Thanks to all the fabulous Washington D.C. nuptials we’ve been seeing here on the LBB Blog recently, I have a new found appreciation for our nation’s capital. Love it. It’s full of rich history and history in the making. And it is a fab place to hold a wedding. Just check out this one, designed by A. Dominick Events, and captured by Love Life Images. It is the epitome of classic elegance, in the epitome of classically elegant U.S. cities. I love every little detail of this fête, right down to that ridiculously amazing staircase. I’ll be hanging out in the gallery all afternoon, so when you’re ready – click here to join me!
We envisioned both a family reunion and a dinner party with all our closest friends in the place that we met and now call home–Washington, DC. As both of us had been traveling the world and living in some rather remote places for the past few years, the wedding itself was a celebration of finally being together after so much time as a long-distance couple. It was also a tremendous time with family and friends. For many guests and also for us, it was a whole week of parties and catching up, with the wedding as a fabulous finale. Now, after the wedding, we are again living abroad. To have our all our loved ones “over” for dinner, dancing, and some serious partying was the celebration of a lifetime.
The day of the wedding I prepped with my girlfriends at the Hay Adams across the street and met my husband in Lafayette Park before the ceremony. The backdrop to the evening was the romantic and elegant Decatur House, a historic home on the park known for its history of great parties. The ceremony in the courtyard was intimate and very special as our closest friends gave readings, and we joined everyone back in the courtyard for cocktails in the lingering light. We went inside for dinner and served some recipes from our own kitchen that our fabulous caterer graciously adopted for us, as well as steak frites–inspired by our favorite dinner at Bistrot du Coin in our neighborhood. We danced the night away with the most fabulous jazz band, and my husband and I finally slipped out of the party and took a quiet stroll through the park together around the White House, thrilled to finally be setting off on a life together.
As our most favorite thing to do with our friends and family is cook and eat, we invited each guest to submit a few recipes from their own kitchens and traditions. The project was a true labor of love as we received everything from complicated, elaborate gourmet cuisine to simple, even mysterious old family recipes without measurements. We had the resulting cookbook bound and printed with a picture from our local farmers’ market on the front and placed a dedication to all of our guests on the first page. As our wedding was all about gaining new family and friends in joining each others’ lives, we wanted everyone to leave the wedding with something of the same. All of the wedding guests (including us!) are now cooking up new things from new and old family and friends and we all have a great scrapbook of shared traditions.
Ceremony & Reception Venue: Decatur House / Coordinator: A. Dominick Events / Caterer: Design Cuisine / Florist: Sidra Forman / Reception Band: Lapis Luna Orchestra / Ceremony Music: Celebrated Strings / Photography: Love Life Images / Wedding Dress: Judd Waddell, from Hitched / Stationery: Cheree Berry Paper