Natalia + Douglas’ luxurious DC wedding had a few bumps along the way. But neither venue cancellations nor road construction could stop this multicultural love story!
When N+D originally booked with us, they had their venue and date set. Two months after we started planning, we found out that their venue was proceeding with renovations and canceled all 2022 events. Instead of pushing back into 2023, not knowing exactly when the Mellon would reopen, the couple decided to take on the daunting task of finding a new venue.
Once they decided on the Larz Anderson House, everything fell into place. (Even though their only remaining date meant we had less than a year to plan with the new venue!) The Larz Anderson House is one of Washington’s most elegant and exquisite venues. This Gilded Age mansion, with its papier-mâché ceilings and intricate and ornate details, was perfect for their luxurious DC wedding. Iconic and historical, their guests were in awe.
The venue was just the beginning of the glamorous and romantic aspects of N+D’s wedding.
All of the details truly reflected their attention to detail and love of a good time. Their sailboat escort cards were a nod to how they met – at Douglas’s family owned marina – and their table numbers were all different destinations they’ve traveled to together. Personal touches like personalized notes to each guest and Natalia designing her own gown from Spain, where most of her family flew in from to attend the wedding, made every moment special.
Natalia and Douglas did a ceremony send off with ribbon wands and bells from the church. These send offs are becoming more and more popular. In the down time between the ceremony and the reception they had a bus give a tour around the city. We loved this idea considering a lot of their guests were from out of the country.
The couple had reserved the 1933 Packard the “Hollywood Star” to transport them from the church to the Larz Anderson House. Unfortunately, the week of the wedding, we found out that the construction on Massachusetts Ave had moved directly in front of the venue. This meant we wouldn’t be able to use the front drive. So disappointing! We, of course, had a plan B for where the car would be able to take them. Luckily, the day before the wedding, we found out the entrance would be open. We were able to pull straight into the front drive. N+D got amazing photos with the car right outside the door, and we were thrilled that everything worked out.
The sweet and romantic parts of this day were met with so much fun as well!
Douglas surprised Natalia with a dance with his groomsmen. Starting with The Lion King’s Circle of Life, with a few songs in between, and ending with Everybody by Backstreet Boys. It was epic! It really kicked off the dance portion of the night.
There’s nothing better than when everything just works out. Even with things like construction changing plans and the Father of the Bride and I having to communicate through an app to understand each other (I definitely need to brush up on my Spanish!), Natalia and Douglas had a beautiful wedding, surrounded by their loved ones. Love conquers all!
