Washington DC Weddings

Yellow and modern seem to be besties around these parts. They go together like peanut butter and jelly and when blanketing a gorgeous DC wedding captured by Gabe Aceves Photography, it’s a sight to be seen. A gorgeous sight at that, made even more so by that show stopper of a dress and one that you can see from beginning to end right here.

From the Bride & Groom… While looking for wedding venues, we knew that we wanted to have a quick and intimate (or at least as intimate as 160 guests can get) ceremony outdoors. When we found the Westin Georgetown, we fell in love with the promenade (the beautiful hardwood floors and columns) and how it flowed directly into the courtyard, which was the perfect size for our ceremony. We chose the color scheme of yellow, gray and white because we loved how fresh and clean the colors looked, especially for an early spring wedding. We both adore the chevron print and wanted to incorporate it into our invitation suite, which we were able to achieve with the help of our graphic designer. We ended up carrying the design through to our menu and place cards. Music is important to both of us, and we were particular in our song selections (no line dances!). We were fortunate enough to find DJ As-One through Scratch Wedding who understood exactly what we liked and was able to play a Proxy song that Thana had requested for the grande finale. Ultimately, we just wanted to have a good time and enjoy the celebration of our marriage with our closest family and friends, and that’s exactly what we did.  We wouldn’t have changed anything about our day.

Wedding Photography: Gabe Aceves Photography / Wedding Venue: The Westin Georgetown in Washington, D.C. / Floral Design: Spot Floral Design / Officiant: Reverend John Gaffney / Wedding Cinematography: Illuxa Studio / Wedding Cake: Fluffy Thoughts / Macaroons: PAUL / Wedding Invitations: Scratch Paper Designs / Ceremony Music: Chris Wyton / Reception Music: DJ As-One of Scratch Weddings / Place Card Board, Heart Photo Booth Props, Mad Libs, Table Names + Wedding Programs: DIY / Photo Booth: DCPG Photography / Wedding Dress: Pronovias via Leesburg Bridal & Tuxedo / Bride’s Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Hair + Makeup: Kate Ricasa / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Jasmine via Leesburg Bridal & Tuxedo / Groom’s Tuxedo + Bow Tie: J.Crew / Groom’s Shirt: Thomas Pink / Groom’s Shoes + Pocket Square: Kent Wang / Groomsmen’s Attire: Leesburg Bridal & Tuxedo

I’m here to tell you that Kurstin Roe Photography‘s images of this beautiful day are just as stunning seen through tears, as they are at first glance. Tears brought on by the super special couple and their amazing story. She married him just before he left for a year apart. And he married her, for a second time, when he returned in a celebration as stunning as Momental Designs‘ stationery (and THAT is stunning). Click here to see all of this gorg day!

When Matt proposed to me on New Year’s Eve of 2011, I wasn’t prepared for what would happen next. A few weeks later he came home with the news that he would be volunteering for an Army assignment with NATO in Kabul, Afghanistan. In addition to asking me to marry him, he told me that he had yet another favor to ask – to marry him legally before he left for Afghanistan in March. He said he didn’t want to leave without the assurance of knowing that I would be his wife. Of course I understood and accepted, but on one condition: when he returned that we would have the wedding that I had always dreamed about as a little girl.

While Matt was in Afghanistan, I poured my heart into my new job, writing him a handwritten letter every day, spending as much time as I could with his family, and planning our wedding for Memorial Day weekend 2012 – in the city where we met – Washington, D.C.. I knew from the very start that our wedding had to be traditional while also being unconventional – just like us. For me, that meant bringing in elements that were feminine, floral, classy and fabulous. For Matt, that meant incorporating details that were more debonair, patriotic, and most of all, representative of the American experience. For both of us, I knew it would have to demonstrate our love for history and even politics – the things that not only drew us to DC but also to each other.

Initially, I had no idea how to pull all of these seemingly different elements together, but with the help of the very talented Janice Carnevale of Bellwether Events, together, through countless emails, we started to explore all the possibilities.

Then and now, when I look at our engagement photos that were taken on a Spring day in Senate Park, just a week before Matt deployed, to the art-deco inspired bridal portraits that were taken on the U.S.S. Sequoia, to our wedding photos, all by Kurstin Roe Photography, I feel like I’m looking at so much more than just pictures. I feel like I’m looking at the story of us – capturing all of our seriousness, our quirks and the how we love and understand each other for exactly who we are.

Right before our wedding, my 100-year-old grandmother and the only person that I am still connected with from my biological family because I grew up in foster care, went into the hospital and had to have heart surgery. I was devastated as I knew that there was no way she would be able to attend our wedding. Being able to share our photos with her, though, including one in which I am holding a photo of her taken in the 1930’s was incredibly moving. A love of history was something that she had unequivocally passed down to me, and I was so happy to be able to able to honor her by keeping that love alive through our story.

There were so many other moments about our wedding that still bring happy tears to my eyes. We worked with some of the most incredible vendors, some in the DC area and several Etsy vendors representing U.S. states from coast to coast. Working with them proved to me that despite living in a digital world – there has been a resurgence in American artisan-ship, craftsmanship nd style all over the country that I believe has been inspired by the wedding industry.

I’ll never forget the beautiful custom flower girl dresses lovingly created by Yola of KNYPS from Charleston, South Carolina, which all started with beautiful sketches of what she envisioned from what I described. Right before our wedding, I decided that I would have Matt walk me down the aisle instead of walking on my own. Our nephews held a sign saying, “Here Comes the Bride & Groom” made by Designs by Robyn Love in Farmington, Connecticut. At our reception, our guests loved the A&M 2012 campaign buttons we handed out to each guest made by Shop Olio based in Las Vegas, Nevada, as well as the beverage sign and welcome sign expertly crafted by chalk-artist, CJ Hughes, from Spring Hill, Tennessee. Matt especially loved Cakes by Linda’s imaginative work to make our wedding cake in the shape of the U.S. Capitol Dome and his groom’s cake to look like Abraham Lincoln’s top hat that was actually made entirely of hundreds of Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls (he’s been eating them since age 3).

By far one of my most favorite vendors, though, was invitation artist, Kristy Rice, and her incredibly talented team at Momental Designs in Wyoming, Pennsylvania . From our first conversation, when I told her that I wanted a tri-fold invitation that was feminine, patriotic, full of blooms and displayed our favorite DC monuments. She told me she had never done anything like that before but that she was up to the challenge. The result was so original, and it set the tone and the color palette for our wedding which included romantic shades of black, blush, ivory and coral, complimented by the colors of the American flag. Next, we went to work on creating other wedding stationery that included tables names of historical political parties; a recreation of a vintage political poster of a hot air balloon; stately seating cards, and our very own wedding dinner “ballot” complete with presidential menu verbiage.

The year leading up to our wedding, I decided to collect antique silver containers for all our flowers at the reception, and so I scoured antique shops, thrift stores, and eBay looking for just the right pieces. We ended up with a number so many unique pieces including candlesticks from occupied Japan, a mustache teacup from 1901 and a Washington DC trinket box from the late 1800s. Receiving packages in the mail was so much fun, and I loved sharing each new treasure (and some that admittedly were not) with Matt over Skype while he was still in Afghanistan. Right before the event, Matt and I spent an entire weekend polishing all the silver, as some of it hadn’t been polished in several decades.

The day of our wedding was the culmination of so much waiting, work, anticipation and love that all came to life in a single very special day. One of the most vivid and emotion-filled moments was when we exited the church to find all of our friends and family assembled together, some of whom had traveled from overseas to be with us, waving miniature American flags. Matt and I were both overcome with so much joy and gratitude – not only that we were together again to continue our journey but that we had the honor and privilege of being able to do it on Memorial Day weekend. After the previous year, it had taken on such new meaning, and when all of our guests expressed so many thanks to Matt and to the many men and women in the U.S. military and great Americans serving in so many capacities all over the world, I realized it was so much better than I could have ever envisioned as a little girl.

