Happy Monday everyone!  We’re starting the week off with an intimate and elegant indoor wedding right in the heart of Washington, DC.  Nicole and Justin’s wedding took place at the National Museum of Women in the Arts and every detail was inspired by Nicole’s wish for a romantic wedding surrounded by their closest family and friends.  Jennifer Lust Portrait Design captured all of the day’s details, starting as Nicole and her bridesmaids got ready for the big day!

From Nicole: Our wedding was a romantic, elegant, and intimate city affair.  We wanted a smaller wedding just close friends and family so we could really enjoy our guests.  We wanted the overall style to feel really romantic, keeping it classy while still remembering the comfort of our guests throughout.  I was inspired so much by our letterpress wedding invitations from The Lettered Olive that they sort of set the tone for the wedding and we kept elements of the design and color palette throughout the entire wedding design.

Finding the perfect venue was a priority for us.  We wanted to select a venue that captured our wedding style, but was also in a great part of DC.  The Women’s Museum was perfect.

I loved our ceremony programs we kept a rounded corner theme here, as that was the design on the wedding invitations and menu cards.  Instead of the traditional, bookstyle program, we did a custom one panel program.  Laura Hooper Calligraphy did a beautiful job with the calligraphy.

The moment we were looking into each others eyes and exchanging our vows was definitely one of my favorite memories.  I thought I would be so nervous standing up there during the ceremony, but in the moment a calm came over me and I felt more at peace holding Justin’s hands and saying our vows than I could have imagined.

My mom actually made the escort card table centerpiece.  She is an avid collector of Jay Strongwater, and wanted to somehow incorporate his work into our wedding decor.  She made giant moss covered balls, which created the perfect canvas to showcase several pieces of Jay Strongwater  all working within the color palette of the event.  We used mini Jay Strongwater frames for guest’s seating assignments, that were also our gift to all of our guests so they would have something to remember the evening, always.  My mom worked so hard on creating & incorporating these special touches, and I am so lucky to have her in my life.

Justin said his favorite memory was when we escaped the reception to take some late night portraits.  These images are my favorite pictures of the entire night, and it was such a sweet and romantic moment for us.  What is really cool instead of the traditional wedding album, I had my favorite wedding images resized and framed to create a wedding album wall in our new home.  I love being able to share these special moments with everyone and have the memories in a visible place in our home.

One of my favorite details of the wedding was having a photo of my grandparents on their wedding day on our cake table.  We were married the same day that my maternal grandparents (who are still married today!) and my great grandparents (my Mom’s Mom’s Mother) were married.  I thought this was really special and it has now become a sort of tradition in my family.

Nicole’s advice to other DC-area couples:

My advice for future DC area brides and grooms would be to remember what is most important throughout the planning process.  It is easy to get caught up in the little details, and although details can be important to you, it is more important to not lose sight of one another along the way.  I would also recommend having a solid support system, so you do not feel alone and overwhelmed.  For me, it was the combination of having my fiance, my mother, my sisters, my friends, and a neutral third party wedding planner!  Ultimately it is about what you and your fiance want, but it is very nice to have opinions and help when wanted or needed.

The following Washington, DC area wedding professionals contributed to Nicole and Justin’s wedding:

Venue: National Museum of Women in the Arts
Wedding Planning + Coordination: SoCo Events
Catering: Occasions Caterers
Photography: Jennifer Lust Portrait Design
Floral Design: Holly Heider Chapple Flowers
Ceremony Music: Sterling Artists
DJ: DJ Dan Goldman of Bialek’s
Cake: Maggie Austin Cakes
Cupcakes: Crumbs Bakeshop
Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier purchased at Carine’s Bridal Atelier
Bridesmaid Dresses: Lynn Lugo purchased at Bella Bridesmaid
Makeup: Carl Ray (bride) and Beauty N the Bride (bridesmaids)
Hair Stylist: Ismail Tekin at George at the Four Seasons (bride) and Salon Jean (bridesmaids)
Transportation: Atlantic Transportation
Officiant: Reverend Bill Chochran, Say I Do Your Way
Videography: Blue Sky Films
Calligraphy: Laura Hooper Calligraphy
Invitations: The Lettered Olive purchased at Creative Parties

Don’t forget to visit our vendor guide for more fabulous Washington, DC area wedding professionals or our real wedding gallery for more beautiful Washington, DC area weddings!

Photo Credits: Jennifer Lust Portrait Design