A proposal on the beach
DATE: Oct. 8 AARON’S STORY: Aaron Tomarchio, 42, was born in Baltimore and raised in Catonsville. He is the vice president of corporate affairs for Tradepoint Atlantic. His parents, Sebastiano and Linda Tomarchio, live in Havre de Grace.
TOM’S STORY: Tom Koerber, 35, was born in Baltimore and raised in Reisterstown. He is a web developer for Web Adaptive. His parents, Patricia and William Sprague, live in Finksburg.
THEIR STORY: The couple met online and went on their first date on Dec. 8, 2012, at Pairings Bistro in Bel Air. Neither of them was looking for an immediate romance, as Aaron was recently divorced and Tom was recently out of a long-term relationship. But the two instantly hit it off.
“He seemed cute, ambitious and definitely wedding material,” Tom said. “We had spoken on the phone for about a week before our first date at Pairings Bistro, so I already knew that he had a good head on his shoulders. However, the first date just confirmed that and made me want to get to know him even more.”
So it was that the two moved in together two months later, in February 2013, in Bel Air. Almost two years after that, they purchased a renovated historic home in the Canton neighborhood of Baltimore, where they now reside.
THE PROPOSAL: Aaron and Tom became engaged Sept. 6, 2015, in Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Aaron surprised Tom by taking him out for a sunset stroll on the beach, where friends and family members were gathered. Each held a word on a sign, spelling out: “Tom, the love of my life, will you marry me?” Aaron’s now-15-year-old daughter, Alexandra “Alexi” Tomarchio, held a portable speaker playing the couple’s favorite song, “The Sweetest Surprise” by Michael Learns to Rock, while Tom walked down the line of family and friends.
At the end, Aaron presented Tom with a signet ring similar to the one his grandmother gave him when he was 16. Aaron proposed on the beach, and they celebrated with a champagne toast.
Tom knew that something was up earlier that day.
“Aaron had mistakenly let it slip about the proposal via a text thread I was on earlier in the day, so I knew to expect it,” Tom said. “And when we were walking on the beach at dusk, I could see my family in the distance. I thought it was very sweet of him to include everyone and could see how nervous he was.”
VENUE: About 125 guests attended the wedding at Gertrude’s at the Baltimore Museum of Art. The couple said they chose the restaurant because of its view of the BMA’s sculpture garden.
FLOWERS AND DECOR: J.J. Cummings Floral Co. in Baltimore provided the flowers. The couple said they wanted “simple elegance.” The prominent flower they used was the cala lilly.
MEN’S ATTIRE: Both grooms wore matching gray three-piece suits from Charles Tyrwhitt. The suits were accented with white spread-collar French cuff shirts with blue-and-silver-accented ties, also from Charles Tyrwhitt.
MUSIC: DJ Carl of Classic Collective DJs provided the music. The couple’s first song was “Something Beautiful” by Tim Halperin.
FOOD: Gertrude’s provided the entire menu, which included hors d’oeuvres such as chef John Shields’ Chesapeake-style miniature crab cakes, bruschetta caprese and vegetarian spring rolls. For dinner, there were three stations: Asian fusion, Italian fusion and New American.
Patisserie Poupon provided the four-tier cake, which consisted of two flavors — lemon citron and fraisier (fresh strawberries) — with mascarpone buttercream icing
FAVORS: Guests received a customized assortment of chocolates in a silver ribbonembellished box.
SPECIAL TOUCHES: The couple plan to travel to Italy in the spring. They went on a “mini-moon” at the end of October to Savannah, Ga., where they stayed at a bed-and-breakfast, Eliza Thompson House, in the middle of the city’s historic district.
The ceremony was officiated by a mutual friend, Astrid Langedijk, who traveled from her home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to attend the wedding.