Wedding Celebrations

Why We Had 9 Weddings

Matt and I got married in 2025, but we decided pretty early on that we didn’t want to have a traditional one-day wedding.

Okay, I decided that. It took a little convincing at first, but after I presented Matt with my PowerPoint (yup. Just… yup.), he was officially on board.

There were a few reasons behind the idea, but probably the biggest one was dancing.

I am not a fan of dancing. Unless there are too many drinks involved—and I mean TOO MANY—you will not find me on a dance floor. Traditional weddings can feel a little awkward to me: sitting alone at a table, shouting over the music to the other people who also don’t want to dance, making small talk, and waiting for the DJ to finally wind things down so the couple can make their grand exit.

Matt, on the other hand, loves to dance.

So I started thinking: what if we gave the non-dancers a second option? What if celebrating our wedding didn’t have to mean spending six hours in a ballroom, with half the guests on the dance floor and the other half sitting at their tables waiting for it to be over?

The other thing was that weddings can feel so rushed.

You spend months planning one day, and then suddenly you’re standing in a receiving line trying to say hello to everyone you invited. You get a few minutes with each person before moving on to the next. And when people post photos from the wedding afterward, it’s often a picture of themselves with their friends. The bride and groom aren’t even in the photo.

We didn’t want that. We wanted to actually spend time with our people. We wanted to make memories with them, hear their stories, laugh until our stomachs hurt, and have experiences together – not just say a quick hello while moving down a line.

But how do you do that with a big group of people? Our answer was: you don’t.

Instead of trying to make one giant wedding feel intimate, we decided to have a bunch of smaller celebrations with different groups of people. Our family. Our college friends. Our high school friends. Our work friends. Our Girls on the Run friends. The people who have been part of different chapters of our lives.

And because you know us, there was one more piece to the plan: We love to travel. So why not turn our wedding celebrations into mini vacations with the people we love? And that’s exactly what we did.

Rather than one wedding day, we had 9 wedding celebrations – each completely different, each with its own group of people, and each designed around the people we were celebrating with. There was no traditional wedding timeline. I didn’t have to uncomfortably walk down an aisle with all eyes on me. Spend $$$ on flowers and a dress I will wear 1x. No giant dance floor required.

Just a whole lot of food, drinks, games, travel, adventures, and time with the people we love. Basically, we turned our wedding into a year of little celebrations – and honestly, we wouldn’t do it any other way.

1. Camp Culp – Conneaut Lake

These are the ladies I coach Girls on the Run with at Paradise Park. We have some sig others, and some adorable babies to add to the mix. These are the ppl that are down for anything. I put up a sign-up sheet for food/items to bring, they have it filled out in 5 minutes. (Think Type A teachers). Will they don bandanas and be assigned either white or green team to compete in silly games for points? HECK YES. Are they supportive people that help each other’s parenting styles and love on all the babies? Of course. 

Our version of a wedding weekend at Conneaut Lake, complete with team competitions, projector screen movies, winery/distillery visits, friendship bracelets and hair tinsel, paddle-boarding, late-night karaoke, and all the s’mores your heart could want. Think summer camp vibes, with a special shoutout to The Parent Trap movie.

2. Lake Anna

Our Mineral, Virginia wedding was the one where the Culp family and the Mongeau family officially became one big vacation crew. We rented two houses across the lake from each other – the Culp House for Matt’s parents, his two brothers and their families, and his aunts and uncles, and the Mongeau House for my parents, my brother and his family, and three of my closest girlfriends and their significant others. Basically, all of our favorite people, conveniently separated by a lake.

We rented a boat for the week, spent our days swimming in Lake Anna, hung out around the fire at night, and had meals catered so no one had to worry about feeding a small army. It was equal parts family vacation and wedding weekend, with plenty of time to just be together.

And then, of course, we got married. On a boathouse, surrounded by all of these people we love, with a photographer wandering the grounds capturing all the little moments in between. It felt less like a traditional wedding and more like the best lake week with our family and close friends – with a wedding happening somewhere in the middle of it all. We really enjoyed this as a lot of family had never met, and it gave them more time to actually get to know each other.

3. Beak & Skiff

This was the one with friends from Matt’s (and I’s) work – and a wedding weekend that felt like the perfect Finger Lakes getaway. We rented a house with a pool right on an apple orchard and cidery, giving us the perfect home base for a weekend of swimming, games, hanging out, and exploring the area.

We rented a stretch Hummer limo and spent the day winery and brewery hopping around the Finger Lakes. Back at the house, we played games, hung out by the pool, and enjoyed having nowhere we needed to be.

