Romance at The National Cathedral {Ashley + Adrian}

A few weeks ago, I had the great fortune to work in one of my favorite places in the city: The National Cathedral. I've been doing weddings at The Cathedral for well over a decade now and can't count how many brides I've sent down that magestic aisle. I love the grandeur and reverance of the space; I always feel both humbled and inspired after being inside the Cathedral.
I also love the Cathedral staff. The Vergers know their stuff and working with them is always a pleasure.

If being in the Cathedral again wasn't wonderful enough, I got to work with the nicest couple you could imagine. Ashley and Adrian were an absolute dream! I started working with Ashley at the beginning of the year and we hit it off right away. We're both vegetarians who love yoga and animals (Ashley plans events for the Humane Society) so it was a perfect fit. We had the best time running all over to find the perfect reception site (finally landing on the beautiful Strathmore Mansion) and vendors to make her wedding day perfect.

Ashley was such a calm bride. She even calmed the nerves of her soon-to-be stepdaughter right before the long walk down the aisle. Adrian's three charming children all took part in the ceremony and behaved beautifully. It was touching to see that they all felt part of their new family already.

After the gorgeous ceremony in the Great Choir at The Cathedral, Ashley and Adrian ran outside while guests blew bubbles and dashed off to Strathmore Mansion for the reception. They took photos on the lovely grounds before joining guests inside the house. Sharone from DaVinci's Florist created the beautiful, classic arrangements in shades of cream and white for the bride and burgandy and celedon at the reception.

Ashley has wanted a reception that was fun and fluid so, instead of seating everyone, we had various size and shapes of tables throughout the mansion (some long, tall share tables and some cocktail tables). Waiters passed small composed plates (mini crab cake with corn souffle, fried chicken on mashed potatoes) to guests and then a main buffet opened. Augie Bove of Strathmore made sure that the food and service were flawless. I love working with Augie!

Guests danced to the sounds of Bittersweet before the bride and groom cut the cake from Just Cakes. Just Cakes also provided the heart-shaped chocolate chip cookies that guests left with at the end of the night.

Special thanks to Joseph Allen for the gorgeous photos. Joseph is an absolute delight to work with and creates such stunning images. It was an honor to be a part of such a special day for such special people in such a truly special place. I really do have a great job! Thanks to Ashley and Adrian for letting us share their joy.

Laura