Her story: Brooke Jaclyn Shemer, 30, was born and raised in Baltimore. She is an associate attorney in the estates and trusts department at Ober Kaler. Her parents, Robert and Shelley Shemer, live in Baltimore.
His story: Ethan Howard Zweig, 30, was born in Washington and raised in Columbia. Ethan works as a project manager for the Whiting-Turner Contracting Co. His parents, Robert and Jane Zweig, live in Columbia.
Their story: The two met on New Year's Eve in 2013 at a party hosted by Brooke and her roommates. Ethan, who was living in D.C. at the time, was invited by Brooke's roommate.
"I thought he was handsome," Brooke recalled. "I pointed him out to a friend of mine. I wanted to get to know him more."
The two talked briefly that night but got to know each other better the next day, when Brooke came downstairs and found Ethan sitting on their couch. They talked for several hours that afternoon. Two nights later, Ethan returned to Baltimore for their first date.
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Coincidentally, Brooke's parents also met on New Year's Eve
Brooke and Ethan live in Canton.
The proposal: During an unseasonably warm Saturday in late December 2014, Ethan insisted that Brooke cancel the plans she had with co-workers so the two could go out for a walk.
The two traveled from Canton to Harbor East, stopping to run a few errands along the way.
Ethan suggested they get a drink at Gordon Biersch, an "unassuming spot" he chose so Brooke would not suspect anything. After, they walked along the Bond Street Pier to the water.
Ethan, who was known for leaving Post-it "love notes" around Brooke's apartment, gave Brooke three Post-it notes.
The first one read, "I love you"; the second: "You are beautiful in every way"; and the third said, "Today is 20," which confused Brooke.
Ethan explained that a week earlier, when they were talking about when they might get engaged, he compared their relationship to a tennis rally — as both are avid tennis players. He said he would be ready to get married when the two of them hit a rally of 20.
"I was nervous, but we had talked about it," she said. "I was excited. He tried to make it a surprise. But it's hard to make that happen. He was a little more dressed up than he would have been for a Saturday afternoon."
After Brooke understood his explanation, Ethan asked her to marry him.
Venue: Two hundred and forty guests attended the wedding and reception at Beth El Congregation in Pikesville.
Flowers and decor: Carole Langrall of A Garden of Earthly Delights was responsible for the flower arrangements, which included light pink and ivory roses, hydrangeas, and calla lilies. Bridesmaids carried ivory calla lilies, while Brooke's bouquet was made of blush peonies.
The wedding colors were blush and gold.
Her dress: Brooke wore a Vera Wang mermaid-style dress with a custom rhinestone belt from Saks Jandel in Chevy Chase.
Bridesmaids' attire: Bridesmaids wore navy Amsale chiffon, strapless dresses from Bella Bridesmaid in Fells Point.
Men's attire: Ethan and the groomsmen wore black Vera Wang tuxedos from Men's Wearhouse.
Music: The band Fresh Air provided the music for the reception, while the Freddie Stevens Trio played at the cocktail hour. The couple's first dance was to "You are the Best Thing" by Ray LaMontagne.
Food and dessert: Philadelphia-based Betty the Caterer provided the food. Hor d'oeuvres included carving stations, sushi, dim sum, a slider bar, halibut cakes, lamb chops, a Mediterranean bar and pastrami-wrapped hot dogs. Dinner included a chopped salad tower and a choice of chateaubriand or filet of Hawaiian butterfish. For dessert, the couple served chocolate-laced tuiles with chocolate mousse, fresh fruit with chocolate fondue, and a chocolate chip wedding cake.
Favors: The couple had a photo booth for the guests.
Special touches: The two honeymooned in Hawaii.
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