Photography: Kurstin Roe Photography / Wedding Planning: Janice Carnevale, Bellwether Events / Wedding Venue: Fort McNair’s Officer’s Club / Floral Design: Growing Wild Floral Company / Wedding Stationery: Momental Designs / Officiant: Reverend William Byrne, St. Peter’s Catholic Church / DJ: Marc Wilner, Washington Talent Agency / Cellist: Christine Lightner, U.S. Air Force Band / Cake Stand and Linens: DCRental / Transportation: Chariots for Hire / Wedding Cake & Groom’s Cake: Cakes by Linda / Chalk Welcome and Beverage Sign: CJ Hughes, Custom Chalk via Etsy / Here Come the Bride and Groom Sign: Designs by Robyn Love via Etsy / Campaign Buttons: Shop Olio via Etsy / Wedding Dress: St. Pucchi / Bride’s Headpiece: Lo Boheme / Bride’s Garter: Garter Girl / /Bride’s Shoes: L.K. Bennett via Bloomingdales / Bride’s Earrings: Tejani / Hair + Makeup for Bridal Party: Carola Myers Makeup and Hair Artistry / Bride’s Hair: Elegant Hair by Giselle / Bride’s Veil: Tony Federichi / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Adrianna Papell via Nordstrom / Groomsmen Tuxes: Vera Wang via Men’s Wearhouse / Flowergirl Dresses: KNYPS via Etsy / Bride’s Engagement Ring: Kay Jewelers and Grandmother’s ring

I can’t even begin to describe the utter beauty of this glorious Washington D.C. soiree, so I’ll just start with this: WOW.  The sophisticated Old Hollywood vibe, the unique (plus glamorous) venue, the oh-so-cute Mr. and Mrs., the mesmerizing red hues… this uber-chic affair is just WOW in all kinds of ways. ZADesignz Wedding Photography snapped up all of the lovely… and that ah.mazing mason jar lighting? Simply breathtaking.  See so much more right here.

From ZADesignz Wedding Photography… Jackie and Nate got married at the very fashionable Lincoln Restaurant in Washington DC. She had an old Hollywood vintage theme, with the main colors being red, black and white. Jackie designed all the wedding stationery herself, and they printed their own wedding invitations. They bought the flowers from a local shop, and the bridesmaids put together their own bouquets. The centerpieces were very classy with red roses in silver bases. Jackie designed the table numbers, the bridesmaids’ personalized totes, the water bottle labels, the reception menus, the cards sign, the welcome sign, the bride and groom signs and the favor tags. For the favors, Nate made strawberry jelly himself and packaged it in little jars. The restaurant itself was a great place to do the ceremony and reception. It was lit with pink lighting, and mason jars with light bulbs were hung from the ceiling. The floor of the restaurant is made up of pennies, which allowed for a great bridesmaid shoe shot. There was also a huge armchair, which served us well for portraits. Lincoln also provided all the catering. Jackie’s dress is by Sue Wong, and her robe was from Christian Dior. Her shoes were white, embellished, open toe pumps from Badgley Mischka. During the ceremony, Jackie and Nate exchanged their own vows, and then the ceremony room was then transformed into the reception. They honeymooned in New Orleans.

Wedding Photography: Zareth Acosta of ZADesignz Wedding Photography / Wedding Venue + Catering: Lincoln Restaurant in Washington DC / Event Planning, Floral + Event Design: DIY by the Bride / Wedding Stationery + Decor: DIY by the Bride / Strawberry Jelly Favors: DIY by the Groom / Wedding Dress: Sue Wong / Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Bride’s Robe: Christian Dior

Inspired by the Nation’s Capital and its prettiest blooms, styled by the lovelies at Ritzy Bee Events, topped off with the prettiest paper products from Ceci New York and all captured by the beyond talented Caroline Tran – this wedding is just heaven! Perfectly pretty wedding heaven. It’s the type of soiree I could stare at all day, and we won’t judge you one little bit if you do just that in the full gallery of gorgeous images!

From the Bride… The inspiration for our wedding was very easy, especially living in the nation’s capital. I had always wanted to get married in DC during the spring with the cherry blossoms in full bloom, and luckily, my groom obliged. Gregg even approved of the wedding colors, pink and gray, because they offered a balance of feminine and masculine. Unfortunately Mother Nature doesn’t cater to all brides and we experienced early blooms, but our wedding paper suite by Ceci New York beautifully showcased the city with a map wrapping the invitation and hand-drawn cherry blossoms.  Gregg and I have been together for a long time, so even before he proposed, we knew we wanted to throw a party for our family and friends to celebrate the start of our marriage. We love to entertain for any occasion, and the wedding would not be an exception. We cannot take credit for the food, which was deliciously prepared by the chef at the Mandarin Oriental, but we did pore over the menu options to determine our dinner menu. For cocktail hour we offered “his and hers” signature cocktails. Gregg concocted “the Senator,” (a nickname he acquired from his friends long ago, even before he moved to DC) a vodka Tom Collins with raspberry puree, and I served up “the Senator’s Wife,” which is champagne topped with St-Germain and lemon. We had an incredible deejay who paid attention to every detail of our wedding and reception, even finding traditional Korean music for the wedding tea ceremony we hosted at the end of the reception. Unfortunately the dance floor did not get too crowded because everyone was in line for the photo booth! Gregg and I loved seeing the photo booth shots after the honeymoon, especially the wacky poses from some of our more reserved guests. One of my favorite memories from the wedding was taking photos at the Jefferson Memorial with our family and wedding party. It was so much fun to be dressed up and posing amid all the tourists. I love seeing in the background of our wedding photos the paddleboaters in the Tidal Basin and the beautiful Washington landscape. We were so nervous for the wedding day, but being around all the tourists helped to calm us down so we could enjoy every moment. My advice for future brides includes making sure you and your groom have, at the very least, a few minutes alone. I would also recommend a month-of- or day-of-wedding coordinator, even if you decide not to have a full time coordinator. I was lucky to be able to enlist the help of Ritzy Bee Events, who were able to recommend the best vendors in the area and provided very thoughtful and lovely details for the ceremony and reception. Having the piece of mind that someone was on top of every detail really ensured Gregg and I could enjoy our wedding with our family and friends.

Wedding Photography: Caroline Tran / Wedding Venue + Catering: Mandarin Oriental, Washington DC in Washington, DC / Wedding Planning: Ritzy Bee Events / Floral Design: Sidra Forman / Wedding Stationery: Ceci New York / Wedding Cake: Maggie Austin Cake / Lighting: Swank Audio Visuals / Entertainment: MyDeejay + The Crystal Strings / Rentals: Party Rental Ltd. + AFR Furniture Rental / Wedding Dress + Veil: Amsale via Hitched Salon / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Amsale

I know it’s early, but you may want to put on your Fancy Pants, LBBers, because this wedding warrants them. It’s a lovely ballroom filled with so much love, so many flowers, and such ridiculously good style. Seen through Patricia Lyons Photography‘s lens, the soiree will have you waltzing around your office from the moment you pass into to the gallery. And then you’ll thank me for reminding you to don your Fancy Pants.

Click here to see the rest!

Some say that Jennifer and Christopher’s first picture together was taken over 25 years ago. Even though they were childhood playmates, it wasn’t until college that their relationship bloomed.

Their wedding was a joyous and family-filled celebration infused with Portuguese traditions honoring Jennifer’s family heritage. Their wedding day began at the bride’s family home in Clifton, Virginia where her parents hosted the bridal party and close relatives for brunch and to accompany Jennifer to the church. The wedding ceremony was held at the quaint St. Clare of Assisi, their community parish. Jennifer and Christopher celebrated the night away with friends and family at the grand Mellon Auditorium.

