From wildly bright to classic black and white glamour and back again to bright comes this Washington DC love fest. But color isn’t the only thing going for it. It also has Anne Robert Photography on its side and believe me, anything this pretty lady captures is pure wedding gold. The kind of gold that instantly draws you in and makes you want to spend endless hours gazing at all that sparkle. You can do so right here.
From the Bride… Alex and I met while I was transitioning in DC, trying to figure out what to do next in my life. As you can imagine, Alex had some ideas. He proposed in a small garden in Little Washington, Virginia. We still laugh about the proposal — he was sitting far away from me so he’d have space to get down on one knee. I was annoyed he was so far away and kept insisting he sit closer. We celebrated our engagement with an amazing dinner at The Inn at Little Washington followed by a kitchen tour by the head chef. It was perfect!
I had never actually imagined our wedding before Alex proposed. So with only nine months to research, design, book and make everything, there was suddenly a lot to do — immediately! As a designer, this was the ultimate design project. As we started to plan the wedding we made two important decisions. First, we decided to ignore the countless wedding supposed-tos and to focus on what we really wanted. Second, our guests were our top priority. We started with our venue, which was key — we wanted an architectural backdrop, not a space that needed to recreated or decorated. I’m pretty sure my mother and I saw every venue within a 50-mile radius of Washington DC. in the end, we settled on the Corcoran for its quintessential DC location, combination of art and architecture and ability to house the entire evening in one venue. In organizing the space, we worked with the strong existing architecture. We used one side of the atrium for the reception and the other side for the band and dancing. We were lucky to find an amazing florist, Bill Enright with Edge Floral Event Designers, who totally got us and our vision. We weren’t just focused on table decor, we were designing the entire space. He was able to get a lot of drama and punch without spending loads on actual blooms. We picked whimsical dark gray table linens to contrast the white marble architecture and to help the white and green floral arrangements pop. To help create spatial interest we used three different types of arrangements that varied in height and helped to activate the space.
The ceremony was perfect — we got married on the stairs in the Corcoran surrounded by art, architecture, family and friends under a chuppah my father and i made together. We used the tissue paper from gifts we received to make big white puffs. The puffs were then attached with fishing line to aquarium netting stretched between four silver bamboo poles. It was like getting married in a big fluffy white cloud. For ceremony music we had a family friend, Jackie Niemat, sing from the upper level which echoed and filled the space exquisitely.
Weddings can strain any budget, big or small, so we were careful and concentrated on the things that really mattered. We splurged on the venue, caterer and band, and then everything else was really reasonable — even my dress. I’m pretty proud of my $15 ceremony shoes from Nordstrom Rack and our essentially free chuppah made from recycled paper. Looking back on that day, I can’t imagine a more perfect celebration and beginning of our life together. And while it may seem odd to spend so much time and money for a few short hours, I’ve been surprised how frequently I think back to that day and the impact of those memories.
Wedding Photography: Anne Robert Photography / Other Photography: Sandi Foraci / Wedding Venue: Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC / Floral Design + Lighting: Bill Enright of Edge Floral Event Designers / Wedding Day Coordination: Cristina Maria Special Events/ Catering: Joel Wolke of Occasions Caterers / Wedding Invitation Suite Design: DIY by the Bride / Invitation Printing: Just Paper and Tea / Escort Cards, Menus + Signage: DIY by the Bride / Ceremony Music: Jackie Niemat (A Family Friend) / Band: Doctor’s Orders via Bialek’s Music / Chuppah: DIY by the Bride + Her Father / Wedding Dress: Mon Cheri / Bride’s Ceremony Shoes: Steve Madden / Bride’s Shoe Clips: Parisxox / Bride’s Reception Shoes: ALDO / Bride’s Earrings + Bracelet: Ascot Diamonds / Hair + Makeup: Andre Chreky Salon / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: Their Choice / Bridesmaids’ Parasols: Oriental Trading / Bridesmaids’ Clutches: eBay, Nordstrom + Zappos / Transportation: Premier Sedan Services, Inc / Valet: MarcParcValet, Inc / Bridal Suite & Hotel Room Block: Sofitel Hotel