I’m going to just come out and say it. Before this wedding, pink and black was not my favorite color combo. I just never loved it, until now. Maybe it was the black candles that did it to me, or perhaps it was the fluffy peach garden roses, or maybe it was all that gorgeous paper from Little Bit Heart, but whatever it was, it did the job. Strawberry Milk Events did the job. I love every single thing about pink and black together now. The gallery is the place you’ll want to be this afternoon… it’s overflowing with beautiful images from Adam Barnes Fine Art Photography!
From the planner… Katie and Rod are a super fun NYC-based couple who hired Strawberry Milk Events as their planner before they had even secured a venue or a date – we clicked right away, and knew working together was just meant to be! Katie’s parents still live in the DC/Virginia area so they knew they would hold the wedding somewhere nearby. We explored Virginia wine country, Rehobeth Beach, Delaware and even Katie’s parents estate as possible venues for their wedding weekend before settling on the beautiful St. Regis in downtown Washington, DC.
I knew I was going to have fun working with Katie and Rod from the moment she started describing a Kelly Wearstler room design she liked in our initial consultation. When she told me that the groom was wearing velvet skull and cross bone slippers with his tux, it was just icing on the cake. These two have great style! The design for the wedding sort of evolved from those velvet slippers – classically romantic with a bit of an edge. We captured that feeling by incorporating black in different subtle accents such as the black candlesticks in antique silver candelabras. It was just enough without being too heavy – especially when accented by the fluffy peach garden roses and cafe au lait dahlias in delicate antique silver containers (many of which were the bride’s mother’s, who is an avid dinner party thrower.) The brown glass bottle bud vases had fun chalkboard labels with skull and crossbone drawings and words such as “love, fate, etc.” (which may be why I call this my Love Potion No. 9 wedding!)
Guests found their seats via a creative seating chart: an old wooden door with peach escort cards clipped onto coordinating ribbon with gold clothespins. Another motif that was carried throughout the wedding details was a french bulldog icon. It started with the wedding invitation suite (on the wax seal) and was carried throughout the escort cards, programs and welcome bag gift tags. The funny thing was: Katie and Rod didn’t have a French Bulldog…but she wanted one so bad, this was as close as she was going to get. Well, guess what? Halfway through the planning process came Porkchop – the cutest french bully you ever saw, and our official wedding mascot! There was even a lifesize moss replica of Porkchop as the centerpiece for the dessert table.
I loved all the little non-traditional touches: the black candlesticks especially, but also Katie wearing a gorgeous blush Monique Lhuillier gown, while the bridesmaids were able to select their own dresses in a given color palette. Neither the bride nor groom were crazy about cake, so their wedding cake was actually a tower of cheese wheels accented by fresh fruit. The bride wasn’t a fan of tall centerpieces, so everything was lush and low. Silver tinsel wigs were served to guests on silver platters to keep the party going towards the end of the evening, along with late night snacks like sliders.
The day was full of joy – not even the torrential downpour, which brought their terrace garden ceremony inside to a spare conference room, could dampen their spirits. And after entering the reception, not only did the bride and groom gush about how beautiful the room looked – but they said something that every planner wants to hear: “this is just soo US!”
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Photography: Adam Barnes Fine Art Photography | Event Planning + Design: Strawberry Milk Events | Venue: St. Regis Hotel, DC | Floral Design: Country Way Flowers | Reception Band: Sound Connection | Ceremony Strings: Pop Culture Strings | Rentals: Party Rental LTD + DC Rental | Paper Products: Little Bit Heart | Hair: Bridal Hair By Remona | Makeup: Blend Makeup | Dress: Monique Lhuillier