July 13, 2018

Julianne + Aaron, a Martha Stewart Wedding exclusive

This Couple Personalized Every Element of Their Virginia Wedding

Julianne Baker was a freshman at The University of Virginia when she and her friends ventured to a party at Aaron Kur’s fraternity house. They spent the night talking, and she returned the following week for another gathering, during which they exchanged numbers, and a week after that he invited her to his frat’s formal. It wasn’t long until they started dating. “After our first date, I texted my friends (who became my bridesmaids) ‘start planning the wedding,'” says Julianne. But before they could get hitched, they had to conquer long-distance love when Aaron moved to New York City post-graduation and Julianne stayed in Charlottesville for three years to finish school. But she joined him, and after five-plus years together, Aaron shocked Julianne with an engagement. They were home in the D.C. area for Father’s Day weekend and went for a spontaneous run—at least that’s what Julianne thought. Little did she know, Aaron crafted a plan involving their families that landed them at the Georgetown waterfront, with him down on one knee, her dad taking pictures from a hidden spot, and their parents and siblings on hand to celebrate the occasion at their favorite restaurant later that afternoon.

A year-and-a-half later, on September 30, 2017, the Manhattan-based pair returned to the town where it all began, for a wedding weekend in Virginia with 147 guests. It was a reunion for some, a vacation for others, but a celebration for all—starting with a rehearsal dinner and welcome party at the site of that first date that sparked the marriage prediction seven years prior. They chose Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards and landed on a theme that drew from European influences and a garden vibe to fit the outdoor ceremony. The stationery was inspired by French toile with a whimsical twist, and blue-and-white was paired with muted tones taken from the flowers that grow on the property in late fall. The couple worked hard to make every aspect of their wedding personal to them and reflective of their lives, and in the end, it was a dreamy, fun, and love-filled day. “In many ways, it brought us back to so many memories of where we met and fell in love,” says Aaron.