The bride wore a Vera Wang lace gown complemented by a bespoke lace bolero for the church ceremony, and later exchanged her bolero for a sparkling Carolina Herrera belt. The groom wore a tuxedo by Hugo Boss and carried a monogrammed handkerchief given to him by the bride to commemorate their wedding day. The couple rode to their reception at the Mellon Auditorium in an antique Bentley.

In keeping with Portuguese culture the menu was of utmost importance to Jennifer’s parents. During cocktail hour guests were introduced to traditional Portuguese cuisine including bacalhau and suckling pig. For the main course, the family served multiple courses starting with salad, followed by sea bass, then filet mignon. Finally, guests indulged in a Viennese dessert bar, which included Portuguese confections, as well as an espresso and cordial station. Biscotti and French macarons were served at each table to accompany the coffee and tea service.

The ballroom of the Mellon Auditorium came alive in rich tones of gold and blush, with unforgettable florals provided by Amaryllis. Guests danced into the wee hours of the morning to the tunes of Raggs and the All Stars.

Photography: Patricia Lyons Photography / Cinematography: Blue Sky Films / Flowers and Decor: Amaryllis / Event Planning: A. Dominick Events / Ceremony Location: St. Clare of Assisi Catholic Church / Reception Location: Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium / Invitations, Menus, Programs, Table Numbers: Cheree Berry / Linens: Nuage Designs, LaTavola Linen, Wildflower Linen / Catering: Occasions Caterers / Cake: Edibles Incredible / Make Up: Carola Myers / Hair: Remona Soleimani / Band: Raggs and the All Stars / Lighting: John Farr Lighting / Rehearsal Dinner Venue: Trummer’s on Main / Brunch Venue: Willard InterContinental Hotel / Draping: Fabrication Events / Dance Floor: All Stage and Sound / Macarons: Kafe Leopold / Ceremony Musicians: Elan Artists’ violinist and vocalist / Valet: Marc Parc Valet / Cocktail Music: Celebrated String Quartet / Transportation: Atlantic / Antique Car Rental: Lasting Impressions / Escort Cards, Place Cards, Invitation Calligraphy, Save the Date Calligraphy: Lettering by Lynne / Save the Dates: Dandelion Patch / Dress and Bolero: Vera Wang, Ever After Miami

I’m obsessed with this couple. Like kind of embarrassingly obsessed with them. She’s so freaking cute I want to hug her. He is a total dream boat. And their crazy, mad love is enough to make me literally start crying. And kind of laughing at the cuteness at the exact same time. Layer on a white inspired reception that makes this blogger’s heart go pitter patter and photographs by Abby Jiu that make my knees weak and what do you get? Quite possibly one of my favorite weddings ever. Click here to see even more.

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From Abby Jiu Photography… Frederika (also known as Freddy) and Chris are one of the sweetest couples you’ll ever meet. The moment you meet them you just know, and I think the story of how they met pretty much sums it up. While serving in the Navy two years ago, one of Chris’ summer port calls was slated to be British Columbia. While at the port in Victoria, he was out in the city celebrating a friend’s promotion at a bar. That’s when he first spotted her. He nervously approached Freddy, and they hit it off and ended up talking all night. It went so well and Chris liked meeting Freddy so much that eight days later, he sent her flowers at work and included a note that read, “Frederika, Know that I’m thinking of you now and can’t stand to be apart from you. Meet me in Hawaii from July 3-6th — It’s all arranged. You’d make me the happiest, luckiest guy in the world.” Freddy agreed, and they met in Oahu and feel in love countless times over their vacation. And then five short months later, they were engaged!

Finding the perfect venue to host their reception proved to be a little difficult. While DC has a wealth of beautiful locations, many of them were unable to accommodate their 200 guests. They both agreed they wanted a big, fat wedding and couldn’t imagine excluding anyone for the sake of a venue. Then they came across the Park Hyatt Washington, and they knew they had found their match.

From the Bride… Neither of us grew up in one spot. I was born in Germany (where all of my extended family remains), and at age five, moved to Vancouver, Canada with my parents. Chris was also born in Germany, but as a military brat, he ended up moving to Alabama, North Carolina, New York, Kansas, Virginia, Florida, Texas, California, and of course, DC for college. He lived in DC the longest (four years) while attending Georgetown. Chris and I also knew that for our wedding, what we wanted most was a celebration that most of our family and friends could attend. Airport accessibility was crucial. DC is more or less equidistant to Vancouver and Germany, and most of Chris’s family is scattered across the East Coast. What really sealed the deal for us is that DC is an amazing spot for a vacation. Chris and I were confident that for those out-of-country friends and family traveling to the wedding, DC would not disappoint. The museums, the monuments, the Cherry Blossom Festival — all these things made DC the ideal wedding location.

Wedding Photography: Abby Jiu Photography / Ceremony: Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Washington, DC / Reception: Park Hyatt Washington in Washington, DC / Wedding Coordination: Cindy of A. Dominick Events / Floral Design: Yellow Door Floral Design / Wedding Cinematography: Chrome Glass Productions / Wedding Cake: Fluffy Thoughts / Wedding Paper Goods: Designed by Bride + Letter Pressed by Twin Ravens Press / DJ: Andres Perugachi / Wedding Dress: J.Crew / Bride’s Shoes: Kate Spade / Hair: Okyo Salon / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: J.Crew

I’m completely guilty of falling in love with a wedding, a couple, a pair of shoes, over a handful of beautiful images. Beautiful people, places, and weddings make for beautiful images – especially when paired with Love Life Images. This wedding is all that and a stunning chuppah. It’s a breathtaking couple. It’s an ultimate Washington D.C. venue. It’s the most amazing sliders I’ve ever seen. It’s total, butterflies in your stomach true love. And it doesn’t stop here!

Click here to see the whole fabulous day!

We live in NYC in beautiful Battery Park City in Lower Manhattan. We met in 2005 at a Halloween party and nearly six years later right outside our apartment along the Hudson river looking out to the Statue of Liberty, we got engaged!

Since the bride is from the DC-area, we knew we wanted to host our wedding down “south.” With nearly all of our guests coming from out of town, we thought DC would be a really fun and historic city for our guests to enjoy. We fell in love with the St. Regis because of its seamless blend of traditional/historical DC with a modern/contemporary twist. We were also drawn to the beautiful outdoor terrace where we held our ceremony.

Our yellow and grey color scheme, along with the bride’s Spanish-designed lace wedding dress and the historic and regal yet modern venue, were the inspirations for our wedding style. We also wanted to bring a bit of New York flavor to our wedding.

We were blessed with perfect weather: 80 degrees and sunny in October, a pleasant surprise. As a result, we were able to utilize the outside terrace the entire evening. We set up an outdoor bar, a photobooth, a cigar bar and everyone really enjoyed being able to go from dancing the night away in the ballroom to sipping a cocktail and enjoying a cigar outside.

The most memorable part of our wedding was the ceremony, of course, with the co-best men and co-maid of honors’ deeply moving speeches following a close second. Also, having our incredibly supportive families and closest friends from near and far in one place was the best feeling in the world. Lots of love and happiness.

Photography: Love Life Images / Coordinator: A. Dominick Events / Ceremony and Reception: St. Regis Hotel / Hair: Elegant Hair by Giselle / Make-Up: Kim Giammeria of Beauty Mark / Florist: Volanni / Catering + Cake: St. Regis / Reception music: DJ Blue / Lighting: Frost Lighting / Invitations: Cheree Berry Paper / Cinematography: Blue Sky Films / Dress Designer: Pronovias / Bridesmaid Dress Designer: J.Crew / Men’s Fashion: Hugo Boss

Who would have thought an actual bit of a dried up bee hive would make for fabulous wedding decor? I shouldn’t have been surprised when I heard Beehive Events was behind that fantastic detail. And because they teamed up with Bash to perfect this modern piece of wedded perfection, I definitely should have been expecting a phenomenal soiree. And I was. But after seeing Ethan Yang Photography‘s images from the day, I am floored. Speechless. In a total wedded perfection induced coma. Seriously, there are no words for this beyond phenom soiree.

