I wouldn't normally recommend being anywhere near Rolling Thunder over Memorial weekend but being downtown in the middle of all the madness was definitely worth it for Kristen and Eric's amazing wedding. While the bikers did create some logistical challenges for us (we had to load everyone into the Mellon super-early before all the streets were closed off and we had to reroute the shuttles around the parade), the day turned out to be fabulous!
The bride begin the wedding day getting ready at The Willard Hotel with a hair and makeup team from Gustavo Mottola. She was completely calm and happy (even though she'd only gotten a few hours of sleep the night before).
The bridesmaids donned mint green dresses and the bride slipped into her gorgeous gown before heading off for St. Matthew's Cathedral for the ceremony. My favorite part of the traditional Catholic wedding mass was the rows of Kristen's kindergarten students waiting eagerly to see their teacher. They were so excited they were bouncing up and down and nearly passed out when they saw her! Very sweet!
After the ceremony, Kristen and Eric hopped in a classic white Rolls and took a few photos down around the Capitol before joining their guests at the Mellon Auditorium. Frank from Rock Creek Limo pulled together the many limos and shuttle buses (including the classic car) we used on the wedding day and was a pleasure to work with.
At the reception, guests enjoyed cocktails upstairs on the terrace before entering the spectacular ballroom. Karen Kallmyer did a lovely job with the natural look that Kristen wanted for the tables and escort card display, using lots of wheat grass, bark and moss to create the rustic yet sophisticated decor.
The tables were set with white linens and gold and white china for a crisp, clean look. White and green menu cards were tucked into white hemstiched linen napkins.
Capitol Decor and Events provided the glossy white dance floor and lounge furniture while John Farr Lighting provided the lighting.
The bride and groom took a few photos at The Mellon with the fabulous team of photographers from Hamilton Photography.
After cocktails, guests entered the auditorium to the sounds of Party On The Moon, unquestionably one of the best bands I've ever worked with.
After an amazing dinner by Susan Gage Caterers, guests took to the dance floor and kept the floor packed for the rest of the night.
Party on the Moon was nothing short of amazing, inspiring guests to do back flips (literally)!
A huge thanks to all the vendors who put in lots of extra hours to be set up early and to the band who drove up from Atlanta and was so easy to work with. Everyone went above and beyond to pull off a wedding on what may be one of the toughest days to work in downtown D.C. (especially if you're working on the Rolling Thunder parade route like we were). A big hug to Jenna at The Mellon for giving us the extra time we needed to pull off the set-up, and kudos to my assistants Renee and Nicole. I couldn't have done it without you!
Thanks to Mark Hamilton for the stunning images and for being such a delight to work with. And a special thank you to Kristen and Eric for letting us share their gorgeous wedding!
Laura
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