Tracie Smith
- Apr 13, 2017
- 3 min read

Impromptu Styled Bridal Shoot at Rockfield Manor

A few weeks ago I received an invite to a venue open house. It was for the Rockfield Manor, in Bel Air, Maryland. Over the years, I had a handful of brides contact me about possibly shooting their weddings there, but schedules didn't match up. Enter my invite to their vendor invite only open house. Rockfield Manor really wanted to showcase and invite Harford County, Maryland based professionals and since I'm born and raised in Harford County - I definitely fit the bill. I had the honor to take part in this day with some really phenomenal wedding professionals all located in Harford County. I was blown away by what everyone brought to the show. One of my favorite MUAH (Make Up And Hair) girls Abby De Rossett Hair and Make Up Studio provided a stunning model, Cassie, to be our blank canvas for the afternoon. She even rocked HER wedding dress. It's not everyday you get the chance to wear the wedding dress of your dreams again!! Walking around the venue, I saw so many gorgeous tablescapes, sample bride and groom head tables, and a full wedding reception set up in the perfect shades of dusty blue which was just so on point and on style for 2017. It's the color palette I see on Borrowed & Blue's instagram feed. Its stunning. I could not help myself after a few hours of greeting couples I HAD to go shoot Cassie with all the amazingness that the vendors brought.

I wanted to give a HUGE shout out to all the vendors that participated in the Open House this past Sunday. It was so good to meet everyone and be exposed to the incredible talent pool that is literally in my own back yard! A full vendor list can be found at the bottom of our styled shoot gallery.

I'm kind of a geek when it comes to shooting at historic properties so I would be remised if I didn't share some of the history of Rockfield Manor. (Historical information taken from www.rockfieldmanor.com)

"In 1782 Harford County voted to move the county seat to Scott’s Old Fields (present day Bel Air). The Town consisted of 40 relatively long, narrow lots and one street (Main Street), as well as the area that had been set aside for the courthouse and the county jail. Thomas A Hays owned at least 15 of the 40 lots. Additionally, he owned the farm land east of town, which includes the present day Rockfield Park. Over the years, the farm land was subdivided and sold off in many parcels. One of these parcels was willed to Mary Giles, the daughter of Thomas A. Hays, Sr.This land eventually went to the Fulford family, who sold it to Charles and Adele McComas in 1920. The McComas’ built the lovely house which graces the property at the present time. In 1950 Jogn and Jenovefa Hoza purchased the property from the McComas family. The Hozas had moved to the United States from Czechoslovakia. Mr. Hoza was part of the management team at Bata Shoe Company.In 1991 Harford County purchased 46 acres of the 55-acre tract of land belonging to the Hoza family. In 1993, the County deeded the land to the Town of Bel Air for use as a community park. Almost immediately, the Town developed a master plan for the property and began to develop it as a community park including gardens, trails, nature areas, a creative playground and three active recreation fields. In 1996, the Town purchased the remaining five acres of the Hoza Estate, including the house and outbuildings, and created the nine-member Rockfield Foundation to oversee the use of the House and property, now known as Rockfield Manor.The Rockfield Foundation, Inc. is a non-profit corporation, incorporated under the laws of Maryland. It is managed by a volunteer Board of Directors to promote and operate Rockfield Manor for the benefit of the Bel Air community. The Manor House is available for meetings and social events. If you have any questions regarding the history of Rockfield Manor or wish to inquire about its use, please call us at 410-638-4565 at your convenience."

Without further delay - The Rockfield Manor Open House Bridal Styled Shoot!!