2026 Wed Society Delaware + Eastern Shore Wedding of the Year

Alyssa & Francis take the title with a summer garden wedding at Brantwyn Estate.

Eight Vows That Wow weddings entered the bracket. After three days of head-to-head voting in our Instagram Stories, Alyssa and Francis are the 2026 Wed Society Delaware + Eastern Shore Wedding of the Year.

Originally selected as our September Vows That Wow, their August wedding at Brantwyn Estate gave us plenty to come back to: soft sage details, flowers that changed from table to table, a vintage-inspired five-tier cake and a sailcloth reception tucked into the gardens.

Alyssa and Francis now represent Delaware + Eastern Shore as a national nominee for Wed Society’s National Wedding of the Year, where local winners from across the country will be reviewed by Wed Society’s editorial panel.

Thank you to everyone who followed the brackets, voted and helped us choose this year’s winner.

A Summer Wedding at Brantwyn Estate

“My favorite moment was walking down the aisle with my dad and seeing Francis cry,” Alyssa said. “I finally felt like the bride I’d dreamed of being for so long.”

Brantwyn Estate’s historic home, broad lawn and gardens were a beautiful backdrop for the outdoor summer wedding in Wilmington, Delaware. Alyssa and Francis married on the estate’s perfectly manicured lawn, with the reception beneath a sailcloth tent surrounded by the gardens.

Soft green notes appeared in the stationery, bridesmaid dresses and reception details, down to sage menu cards at each place setting.

Blush-pink dahlias, pale green hydrangea, white roses and white dahlias appeared in different combinations across the reception. Some tables featured pots filled with pink dahlias. Others paired green hydrangea with blush blooms. Mixed floral rings surrounded clear-shaded table lamps, while fuller arrangements brought in taller stems and trailing greenery.

Alyssa chose solid sage dresses and soft floral prints paired with light pink bouquets for the bridal party. Her own off-the-shoulder gown featured a fitted bodice, full skirt and a high slit that flashed a little leg when she moved.

The five-tier cake stacked scallops, swags and tiny rosettes in intricate white piping, with the faintest blush details tucked into the design.

Outside, a peaked sailcloth tent with wooden poles and bistro lights, white tables and chairs, and all of those garden florals made for an enchanted garden reception on the Brantwyn lawn.

Enjoy the Planning, Too

“It goes by so fast” may be the most repeated piece of wedding advice there is.

“They are right,” Alyssa says. Getting married is something the couple dreamed about for so long, and enjoying the planning process is part of it.

Then, after all that anticipation, the day arrives and somehow becomes the thing you want back.

“It was the best day of our lives, and I wish we could relive it a million times.”

Featured Vendors

Brantwyn Estate | DuPont Country Club

The historic home and gardens of Brantwyn Estate in Wilmington, Delaware, surrounded Alyssa and Francis’ summer wedding, from the ceremony on the manicured lawn to the sailcloth tent reception tucked into the gardens. Catering and bar service provided by DuPont Country Club.

Collective Event Group

Collective Event Group provided the sailcloth tent, stage and dance floor for Alyssa and Francis’ reception on the Brantwyn lawn.