I’ve got an ambitious GoodReads challenge set for myself – 20 books this year. I love the little dopamine hit I get from checking books off the list. I love watching the digital cover move from Want to Read to Read. I love the little message that appears reminding me that I’m one book ahead of schedule! Cheap thrills, I’m here for it!

I am also not someone who finds it necessary to finish a book I’m not enjoying. My free reading time is precious and limited, and I will not waste it on a book that’s making my eyes roll. I once heard about a 30% rule – you read a book roughly 1/3 of the way through, give it a fair chance to get going, and if it’s still causing you to experience an utter lack of joy, you DNF it (Did Not Finish). It peeves me to do it, having invested 4-5 hours of read time already, but sometimes a book goes so far off the rails, there’s no hope of bringing it back. I downloaded a Jodi Picoult book this week that was all FIVE STARS EVERYONE LOVES IT from my eLibrary, made it to 30%, then made the executive decision that it was actually terrible. We badly needed a pivot to save it in the end, and for Simone and Seth’s wedding, there was a big pivot (sadly for Jodi, there was not).

If you’ve never been to the Annapolis Waterfront Hotel, there’s a balcony that overlooks the Severn River and the view is all sailboats and sunsets, a perfect backdrop for a ceremony. A few weeks before Simone and Seth’s day, the city of Annapolis rescheduled a music festival – right across the water from the balcony. In one big pivot, they decided to push the ceremony back to post-sunset when the festival would be over (sending a virtual hug to their planner who somehow made it all happen!). At the end of the day, it really felt meant to be, and they were married under an enormous full moon with twinkle lights and a glowing chuppa over their heads. They treated their guests to custom cocktails and late night snacks in their celestial-themed navy blue and gold reception (Seth works for NASA so naturally we had to lean into it!).

Getting married in Annapolis? I’d love to hear from you! You can see more waterfront weddings here and here.

Venue | Annapolis Waterfront Hotel, Autograph Collection

Planning + Design | Sara Reynolds Events

Photography | Brittany Thomas Photography

Beauty | Vintage Veils

Hotel | Minna Pauly

Sweets | Sweethearts Patisserie

Entertainment | Crowe Entertainment

Ceremony Music | Classical Guitar Ceremonies

Live Wedding Painting | By Brittany Branson

Florals | Little House of Flowers

Transportation | Concours Limo

Rentals | Select Event Group