Elegant DAR Wedding | Spring Marriage Ceremony
Two weeks in a row we are revisiting DAR weddings! I love DAR, I work there 1-2 times per year, which is actually quite a bit considering I only do 16 weddings per year and there are hundreds of wedding venues out there! Don’t miss the fall
Jewish wedding ceremony that I shared last week. This week I am sharing Brooke & Mike’s elegant wedding ceremony at DAR, which was forced inside by poor weather during our set up time frame. Brooke and her mom worked tirelessly for months to plan this classic and timeless DC wedding. I have endless gratitude to Matt Mendelsohn for making these fabulous photos!
Getting Ready
Brooke and Mike got ready at The Willard Intercontinental Hotel. I actually wrote about their hotel block situation and how it played into their transportation plan, you should check out that
wedding advice post!
First Look
It can be fin to do a quick first look with your dad before leaving to do the first look with your soon-to-be spouse! For Brooke & Mike they decided to meet at the DC War Memorial for their first look. Which is gorgeous but also tricky because there is no place for the limo to stop except for in the middle of Independence Avenue!
I tell all my grooms (who are marrying women) that its their job to either hold the bouquet or hold the train of the dress until the bustle or I take the bouquet during cocktail hour. Depending on the dress, the groom will often opt for the bouquet, which makes for some great photo ops! I am 100% in love with this all-white bridal bouquet from LynnVale Studios. It is such a knock out!
As we expected, the weather turned for the worse during photos (and set up over at DAR) but luckily Mike had planned ahead with this classic all black umbrellas. Brooke’s long veil blew around a bit but the bridesmaids were there to help tame it!
The Ceremony
After the portrait session, the entire wedding party went to DAR for the wedding ceremony and reception. After a rest in the Pennsylvania Board Room, it was down to the O’Byrne Gallery for the ceremony. This was my first ceremony in the O’Byrne Gallery. I thought it looked beautiful, and the Main Event Caterers staff worked super hard to completely reset the room in 60 minutes during the cocktail reception.
The weather did clear up during the ceremony, which allowed for these awesome “golden light” photos on the Portico and on the 3rd floor balcony, which might be my most favorite spot for photos in all of DC. That patina – I die!
Other vendors who played a key role in this wedding ceremony were:
Chariots for Hire – Transportation
Alison Harper & Company – hair and make up
