The wedding of Lewis & Clark (really, those were the bride and groom’s last names) was absolutely classic, beautiful, and simply put, chic. A subtle travel thread is what ties every single perfect little detail together – from the Moleskine invites to the logo on the program, and everything in between. This wedding, captured by Laurie Bracewell Photography, is promptly being added to the list of my all-time favorite weddings – thanks to the fantastic style, fabulous florals from Growing wild, and that delicious bunt cake. My list consists of weddings which often are simple, yet crazy cool – pretty much the definition of this whole Virginia affair. Click here for more in the gallery!
Andrew and I met in the fall of 2008. Me, a transplant from the suburbs of D.C., and Andrew, a Chicago ‘burbs-boy’ moved downtown. We were set up on a blind date by family members. To call it a blind date is accurate, but perhaps you should think of it as “triple-filtered” or “pre-approved.” True, we hadn’t ever met, but we had all the confidence we were meeting a person which with we could make it through a dinner. Why such a prediction? Call it sibling love: a sister’s careful and watchful eye.
Andrew’s sister, Aarin, began watching my nephew, Miles in the early fall of 2008. Andrea, Miles’ mom, was part-time teaching, and both ladies became fast friends and were thrilled at their new found discovery . . . they both have a single, young sibling living in Chicago. The new matchmakers got to working. Andrew sent an email to set up a time to meet. That first email I received had seventeen words in the subject line!
At any length, I agreed to his proposal to meet for casual drinks — thinking it could easily turn into a pleasant, paid-for dinner. AVEC is where we met for the first time. It is Andrew’s favorite restaurant and gave him the comfort of familiarity; a “home-field” advantage. I did not know it then, but it was a test of my culinary taste, adventurous ordering and the all-important, sharing a plate of food. Drinks turned to four plates and hours ticked away at the bar. In true Chicago commuter fashion we said good night, polite thank you on the #8 bus. To most, this would have been the deal breaker, but it fit our way of living and became a big part of our dating life.
My last name is Lewis. Andrew’s last name is Clark. Thus, we are Lewis & Clark. In planning for our wedding we couldn’t pass up the much anticipated ideas of Lewis & Clark, but also keeping everything very much ‘us’, simple chic, with a twist on traditional. Our wedding was in my hometown of Northern Virginia. It ended up being a difficult search for the reception because most places were too small or too pricey. We went with a country club, which is not what we had planned but we were able to add elements that fit our personality and things we love. Our goal was for guests to know us better.
All the design work (invitations, name cards, table numbers, blog) were all designed by Andrew. Using the inspiration of the original journey of Lewis & Clark, he drew a line where I had lived and another line where he had lived, which created the base design for all our paper items and is found on all our items. To tie the theme together but not go over the top, we used Moleskine books to hold our invitation, as well as, a keepsake for our guests. For the front of the Moleskine Andrew designed a custom stamp to imprint our logo and get that “Lewis & Clark” feel. We used Moleskine books because it is something Andrew uses when sketching, writing ideas/thoughts, and is part of his everyday life.
The table numbers are one of my favorite elements of our wedding. Each table number represented an important number in our relationship. The numbers seem random, 3, 28, 250, and more. I found two sided frames from Ikea. One side has the table number and the other side shares the meaning. For example, table 250. The number of cents a Trader Joe’s Lava Cake costs and our favorite dessert. Or table 17. The number of words in the subject line of the first email Andrew sent me.
Photography: Laurie Bracewell Photography / Venue: Springfield Golf & Country Club / Brides Dress: Amsale / Veil: Erin Lindsay Design / Bridesmaid Dress: Donna Morgan via Nordstrom / Bridesmaid Jewelry: Erin Gallagher Jewelry / Groom’s Suit: Le Chateau / Groomsmen Suit: Alfani via Macys / Flowers: Growing Wild / Cake: Cakes by Wanda / Invitations, Stationery, Blog, Social Media: Andrew Clark, the groom / Rent: Rent-All Center