Mayflower Hotel Wedding
John and Kate are what I call true “Washingtonians.” They love Washington, DC almost as much as they love each other. So in DC, happy hours are considered a must…and of course this is how these two love birds met. From there, the rest is history, the two became best friends instantly!When planning the wedding, the happy couple made sure to give their family and friends an amazing dc experience because many of them were traveling from out of town and had never been to DC. The guests were greeted with welcome bags with everything you could think of that a tourist might need.
Kate and John shared their first look in front of their new home in Foggy Bottom. From there they jumped onto a trolley with their wedding party and headed to the Jefferson Memorial. The couple took photos at the memorial and then headed to Dupont Circle for a few more.
Their ceremony was the traditional catholic mass, which concluded with a lovely exit through the main church doors. This was very unique to their wedding because the main church doors are typically only used for Easter. From there, Kate and John led a parade of guests to The Mayflower with ribbon in hand. Kate spent many hours sanding sticks, attaching wedding bell. Kate recalls this portion of the wedding day to be her favorite memory: “It was thrilling as we walk/skipped down the center of the Cathedral’s steps and then led the parade of our guests to the reception, holding their ribbons as we walked down 17th street to the Mayflower Hotel to kick off the celebration.”
When choosing a reception venue, Kate reflected on what her late mother once told her. She mentioned that if your wedding venue is historic and under National Preservation, “you and your husband will always be able to venture back for a drink or dinner and re-live that memory.” Both the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle and the Mayflower Hotel are both US National Register of Historic Places. After looking into The Mayflower Kate and John learned a lot about history of this beautiful venue, which made it even more appealing. Apparently during the opening of the hotel, in 1925, it was dubbed the “Grand Dame of Washington, DC.” It featured more gold than any other building in the country except for the Library of Congress.The cocktail hour was held in the Mayflower’s Mezzanine. The guests were served hors d’oeuvres well as signature cocktails. The Groom’s signature cocktail was Scotch on the rocks and the Bride’s signature cocktail was a Cape Codder.
The reception was held in the State Ballroom, which truly showed off their fun wedding colors of Deep Royal, Navy Blue, and Raspberry pink. When planning the color and décor, Kate was really drawn to bright and bold colors. Her favorite color is pink and her later mother’s favorite color was blue and boy do they look great together!They had accent pink light that shined on the gold columns, and had the royal/navy blue table clothes on the 10 dining tables each having 6 large candle holders. The candles set the mood for a romantic feeling, but with the strong colors throughout the ballroom, brought out the fun feeling they were looking for! Dancing was a key part to the party, so they were happy to find that the room had plenty of room for dancing. The State room also had a perfect place for the 9 person band, which had them front/center as guests walked in, the band played as the guests entered and set the mood for a perfect evening.Their first dance was to “When I’m 64”, by the Beatles. This song is special because it describes their love. They both love bottles of wine, working in the garden, sitting by the fire, we send postcards on our travels, and so much more. The song explains all the fun that they have together along with the fun that they will be sharing in the future together. The first dance went great, as everyone in the room was standing and cheering as they finished.
On their first date, John and Kate had dinner and went on a stroll viewing the monuments lit up at night, which was something they both had always wanted to do. At the end of their wedding reception, Kate and John hopped into a cab, which drove them back to that same location where they had their first date. What an amazing way to end the perfect day.Introducing the Vendors who put on this special event:Catering: Mayflower HotelCake: Fluffy ThoughtsBand: Encore, Washington TalentWedding Gown: Hitched, Judd WaddellBridesmaid Dresses: Lula KatePhotography: Sweet Tea Photography
Stationary: The Dandelion Patch, William ArthurCalligraphy: Just WriteFlowers: Mayflower HotelWedding Programs: Paper Presentation, NYCTransportation: Royal TrolleyWelcome Bags: WeddingChicksHair and Make up: Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spa at the Willard