Elese & Ray had one of my favorite weddings…everything seemed to happen & flow how it was supposed to. Lots of laughter, warm hugs, and the spirit of simply having fun & enjoying the day was on everyone’s faces. Unfortunately, a few days before the wedding, Ray broke his ankle during a big police training camp from one of those giant tires (400+lbs) falling on it. Regardless, it was such a time of celebration and I am so happy to have been a part of it. Elese-you are definitely one of the coolest Brides I’ve ever met! xoxoKatie
Venue: The Barns at Hamilton Station Vineyards / Bride’s Dress & Necklace: J Crew / Design & Rentals: Something Vintage Rentals / Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas/ Florals: Petals & Hedges / Catering: Kangaroo Boxing Club in DC / Cakes & Sweets: Vegan Treats
Why we choose The Barns: We had searched and searched for locations that were not only vineyards but they also needed a rustic chic outdoorsy feel.When we arrived at The Barns at Hamilton Station that’s exactly what we found. We loved it! Another great thing for us was it was only about an hour or so from the city which meant all of our guest could make it no problem. On top of all of that, the staff at the Barns are absolutely wonderful to work with. We couldn’t have found a better place for our wedding.
Favorite part of wedding day: Well of course the whole day was my favorite, but two parts stood out. The first was me hiding in the farm house watching Ray get out of his truck looking all handsome in his kilt. I was so,so, SO excited that I was getting to marry my very best friend. The second was when Ray and I were standing outside of the dining area waiting to be introduced. We finally had a moment to ourselves to just be quietly together. He said some of the sweetest things to me in those 5 minutes before returning to the fabulous wedding whirlwind. Definitely my two favorite moments.
Favorite part about planning: This is a hard one! I am so, so grateful for my wonderful mother and our amazing wedding team. If it was not for them I probably would still be planning our wedding. I think my favorite part was dress shopping with my mom. She was a trooper! My sister lives in Illinois and all of my best friends are out of state. So she had to be like 6 people in one. I finally settled on the 4th dress I bought after months of searching (OMG that’s crazy to think I went through so many dresses!). I also really enjoyed the small things like wine tasting with my dad & step-mom and trying out different caters with Ray or even putting together our music for the dj. It’s fun to be able to spend time with loved ones while planning a huge life event.
Advice to couples planning: ASK FOR HELP. This is such a big day for the couple and I know every bride wants things to be perfect. I know for a fact that if I didn’t have my family and our wedding team I would have struggled through the planning. I went in with a plan to do a lot of things myself (flowers, cakes, take home gifts) and I am happy that I let other people take over those task for me. Working a demanding full-time job and having to find time to plan is next to impossible. I know I would have been such a wreck before the wedding if I was up all night doing flower arrangements or icing a wedding cake.