Marianne and Ryan met when they were six, thanks in large part to their moms’ mutual adoration of Bon Jovi. Despite living more than 1,000 miles apart, the grew to be great friends and after one some, and one kiss, they never looked back! They planned a Virginia wedding at an exquisite church that needed no more than their simple palette of black, white and gold and Janice C. Photography there to document it all. Perhaps the most personal touch of the day was the special anniversary they shared it with…

From Marianne: The one thing we wanted our wedding to be was classic something that would stand the test of time. We ended up changing our color palette a few times, trying to find something that would fit the bill. We eventually decided on a simple black and gold palette with touches of white.

We wanted our wedding to incorporate our family members as much as possible. Ryan’s custom-made wedding band was made of gold and diamonds from his grandparents’ and parents’ rings, and my bouquet included small butterflies to remember our loved ones who had passed. The stem of my bouquet was wrapped in a handkerchief that a very close family friend used on her own wedding day.

Ryan and I got married on my maternal grandparent’s 50th wedding anniversary. As a special gift to them for all they did for me growing up, we invited them to renew their vows during our ceremony, right before we said our own. Watching them hold hands and seeing all the love they have for one another was one of my favorite memories of day. We can’t thank them enough for letting us share such a special day with them.

The following Washington, DC area wedding vendors contributed to Marianne and Ryan’s wedding:

Ceremony: Holy Trinity Catholic Church
Reception: Stonewall Golf Club
Photography: Janice C. Photography
Invitations: Charming Go Lightly via Minted
Cake Topper: Lynn’s Little Creations
Wedding Tree: Lovliday
Flowers: Flower Gallery
Hair: Robin’s Hair Design, (703) 878-4946
Dress: Alfred Angelo Bridal
Rings: Quinn’s Goldsmith
Cake: Cupcake Heaven
DJ: Dream Day DJs

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: Janice C. Photography

Submitted via Two Bright Lights