A Romantic Washington, D.C. Wedding Showcasing Love From Around the Globe

Our sweet couple wanted to sync together their different cultures, a western wedding, a fun experience, and a little Audrey Hepburn. When we started the design process, it was clear that Mei had specific goals in mind on what she wanted to include on their special day, but was having a difficult time bringing it all together. We decided to make each section of their wedding stand out with something different.

Mei's look changed numerous times throughout the event via subtle accessory changes as well as complete dress changes. A timeless, v-neck ballgown with a beautiful oversized bow in the back served as her main wedding dress. She accessorized this with gloves and a more traditional, simple veil during the ceremony and surprised guests with a vintage birdcage veil during the reception. The couple changed into traditional attire from their cultures during cocktail hour, so Mei wore a traditional Chinese dress and jewelry, and Des donned traditional Bulgarian attire. Their final surprise came partway through the reception, when they wowed their guests with a Tango performance, and they were completely decked out in a new ballroom dancing outfit for this!

Guests enjoyed a traditional multi-course meal and a dessert course of cake garnished with fresh fruit. Signature cocktails were also offered.

Mei desired a timeless feel to the entire event. Inspired by the classic beauty of the Audrey Hepburn era, the florals and decor were romantic, in a palette of mostly ivory and blush. To tie in her Chinese heritage and the red curtains in the ballroom, they also brought in pops of red. The soft pinks also celebrated the cherry blossom-- a perfect marrying of quintessential D.C. details and Asia. With vintage gold tableware, patterned China, and textural napkins and table cloths, the design felt welcoming. A custom folio was placed on each place setting, and it included a menu as well as other meaningful details to the couple and event.

In lieu of a traditional wedding cake, the couple opted for a champagne tower moment and a table with a display of treats from different parts of the world. They displayed a macaron tower in the style of a croquembouche as well as baklava.

The couple opted for readings in English and French to represent their international love. They danced to love songs from various parts of the world-- Bulgaria, China, Argentina, as well.

The Escort Wall was created to give the guests a little touch of Mei's world. The bride and her parents worked hard to translate all of their guests names into Chinese. We took those characters and put them on beautiful red paper with a tassel she had custom made. The bottom of the card had each guests name in English. The back of the card had the table number.

The grooms name is "Dessislav." Which means "This is Love." Instead of an actual table number, we used the words "This is love" in a different language from the favorite countries they have travelled to together.