If Caitlin and Trevor hinted to me how amazing their wedding ceremony venue was, I didn't remember. When I walked into the
cathedral where they'd share their vows, my jaw pretty much hit the floor. Their wedding at the
Cathedral of St. Matthew and reception at
Top of the Town was, in a word, elegant, with a big old scoop of crazy dance party.
We started the day at a pair of townhouses their families had rented in Washington, DC. Caitlin's family was staying in a former convent - it was such a cool place.
Toldja.
Then we hopped over to St. Matthews.
I really didn't even know cathedrals like this existed in DC. This is the cathedral where Red Mass is celebrated each year.
Caitlin and Trevor hired a tour-the-sites trolley to take the wedding party around to the various portrait locations. The lady driving was really funny, giving everybody the full historical breakdown of everywhere we went.
Wanting to add some spice to their portraits, we hit up the National Portrait Gallery and American Art Museum to get in some funky modern art stuff.
Thankfully the government had reopened just a few days before, so the Lincoln was fully available for wedding pictures.
Then we took the trolley across the river to Top of the Town for some amazing views, and a raucous party.
Honestly, the floor-to-ceiling windows are really tricky to work with, but they can be used to some pretty cool effect, too.
Their centerpieces included binoculars for spying on tourists at the monuments (or maybe just taking in the view closer...), so I played with that a bit. Here I'm focusing on the monuments through the binoculars. I think it mostly worked, but it's also something of a selfie.
Many thanks, as always, to my tireless assistant Julia, who shows no sign of annoyance when I give her "assignments" like "go stand outside and take landscape photos so I can stitch them into a panorama." Pretty sweet view, right?
Congratulations, you guys!
Caitlin and Trevor's vendor team:
Ceremony venue:
Cathedral of St. Matthew
Reception venue:
Top of the Town
Caterer:
The Chef's Table
DJ: Brennan Sullivan,
Bialek's Music
Videographer:
George Street
Florist:
Bloom Fresh Flowers
Cake:
Edibles Incredible
Hair & Makeup:
Bridal Artistry
We started the day at Le Meridien in Arlington, which happens to have a big, lovely patio for first looks and family photos and things. Thanks, as always, to Julia for hanging with the boys.
Not gonna lie, Jennifer's grandmother was a bit of a show-stealer.
She had competition too.
A few portraits by the Netherlands Carillon before we rolled up for the big event.
Julia had to sneak in some side doors to grab this one.
The view. It's a quality view.
In serious contention for raddest cocktail hour ever, Jennifer and Aric's included a swing dance lesson from Sue and Gary.
The hora!
The hora morphed into kung fu action dance, one of Aric's passions.
When all your friends are baller dancers, the game of pass-the-bride looks a lot more professional.
Julia doing her thing and Jennifer doing hers.
These two got married on Jennifer's parents' 45th wedding anniversary, so the kids put together a special treat.
Congratulations you guys!
Jennifer and Aric's vendor team:
Ceremony and reception venue: Top of the Town
Getting-ready venue: Le Meridien
DJ: Dabe and Janelle
Caterer: Main Event Caterers
Florist: Maryam Flowers
Officiant: Rabbi Stephanie Bernstein, adjunct at Temple Rodef Shalom
Swing dance lesson: Sue and Gary of Gottaswing
Decoration stuff: Jennifer did tons of DIY stuff for the wedding, including her bouquet!
Cake: Sweet City Desserts
Rubik's Cube cake: Sugar Vault Desserts