Brittany & Dan’s Classy, Gold Infused DC Wedding at Carnegie Institute

Images: Shandi Wallace Photography

This wedding makes me EXTREMELY excited for my friends that are getting married here next year. Carnegie Science Institute is quickly becoming one of my all time favorite venues in the city. It’s got that perfect mix of “DC” vibe without being overly stuffy, traditional, or pretentious. You can have an classy affair here, but as my clients Stef & Joe proved earlier this year, and as this couple also proves, you can also have some SERIOUS fun at this venue. Brittany & Dan used a combination of gold & plum for their wedding decor, and Uncloudy Studio just killed it with the florals. Check out this amazing DC wedding from a fab team of DC area wedding vendors, next!

From the couple:

We planned our wedding from Indianapolis, Indiana. Finding a venue was difficult because we couldn’t just pop on over to check them out. I saw wedding photography done at the Carnegie Institution and I knew I wanted to be married there. We booked the space without seeing it in person, and I am so glad we did! The space is elegant and makes an impression, but is still small enough for the intimate, small wedding we wanted. We also loved the fact that you can get married in the round.

Plum and gold seemed perfect for Fall. Plum has always seemed to me to be a romantic color, and it looked beautiful in our flowers.

My father (the bride) is an ordained minister who officiated the ceremony & my two sisters were my maids of honor. Our vows. Dan and I spend a lot of time writing our own back and forth vows. Having our ceremony in the round was incredibly intimate, and it was wonderful to say them to each other and share them with our friends.

—> CLICK INSIDE FOR SO MUCH MORE OF BRITTANY & DAN’S CLASSY PLUM & GOLD DC WEDDING AT CARNEGIE SCIENCE <—

We wanted the wedding to be elegant, but we also wanted it to feel like us. We focused on keeping most of the wedding décor/details classic, but then added some things that were uniquely us. We played Jazz and Motown throughout the night and served champagne as people entered the wedding. We wanted people to feel free to have fun even before and during the ceremony.

The gold animal cocktail swizzles. Dan thought I was crazy for buying them (“Why? What possible purpose…”), but I thought they were so much fun! Our guests really liked them, and most of the men put them in their suit jacket pocket.

I am absolutely horrible at art. I can’t even draw a stick figure. I respect anyone who DIYs a wedding, but it’s not in my wheelhouse. The signature cocktails sign and place cards were done by my friend Lily Boyce. She is a fantastic calligrapher/artist, and recently started a business, Lily Paper Co.

Music is important to me, and Dan and I put a lot of thought into the music that played while people entered (Miles Davis, Kind of Blue) and the music for our processional and first dance (all Louis Armstrong). All the music that played came from records we regularly listen on repeat at home, so it was sort of like bringing a bit of home to the wedding.