Real Capitol Wedding: Jen & Herman

I am so excited to share today’s Real Capitol Wedding with everyone. I have known Jen & Herman for a few years (Jen went to college with my hometown BFF) and she is one of the most hilarious people I have ever met.  Throw Herman into the mix and you have one insanely funny duo. More than just a barrel full of good times and laughter though, this couple is SERIOUSLY in love.

How do I know?

Well for starters, Jen and Herman are high school sweethearts! Second, Herman is in the military so their love has lasted through some serious distance tests: attending separate colleges, Herman’s military training and Middle East deployments.  Need more proof? Start checking out these fabulous pictures from their wedding last October:

Let’s hear some details from Jen:

“I had a long dress for the photos/ceremony/formalities of the reception and then I changed into a short cocktail dress so I could be a little more relaxed.  Most girls thought this was crazy because “yada yada you spent money on that dress…” but I really couldn’t relax in it! (Scroll to the end to see Jen’s adorable cocktail dress)”

*I have such a soft spot for ink with meaning*

*How cute is Herman in this picture? Seriously people. Adorable*.

*Love that the guys took public transportation to get around!*

“The BM dresses were by Bari Jay and they each picked their own style, as long as it was floor-length and navy blue.  That was another awesome thing, because the dresses looked to great on them!  The GM wore uniform if they’re in the military, otherwise a black suit w/ navy vest.”

*This might be my favorite picture from the entire set – just look at Herman getting ready for the “First Look”.*

I HAVE to share Jen’s opinions on their “First Look”. I was personally 100% against a “First Look” … I wanted my husb & I to be SMACKED with emotion when the doors to the church opened, but Jen had a different opinion which I love, because I never saw it this way:

“My most fave part of our day was when we saw each other for the first time.  My girls and I were waiting at the Capitol Bldg and when we heard the guys coming from the Metro stop, I went to the corner of one of the statues right out front and waited for him.  It was just me, and he walked around the corner and we shared that moment just between the two of us.  It was so intimate and special that we wanted to have that moment for ourselves, rather than in front of everyone at the ceremony.”

*Got to love Washington, DC tourists & paparazzi!*

“We did have a military ceremony, sort of…Herman wore his uniform and after the ceremony we had a saber arch where the men in uniform said “Welcome to the Army, Mrs. Bulls” as one of them hit me on the ass with his saber.  That’s an old tradition and was fun!!”

A note on their music (one of my absolute favorite things to pick out for my own wedding):

“Our song was John Legend, “Refuge”, which I am obsessed with.  I danced with my dad to Sugarland’s “American Honey” and Herman danced with his mom to Rod Stewart “Have I told you lately…”  Everyone was announced to the B-52s “Love Shack”, as that’s a song I grew up with and just had soo many memories for me and my family”

*Check out this gorgeous cake, but please don’t be fooled by its bakery-like appearance… this cake was homemade by a friend and it’s actually FUNFETTI!!! (apologies on the excessive use of exclamation points, but 1. Funfetti is the shiz and 2. I had funfetti cupcakes at my own wedding, so I was ecstatic to find someone else that did this too!)*

*The ever adorable Etsy cake topper!*

“We had 230 guests which was super CRAZY, but we managed (somehow!!) to talk to every last one of them!  Don’t ask me how.” <- WHOA I don’t know how you did that either!

Congratulations Jen & Herman! I know you two had an unbelievable wedding and will no doubt have a fun-filled life together! Stay warm in Alaska you crazy kids!

Vendors:

Photog: Creation Waits

Dress: Bobbie’s Bridal (loved that place!)

Ceremony/Reception/Catering: L’Enfant Plaza Hotel

Flowers: Ellen’s Flowers (run out of her home…wholesale prices)

Cake: Cakes by Gina in Mt. Vernon (run out of her home…one of BM cousins!)

Place cards& table numbers: Magartsypartycrafts on Etsy

DJ: Avalon Entertainment, Jose Castro

*PS*- One final note that was just too good not to share! Jen emailed me a bit later about where her bouquet toss ended up happening that night. They ran out of time at the actual reception (and weren’t too keen on this tradition anyway) so they ended up with the bouquet at the bar! Jen actually had her “bouquet toss” at a bar in DC from the DJ Booth. Someone snapped this picture and like I said, I just HAD to share! Certainly a modern take on an age-old wedding tradition.