Click here to see the entire wedding in the gallery!

The inspiration for our wedding was difficult for us to conceptualize at first.  I never daydreamed about my perfect wedding day, so initially, everything I found on weddings seemed so fresh and exciting.  After a while of looking through blogs and magazines for inspiration, I got overloaded with the details and lost focus.  We started from the beginning and agreed that for this most intimate occasion, our priority was to create an atmosphere of warmth for our family and friends.

Through my dress, I found a sense of direction.  We worked with Terri (our planner) and Shawn (our florist) to build a wedding full of textures, warmth, and juxtaposition.  Some of my favorite details include the candle wall used during the ceremony and “found objects” (a collection of bark, bones, beehives, etc.) that were scattered alongside our amazing centerpieces.  Our wedding turned out to be a great balance of modern and approachable.  I loved that we were able to include unique details without taking away from the real reason we were all there.

The Torpedo Factory Art Center served as the perfect blank canvas.  During the day, the building is vibrant, buzzing with activity, but far from intimate.  We were seriously concerned with how it would turn out and went back and forth between several venues for this reason.  But we underestimated its versatility.  We trusted our amazing vendors, and on our wedding night, the building took on an entirely different ambiance than what we had anticipated.  Once all the lighting and décor was in place, it turned into this romantic and intimate space, which felt so special against the concrete flooring and hanging art installations.

I took heed of past brides’ advice and truly stopped to savor the day.  But even as I try to look back and compare details of our wedding, nothing is as vivid as the moments leading up to the ceremony.  We had already shot our “first look” photos and spent hours together for additional shots before walking down the aisle.  But nothing hits you harder than when you realize it’s finally going to happen.  It was overwhelming, the surge of emotions in the air.  I feared that by the time I reached Dave at the end of the aisle, I would faint.  I thought to myself, “Get your act together.  Don’t lock your knees.  Breathe.  Grab Dave’s hand as soon as we go into prayer.”  And once I grabbed his hands, I regained my composure and became steady.  Some of my favorite photos are during the minutes before and during the ceremony when everything around us disappeared.  Those were the most honest moments of the day.  Even the shots of our parents and friends watching us as we exchanged our vows are incredibly touching.

Photography: Ethan Yang Photography / Wedding Planning: Bash / Floral + Decor: Beehive Events / Caterer: Design Cuisine / DJ: DJ D-Mac & Associates, Dj Rusty B / Lighting: John Farr Lighting / Photobooth: Poshbooth / Venue: Torpedo Factory Arts Center / Hair: Andre Chreky / Makeup: Susan Lim / Bride’s Gown: Vera Wang

Again we find ourselves saying farewell for now, and jumping head first into our weekend. And again, I wish our week of image after gorgeous image could go on just a little bit longer. But luckily we are heading out into a fabulous Spring weekend, which I’m positive will be filled with your own kind of wedding eye candy. And as excited as I am for that, I will admit, I cannot wait until Monday morning when Bash and I get to share more of this Virginia gem with you. Until then, my lovely LBBers. xoxo

Photography courtesy of Ethan Yang Photography. Planning by Bash.

Our lovely wedding-filled week at a glance:

a sweet navy + pink soiree straight from the Napa Valley
a West Palm Beach wedding that refused to give up any style in the face of a storm
an al fresco and all fabulous Colorado féte
a mix of traditional and modern that has our hearts racing in Wisconsin
a Connecticut wedding filled with love and personality
a rustic, travel themed, piece of Autumn perfection in Maine
a Lake Tahoe soiree that is perfectly romantic and fabulously nautical
a Secret Garden setting in this Texas fête
a rain-filled, cozy, chic California affair to die for

A few favorite links filled with inspiration for our favorite people

a stop you in your tracks GORGEOUS wedding via Grey Likes Weddings
a Dusky Caramel and Raspberry Crepe Cake (uh, yum.) via Poires au Chocolat
a balloon invitation with the best surprise factor via on-hand modern

In the mood for some modern inspiration to spice up your mid-afternoon?!?  Well, then, you most certainly came to the right place, because this uber-chic Washington, D.C. duo literally wrote the book on contemporary affairs – and it’s a study in glamour like you’ve never seen.  From the crystal-wrapped centerpieces to the cool black and white hues, every.single.moment captured by Renee Sprink Photography is pure stylish bliss.  Click here for more.

Click here for the FULL wedding!

Oh, and we’re not done yet.  We have a breathtaking film by Inkspot Crow Films to sweeten your day even more.  Trust me – you’ll be watching this one again and again. Enjoy!

From Inkspot Crow Films… On an overwhelmingly gorgeous fall day in October, Cate and Tim joined their close friends and family to celebrate their marriage at the iconic St. Regis Hotel in Washington, D.C. Guests enjoyed cookie and wine pairings courtesy of Cookies & Corks, before the couple, looking absolutely glamorous in their wedding attire (the Jorge Manuel dress was exquisite!), exchanged hand-written vows as the sun set over the terrace. The details of the day were impeccable, but what truly caught our attention was the thoughtful words the couple shared with one another during their ceremony. Filled with candor, hope and promise, their vows represented their genuine commitment to one another, just as wedding vows should. We were so moved by their words that we included many of their vows in their highlights film. For Cate and Tim, no celebration would be complete without a celebratory meal and wine shared with friends and family. Guests enjoyed a five-course culinary experience at Adour, St. Regis’ luxurious French restaurant, which holds a special place in the couples’ life together: it’s where Tim proposed to Cate!

Wedding Photography: Renee Sprink Photography / Ceremony: St. Regis Hotel in Washington, D.C. / Reception: Adour at the St. Regis Hotel / Wedding Coordination: Thy Parra of Evoke / Floral Design: Amaryllis, Inc. / Wedding Cinematography: Inkspot Crow Films / Wedding Invitations + Stationery: Haute Papier / Calligraphy: The Left Handed Calligrapher / Officiant: Jabari Douglas / Musicians: Sons of Pitch / Lighting: Frost Lighting / Sound: Elmostafa Abdelmoumen of PSAV / Cookies + Wine Pairings: Cookies & Corks / Rentals: Party Rental Ltd. + Wildflower Linens / Wedding Dress: Jorge Manuel (“The Emerald”) / Bride’s Shoes: Badgley Mischka / Earrings: Kate Spade / Necklace: Lee Angel / Makeup: Dana Reason Evans of Dana Skincare & Cosmetics

Marta Locklear is serving up a complete wedding stunner this morning…STUNNER (all caps) I tell you. It’s a caffeine-free jolt of pretty for the start of your work week, with a pinch of DIY sprinkled with vibrant color goodness topped off with one could-not-be-more-in-love adorable duo. D.C. couldn’t look more delightful, and you can see even more in the full gallery of gorgeous!

