- The Bride: Stephanie Taruc | 29 | Teacher
- The Groom: Dalton Kephart | 29 | Community Development and Marketing Coordinator
- Date: August 8, 2025
- Location: Leesburg, VA
- Guest Count: 115
Sophomore Sweethearts
Stephanie and Dalton met during their sophomore year at Gaithersburg High School, where Dalton’s father coached football. Connected by mutual friends, they felt a bond that grew deeper throughout high school and college. “We’ve been inseparable since then,” Stephanie explained.
After several happy years of dating, Dalton popped the question during a romantic staycation at Antrim 1844 in Taneytown, Maryland. The elaborate proposal included a romantic garden set-up with flower petals, champagne and specialty chocolates, a six-course dinner, country breakfast the morning after, and an overnight stay in the estate’s signature cottage.
The Details
Together, the couple selected a palette of baby blue, dusty pink and tan and coordinated with family members to dress everyone in complementary colors. Bridesmaids wore baby blue dresses from Azazie while groomsmen donned tan Men’s Wearhouse suits paired with blue ties.
Florals from Harrod House incorporated baby’s breath and white and blue flowers to match the color scheme.
Stephanie’s ivory, mermaid-style wedding gown came from Love Couture Bridal in Potomac, Maryland. The dress featured a fitted bodice with lace appliques and a dramatic tulle skirt. Stephanie also wore chunky platform heels from Dolce Vita and a cathedral-length veil borrowed from her sister.
Dalton wore a 3-piece tan suit with a white shirt and blue tie and accessorized with his grandpa’s gold pocket watch.
The Day
On a sunny August day, the couple tied the knot at Raspberry Plain Manor in Leesburg, Virginia. They held their ceremony in the venue’s grand ballroom and outfitted the space with gold Chiavari chairs and meadow style arrangements of baby’s breath and white roses.
Staff transformed the same room to host the reception. Round tables for friends and long, rectangular table for family framed a sweetheart table occupied by the bride and groom. The arrangement left plenty of space for party necessities like a DJ booth, cake table and gift station.
Alyssa Morris captured photos of the event.
While many couples opt to take photos during cocktail hour, Stephanie and Dalton took photos prior to the ceremony. This schedule allowed more time to mingle with guests and sip Old Fashioneds, mango martinis and green tea shots while listening to Bridgerton-style covers of pop songs.
For dinner, guests enjoyed chicken a la Francaise, braised beef short rib, penne alfredo, garlic mashed potatoes, roasted bacon Brussel sprouts and Caesar salad.
Along with a vintage-inspired red velvet wedding cake, guests sampled from a dessert spread with chocolate chip and snickerdoodle cookies from Insomnia Cookies, mini cannoli, and assorted cupcakes from Lil’ Cakes and Creamery.
Bue and gold ceramic trinket dishes made perfect favors.
Traditions
Stephanie and Dalton wove special traditions from their respective cultures into the ceremony.
Honoring Stephanie’s Filipino heritage, the couple participated in a unity candle ritual. “Lighting a single unity candle from two individual flames symbolizes the merging of lives and families,” said Stephanie.
Afterwards, a veil was draped over the couples’ shoulders, representing unity and protection, and a decorative cord was placed around them in a figure-eight shape to signify an eternal bond. Finally, the groom presented 13 coins to the bride as a symbol of prosperity and his commitment to support their future together.
The couple also incorporated the Jewish tradition of glass breaking into their ceremony in celebration of Dalton’s culture. Guests shouted “Mazel Tov!” as Dalton trampled glass carefully wrapped in cloth. “This can symbolize the fragility of relationships, remembrance of the destruction of the Second Temple or the idea that joy and sorrow coexist,” the couple explained.
Wise Words
Stephanie and Dalton planned the wedding without the help of a consultant, a process they called “time consuming and stressful,” recalling weekends spent huddled together over seating arrangements, menus and hotel booking sites.
They recommend couples work together to process external challenges. “Listen to each other’s wants and wishes,” they said. “When you need to make a decision, contemplate if you will regret saying no. Also, be selfish and set boundaries. Do not let others guilt you into making decisions that benefit them.”
Grateful for Gifts
The couple received many special gifts. Favorites included a wedding video book, a handmade quilt with their wedding colors and a scrapbook from the bride’s family filled with pictures and letters.
Stephanie and Dalton are thrilled to announce that they are expecting a new member of the family later this year.
Wedding Ingredients:
- Proposal Site: Antrim 1844 | Taneytown, MD
- Ceremony Site: Raspberry Plain Manor | Leesburg, VA | https://www.raspberryplainmanor.com/ | (703) 777-1888
- Reception Site: Raspberry Plain Manor | Leesburg, VA | https://www.raspberryplainmanor.com/ | (703) 777-1888
- Photography: Alyssa Morris | @ morr__photography | (724) 630-7913
- Videography: Peyton Veira | StoryBox Film| Utah | 385-314-9027
- Officiant: Jerome Taruc | Olney, MD
- Gown: Moonlight | Love Couture Bridal | Potomac, MD | 301-610-5683
- Second Gown: Nadine Merabi
- Shoes: Dolce Vita
- Hair: Alex Kasey | Bethesda, MD | (240) 515-1464
- Makeup: Margo Adam | MBM Beauty| Frederick, MD | (301) 462-9173
- Bridesmaids Dresses: Azazie
- Formalwear: Men’s Wearhouse
- Flowers: Mae Harrod | Harrod House | (603) 729-3556
- Catering: Raspberry Plain Manor | Leesburg, VA | https://www.raspberryplainmanor.com/ | (703) 777-1888
- Music: Cyndi Tran | DJ CYD | (571) 425-5055
- Entertainment: Ariel Foreman | DMV Fotobooth | (757) 394-2230
- Cake: Lil Cakes and Creamery | Gaithersburg, MD | 240-474-5850
- Transportation: Road Yachts | Leesburg, VA | 571-528-6181,
- Accommodations: Homewood Suites by Hilton | Home2 Suites by Hilton by Hilton | Leesburg, VA | (571-258-1068), (571-209-1010)
Virginia Weddings features weddings weekly on the blog. Being featured on the blog does not necessarily mean being featured in the print magazine.
