Take an affair that matches the gorgeous, vintage vibe of The Carlyle Club. Then add in a Bride that rocks that gorgeous, vintage style like nobody’s business and Anne Robert who captures that gorgeous, vintage vibe with every single image and you know what you get? A really fun gallery to peruse. See it all here!
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From the Bride… I know it sounds silly, but our wedding day was one of the best days of my life! From waking up and getting ready in the hotel suite with my bridesmaids to seeing my groom for the first time of the day to sharing our special moments with 90 of our most beloved friends and family, the day could not have been better! My family was expecting me to be the biggest bridezilla, but the truth is that I was walking on cloud nine from the moment I woke up until the moment I went to bed that night. For this, I have to thank the wonderful man I married and my talented wedding vendors! From my wedding planner to my photographer, everyone played their part and made the day a breeze. In saying that, my favorite part of the day was the ceremony, hands down! Exchanging our heartfelt words to one another and sharing those special moments with our loved ones was a feeling that is indescribable.
We wanted our wedding to make a statement, and our main goal was to share our vows over candlelight and throw an amazing party for our loved ones to help us celebrate our nuptials. For us, the most challenging part of the planning process was finding the venue that would allow for this to happen! After numerous site visits, I came across an art deco music/dinner theater in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, and knew we had to check it out. Once we stepped in the venue with our planner, we knew it was the perfect place for us to host our wedding and reception. Because it was an Art Deco style venue, we decided to play off the decor and go with an “Old Hollywood Glam” theme! Once we had the venue and the theme nailed down, the rest of the planning process fell into place. I work for a wedding technology company called WeddingWire so I see a lot of amazing weddings and work with a ton of talented wedding vendors. I love everything and anything weddings so it wasn’t hard for me to find inspiration. The hard part was finding inspiration that I could actually use and that would be the perfect fit for us. For ideas and inspiration, I turned to wedding and photography blogs. To stay organized, I added my favorite 10-12 wedding blogs in my Google Reader and kept all of my ideas in one place (pre-Pinterest days) by creating a personal Tumbler blog called “The Wired Bride.” My blog allowed me to put my thoughts on paper, eliminate carrying the “binder of ideas,” and get feedback and opinions from family, friends and the occasional stranger. Let me also say that Etsy was a dangerous place for me. I spent 3-4 days a week sifting through their marketplace and purchasing a lot of the little details from there, including the bridesmaids’ customized dress hangers, my groom’s cufflinks, my bridal bouquet, the invitations, our ketubah and the boutonnieres.
I learned very quickly that I would not be a DIY bride. I loved the idea of it, but putting those ideas into action was a disaster. I attempted a few projects like making paper flowers out of coffee filters from instructions that I found on WeddingBee, but it turned out to be a total waste of time and energy because I am a perfectionist and nothing ever turned out the way I envisioned. In the end, I felt it was easier to call in the professionals and leave the work up to them. In addition, family was a big help and a huge source of support! My dear twin sister is very crafty so she put her creativity into designing and creating our wedding programs and menu cards, which was so special to us. Looking back, our wedding day would not have been the same without our closest family and friends. The day was a perfect start to the next chapter of our lives, and we are so grateful for everyone who shared in our special day.
Wedding Photography: Anne Robert Photography / Wedding Venue: The Carlyle Club in Alexandria, Virginia / Wedding Planning: Kelley Cannon of Kelley Cannon Events / Floral Design: Shelly Bagdasian of B Floral & Event Design / Officiant: Rabbi Reeve Brenner / Wedding Invitations: B. Designs / Ceremony Musicians: Dromentation / Band: Snackbar Jones via Sam Hill Entertainment / Wedding Dress: Alfred Angelo / Bride’s Shoes: Vivienne Westwood / Hair: Julie Jackson of Hair by Jewels / Makeup: Kim Reyes / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Priscilla of Boston (Now Closed) / Men’s Suits: Macy’s