Images: Rob Jinks Photography
Well I am finally getting back into the swing of blogging after almost two weeks off. Of course I had ALL intentions of blogging (and scheduling blogs) the week I left on vacation, but then the day job was insane (and life got even crazier just before we left), and nothing went as planned, and well here I am … after a really needed & great vacation in Arizona and San Fran, I am slowly getting back into it. I’ll try my best to stay at it, but I know next week is already going to be NUTSO (with a capital N). But for today at least, I have a super awesome winter wedding from Leesburg, Virginia – with gorgeous florals, pops of berry & gold, and some really fun (see: steal-worthy) DC sports-themed details. Here goes!
Allison and Grant met in the summer of 2015. She fired a rude, angry tweet at the DC sports-talk radio host over the finale of a July baseball game. The feisty exchange led to a first-date at a Virginia-bar where the two watched 12 innings of scoreless baseball. Luckily, the couple never ran out of things to talk about and just three years later Grant proposed on the Georgetown waterfront after a day-long date visiting milestone sites from their time together around the city. Each of their stops – where they had their first kiss, said ‘I love you’ for the first time — was marked with a pink rose, a love note and a baseball card.
The couple knew a winter wedding was in the cards for them, and the weekend following the Super Bowl was agreed upon as the date. Their save the dates featured a euphoric photo of the pair decked out in goggles and ponchos spraying champagne as if they had just won a championship. “Our teams can’t win a ring,” they wrote to their wedding guests, “so we’re getting them for each other.”
Allison, an artist, had a vision of her perfect winter wedding, but wanted their elegant, richly toned, affair to feel relaxed, sporty and fun.
The couple knew they would need an indoor venue that could comfortably seat a guest-list of 200 for their February celebration. A quick tour of a few options resulted in the securing of Raspberry Plain Manor in Leesburg as the perfect site for one of the most important parties of their lives. The couple was sold immediately by the historic manor as the perfect fit for their formal gathering, but what they could not have planned on was the February fog over the golf course on the night of their reception, providing the perfect winter weather scenario when the day came.
The bride made her own escort cards and table numbers, gold leafing and hand calligraphing baseball, basketball and football cards of some of the couple’s favorite local athletes. Player jersey numbers from the various cards directed guests to the corresponding table number. She also hand lettered welcome signage, and bar menus throughout the space on the venues gilded gold framed mirrors, as well as painting a custom photo booth backdrop to match the couple’s invitation suite.
Eight Tree Street Floral designed Valentine hued bouquets and centerpieces with garden roses, ranunculus, peonies, orchids, and magnolia branches. The bride collected antique champagne buckets to hold centerpieces, that doubled as favors for the quickest guests at the end of the night. Fresh mandarins, pomegranates and kumquats completed the scene set with mercury glass votives, pillar candles, and gold flat wear.
Eco Caters, who have cooked for the Nationals and Capitals over the years, were the ideal choice for providing a locally sourced and creative spread of food all night long. Allison and Grant wanted a balance of hearty gourmet favorites, with room for having a little fun. Eco delivered with raw oysters, farmhouse cheeses, and country ham biscuit madelines contrasted by a t-shirt tuxedo clad waiter passing out bagel bites (Grant’s favorite game-day snack) during cocktail hour. Guests were treated to a plethora of late night snacks, again a nod to the pairs love of sports, with ballpark vendor style passed bags of popcorn, cups of meatballs and fried Oreos on a stick. Allison and Grant sent guests out the door at the end of the night with warm soft pretzels and mustard packets as a favor.
Cocktail hour was serenaded by the acoustic stylings of Keith Elgin, a recurring musical guest on Grant’s midday sports talk show, “Grant and Danny” on 106.7 THE FAN. Those that listened closely heard his spoof on “Your Body is a Wonderland”, rewritten to “The Grant and Danny song”. DJ Stoundyn provided danceable beats for the rest of the night, even humoring the brides request for late night “ratchet hour” kicked off with the bride and groom hoisted in the air for French Montana’s “Pop That.” Fireball shots were delivered to the dance floor on a tray when “Shots” blared from the speakers.
The bridal party was introduced to the crowd in the atrium ballroom by a booming recording straight out of Capital One Arena. Capitals public address announcer Wes Johnson, recorded a personalized bio for each member of the bridal party, with one pair even going so far as building a homemade cardboard bobsled for their introduction.
The pair agrees that their wedding was everything they hoped for, a perfect blend of artful elegance and sporty details, making the wedding a home run with friends and family and a memory the couple will cherish forever.
Vendors:
Photographer: Rob Jinks Photography | Ceremony Location: Saint John the Apostle | Bridesmaid Dresses: Rent the Runway | Hair & Makeup: Hair and makeup unveiled | Reception Venue: Raspberry Plain Manor | Rentals: Select Event Group | Caterer: Eco Caters DC | Floral Designer: Eight Tree Street Floral | DJ: DJ Stoundyn | Event Designer & Planner: Allison Barnes Events | Submitted via Two Bright Lights
