Images: Anne Simone
Happy Thursday Romancers. I’ve been trying my hardest to get back into a more regular blogging groove and so far I think I’ve been doing pretty good this week (but let’s not talk about the July newsletter which still hasn’t been created … never enough time!). Coming back from vacation has been a bit harder than I thought it would be, but this adorable Maryland & sports-infused wedding certainly helps. Check out Mark & Gillian’s Arena Stage wedding, details & love story below!
Mark and I met while I was interning at DC United. I had moved to the area for that internship and Mark helping out the Operations team there on game days. After a few months we realized that we lived close to each other in Maryland and decided to start seeing each other outside of RFK Stadium.
Our love of music and going to see live shows played greatly into the proposal. We had discovered Bears Den, a band from the UK, when they opened for Mumford & Sons and I quickly fell in love with them. Through some connections Mark was able to reach out to the band and plan a secret proposal when they were going to be in town for a show. It was a normal Wednesday afternoon and Mark had asked me to stop by his parents house to help out with some things before we were going to head into DC to see Bears Den perform that evening. When I stepped into his parents living room, there was my favorite band playing my favorite song and Mark with a big smile on his face. After many heartfelt words and getting down on one knee I of course said YES! To make the day even better he had my mom fly out from Ohio for the day to be there and be a part of the celebration. We then went into DC where he had organized a big happy hour with all of our friends before the show!
We got engaged in November and then took a few months off planning and started the process in January. It took about a month and we got all of our big vendors nailed down. With the wedding in October I knew that we wanted to be able to enjoy the summer before having to buckle down and get all the last minute details done closer to the big day. The biggest help was having a wedding coordinator for the last 6 weeks. It took a lot of the decisions and hard work off my shoulders and I was able to be more excited rather than stressed.
The colors for the wedding were something that came very easy for me. I love a mostly neutral color palette and we threw in some fun colors here and there. Mark and his groomsmen had custom suits made with amazing liners that showed off their personalities. Mark is an alumni of the University of Maryland and currently works there, so the Maryland flag made perfect sense for him.
We chose Arena Stage as our venue as we wanted something different than a normal hotel or wedding hall. We love going to shows and live performances and our story started in DC, so Arena Stage was a perfect fit. The building is absolutely beautiful and the space that we were able to utilize could not have been better. We held both the ceremony and the reception in the Molly Smith Study while cocktail hour was outside on the rooftop terrace. The building was modern and elegant which also set the perfect background for all of our photos.
READ MORE FOR THE REST OF THIS MODERN WASHINGTON DC WEDDING
We really wanted the day to feel like ours and tried to incorporate our friends, family, and our personality into everything. It all started with one of our friends designing everything printed for the wedding. It allowed us to show our personality and give input on everything from the save the dates to the wedding programs.
We wanted everyone at the wedding to really feel like it was our day. Our officiant was my maid of honors father, the cupcakes and cake from the reception were made by one of our friends mothers, our siblings did readings during the ceremony, and our first dance was played by one of Marks groomsman.
One of our favorite parts of the day was our wedding party video entrance. Sports have played a big part in our relationship we pre-filmed a video introducing our wedding party. It was a fun way to incorporate our personality into everything. Another small touch that we included was naming all of our tables after bands that we have seen play live together. Small little touches that really incorporated our lives into the wedding day.
The DIY elements of the wedding we tried to keep to a minimum as I am not the most crafty person. One thing we did do was use our cupcakes as the centerpieces on the tables. My family is from Ohio and my mom and her friends wanted to be involved and DIY something for the wedding. It was such a great way for them to be able to get to a part of the planning while being so far away. They created the centerpieces and then brought them.
VENDORS ~> Photographer: Anne Simone | Wedding Planner: Completely Yours | Venue: Arena Stage | Catering: Purple Onion | Invitations & Printed Designs: Kristen Dufour Designs | Cupcakes: Cake Capitol Classic Cakes | DJ: Black Tie Entertainment | Hair Stylist: Behind the Veil | Videographer: JPG Photography | Florist: Royalty Flowers | Rentals: Select Event Group
