Anita & Rodrick’s Intimate Malawian-Inspired Wedding in Washington, DC

Like so many of you, my first introduction to Bree and Capitol Romance weddings was this very blog! For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved weddings and for many years when people would ask me what my dream job was, I’d say a wedding planner, as if it were the equivalent of becoming an astronaut, a movie star, a champion baseball player, or some other one-in-a-million career. It wasn’t until I sent the following email on August 14, 2016 at 10:48 pm (late night — when all of my bold moves tend to happen ;)):

Hi, Bree.
I am a long-time fan of Capitol Romance and am so inspired by the passion you have for DC weddings. I currently work in event marketing, but am hoping to make a transition to event planning and coordination, and I was hoping you’d have a few minutes to connect as I begin my journey. Would you be available to chat for 15-20 minutes over a cup of coffee (iced, if the weather stays as it is!) to discuss your experience in the DC wedding industry, and any advice you’d have for someone like myself who’s just starting out? I would be delighted to meet at the time and place of your convenience.

Thank you for your time!

Best,
Amanda Fulton

As it turned out, Bree let me know she could do one better and offered me the opportunity to assist at a few upcoming Capitol Romance weddings to see what the job was like. After a few weddings and a long conversation at Ebenezer’s Coffeehouse, Bree offered me a spot on the Capitol Romance team…and the rest is history!

I’m so excited to be expanding my role at Capitol Romance to include sharing blog content. I hope it will inspire, amaze, and motivate you in the same way it did for me!

Our wedding was an intimate Malawian wedding affair. Due to COVID, we had to not only change our original wedding date but also reduce the number of guests. Though the guest count was lower than we wanted, we did not want to reduce the celebration. We wanted a bright, joyful ceremony and reception just like we would expect in Malawi. We wanted a modern but timeless decor and style but with aa pop of flair. There is nothing more timeless than white and silver, and nothing that gives a pop than yellow. We incorporated Malawian wedding traditions not only during the ceremony but at the reception as well.

For the ceremony, we opted for candle lined wide aisle and flower arrangements to frame the front. We used white and yellow roses in tall silver vases. The decor was a perfect match with the beautiful chandelier above the ceremony space. To tie in our colors and overall style, we used clear president chairs with silver cushions. The amazing falling flowers chandelier served as main focal point and was complimented by the tall windows and columns that line the walls. We utilized the tall silver vases with the white and yellow roses on the tables. The name card provided a bit of glitz as they were silver with touches of sparkle . The sweetheart table was complimented with the bridesmaids bouquets at the front. Because the cake cutting ceremony is a major part of our wedding, the cake table had to stand out. My aunt, Linda Lole who owns a catering business, made us custom made wedding stands. All 3 cake stand were covered in crystals and decorated with rhinestones with matching cutlery. Yellow and white rose petals decorated the table and matched the yellow and white marble cakes.

For my ceremony dress, I chose a sparkly, crystal beaded sweetheart bodess and a drop waist dress with a flared tulle skirt with a train. We added crystals to the bottom of the dress to add sparkle. A tiara served as the perfect accessory to hold the lace cathedral veil with beaded bling appliqués along the edges and center. The reception dress, we chose Pronovias Constellation dress. It is a V neck mermaid dress with clusters of white starry dots that glitter with every movement. The goal was for the second dress to be an elegant form fitting dress and this dress was absolute perfection. Both dresses were paired with Badgley Mischka Cher II embellished pumps. For the groom, we did not want the traditional black tux. He opted for a white Calvin Klein White Tuxedo Dinner Jacket with a black satin shawl lapel and black tuxedo pants and Black round toe shoes. We added a touch of sparkle with a black and white bow tie to finish off the look.