Intimate Washington DC Wedding: Will + Kevin

We’re kicking off the week with a wedding celebration that began with an intimate ceremony and dinner, and ended with the most elegant of at-home receptions. First, take a look at Will and Kevin’s exquisite DC wedding ceremony, captured by Eli Weddings, at The Jefferson Hotel. It was filled with their closest family and friends, and accented with stunning florals, which contrasted beautifully against the deep woods of the venue, just as Will imagined. In just a bit, you’ll see Kevin’s vision for their day, an equally beautiful, large reception at his parents home. Hurry back!

From Will: Kevin and I had two wedding events—a very intimate ceremony at the Jefferson Hotel in Washington DC a day before our birthdays and then a large reception with all our friends at family at Kevin’s parent’s home on the water in Annapolis. All of this worked out really well—I wanted a small ceremony with our immediate family and closest friends and Kevin wanted an ebullient and large party. We got both. For both the ceremony and the reception we wanted a casual yet classic day with simple flowers and elegant decorations that had a bit of southern charm. Our colors were green, white, and natural linen.

Our rings were custom made by Zachary Jewelers in Annapolis (a locally owned shop). Our rings are engraved with “11=12+13.” We got married on April 11, Kevin’s birthday is on April 12, and Will’s birthday is on April 13.

Kevin and I spent a lot of time thinking through our ceremony and vows. Being a gay couple, a lot of wedding traditions didn’t quite fit (garter toss) or feel right (traditional vows). Neither of us had been to a gay wedding before and none of our close gay friends had married at the time. We felt like we were in uncharted territory. We worked with our celebrant, Tiffany Newman, on a short ceremony, and wrote our own vows.

My youngest brother, Jack, is a Marine and was deployed to Afghanistan when we married. Jack wrote a toast that my Dad read at lunch after our ceremony. It was so sweet and a great way for Jack to be part of day.