4. H.O.T. Girls – The Hanger at Stoner Grille

Before you question the H.O.T. – it was an abbreviation we made up in high school. We were the group of girls who swam for both Trident (club team) and Hempfield (high school team), which meant our weeks consisted of waking up at 4 a.m., driving to F&M to be in the pool by 5, showering and heading straight to school for a full day, and then getting back in the pool again that evening for a second practice. Carpooling, early mornings, long days, and all that time together created the kind of memories that turned into lifelong friendships. So naturally, our group chat was named H.O.T. — “Hempfield of Trident.” I know. Very clever.

High school friends who are still part of your life years later? Time for a wedding celebration!

For this one, we rented a space at Stoner Grille at Overlook Park – which felt extra special because Overlook Park is where Matt and I had our first date. The space had everything we needed for a relaxed morning together: brunch, mimosas, shuffleboard, foosball, a TV for watching or playing video games, and even access to the driving range just steps away. We had our own bay window to hit golf balls from, too.

We lounged around on the furniture, let the littles join in on the fun, and basically just spent the morning doing what we’ve always done best – hanging out together.

5. LVC Girls Wedding – the Poconos

These are my college girlfriends—the ones who knew me at LVC, pre-Matt and during all the other failed crushes. Have stuck around through all the years since, and now get to bring their significant others and kids along for the fun. Basically, the college crew, but with slightly more responsibility and significantly better accommodations.

We rented a house in the Poconos: a pool, hot tub, sauna, cold plunge, putting green, massage chair, and plenty of space to spread out and hang together. We went out to eat, spent time at a winery, and made the most of a weekend.

But of course, we had to throw it back to our LVC days. There were themed drinks, a carefully curated playlist, and plenty of nostalgia. And because these people know me so well, they even planned an in-home escape room!

It was the perfect mix of then and now: the same friendships, the same ridiculousness, but now with spouses, kids, and a Poconos house that has a ginormous hot tub.

6. Hangdog Wedding

This was the group of close friends we really wanted to celebrate with, but knew getting everyone away for an entire weekend might be a little ambitious. (Because finding a babysitter for a whole weekend? Easier said than done. )

So instead, we planned a day trip: a couple hours away at Hangdog, a high ropes course where we could conquer some heights together, followed by drinks and hanging out at the beer garden. We spent the afternoon climbing, cheering each other on, and laughing.

Afterward, we headed to a nearby golf course for dinner and more time together before making the drive home. And because apparently we weren’t quite ready to call it a night, some of us even made it to the local beer garden once we got back home.

7. OTF Wedding – Kennet Square

This one was for our OrangeTheory friends – the people I had gotten to know through 5am workouts, sweaty classes, and probably more than a few “why did we sign up for this?” moments. These became Matt and I’s friends outside of the gym too, so naturally, we had to celebrate with them too.

We started the evening at Braeloch Brewing with drinks and a catered meal, getting everyone together for a relaxed dinner before heading down the block to The Creamery. From there, the night turned into exactly the kind of low-key, hangout-style celebration we love: drinks, cornhole, board games, food trucks, and plenty of time to just sit around and catch up.

It was less about having a formal wedding event and more about creating an excuse to get a group of friends together, eat good food, have some drinks, play some games, and spend a night together.

Basically, OrangeTheory brought us together through workouts, and our wedding gave us a pretty good excuse to skip the workout and just have a drink instead.

8. The Bob & Mary Lou

Matt’s parents generously hosted a wedding celebration for us, inviting the people who have been important parts of their lives and who they were excited to share the news with: their son was getting married!

They hosted it at their local neighborhood clubhouse and had the event catered, with an open-house style setup where people could drop in and celebrate with us as they were able. Some were familiar faces, including a few who had practically been “second moms” to Matt throughout the years. Others were completely new faces, which made it so special to meet the people who have been part of Bob and Mary Lou’s life.

It was really meaningful to spend the day surrounded by the people who love Matt’s parents, hear their stories, and get a glimpse into their community and the relationships they’ve built over the years.

9. Gallery Grow

Since I didn’t have a traditional bridal shower for our wedding, this was probably the closest thing to one – and honestly, it was exactly the kind of shower I would have wanted.

This one was girls only, hosted by my mom and filled with women who have been part of my life in so many different ways. The ones who have known me since I was a baby, family friends who have been around for decades, and women I’ve met later in life who have become just as important. There were even women I wasn’t particularly close with myself, but who have played such an important role in my mom’s life. It was a really special opportunity to bring together all of these different chapters and relationships – and to meet some of the women who mean so much to her.

My mom hosted everyone for a catered brunch at Gallery Grow, a local floral studio where we were guided through making our own floral arrangements (think making terrariums) Instead of sitting in one seat for hours watching someone open gifts, we got to mingle, catch up, meet people, and actually do something together.

We got our hands dirty, made something beautiful, and everyone got to take their creation home at the end. It was a little bit bridal shower, a little bit girls’ brunch, and a whole lot of celebrating with some of the women who have helped shape my life.