Not even a little rain could stand in the way of Kelly and Danny’s dream garden wedding. From their picturesque proposal, to finding the perfect Virginia wedding venue and having the best team of wedding vendors, everything seemed to be working toward making this an unforgettable day!
Kelly and Danny met on Hinge in 2019 and had their first date at The Bullpen when the Nationals were in the playoffs. They’ve been exploring new restaurants and areas in DC ever since! This made Danny’s proposal surprise go off without a hitch, as Kelly didn’t expect anything when he planned a picnic on the Mall on a beautiful spring day. After she said yes, they enjoyed a lovely picnic of champagne and charcuterie in the Constitutional Garden while calling their closest friends and family to share the good news.
When we started the wedding planning, I asked them what they couldn’t live without on their wedding day. They agreed they needed a great band, beautiful tent/outdoor space and romantic, twinkly string lights. We delivered on all their must-have items!
Kelly’s mom, Pam, was a huge help with the planning. I loved working so closely with her as she is very detail oriented. Pam and Kelly put a lot of thought and attention into the guest experience, which I love to see. The wedding had a soft, romantic garden feel with a focus on neutrals and greenery with pops of blue. Their customized crest and monogram was highlighted throughout. You can see it displayed on the bar, signage, dance floor, and cake. I always love seeing our designs come together!
The Oatlands Historic House & Gardens was the perfect wedding venue for their garden wedding.
They fell in love with it on the first tour. Their dream of having an outdoor garden ceremony and a tented reception was going to come true! The grounds are gorgeous with so many exquisite gardens. I love how you can utilize lots of different spaces for photos.
This was a beautiful wedding – absolutely perfect! But not because of the weather. While it was a sunny morning, the skies opened up with rain 30 minutes before the ceremony. We made the quick decision to move the ceremony under the cocktail hour tent. The team started bringing chairs over, and the flowers and our trio of musicians also found their new place under the tent as guests started to arrive. The couple had their hearts set on being married in the garden, so when there was a break in the rain right at the ceremony start time, we gathered guests and led them down back to our original ceremony spot.
Kelly and Danny shared their first kiss as newlyweds as the rain started to pick back up.
We got guests up and back to the cocktail hour tent as it started to pour relentlessly for the next hour and half. With the assistance of golf carts and LOTS of umbrellas, guests made it to the reception tent for dinner. The rain finally stopped soon after. All a little damp, with a little mud on our shoes, we still had an amazing evening. My favorite band Broadsound did what they always do – kept the dance floor full all night long!
There were so many fun, personalized touches throughout this wedding. The groom and his brothers got up on stage and sang to Bruce Springsteen, while the bride rocked the dance floor in her fun and flirty reception dress. While Kelly and Danny rode off in their Rolls Royce getaway car, their guests were met with ChickFilA sandwiches as they boarded the buses to the after party.
I was so appreciative of all of the vendors and how they were all willing to work so hard to give the couple the ceremony they wanted. The last minute moving around and the string trio playing under the umbrellas I held over them since we had no shelter for them from the rain did not go unnoticed!
Kelly and Danny, your garden wedding was absolutely perfect. Not because of perfect weather— your wedding day was perfect in spite of the weather!