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the bride… We wanted our wedding to be a modern garden party with some vintage elements mixed in, and of course lots of DIY details! We met in Washington, DC in 2006 when I was working full time while going to business school at night. With little time to date, I found myself on Friendster (remember Friendster?), and Andy’s profile popped up as a ‘local single’. I thought he was cute, and we had lots in common, including both attending Quaker high schools (he in Providence, Rhode Island, and me in Baltimore, Maryland). I contacted him on the newer and cooler site MySpace, and we hit it off. After dating for three years, we bought a house together in DC and got engaged a year later. We knew that we had to be married in DC since we wanted the wedding to be a true reflection of us as a couple. A lot of our inspiration came from the location. The Sewall-Belmont House is located in the heart of Washington, DC, directly adjacent to the Capitol building, and is a historic home where many famous women once lived during the women’s movement.We liked the importance of this, and felt proud to host our wedding in this great place. We had to be budget conscious and did many of the decor elements ourselves, including all the paper products. Together we have art/web design backgrounds, so it was a quick decision to design and print our invitations, ceremony programs, welcome bag notes, etc. ourselves. I made the ring pillow with fabric purchased off Etsy and I made the cake plates from plates and candle stick holders from Goodwill by gluing them together and spray painting them white. Andy and I made all the chalkboard signs from frames purchased from a second hand store, painted gray and fitted with foamcore painted with chalkboard spray. The lettering was done by a very close friend. We also made the paper bunting inside the card basket, the ribbon flags for the cupcakes and the cork ampersand. Instead of a guest book, we took one of the gray frames, stenciled the word “LOVE” inside and asked guests to “leave a bit of love and your thumbprint.” Instead of numbering the tables, we chose images and icons from our hometowns of Baltimore, Maryland, and Providence, Rhode Island, along with a few from Washington, DC since these images would resonate with the majority of our guests. We cut them out of yellow paper using our Silhouette machine, mounted them on gray paper and framed them. The only project that did not have a DIY element to it was the circular paper fans that hung over the candy buffet. A local gifts store had these hanging in the window as a display, and I just happened to visit them when the display was headed to the recycle bin. The owner was nice enough to gift them to us and we were so happy to be able to reuse them. The most memorable moment was the ceremony. We wrote the entire ceremony ourselves with the help our of dear friend who was officiating. He was an internet “minister” that we got registered to perform ceremonies in DC, and it was so worth the bureaucratic hassle and paperwork. It was wonderful having him stand up there with us and help us along. We also wrote our own vows and didn’t allow each other to see them beforehand. When it came time to read them, we found we had written almost identical vows! We both were choked up, and I’ll never forget it. Of course a close second to the ceremony, was the Baltimore-DC dance-off that took place near the end of the party. I was in tears from laughing so hard at my nearest and dearest busting a move!

Wedding Photography: Marta Locklear / Wedding Venue: Sewall-Belmont House & Museum in Washington DC / Day-Of Coordinator: Courtney Swierczek of A Sweet Soiree / Florist: Karin’s Florist / Cupcakes: Woodmoor Pastry Shop (301-593-7667) / DJ: Song for You / Tent + Equipment Rental: Select Events Rental / Wedding Dress: Birnbaum & Bullock / Bride’s Shoes: Cole Haan / Bride’s Earrings: LiveInStyle / Maid of Honor’s Dress: Saja Wedding / Tuxes: Geoffrey Lewis / Bride’s Wedding Band: Custom-Made by Stanton Jewelry / Groom’s Wedding Band: Belonged to his Late Grandfather / Officiant: A Friend of the Groom / Baskets: IKEA / Picture Frames: IKEA + RusticRefined / Table Centerpiece Paper: Kate’s Paperie / Cupcake Table Paper Fans: Reused from an Old Window Display at Trohv / Flip Flops: Old Navy / “R” and “A” Wire Letters: Urban Outfitters

When this couple couldn’t decide whether to go for the grandeur of Washington D.C. or the serenity of Maryland for their nuptials, they did what any normal bride and groom would do – and went for both. They were married at a romantic Maryland park, but not before a few phenom photo ops at the U.S. Capitol. To execute this beyond amazing wedding, the smart twosome hired some of the best in the business – from Pineapple Productions and Rodney Bailey to Holly Heider Chapple and Catering by Windows among other A-listers. Click here for the gallery!

When Ben and I first started considering wedding venues, we couldn’t decide whether we wanted to have our wedding in a downtown D.C. location where we could enjoy views of the city and its monuments, or whether we preferred a more quiet, rural setting with space to enjoy the outdoors. Although we did ultimately choose a venue on a forty-acre nature preserve in the Maryland suburbs, we were able to sneak in a little time at an unmistakably “D.C.” spot.

We were fortunate to have the opportunity to stop by the U.S. Capitol (where my dad has worked for over 30 years) for a few pictures before heading to our venue. We almost decided to forgo the photo op during the planning stages because access to the Capitol is extremely limited for professional photographers, not to mention that the building is open to the public on Saturdays so we knew we’d have crowds to contend with. We are SO glad we made the trip! As it turned out, the tourists were really receptive to us – we were even greeted by applause when we walked into the jam-packed Rotunda! The building itself is magnificent and made for such spectacular pictures both inside and out! Also, we loved the contrast of starting the day at such an iconic D.C. location, since the rest of our day was spent at our far more rural venue.

Ben and I didn’t want to tie our wedding to one specific theme, but we were determined to make it feel personal and unique to us. He proposed on our six-year anniversary with my grandmother’s diamond ring, and from that moment I knew I wanted our wedding to feel intimate and family-oriented. From having my 101-year-old grandfather (a World War II veteran) walk me down the aisle with my dad, to asking our dear friend to officiate a ceremony filled with jokes and personal stories, to a reception complete with lawn games including a cornhole set handmade by Ben and his father and hand painted by me, we made sure to sprinkle the whole day with personal touches. The more details I selected and created myself, the more special the entire process felt to me. I scoured Etsy for unique items like the handcrafted bird cage for cards, the cake toppers shaped like birds as a tribute to our venue at the Audubon Naturalist Society, and the tiny logs and stationery that I combined to mimic a mini escort card forest. I picked up the miniature bird houses and wooden numbers at a craft store, and stained and painted them to turn them into table numbers. Although my grandmother passed away years ago, I pinned the heart necklace my grandfather had given her to my bouquet as my “something borrowed.”

We wanted the day to feel relaxed, so we extended the cocktail hour to an hour and a half and created an outdoor seating area so our guests could enjoy the beautiful setting. We wanted the vibe to be upbeat and energetic, so we chose “All You Need Is Love” by the Beatles as our recessional and “If It’s Love” by Train as our first dance song. And we wanted to make sure our guests were taken care of from beginning to end, with everything from flip flops to avoid achy feet to buses to and from the hotels provided by Ben’s childhood camp. Our wedding turned out better than I could have ever imagined. But it wasn’t just the wedding day that stands out to me, as special as it truly was. We spent so many hours with our friends and families as we worked to put the various pieces together, bonding over wood glue and laughing during dance lessons. Now, as I think about our wedding, the journey to get there was an inseparable part of what made the whole thing so perfect.

Venue: U.S. Capitol + Woodend Sanctuary / Event Planner: Arney Walker, Pineapple Productions / Caterer: Catering By Windows / Photographer: Photos by RodneyBailey.com / Floral Design: Holly Heider Chapple Flowers / Outdoor Furniture: Capital Decor / Invitations: Jessica Stalnaker / Reception Entertainment: DJ Dan Goldman / Ceremony Music: Cherry Blossom String Quartet / Photobooth: Dan Goldman, Bialek’s

There so many reasons why we love Kate Headley‘s photography so much and you can see why from this striking Washington, D.C. wedding.  Just like the images that we adore, the entire affair is classic, crisp and elegant through and through with a perfect color palette, exquisite details and personal touches that have us positively pleased as punch.  See it all in the full gallery!

Click here for the FULL wedding!

From the bride… Billy and I were high school sweethearts, so when he proposed in Paris on my 26th birthday, I eagerly said “yes” and couldn’t wait to get to work on planning our wedding.  Having both grown up in Northern Virginia in families of boaters, we knew that we wanted to find a venue on the Potomac River.  Upon visiting Trump National Golf Club, we looked no further.  The Club was in the process of completing an infinity pool waterfall overlooking the river, and we could perfectly picture our ceremony taking place right at the top of it.

