Washington D.C. Wedding from Ampersand Photography
I'm a bride who chose to wear flats on her wedding day. My husband, though very manly, is a little on the petite side. And so I find it absolutely endearing when brides choose to wear flats for the same reason. It warms my heart in the best way. But that's not the best part of this wedding. Nope. Not even top ten. The day was so gorgeous (and obviously, since Events In The City was ever present), the bride so beautiful - thanks to Claudine Fay, and the mood so happy and captured brilliantly by Ampersand Photography, I almost forgot about the flats. Almost.
From the photographer... Sam & Jaime. I affectionately refer to them as “The Power Couple,” because… well, because they are. I met them, though, and became friends with them, before they even knew each other. Sam is a strange mixture of sarcasm and sincerity, and has this funny Indian humor thing going on that is absolutely hilarious. Jaime is witty and snarky, never short of comebacks or opinions, and has a huge heart. I was friends with both of them, and didn’t realize they didn’t know each other… until one evening we were all talking, and I said, “Sam, have you met Jaime yet?” And the snarky hilarity multiplied umpteen times. He thought she was pretty, intelligent, classy, and very funny, but nothing happened right away.
But it just so happened that they were both studying for the bar exam, and ended up in the same review course. Then they learned how well they clicked. "He was really distracting while we were studying. But it was a good distraction," Jaime says. It wasn't long before Sam asked Jaime out, officially. They went for pizza and frozen yogurt for their first date, and then she convinced him to walk her home. "Two and a half miles. Uphill. Obviously, I knew she was special," said Sam.
Usually I’d say the rest was history, except Sam & Jaime’s “history” involved things like hunting with Jaime’s dad in Michigan, and hiking Mount Kilimanjaro together just a couple of months after they started dating, and training for a half marathon together. Sam proposed to Jaime on the coldest day in February in a snowstorm, as they rounded the Lincoln Memorial during a training run. She was shocked, then said yes, and then made him run the remaining six miles. Jaime says that her favorite song is "In Da Club" by 50 Cent, because that was playing on my iPod when he proposed.
The night before their wedding, all guests were invited to a party that incorporated Indian traditions— like the barat, where Sam's family danced in a procession to meet Jaime's family. Traditionally, the groom rides in on an animal (often an elephant). Since it proved difficult to rent an elephant, Sam arrived in a convertible mustang, instead.
A few other favorite details:
- Sam & Jaime were married the same place they met— Capitol Hill Baptist Church.
- They had the theme from 30 Rock as their recessional music (they're big fans!!).
- They had a multi-flavor popcorn bar as an evening snack during their reception.
- Some of Sam's family traveled from India for the first time in their lives, to be at their wedding. Sam's grandmother passed away just a few short weeks after the wedding, but danced the night away during the reception!
- Jaime had a piece of lace from her great-grandmother's wedding gown sown into her dress.
- They had a funfetti wedding cake.
But it just so happened that they were both studying for the bar exam, and ended up in the same review course. Then they learned how well they clicked. "He was really distracting while we were studying. But it was a good distraction," Jaime says. It wasn't long before Sam asked Jaime out, officially. They went for pizza and frozen yogurt for their first date, and then she convinced him to walk her home. "Two and a half miles. Uphill. Obviously, I knew she was special," said Sam.
Usually I’d say the rest was history, except Sam & Jaime’s “history” involved things like hunting with Jaime’s dad in Michigan, and hiking Mount Kilimanjaro together just a couple of months after they started dating, and training for a half marathon together. Sam proposed to Jaime on the coldest day in February in a snowstorm, as they rounded the Lincoln Memorial during a training run. She was shocked, then said yes, and then made him run the remaining six miles. Jaime says that her favorite song is "In Da Club" by 50 Cent, because that was playing on my iPod when he proposed.
The night before their wedding, all guests were invited to a party that incorporated Indian traditions— like the barat, where Sam's family danced in a procession to meet Jaime's family. Traditionally, the groom rides in on an animal (often an elephant). Since it proved difficult to rent an elephant, Sam arrived in a convertible mustang, instead.
A few other favorite details:
- Sam & Jaime were married the same place they met— Capitol Hill Baptist Church.
- They had the theme from 30 Rock as their recessional music (they're big fans!!).
- They had a multi-flavor popcorn bar as an evening snack during their reception.
- Some of Sam's family traveled from India for the first time in their lives, to be at their wedding. Sam's grandmother passed away just a few short weeks after the wedding, but danced the night away during the reception!
- Jaime had a piece of lace from her great-grandmother's wedding gown sown into her dress.
- They had a funfetti wedding cake.