Images: Stephen Gosling Photography
Rob & Mariah are back on the blog (their DC engagement session here) today for their gorgeous intimate wedding. They held a darling Jewish ceremony in Meridian Hill Park and celebrated with a music-themed wedding reception at a private home. Check out all the details below ~ beautifully coordinated by Tara with The Plannery.
For the ceremony, Mariah and Rob chose Meridian Hill Park in Washington. DC. This historic park sits only three block’s from the couple’s condominium, located in DC’s Adams Morgan neighborhood. It is a formal, structured park with multiple terraces, gardens, and fountains, all enclosed within a brick-walled perimeter.
The National Park Service administers the park, and only permits small gatherings and prohibits seating. So Mariah and Rob organized a flash mob wedding, with guests arriving via pedi-cab, a wedding canopy quickly assembled, and music played from a portable PA helmed by DC radio personality Alvin Jones, aka “The Unseen VJ.” Rob’s dad, a retired NJ judge, performed the ceremony, which featured the couple’s originally-penned vows and a replica of The Dude’s rug from The Big Lebowski. (It tied the park together!). Mariah’s mom, Karen Luft, and her cousin, Karen Brown, accompanied her down the improvised aisle to the tune of “Don’t Fence Me In.”
Steve Earle’s “Galway Girl” provided the soundtrack as the couple emerged from the ceremony as husband and wife.
After a picture taking session at locations around Adams Morgan, the couple stopped into a pizza shop for one of Adams Morgan’s signature “jumbo slices” before making their entrance at the reception—held at their loft style condo.
125 guests enjoyed cocktails, fresh oysters, and other hors d’oeuvres in the couple’s main living space, decorated with strings of vinyl lps suspended from the ceiling, which Mariah and her wedding party crafted themselves. Sophisticated backlighting from John Farr Lighting washed the condo with magical color.
Following cocktails, Mariah, Rob and their families and friends enjoyed a plated dinner on the couple’s large private rooftop terrace, where they dined under a tent on filet mignon prepared on site by Rouge Caterers. Each table was named after one of Mariah and Rob’s favorite musicians or bands. The wedding party then danced to the rockabilly sounds of local legends Bill Kirchen and Too Much Fun.
Vendors –> Photographer: Stephen Gosling | Ceremony Location: Meridien Hill Park | Reception: Private Residence | Wedding Planner/Coordinator –The Plannery: Tarra Morgan | Caterer: Rouge Catering | DJ: Bill Kirchen | Florist: Wollam Gardens
