When I first met with Amy and Alex, the first thing I noticed was Amy’s quiet personality and Alex’s robust sense of humor. Amy explained that she wanted a ‘French Countryside with an English Garden’ feel for the wedding. Alex and I joked about having a helicopter transport them from the reception James Bond-style. While we didn’t quite end up with a helicopter, I think we certainly achieved the European aura that Amy was looking for.
The pair chose Trinity Episcopal Church mostly based on it’s European feel. While this building was built in the 1950s, it’s style is based on 12th and 13th century churches in France. Trinity’s campus boasts a number of other buildings including an antique greenhouse and the nation’s smallest lending library. Here’s the main church building:
Inside the church, the touching ceremony takes place. Unfortunately Trinity doesn’t allow photographers or videographers to get closer than the front doors but our vendors made the best of it. I’ll be interested to see how Colin from Blue Sky Films and Mark from Rodney Bailey Photography captured the ceremony! Here’s what I got from my angle:
As a quick note, did you know that Blue Sky Films offers Super 8 film instead of traditional video? They can mix it in with traditional video, too, so your whole wedding isn’t shot just on film. Amy chose to have some segments of the wedding captured on Super 8. Check out a sample here.
Meanwhile at the reception, my assistants Julie and Felicia were busy setting up the tent at Historic Long Branch. This venue was new to me although they’ve been doing weddings for years. Located in Millwood, Virginia, it has a robust history and some of the most serene views of the rolling Blue Ridge Moutains I’ve seen at any wedding venue. The house is open to docent-led tours during cocktail hour and the reception must be under a tent. Although it was a bit hot this past weekend, the Sheila Macqueen-designed gardens were blooming beautifully and the view simply cannot be beat.
Amy chose purple and ivory as her wedding colors. We used a lavender cotton on the cocktail and service tables and a plum pintuck on the guest tables. Select Event Rentals provided the tent and Party Rental, Ltd. brought the chairs, linens, and china:
The escort cards even had a French flair to them. Each card was held by a pewter fluer-de-lis holder. Unfortunately they kept blowing over since the event was outdoors. We ended up having to lay them down on the table but I think they still looked cute:
:::WishTip::: Color-code your place cards if you are offering your guests a meal choice. At this wedding, purple, white, and green signaled Pork, Chicken, or Fish to the wait staff.
Unfortunately the cake table sat empty most of the night. It was too hot to display the wedding cake inside the tent. The buttercream icing starts melting and doesn’t keep the cake layers sturdy. At 92 degrees, there was no chance this cake would’ve made it three hours outdoors! While dinner got underway, the cake remained in a semi-air conditioned corner of the basement. We moved it out right before the cake cutting ceremony but even by then the layers were starting to wobble a bit. I decided to alter the schedule a little bit before the cake smushed into itself. Yet one more reason why having a wedding day coordinator is a good investment.
Carolyn at Taylor Made Cakes did a beautiful job on this cake. I’m impressed that it lasted as long as it did which means she’s had experience at building structurally sound cakes. It’s hard to see but there is a lace detail all around the bottom of each layer. It was gorgeous!
Back inside the tent, a closeup of one of the taller centerpieces. Maryam at Maryam Flowers was a rockstar for this wedding. We’ve worked with her several times and she never misses a beat. I especially liked the old-style European stands she brought instead of the typical glass trumpet vases:
These cute lanterns served as the short centerpieces. Maryam made three small tulip arrangements for each table. It’s hard to see but each tulip bunch is wrapped in purple wire. It was such a small touch but shows Maryam’s attention to detail. This image shows the true colors of the table linen and the chivari chair cushions. Amy printed these pretty table cards, named after chateaus in France:
Tom at Pineapple Alley Catering provided the fabulous food and attentive wait staff. I snuck a leftover hors d’oeuvre from the kitchen and was really blown away. I had no idea an onion tart could be so sweet and savory! Tom even worked with Amy and Alex to get European beer and wine for the wedding. If you’re looking for a caterer, working with Pineapple Alley was truly a pleasure all the way around.
Here’s one last shot of the wedding taking place. I apologize for the cruddy BlackBerry camera quality. I like this image because it shows the beautiful purple tent swagging that Eric at Frost Lighting did. I don’t have any photos from the rest of the night but the whole tent glowed purple through the evening and really came alive once the sun went down. You can just barely start to see the effect of the pinspots on those tall centerpieces towards the back. It was gorgeous!
Although the weather was a bit on the toasty side (I came home with a sunburn), the ceremony was heartfelt, the scenery was gorgeous, and the newlyweds were smitten with each other. Just how a wedding should be!
Special thanks to Jodi, Julie, and Felicia who helped me out at this gorgeous wedding. More kudos go to Aaron from Chris Laich Music Services who kept the dance floor packed all night long and rolled with the schedule changes I threw at him! It’s always wonderful to have an attentive and professional emcee on the microphone. One last shout out to Dan at Reston Limousine who arranged for two limos, three shuttles, and one sedan with no hiccups or delays whatsoever.
Amy & Alex, it was truly a pleasure working with you over the better part of this past year. I really enjoyed being a part of your wedding day and wish you both the best of luck in your lives. I’m sure we’ll see each other soon. Congratutulations!