We wanted the wedding to have a clean and fresh yet elegant feel to it, so we chose a color palette of blues, crisp white and gold tones, which was also a nod to the nautical inspiration for the venue choice.  Given that we have known each other for so long, our family and friends are very intertwined, so we wanted the day to be fun and personal for our guests.  One of our favorite personal touches was our table naming scheme; the table markers were the names of restaurants where we have celebrated meaningful life experiences, including high school and college graduations, milestone birthdays and anniversaries, and our favorite late night pizza.  Another personal touch was that the chocolate covered strawberries served with dessert were wearing blue and white striped bowties that matched Billy’s custom bowtie; this was a fun DIY project that two of my bridesmaids helped me complete the week before the wedding.  Additionally, throughout the wedding we had little homages to Paris, the site of our engagement, such as custom postage printed with “Je t’aime”, and DIY muslin favor bags stamped with “Merci.”  Finally, as our guestbook, we designed a photo album using our engagement photos; this was particularly meaningful, as one of the groomsmen was our engagement photographer.

Our wedding day was utterly amazing, and throughout the day we sporadically stopped to soak it in and enjoy the moment.  Most importantly, it was the joy of seeing all of our family and friends together in one place that made the day perfect for us.  Neither of us could stop smiling all day, and the sparkler sendoff was the perfect end to a truly magical day!

Photography: Kate Headley / Wedding Gown: Amsale / Bridesmaid Gowns: Amsale / Groom’s Custom Cummerbund + Bowtie: High Cotton Ties / Save The Dates: The Dandelion Patch / Wedding Stationery: Arzberger Stationer / Bride’s Shoes: Christian Louboutin / Sparklers: Sparkle LLC / Cupcakes: Georgetown Cupcakes / Wedding Cake: Balducci’s / Bride’s Hair: PR at Partners / Ceremony Venue, Reception Venue + Catering: Trump National Golf Club / Flowers: Flowers & Plants, Etc. / Tent: Sugarplum Tents / Guestbook: Somerset Albums / Cocktail Napkins: For Your Party / Bridesmaid Earrings: Custom by Margaret Elizabeth

We love, love, LOVE a modern soiree here at Style Me Pretty, so it should come as no surprise that this stunning Washington D.C. affair has us happy dancing right out of our seats.  And, trust us, you’ll be joining in on the celebration once you take in the crisp green and white color palette, succulent-filled blooms by Beehive Events and every last gorgeous image captured magnificently by SOTA Dzine.  Yep, contemporary goodness is pouring from every nook and cranny of this fantastic affair and with Bash planning the entire event to a perfect tee (In just three months!), you know the gallery is overflowing with pretty.  Join me there for more!

From Bash… The client came to me with less than 3 months before their wedding. The couple wanted the evening to feel like a dinner party for their guests, and that’s exactly what we did!

Cocktails took place on the overlook next to the bridge. Guests circulated from here to the lumber shed, where the aerial artist hung from and performed.  The couple joined in cocktails. After, everyone moved to the foot of the bridge while the bride processed towards them from the opposite end.

After the ceremony, everyone moved below the bridge to two long rectangular tables. Here, a seven course tasting menu was served ending with a micro bride and groom’s cake for each guest. The menu was created by the couple’s good friend, Chef RJ Cooper, of DC’s Rogue 24.  The groom’s immediate family sang acapella during the meal and a champagne bar stayed open during this time.  After dinner, a DJ took over and spun late night.

The Yards Park is an outdoor venue next to Nationals Stadium in SE DC. We were their first wedding as the venue only recently opened. The decor and flowers were inspired by outdoor patio spaces in Restoration Hardware catalogs. Each table had its own mini succulent garden and overhead hung varied lanterns that we dimmed as the went on.

Wedding Planner: Bash / Wedding Photography: SOTA Dzine / Wedding Venue: Yards Park / Catering: Chef RJ Cooper for Susan Gage Caterers / Floral Design & Decor: Beehive Events / DJ: DJ Mr. Greene / Band: Bossa Nova, Elan Artists / Restroom Trailers: Gotugo / Aerial Trapeze Artist: Trapeze School of New York

Every bride describes her wedding day as the most perfect day. This bride, really lucked out. Having a July wedding in the Washington D.C. area is a risk for any bride – but the risk paid off for this lucky couple. The weather was unseasonably perfect, which made it so much easier for the guests to really see how fantastic the wedding really was. Planned and designed by Simply Chic Events, the whole soiree was a true and beautiful testament of the couple’s love. The flowers, courtesy of Holly Heider Chapple Flowers, brought the rustic chic the wedding softly eluded to to an entirely new level. And the entire family-centric affair was captured by Kim Seidl Photography, phenomenally. Click here to see more!

Geoff proposed to me on a beautiful fall day (my birthday!) on one of our favorite bike rides in Virginia.  He had prepared a special picnic and champagne and we were able to celebrate while enjoying great views of our adopted “hometown” of Washington, DC.

We enjoyed about one week of engagement before we went into planning mode!  We knew we both wanted an outdoor summer wedding, and it was easy to decide on Woodend Sanctuary after seeing what a beautiful setting it would provide for an outdoor ceremony.  Of course, when the only availability was in July, we ignored the awful DC summer weather and booked it right away!

After picking the location, we talked about how we wanted our wedding to look and feel.  We wanted fun, relaxed, and natural, but something special too.  Luckily, our next move was meeting with Kate Harlan from Simply Chic Events.  She was able to take our long list of random adjectives and provide us with a vision that was perfect for us.  Working with Kate for the months leading up to the wedding made everything so much more relaxing – and fun!

We settled on a color scheme of whites and natural materials (wood, burlap, cork, etc.), with pops of yellows, blues, and greens.  Given our engagement story and favorite activities, we also decided to incorporate biking and wine into our wedding decor.  Kate introduced us to Niki Chandler, a talented local artist, who put together personalized welcome bags with a map of our engagement trek, a guestbook poster, custom pint glasses, and programs and menus that featured our colors and flowers.

We were also lucky to have the assistance of our families in putting together our perfect day.  Geoff’s mom sewed a burlap table runner for the head table and lace runners for the picnic tables.  Geoff’s sister and my mother assembled stir sticks, seating cards and place cards with our bike theme.  My brother even served as the officiant!  One of our favorite details were our “family trees” – we had family members and close friends send pictures of us and our families through the years and we hung them on jute twine around three beautiful trees for guests to enjoy during cocktail hour.

We could not have been happier with the way the evening came together!  We were SO lucky with the weather and enjoyed an unseasonably cool weekend.  The outdoor ceremony was just as we had hoped, and the floral arrangements and bouquets by Holly Heider Chappel were perfectly summery, natural and amazing.  Our guests enjoyed some signature cocktails (“Texa-Ritas” and “Publix Punch”) while checking out our family trees and sampling from the rustic cheese table.  The dinner took place in a tent attached to the mansion, and the decor was breathtaking.  Kate had created the most amazing and unique chandeliers out of wine corks that we had collected over time.  The head table looked so magical lit by the candles hanging from the chandeliers and the lanterns and votives lining the table.  Geoff and I were the last to leave our own wedding – just a perfect day.

Event Planning + Design: Kate Harlan, Simply Chic Events / Photography: Kim Seidl Photography / Ceremony + Reception Location: Woodend Sanctuary / Flowers: Holly Heider Chapple Flowers / Catering: Windows Catering Company / Lighting: John Farr Lighting / Day-of Stationary + Signage: Niki Chandler, Nichole Creative / DJ: Ross Anderson, Chris Laich Music Services / Ceremony Musician: Classical Guitar Ceremonies, Inc / Hair + Makeup: Kim Steele / Bride’s Dress: Judd Waddell / Bridesmaids’ Dress: J.Crew / Invitations: Taylor Street Paper / Transportation: Linder + Associates

Happy Thanksgiving SMP-ers!  We have so much to be thankful for: the fact that we get to look at gorgeous weddings day after day and, of course, you!  We hope you have a love and food-filled holiday surrounded by friends, families, and lots of pie!  As an extra special treat, we have a phenomenal fall rehearsal dinner by Pineapple Productions with decor that is fitting for the holiday table or a casually chic al fresco wedding.  Click here to get all the autumn inspiration in the full gallery!

