Kimberly & Judd’s Offbeat, Eclectic Park Wedding in Arlington, VA

 Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! I hope you are all giving and receiving some serious signs of love today. I know not everyone loves this “holiday” – but I say, instead of hating on it, or spending time being angry about it, use it as a day to say “I Love You” to anyone special in your life. Your parents, a friend, your dog … the way I see it, spreading love is ALWAYS a better option then spreading hate.

And with that, I have an AWESOME offbeat wedding to share with you today, courtesy of Jan C Photography [submitted via Two Bright Lights].

This wedding has everything that a Capitol Romance, offbeat Washington DC wedding feature should have – mismatched bridesmaids, casual, outdoor setting, intimate details ~ with a focus on the couple & their love, not all the flashy add-ons.

Not the mention that I got all the amazing details from the groom(!). I LOVE when Grooms get involved in the wedding :)

So here goes, Kimberly & Judd’s Intimate, Offbeat Washington, DC wedding:

From the Groom:

Once we started planning our wedding, we knew we wanted a few key things. We wanted it to be outdoors, weather permitting. We wanted it to feel intimate, regardless of size, and we wanted it to be as much about our friends and family as it was about us. Lastly, we wanted delicious, casual food and drink that would accentuate the summer season of our wedding.

 We ended up choosing a former Civil War fort outside of Washington, DC that is now a beautiful park that includes a wild flower meadow.

When the big day finally arrived, we woke up to a dreary, wet, rainy day—something we had been mentally prepared for. Luckily the forecasts proved correct, and two hours before the start of our ceremony, the sky cleared up, the sun came out and dried everything out for the remainder of the evening. The temperature was also uncharacteristically cool and breezy for July in DC, thanks to the recent storm.

Click inside for the rest of Kimberly & Judd’s intimate, offbeat Washington, DC wedding ~ including details on their amazing, unique ceremony!

For the program, we went with a Quaker-inspired format in which we invited guests to stand up and speak, if inspired, on themes of love, marriage and a happy life. We loved having the input during the ceremony from so many people that we love and admire, and leaving room for some spontaneity in the day really made each comment feel like an extra special gift.

 ^How much do I love this unique wedding ceremony idea? … I’ll tell you… A LOT!

Love the laid-back, mismatched groomsmen look as well.

AND the mismatched bridesmaids [of course] … all 14 of them in shades of blue & green!

 For the caterer, we chose the first and only place we tried—a place called Basik Neads that not only catered to our budget and palette, but displayed exceptional warmth and flexibility early on.

A note on their wonderful vendors:

We were so busy running around talking to everyone after the ceremony that we hardly had a chance to eat. It wasn’t until afterward that we heard how much everyone not only loved the food, but in particular, how much they loved the caterers. They were warm, outgoing, generous and had amazing attention to detail. Luckily, our fantastic photographer Janice had an equally close attention to detail, and was able to catch so much of the spirit of the day for us to save and appreciate for the rest of our lives.

Congratulations Kimberly & Judd – thank you so much for sharing your beautiful, intimate offbeat Washington, DC wedding with us! A special thanks to Jan C Photo & Two Bright Lights for making this feature possible!

 Vendors:

Venue: Fort CF Smith Park & Hendry House

Dress: Nicole Miller

Jewelry: Bario-Neal

Cake: Buzz Bakery

Catering: Basik Neads 

Photo: Jan C Photo