A Decatur House Wedding {Suzanne & Rob}

What a gorgeous way to end the busy month of June!  Again, we are spoiled with the world's nicest clients.  We were so privileged to work with Suzanne and Rob and their families on a lovely Southern-style reception at Holy Trinity and Decatur House.  Suzanne is a North Carolina native and wanted a relaxed reception that echoed weddings she loved from home but also included D.C. elements and wasn't too foreign to Rob's family, who is not from the South (but is equally delightful).  They succeeded fabulously with an elegant and personal event that blended all the charm of Southern weddings with the urban sophistication of a party in the heart of the Capitol.

Suzanne and her bridal party got ready at the recently remodeled Jefferson Hotel with the fantastic Gustavo Mottola's hair and makeup team.  Gustavo did a wonderful job of making everyone look natural but amazing!

Suzanne's stunning dress was by Modern Trousseau. The embroidered organza and scalloped neckline were gorgeous, and the cathedral length veil completed the look. 

I love all the detail shots Andrea from The Observatory got during the ceremony!  Both the flower girls and ring bearer did really well sitting still for as long as they did but a whole mass is a lot for even some adults!

Green seems to have been our bridesmaid dress hue of the season.  It looks so fresh for summer and goes with just about any color.  As one of our florist friends always says, green acts as a neutral in the flower world.

After the ceremony, the happy couple took portraits around the city, including in front of the National Geographic Building, where they both work and met!

After the ceremony, Atlantic Services shuttled guests to Decatur House in Lafayette Park. A string quartet from MSE Productions played during cocktail hour while guests sipped drinks and enjoyed hors d'oeuvres from Main Event Caterers.

Sugarplum Tents (always our go-to tent company) did a great job setting up the tent in courtyard for the reception.  Instead of full seating, we designed the space with two long, high share tables on the sides of the dance floor with lots of small cabaret tables as well as groupings of sofas and soft chairs. I love the cushions in the wedding colors with the wedding date and the couples' new initials (plus a luxe throw, although with the warm weather it was more for a color splash than warmth)!  


The supremely talented (and fabulously fun) Philippa Tarrant did all the floral decor and pulled off the clean, crisp look beautifully.  Suzanne loved lush white flowers against the celedon green linens from Party Rentals!

The bride and groom danced to "Tupelo Honey" then Suzanne and her dad danced to "Carolina in My Mind." Father-daughter dances are such emotional moments for the whole family.

Guests danced and dined simultaneaously in true Southern fashion with stations throughout the Carriage House.  My favorites of the evening were the shrimp and grits with lots of toppings to choose from, the watermelon and feta salad and the mini ice cream cones passed after dark. Kudos to Alison and her team at Main Event for food that guests raved about.  And, as the mother of the bride warned us, her guests know food and loved to eat!

New Monopoly did a fabulous job keeping the energy high and folks dancing. Kendall's Cakes created the gorgeous cake with several flavors (Alison and I couldn't decide if we loved the Tupelo honey or carrot cake more).  Notice the Tupelo honey thing we had going on with the cake and first dance? Subtle but so meaningful to the couple (those are the details I love).

Thanks to Andrea from The Observatory for the gorgeous photos and for being so much fun (and a kindred cupcake spirit). Thanks to the Arioth and the wonderful staff at Decatur House (who even tossed out a group of wedding crashers!) and all of the amazing vendors for another seamless wedding.  And a huge congratulations to Suzanne and Rob!  We loved your wedding and loved you even more!
Laura

A Country Club Wedding {Ryan & Lee}

Ryan and Lee got married on a beautiful, hot day in June at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda.  This fabulous couple met in Charleston so there was plenty of Southern charm on hand for this wedding weekend.

                         

The bride and her girls got ready at the club. Ryan's hair and makeup team were old friends of the family who came in from Delaware to get her ready for the big day. The ladies had such a fun, relaxed time!  One of the bridesmaids was even the younger sister of a past bride, which is always a fun blast from the past!

The bride wore a gorgeous Gail Garrison gown and carried flowers by Petal's Edge. The bride chose a sophisticated palette of whites and greens for the wedding with blooms like peonies, calla lilies and orchids. Love it!

She and her father waited outside St. Bartholomew's Church in the air-conditioned limo while the rest of the bridal party walked down the aisle.

We loved the short, sassy bridesmaids dress and the fresh, green color. We also loved that the bride's two sisters wore white versions of the dress with green sashes to set them apart.

The priest was a pretty funny guy (and a bit unpredictable). Love this shot of the bride and groom laughing!

This was one happy bunch of people (and everyone was so nice to work with) from the ecstatic couple to the sweet families to the fabulous bridal party!

After the ceremony, the happy couple hopped back into the limo, while guests boarded shuttles that took them to the Congressional Club, where a kilted bagpiper greeted them outside into cocktail hour! Kudos to the bagpiper for wearing wool in 100 degree weather and direct sun! And thanks to the limo driver who zipped off during the ceremony and bought champagne for us.  Talk about service!

While Ryan and Lee took portraits, guests drank Arnold Palmers with sweet tea vodka, in a nod to the couple's southern heritage.  These fun drinks were a tradition from their engagement party, where they'd been a huge hit!

A rare shot of me working on the bride's bustle with the bridesmaids.  It takes a village to do a bustle! Then the bride was off to do her first dance in the ballroom.  We used lots of pillar candles along the mantles to give a romantic feel to the gorgeous ballroom and alternated high and low white centerpieces.

Photographer Paul Morse has a fabulous eye for creative, unexpected shots, like this one of Lee's feet in their Kentucky blue socks (the groom is a huge KU fan)!

Gorgeous calla lily centerpieces alternated with sprays of dendrobium orchids and low bowls filled with roses and peonies.

This crowd could dance! The incredible Midnight Movers could get anyone on the dance floor, but not every reception has a dance-off between east-coast and southern guests.  At the engagement party, the Southern boys won but this time it may have been a draw!  Even the moms and dad got into the action!

The bride shares a special moment with her grandmother.

A lounge area allowed guests to take a breather from all the dancing, but no one sat out there long!

The talented Curtis Pope from Midnight Movers kept the energy high.  We love Midnight Movers!  They were such troopers for playing cocktail hour in the blazing sun.

When the band stopped, the party moved to Garrett's in Georgetown for an after-party that went into the wee hours.

Special thanks to everyone who made this day amazing: Donna Chin at Atlantic Services Group for  the transportation, MSE Productions for the bagpiper, Marlene at Congressional for all her help, and Suburban Video for taking care of us with video coverage that we added last-minute.

And, of course, the talented Paul Morse for the gorgeous images that truly captured the spirit of the day.  Paul was a White House photographer who also shot Jenna Bush's wedding and is one of the nicest guys I know. His work is breathtaking and he is a dream to work with!

Thanks to my assistant, Alison, for being my patient go-to person and to Ryan and Lee and their lovely families for letting us share in this beautiful day.  We had so much fun!
Laura