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From Pineapple Productions…When Mary and I first started working together, she showed me photographs of a beautiful al fresco dinner set within a community garden in an urban area.  She hoped her rehearsal dinner would have the same feel — from the casual-but-chic outdoor setting to the seasonal fresh-from-the-garden cuisine.

We were all set with the perfect venue, the perfect caterer and the perfect floral designer when Mother Nature threw us a curve ball.  Record high temperatures hit Washington, DC, and the extreme heat and humidity made it impossible to be outdoors, even in the late evening.  Vendors worked together at the last minute to move the event to an indoor location and then to craft a plan that preserved Mary’s urban garden style inspiration.

To keep the al fresco feeling alive, rather than cancelling the market umbrellas, we kept them.  We just moved them into an art studio space with lofty ceilings.  From those lofty ceilings, Holly Heider Chapple hung an assortment of lanterns — some weathered wood, some nickle, some bronze — and interspersed them with suspended clutches of baby’s breath to add an ethereal and natural quality to the studio setting.

We completely re-worked the floor plan, using a mix of long rectangular tables and rounds dressed in heavy natural linen in a seamist and ivory color.  Some linens were striped, and others were in a graphic Grecian key pattern for a dressed up picnic feel.  Holly placed more lanterns on the tables, as well as herb pots and wooden boxes filled with dahlias, roses, hydrangeas and thistle in cheery coral, red  and blue tones.

The menu reflected favorites from Mary’s home state of Texas and her new home of Michigan.  Texas style watermelon margaritas and cans of Michigan’s own Vernor’s Ginger Ale were passed on trays as guests arrived for the party.  We also set up a beer bar featuring Mary and John’s favorite Michigan microbrews.  The buffet featured firecracker tenderloin of beef, pecan crusted chicken, crab cake sliders and Texas “caviar” made from black eyed peas and colorful peppers.  Dessert included Southern style caramel cake as well as hand pies made from Michigan cherries.

Venue: Halcyon House / Event Planner:  Allison Jackson of Pineapple Productions /Caterer: Design Cuisine / Photography: Kate Headley / Floral Design: Holly Heider Chapple Flowers LTD / Invitations: Just Paper and Tea / Calligraphy + Signage: Arney Walker Calligraphy

Hey LBBers, I want to introduce you to Mary Kate McKenna Photography. Some of you may already know and love her, and the rest of you? Well, you will know and love her after spending all afternoon with this classic Washington DC affair. The wedding was pure perfection on a stick – and MK was there to capture it all beautifully. From the gorgeous bride, to the adorable flower girl, to the handsome groom – and every little detail in between – are fab. Double fab. Maybe even triple fab. Click here for more!

We met at American University in Washington, DC, where we were both students and working in the same campus office. It took a little while for the first date to happen, but when it did, it was a sushi dinner and a walk around the Jefferson Memorial, which Mark knew to be Katie’s favorite. When Mark proposed five years later, he did so by recreating this first date (on the sly, with the help of Katie’s maid of honor, Flannery) and asked Katie to marry him on the steps of the Jefferson.

The Meridian House was the first venue that we visited and we knew immediately that it was the right place for our wedding. We were looking for an elegant Washington, DC venue that had both indoor and outdoor spaces, as we hoped to hold the ceremony outdoors and then move indoors for dinner and dancing.  The Meridian House exceeded all expectations.  Nestled on a one-way street across from Meridian Hill Park, it is a hidden gem that offers beautiful gardens, a one-of-a-kind linden tree grove, and classic beauty, inside and out.  It was instantly our wedding style inspiration, which our florist described perfectly: Old World Luxe.

Our colors were bronze, chocolate and cream, which were featured in our save the dates, invitations, escort cards, place cards, programs, and guest book.  We wanted to do as much ourselves as possible, and worked hard to put personal touches on everything: the save the dates were designed and printed by Mark (and hand-embellished by, with envelopes embossed by Katie); the invitations were hand wax-sealed; the escort cards were hand-stamped and handwritten; the guests’ gift bags were hand-stamped and filled with goodies, including homemade chocolate chip cookies that Katie baked; and the guest book was carefully pieced together by Katie – she filled a photo album with chocolate and bronze envelopes, and stamped and embossed coordinating stickers to seal the “secret notes” guests were encouraged to leave behind.  After reading the entire guest book, we can safely say that while some of these secret notes contained words of wisdom and best wishes, others were more reminders of how much fun everyone had at the reception!

Other personal touches were special to us, because we were able to incorporate, or ask the advice of, people close to us.  Mark’s aunt is an accomplished musician and former U.S. Marine String Orchestra member – she and her quartet, Montebello Strings, provided the music for the ceremony and cocktail hour.  Katie’s good friend from high school is well connected in the music and DJ scene and was happy to introduce us to DJ Cuzzin B, who absolutely rocked out the reception.  Our wonderful photographer, MK, is an old friend from college, who we have known for years and we were so happy to share this event with her.

The day of our wedding, the weather called for rain.  We were lucky enough to take photos outside (slightly cloudy is great light for photos!) but had to take advantage of our Plan B and move the ceremony inside.  This, too, ended up being lucky, as the room we moved into was filled to the brim and made for a very intimate, and very personal, wedding ceremony.  One of Katie’s favorite memories is walking into the room and just filling up with an overwhelming happiness of seeing, so close together, all of the people who mean so much to us in our lives.  It was a very, very special moment.

We worked with our minister, Rev. Jeff Maszal, to create our own ceremony, one that would be very special and personal to us. Our readings were excerpts from larger works that have great meaning for us: from Love and Living by Thomas Merton (Mark) and from Le Petit Prince by Antoine de St-Exupery (Katie). In this second reading, the Little Prince is reminded by the Fox he meets that only with the heart can one see rightly and that he, the Little Prince, is forever responsible for his rose, the rose that he has chosen.

One of Mark’s favorite memories from the wedding is the curveball Jeff threw at us—ad libbing from the ceremony script following this reading, Jeff asked Katie and Mark to look into each other’s eyes and repeat after him: “I am responsible for my rose.” It was an incredibly unexpected, emotional, and beautiful moment.

After the ceremony, the weather held off just enough so that guests could mingle in the linden grove and stroll through Meridian’s beautiful gardens. Out on the lawn, guests played our favorite lawn sports while sipping cocktails. Everyone then moved inside for a family-style dinner, catered by Lebanese Taverna. As food and travel are important parts of our lives, we wanted to incorporate both of these elements into the wedding dinner. An exotic yet accessible cuisine like Lebanese—which is also very conducive to sharing family style—fit that vision perfectly. We also chose French wines to serve to our guests, to reflect both of our years spent studying in France and our shared love for the country (including a white from the Loire Valley, made not 30 miles from where Mark lived). Mark also chose to serve one of his favorite beers, Porkslap Farmhouse Ale, which is brewed in upstate New York not far from Katie’s hometown of Rochester and is known for its refreshing ginger flavor and distinctive bright orange can.

To bid guests thank you and farewell, we sent them off with boxes of French macarons, Katie’s favorite cookie, from Michel Patisserie.  The flavors were Katie’s favorites: rose, pistachio, cafe, and vanilla.  

Our favorite photos from the wedding, in addition to the ones we took with family and friends and the ones that show everyone having a great time, are those that look timeless and will age gracefully.

