Remember how rainy it was in June?  CRAZY rainy, right?!  Well, Veronica just KNEW it was going to be gorgeous on her wedding day, so she went ahead and planned dinner for outside, under the stars, no tent.  And you know what?  It was PERFECT!

The day started with the ladies getting their hair and makeup done at Jon’Ric Alexandria, who did a great job getting them dolled up!  Everyone then trekked over to the new National Harbor, where the girls finished getting ready at the Westin.  What great light they had in their room, and great places were found all around at the National Harbor by their photographer, Mark Sypher, of Bella Pictures.

I love this picture of Veronica’s shoes — look how great their view is!

Mark got some GREAT shots of the guys at National Harbor too!

From National Harbor, it is literally about a 2 minute drive up the hill to the gorgeous Oxon Hill Manor.  Everything in this place is beautiful, but one of my favorites is the spiral staircase up to the amazing bride’s room!

I love this shot of Veronica and two of her bridesmaids in the bridal room, one of whom, if you couldn’t tell, is her twin sister!

The room has such gorgeous light — it’s great for a “first look” with the groom, or for dad to see his little girl in her dress for the first time.

Veronica is checking out her dad’s bout — the AMAZING flowers were actually done by Poya’s sister!  This girl basically turned her parents basement into a floral studio for the week before the wedding, and boy was it worth it.  The flowers were GORGEOUS!!!

Actually, the programs were designed by a friend as well.  It’s nice to have talented friends!

As everyone got ready for the wedding, I wrangled the adorable flower girl and ring bearer, who were doing a perfect job…right up until they saw the fountain at the start of the aisle:

I was able to get them on their way…

And then I think someone spotted her mom…

For me, it’s moments like those that make weddings so great — completely adorable and spontaneous.  Luckily, no one actually fell in the fountain!

Mark got some gorgeous shots of the ceremony, which included both Veronica’s faith, Episcopalian, and Poya’s, Baha’i.

After the ceremony in the upper gardens, the guests moved to the house and patios for cocktail hour, while Mark used the awesome reflecting pool for some great shots!

When they finished with photos, everyone returned to the manor to get ready for introductions.  I swear, there’s a picture of me like this at almost every wedding, bustling the bride’s dress.

See that dapper looking fellow standing next to me?  That is the AMAZING Pete Medina.  When Veronica told me that their wedding was being catered by a restaurant (the OHMYGOD SO GOOD Kabob Bazaar in Clarendon), I told her she absolutely HAD to have Pete do her staffing and rentals.  I worked with Pete on Rama and Neel’s wedding, so I knew he was perfect.  He works everywhere from the Italian Embassy on down to offering to get me a few linens for a shower I was throwing.  He does rentals for everything from silverware to linens to ceremony arches, plus he provides a wonderful staff, and, perhaps most importantly, finds out what the bride and groom (and even the Maid of Honor) drink, and makes sure there’s one in their hand all night.  If you’re having a restaurant cater your wedding, or if you need catering staff or linens, post a comment and we’ll send you his information.  He is THE BEST!  He even got Veronica and Poya special linens, chargers and glassware for their sweetheart table.

When Veronica and Poya were introduced onto the patio for the first time as husband and wife, I couldn’t believe it — from every area of the patio, roses came FLYING!  I had never seen this before, but it was so sweet!  They continued to fly during their first dance…you can see some in these photos.

(Author’s Photo)

We were SO lucky to have dinner on the patio — there’s a great fountain, and a great view…plus the night was just PERFECT, temperature wise.  This was largely thanks to the awesome lighting from Frost Lighting. I like working with these guys because they actually leave a technician there on site in case something goes wrong…as it did this night when a little too much power blew a fuse!

After dinner, it was back inside for the delicious cake from Amphora Bakery.

See the Cake Topper?  Veronica really wanted a Gold “S” for their new last name, but all I could find were silver ones…or ones that were INSANELY expensive!  So I did what any crafty (and cheap) girl would do — I bought a silver one and spray painted it gold!  See what your wedding planner can do for you?  We really do save you money

After cake, everyone hit the dance floor where DJ Ani kept the crowd going with Persian and American tunes.  It actually got insanely hot in the room, so the crowd just moved out to the wraparound porch and kept the dancing out there!

Congratulations, Veronica and Poya!  Thanks for a great day, and all the best in the future!

Recently we visited Oxon Hill Manor in Maryland.  Just across the bridge from Old Town Alexandria, Oxon Hill has become a popular wedding venue since reopening in 2007.  It had been undergoing a renovation and unfortunately caught fire while work was being done.  Now it’s completely overhauled and GORGEOUS!  Check out this beautiful wedding venue.

At the entrance there is a stately driveway and a large circle, ideal for a classic car or limousine to pull up:

Just inside the front door is this foyer space.  I like the black and white tiled floors and the tapestries on the wall.  This is a perfect spot for a guest book and escort cards or even an indoor cocktail hour:

Just past the foyer, you can look down the hallway.  Oxon Hill has several wooden furniture pieces that fit the style of the house:

Here’s the Dining Room with parquet floors and beautiful woodwork.  This room can fit approximately 50-60 seated guests:

On the other side of the house, the Drawing Room is great for dinners.  It can seat another 50-60 guests:

Up the spiral staircase is a bridal room that’s perfect for a bride and her bridesmaids to get ready:

Here’s the bridal room with lots of natural sunlight and seating:

The bridal room even has it’s own restroom!  I think this bathroom is larger than the one I have at home:

One of the bigger appeals of Oxon Hill is the amazingly manicured gardens.  This lawn overlooks a rectangular pond with fountains and is a great spot for ceremonies:

Looking to the right you see another on of their gardens.  In the distance you can see the Potomac River:

If you’re looking for a wedding venues then please consider Oxon Hill!  I think you’ll love it at first site like I did.

Hey, gang!  Due to unforeseen circumstances, one of our couples is moving the date of their wedding.  As a result, the beautiful Oxon Hill Manor is now available for the evening of Saturday, October 17th, 2009.  If you’re still looking for a venue, don’t rule out this gorgeous building.  It has beautiful indoor and outdoor spaces and you can bring your own caterer.

Here are some pictures from their web site.

Entrance to Oxon Hill Manor

Beautiful Walkway paved with flowers, and you can see the river!

Gorgeous courtyard where you can have your ceremony or cocktail hour

Great water feature that I picture with tables all around it

GORGEOUS brides room!

Foyer for an escort card table or a bar

Use the ballroom for dancing or dinner