When Courtney Pivec went to M&T bank in March 2007, she had no idea that she was about to meet the man of her dreams. Brian Stamp, who worked as a financial adviser, recognized Courtney’s last name while he was closing her account, and realized they shared a mutual friend.
Unfortunately for Brian, Courtney was already in a relationship. Still, he wrote her a note saying how great it was to meet her. After that, the pair found themselves constantly running into one another at social events. A year later, Courtney had broken up with her boyfriend and Brian was ready to make a move. They have been together ever since.
When the wedding day arrived, roughly 135 family and friends gathered at the Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church in Bolton Hill. Because the church is already ornately appointed, with Victorian Gothic stained-glass windows, intricately sculpted marble pillars and walls ornamented with mosaics, the couple decorated the interior with only two large altar arrangements of roses, hyacinths and peonies in shades of coral and cream.
The bride walked down the aisle wearing a strapless white gown from Priscilla of Boston. “I knew it was the one because I felt very pretty and it gave me a lot of freedom to move around,” says Courtney, a media assistant at Pivec Advertising, owned by her father. Her bridesmaids chose different styles of black dresses from the Simple Silhouettes line at Garnish Boutique.
After the Mass, the guests adjourned to the Walters Art Museum, where they were served pink champagne and a variety of hors d’ oeuvres, including shrimp ceviche in a tortilla cup and lobster tempura dipped in a honey butter sauce, Courtney’s favorite. An hour later, the group moved to the museum’s sculpture court for dinner and dancing.
After the guests were seated, all eyes moved toward the long stairwell to watch Brian and Courtney make their entrance. The couple then joined together for their first dance as husband and wife as “Everything” by Michael Bublé played. Soon after, toasts were made while guests enjoyed a warm salad of slow-roasted tomatoes and house-made mozzarella followed by a duet entree of sliced sirloin steak and lobster vol au vent.
Appetites sated, the guests joined the bride and groom in dancing the night away. A brief interruption was made to observe the ceremonial cutting of the wedding cakes. The bride’s cake was a towering white ensemble decorated with a delicate floral design with flavors of toasted coconut and raspberry and amaretto. The groom’s cake was similar to a black forest cake, with chocolate and cherry filling. A native of Buffalo and ardent hockey fan, Brian had his cake ornamented with the Buffalo Sabres’ design, which incorporated a buffalo and a pair of crossed sabres.
“My favorite moment was when my husband got up on stage to sing, ‘That’s Amore!’ to me,” Courtney gushes. A rich ending for a chance meeting in a bank.
Resources
Locations Walters Art Museum, 410-547-9000, http://www.thewalters.org; Corpus Christi Roman Catholic Church, 410-523-4161, http://www.corpuschristibaltimore.org
Photography David Mielcarek, 908-247-5322, http://www.cinematicbydavidm.com
Flowers Romance of Flowers, 410-526-7252, http://www.romanceofflowers.com
Gown Priscilla of Boston, http://www.priscillaofboston.com
Bridemaids’ Gowns Garnish Boutique, 410-464-0601, http://www.garnishhboutique.com
Catering Linwoods, 410-356-3030, http://www.linwoods.com