Photography: Mary Kate McKenna Photography / Event Design: Friends of the bride / Ceremony Location: The Meridian House / Reception Location: The Meridian House / Shoes: Jimmy Choo / Floral Designer: Beehive Events / 
String quartet: Montebello Strings / 
Reception DJ: DJ Cuzzin B, Robert Carter /
 Day-of Coordinator: Ashley J. Bolding / 
Invitation Designer: Paper Source / 
Caterer: Lebanese Taverna / 
Cake & Desserts: CakeLove, Michel Patisserie / 
Wedding Gown Designer: Modern Trousseau, from Hitched / 
Bridesmaid’s Dress Designer: Joanna August, from Bella Bridesmaid / 

Veil: Sara Gabriel, from Gabriella New York / 
Hair and Makeup: Madeline Wade

Before you head off into your weekend festivities, we thought it proper to give you a pretty send off with this bundle o’ Washington D.C. goodness. And with Abby Jiu Photography behind the camera and A. Dominick Events whipping up many a stunning detail, this classic wedding is sporting a huge side of chic, city elegance. The couple? Drop dead gorgeous. The venue? Completely breathtaking. The florals by Beehive Events? Just about as pretty as you can get. So what are you waiting for? It’s officially time to delve into some pretty. See the full wedding here!

Click here to see the entire gallery of images!

From the Bride…Morgan and I met in college and have lived in Washington, D.C. since 2006.  After getting engaged, we knew that we wanted to have our wedding in D.C. so that our family and friends could experience D.C.’s history, culture, and food scenes – all the things we love about this city.  We started our wedding planning by searching for a unique venue that had an outdoor space for the ceremony.  After looking at a handful of options in and around D.C., we found our ideal location in Halcyon House, an 18th-century Georgetown mansion that is complete with tiered gardens that overlook the Potomac River and a very cool reception space – the owner’s first floor sculpture studio!

After setting the date with Halcyon House, we knew wanted to work with a local planner to help us refine our vision for our wedding day.  We immediately clicked with Aimee of A. Dominick Events.  Aimee and her colleague, Danielle, helped us immensely in every part of the wedding planning process.  We are especially grateful to them for helping us with finding fabulous vendors and for flawlessly executing our wedding day plans.   A big part of our planning included flowers and décor.  Our floral vision included soft, flowing arrangements in an array of blush colors that would work well with the historic features of Halcyon House, and complement its modern reception space.   Another important element to us was lighting, so we incorporated plenty of soft candlelight glow from wrought-iron chandeliers, hanging lanterns, and scattered candles.  Beehive Events understood our concept and gorgeously combined all the floral, lighting, and design elements.  On our wedding day, I loved seeing my bouquet and the “something blue” surprise designed by my mom and sisters – two petite blue flowers tucked into the bouquet!  And it was fun to get a sneak peek of all the décor before the reception began.

When our wedding weekend finally arrived, we kicked off the festivities with a welcome party for our out-of-town guests at our favorite local wine bar, Cork, which was a great way to introduce our family and friends to our neighborhood, and to each other!   Although the weather forecast threatened our outdoor ceremony, we were so glad that the rain stayed away.  Every moment of our wedding day, from putting on my wedding dress for real to laughing (and maybe shedding a tear) during the toasts, was surreal and very happy.  At the end of the day, the best part was having all of our family and friends there to celebrate with us!

Wedding Location: Halcyon House / Wedding Photography: Abby Jiu Photography / Event Planner: A. Dominick Events / Floral Design: Beehive Events / Rental Company: Party Rentals + Perfect Settings / Lighting: Frost Lighting / Caterer: Occasions Catering / Wedding Cake: Kendall’s Cake / Band: The Winn Brothers Band / Ceremony Music: Celebrated String Quartet

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

When I first started checking out this Virginia wedding, there was something so romantic that I loved so much about it. I just couldn’t put my finger on it. Yes, I loved the cake, the bridesmaids bouquets, the centerpieces, the veil… but there was something more in the images from Love Life Images that I just couldn’t place. And then I read the brides description of the day. And it hit me. This whole entire affair, planned by the couple and the pro’s over at A. Dominick Events, was a family affair. Every single detail was carefully chosen by the bride and groom to represent a special part of their family. Family members took part of the ceremony, planning, prep, and reception. No wonder it seemed so special! Definitely click here for the whole wedding in the gallery.

I think in many ways, the driving force for our wedding was family and friends.  We wanted our wedding to be a celebration not only of our life together but of all the people who have shaped our lives and our relationship.  We tried to weave family elements into the details of our wedding whenever we could.  Matt’s uncle presided over our ceremony, his aunt sang Bach’s Ave Marie for our mothers and grandparents as they came down the aisle, and his father selected the exsultate jubilate for our recessional.

I chose my long veil to be reminiscent of the handmade lace one my grandmother wore in her wedding in the 1930’s, but the one I wore had alonson lace to reflect my mother’s wedding gown.  My bouquet held two peonies from my great grandmother’s peony bush and was wrapped in a lace handkerchief from my father’s mother.  The peonies, which were much of the inspiration behind our wedding decor, came from a peony bush that had been transported from my great grandmother’s garden, to my grandmother’s garden, to my mother’s garden.

Family elements continued at the reception, where we used clothes pins to string up old family photos.  Our cake-topper was my great -great aunt’s from her flapper wedding in the 1920s and we cut the cake with the cake cutter my parent’s used at their wedding. What has been particularly special is seeing some of our wedding traditions now continue with our family and friends.  My sister wore my stephinotis hair pins in her wedding this past November, and my friend Andrea wore them in her wedding this spring.

We tried to capture a casually elegant feel throughout the wedding, and wanted a relaxed garden party reception, where everyone could kick back and relax and just have a grand time.  All of our flowers were relaxed and natural – I wanted flowers that really looked like flowers – loose and luscious and joyous. The grounds were so beautiful, and we wanted people to wander and explore all that the gardens had to offer – so a big bucket of flip flops was a must.We set up lawn games like croquet and bacchi ball and horse shoes around the grounds so that people had fun things to do. Others took advantage of the old fashioned rocking chairs to sit on the porch and enjoy the views of the Potomac.

The meal was meant to reflect east coast summer time cooking at it’s best – garden tomato and goat cheese salad, simple roasted summer vegetables, and a heavenly seafood pot pie.  Big pitchers of lemonade and iced teas were particular hits since it end up being a hot day.  For a surprise, we served cookies with mini school-days style milk cartons along with wedding cake for dessert.

In terms of decor, details were important to me.  I wanted to have a lot of unexpected details, but to have them blend easily into our wedding.  I felt like it wasn’t about the details, but that they could really enhanced our guest’s experience.  Our welcome bags were filled with treats from my native Maryland – Utz chips, Rhebs candies, and Bergers cookies, and lists with our favorite things to do in DC, so our out of town family and friends could enjoy our favorite parts of the city.  Our programs were all hand made, as was our guest book at the reception. I also hand made the table markers.  To reflect the garden theme, we selected flower names which we printed, posted, and “planted” in moss covered planters to look like garden markers. We had cocktail napkins with our joint monogram – CMB, and drink sticks stamped with peonies. To reflect the causally elegant garden feel, we went with rough burlap table cloths covered in a crisp white linen topper with eclectic antique china and old fashioned wine and champagne glasses. Our favors were absurdly delicious shortbread cookies that I’m proud to say Matt made from scratch – all 400 or so of them!

In terms of my favorite memories from the day, I’d have to say having a relaxed morning with mom, sister, and the rest of my bridesmaids, including my friend who flew back from Afghanistan to be there, seeing Matt when the doors opened at Holy Trinity – it was every bit as heart stopping as everyone says it will be, taking pictures at the Monuments, particularly on the back of the Lincoln Memorial where we got engaged, playing croquet barefoot with my bridesmaids, and sitting out in the garden watching the fire flies as dusk fell over the Potomac at the end of the night.

Event Planner: A. Dominick Events / Florist: Sidra Forman / Ceremony Venue: Holy Trinity Catholic Church / Reception Venue:  George Washington River Farm / Catering: Design Cuisine / Photography: Love Life Images / Videography: Blue Sky Films