Sarah and Will were married on a rainy, but beautiful day in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. The ceremony took place in the charming Lyceum, Alexandria’s history museum, built in 1839.
The day began with a first look on the Lyceum’s front steps.
I love Sarah and Will’s expression here, when they saw each for the first time. They were so excited!
As an alternative to a unity candle, the couple shared a glass of Hardwood Winery wine during the ceremony. This action is deeply rooted in Judeo/Christian tradition. Will told me, “The wine itself Sarah and I picked up a few months back while we were on a weekend trip to Fredericksburg as a romantic getaway, so it was a bottle that had some meaning/depth for us.”
After the ceremony, Sarah and Will wanted to enjoy the area by walking to the reception, and it ended up being one of their favorite parts of the day. The walk was great for photo opportunities and Sarah said she “appreciated it just as much for having some quiet time in the middle of things.”
Will shared with me, “We have some great stories because of that walk, like the couple who pulled over to offer us a ride to get out of the rain. When we were posing for photos down a side street, a tour bus came up behind Sarah and I saw a dozen flashbulbs go off as people on the bus took pictures of us.”
I had such a blast with Sarah and Will. You guys are SO FUN! Thank you for being willing to stop every time we passed a great photo spot… which was about every 10 feet.
Sarah, this photo says it all. Could you be more excited?! I love it!
We were able to take advantage of some of my absolute favorite things to photograph: a red door, cherry blossoms, vine-covered brick and cobblestone streets.
Our walk ended at the Sheraton, just in time for Sarah and Will to grab a cocktail and make their way to the reception.
The father/daughter dance to Sunrise, Sunset and mother/son dance to Time Well Wasted by Brad Paisley were wonderful. Will’s mom took a little spill just before the wedding and needed to use a walker, but she was such a good sport and made the most of it. They had a ball on the dance floor!
A little frosting on your nose never hurt anyone…!
The couple got engaged a bit under a year ago. Will had a plan that went slightly awry, “One of our cats always jumps up in Sarah’s lap as soon as she gets home from work, so I had the brilliant idea of putting the engagement ring on her collar so the first thing Sarah would see when she got home from work was the ring on the cat’s collar. Unfortunately, the cat was just confused and froze in place for about an hour because she didn’t know what the thing around her neck was. I ended up picking her up and carrying her over. It was frustrating at the time, but this might make a better story anyway.”
Sarah added, “Will waited for more like 3 to 4 hours before giving up on the cat. Meanwhile, he followed me every time I walked into the bedroom, where she was hiding.”
The wedding rings were very unique handmade pieces. They had each other’s fingerprints etched into the metal.
Sarah and Will hand selected some of their favorite songs to be played during the reception. The Proclaimers I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) got everyone jumping! Da da da!
Congratulations Sarah and Will!
Special thanks to all the vendors:
Ceremony Venue: The Lyceum
Officiant: Rev. Julie Price
Reception Venue/Caterer: Sheraton Suites Alexandria
Cake: Sweet Ladies Bakery
DJ: AJ, AJ Productions
Flowers: Linda Baldy (Godmother of the Groom)
Wedding bands: Brent & Jess Fingerprint Wedding Rings
