautiful whitewash wood flooring for dinner, and a clear top tent with dark mahogany flooring for our cocktail hour and reception,” explains Ashley. In addition to deep-fried pretzels, ice cream sundaes, and late-night to-go pizza, they also surprised loved ones with a rum bar. “[It] offered three sipping rums, as well as four rum-based signature cocktails,” Ashley notes. “Brian’s dream is to open a rum distillery.” This addition perfectly paired with the groomsmen’s rum-themed ties as well as the rum featured in the welcome boxes. “For Brian and I, our favorite detail was all of the rum inclusions,” she smiles.

In addition to the unique aspects of her special day, Ashley is also thrilled she hired a planner. “Having someone be the go-to person was huge for us,” she muses.