It’s easy to see why we just absolutely love Wednesdays around these parts. This is the day of the week when we get to obsess, drool, swoon, you-name-it, over seven gorgeous weddings. So you know the drill by now, you see a fabulous wedding, you click on the full gallery, you spend hours gazing at the gorgeous inspirations. Now let’s get this pretty train a-rolling!
First up is this DC charmer by Gerber + Scarpelli that incorporates the prettiest shades of blues and purples and for all you word nerds out there, the cutest cuff links too. Since the bride is a wedding photographer and the groom works in the event industry, it’s no wonder that their wedding was a spectacularly seamless mix of old and new, traditional and eclectic, and we happen to love every last detail. See even more here.
Click here to see the entire gallery of images!
From the Bride…When I met my husband Drew in 2005 we bonded over discussions about art. Books, movies, music, poetry, and photography were touchstones for our nascent relationship, but there was something else that we had in common. I am a wedding photographer (for Gerber+Scarpelli Photography), and (at the time) Drew was a bar captain for a local Chicago catering company. We talked about weddings more than is probably healthy, at least for a couple that is just getting started. Drew left catering but stayed in the event industry, and the conversations continued. Conversations over dinner or a glass of wine would skip the “how was your day honey” pleasantries and dive directly into the following: “What did you like about that event?” “Why did they get married there?” “Why would she wear that?” “Chicken? Arrgh!” “Polka band surrounding the Chuppah? You can do that?” That is to say, weddings and special events have been part of our every day lives since we met. We knew what we didn’t like and what we did, but synthesizing all of it was going to be a challenge. The added pressure of supposedly knowing what you are doing does not actually help.
We always agreed on the following two concepts. One, what is “supposed to be done” is irrelevant as long as what is done speaks to the couple being married. Two, tradition and family are important. These seem like contradictory ideas, and in many ways they are. Our mission was to blend the two by using our artistic backgrounds and our knowledge from having worked in the industry. We decided to mix the traditional and the new, the formal and the informal, the expected and unexpected. The challenge was to do so without it looking like a hodge-podge of conflicting ideas. What we ended up with was one gorgeous and killer party.
My overall concept for the look of our wedding reception was “simple and eclectic garden party that just happens to be a wedding reception.” In other words, very understated but elegant. We had two food stations; one in the house and one outside. My good friend and bridesmaid, Jen Alders (SMP featured photographer extraordinaire), wrote out the menus on vintage chalkboards I found in Chicago. We kept the seating pretty minimal, mostly high boys and cafe tables with a few larger rounds. With no overhead lighting for much of the reception area, we decided to put lanterns on the tables and have white lanterns in the tent. The amazingly talented Mary Nisi from Toast and Jam (also from Chicago) provided a wonderful mix of tunes. Lauren from Festive Foods incorporated our tastes and family history (my father is Cuban) into the menu including many family recipes. She even brought along a grill master to cook all the meats. The grill was a classic Argentine Assado manned by a Parrillero in traditional attire. Drew’s extended family brought dozens of varieties of Italian cookies to grace the sweets table. The Greenworks team, Classic Party Rentals and Ali Phillips made it possible for us to execute out vision perfectly. It was everything we could ever imagine! Overall we ended up with the wedding of our dreams, filled with the love and generosity of family, friends and vendors.
Wedding Photography: Gerber + Scarpelli + Jen Alders of Alders Photography (a few) / Wedding Planner + Designer: Engaging Events by Ali / Reception Venue: Private Residence / Catering: Festive Foods / Flowers: GreenWorks / Rentals, Linens + Lighting: Classic Party Rentals / Music: Mary Nisi of Toast and Jam / Church: Christ Church Georgetown / Wedding Cake: Silvas Patisserie / Wedding Dress: Augusta Jones via Macy’s / Bride’s Shoes: Custom Nina Shoes / Bridesmaid Dresses: J.Crew / Groom + Groomsmen Attire: Alfani via Macy’s + Custom Vans