This afternoon’s featured wedding was sent to us by the lovely wedding planning experts at Pineapple Productions … Enjoy!
Downtown Washington, D.C.’s historic Meridian House served as the venue for Shaina and Nate’s September wedding. Shaina and Nate had fallen in love with this hidden architectural gem designed by John Russell Pope, the renowned architect also responsible for the Jefferson Memorial, National Archives and National Gallery of Art.
Being city-dwellers themselves, Shaina and Nate loved the idea of bringing their family and friends together in an urban setting, albeit one with beautiful historic gardens and greenspace. Shaina had selected a beautiful color palette of green and white with pops of rich raspberry. Nate’s parents are horticulturalists and were very involved in the floral design. They provided all of the plant material as well as many of the flowers. Marcy and Thom Green of Dragonfly provided the design work as well as some of the florals.
photography courtesy of Geoff Chesman with Michael Bennett Kress and Associates
The overall design concept was a modern take on European garden design, utilizing an eclectic mix of potted herbs, plants and orchids. All potted items were re-purposed and eventually planted, and each guest received an herb pot as a special favor at the end of night. Utilizing and sharing items to be planted was Shaina and Nate’s way of approaching wedding design in an environmentally responsible way. Dragonfly custom-designed a wrought iron chuppah, which was placed on a stone terrace next to a grove of linden trees. The chuppah featured a gorgeous mix of white and cream garden roses, hydrangea and dahlias in a cream, green and raspberry color palette. The posts of the chuppah and ceremony aisle were accented with garden planters, utilizing jasmine, ferns, begonias and impatiens in greens and whites. Hanging votives hung throughout the linden trees, and garden lanterns were staked throughout the existing Meridian House flower beds.
Shaina and Nate met in Spain during a college study abroad program in Salamanca. Occasions Caterers provided a Spanish inspired wedding menu, which included glass pitchers of white Riesling sangria as well as an array of Spanish tapas. All cocktail tables were simply adorned with potted herbs in an eclectic mix of rustic containers. Spanish guitarists provided the perfect musical backdrop in the garden. Dinner tables were covered with gorgeous garden green silk linens and set with simple creamware ceramics. High floral arrangements were masses of creamy callas in glass trumpet vases, surrounded at the base with potted glass cubes of flowers in raspberry, white, cream and green tones. Low arrangements were a mix of containers in glass, zinc and stone and included a variety of blooms and plants in the same color palette.
Shaina and Nate’s wedding was so distinctive in no small part due to Nate’s parents’ contribution and Dragonfly’s ability to partner with them on the project. The wedding design was incredibly personal not only in the sense it represented both the bride and groom’s style and consciousness of the environment, but also in the fact the groom’s parents were so actively involved in growing the floral and plant material.
Event Planning: Allison Jackson, Pineapple Productions/ Floral Design: Dragonfly/ Caterer: Occasions Caterers/ Photographer: Geoff Chesman, MBK Photo Studio/ Band: Nation through Elan Artists/ Ceremony Musicians: Spanish guitarist and violinist through MSE Productions/ Wedding Cake: Patisserie Poupon/ Transportation: International Limousine/ Wedding Gown: Melissa Sweet through Carine’s Bridal Atelier/ Bridesmaids Dresses: Priscilla of Boston (Vineyard Collection)