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Sophie and Ryan were married in Washington, D.C. on a beautiful spring day. Preparations began in their suites at the Hay Adams.

Sophie shares, “I had so much fun getting ready in the morning with the bridesmaids. It was nice getting our hair and makeup done while having mimosas! It was truly a special moment that I’ll never forget.”

The ceremony took place at Saint Mary Mother of God. Sophie says, “It was amazing to be surrounded by all our friends and family. We were beaming with happiness the entire day!

One of my favorite moments that day was walking down the aisle with my dad and seeing Ryan at the altar. I was so happy and excited, that it brought tears to my eyes! It was such a sweet and emotional moment for us and I’ll never forget it!

A special thanks to our parents for making the day so special for us.”

Ryan shares, “My favorite part of the day was when the doors opened and I saw Sophie walk down the aisle. She was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. It felt like I had tunnel vision and the rest of the church went away. I had been nervous that morning but I felt totally calm and happy when I saw her.”

Sophie shares, “The moment we saw the Top of the Hay at the Hay Adams we knew it was the perfect place for our reception! The venue is lined with floor to ceiling windows, so the room is filled with lots of light. We loved the balcony that wraps around the room that overlooks the White House and the Washington Monument. The Hay Adams is such an elegant and magical place that we knew we wouldn’t be able to find anything else like it.”

Congratulations Sophie and Ryan!

Special thanks to the team:
Church: Saint Mary Mother of God
Officiant: Father Alfred J. Harris
Reception Venue: Top of the Hay at The Hay Adams
Flowers: Growing Wild Floral Company
Cake: Kendall’s Cakes
Dress Designer: Maggie Sottero, Purchased at Bridals By Natalie
Veil: Bridals By Natalie
Shoes: Badgley Mischka
Bridesmaid Dresses: J.Crew
Makeup: Jeff Enriquez at One 80 Salon
Hair: Lori Nansi
Tuxes: Lapel
Engagement Ring & Wedding Bands: The Top Jewelers
Photography: Jessica Schmitt Photography with Eric Swartz
DJ: Steve Hershberger, The Davis Event Group
Invitations: Paper Source, Georgetown

Sarah and Michael were married on a beautiful, chilly autumn day at Musket Ridge in Meyersville, Maryland.

Michael was anxiously waiting for Sarah to join him for their first look, but it ended up being one of their favorite parts of the day. He shares, “It was really nice to have those moments together before the ceremony. I didn’t know what to expect when I saw Sarah for the first time and I was joking with the guys about what kind of faces I should make for the photos. I didn’t realize that as soon as I turned around and saw her, I would cry my eyes out and would not be able to contain my emotions.”

Sarah and Michael add, “One of our favorite parts of wedding planning was searching for venues. It was really fun getting to go on adventures together and try to picture how our wedding would turn out. Initially we thought we wanted a rustic barnyard or vineyard wedding, but the views at Musket Ridge really won us over and we could not picture having our wedding anywhere else.  We both envisioned a wedding with a traditional framework with some unexpected fun elements. We broke tradition a little with our processional and recessional music selection–it was our way of letting loose.”

The ceremony was held on the hillside with a gorgeous view of the hills in the background.

Congratulations Sarah and Michael!

You can also check out their cherry blossom engagement photos on the blog.

Special thanks to the team:
Venue: Catoctin Hall at Musket Ridge
Coordinator: Susie Chalk
Officiant: Amy Bernier
Cake: Ed’s Country Bakery
DJ: Source4Entertainment Bill Izer
Florist: Ory Custom Floral
Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas
Makeup: Valerie Hammer
Hair: Jenny Rice
Rings: Bride – Smyth Jeweler
Bride’s Dress: Bridal Boutique Columbia
Bride’s Shoes: Wedges – American Eagle, Heels – RSVP
Bridesmaid Jewelry: Eienblue, Etsy
Bridesmaid Dresses: : Bridal Boutique Columbia, Designer Bill Levkoff
Groom’s and Groomsmen’s Suits: Vera Wang, Men’s Wearhouse
Bridesmaid Purses: skkilby21, Etsy
Hanger: HangingMemories4ever, Etsy
Ceremony sign: CountryBarnBabe, Etsy
Photography: Jessica Schmitt Photography with Eric Swartz

Ashlee and Elmo are known for taking the untraditional approach. They created a beautiful Brooklyn garden wedding surrounded by twinkly lights, natural dried lavender touches, excellent Italian food and lots of love.

The ceremony and reception were held in the beautiful Williamsburg restaurant, Acqua Santa. The ceremony began with the song Love Minus Zero by Bob Dylan and the bride’s entrance to Forever Young by Joan Baez.

Elmo had to ask Ashlee to marry him more than once before he got it right, and planned the perfect proposal. Ashlee shares, “Not being known for our traditional approach, marriage got a bit lost in the shuffle for the two of us. After starting a family the subject naturally came to the surface on occasion. Elmo found ways to ask me for my hand in marriage that seemed less than romantic, thus was denied. A few examples? While nursing our new daughter at the end of a long day, this new mother tired and just wanting to take a shower would hear Elmo (whilst taking a beer from the fridge) say, “We should just get married!” or, Elmo mentioning how silly it was to note her as “girlfriend” on his contact information for work, would state, “Let’s just get married!” Ever the romantic!

On July 5th, 2015, while visiting Elmo’s family in Alabama everything changed. We were taking the annual Ranelli family photos.  Elmo, diapering their daughter, Iris, said something about getting a beer and disappeared just when it was their turn for individual family pictures. When he finally emerged with Iris, being carried facing him, I noticed that she was no longer wearing her purposefully selected outfit. Instead she was in a plain white onesie. My reaction was to ask, over and over, “What had happened to her outfit?” as any mother would, fearing the worst, but was given no response. Confused by Elmo’s silence I found myself getting a bit frustrated, until he was about a foot away from me. At that point, he turned Iris around, held her up in the air (Lion King style) and dropped down on one knee. It was at that moment, I noticed the ring painted on the front of her onsie and I heard the simple question that followed from the man I loved, “Will you marry me now!?” Of course, the answer was finally yes!”

Ashlee and Elmo wanted to be surrounded by a small group of the people they loved the most, they wanted to laugh and relax and they wanted lots and lots of good food!  Ashlee shares, “We visited Acqua Santa and fell in love immediately. The space already had the magical garden setting that we knew would be the perfect backdrop and the food was amazing. We wanted a day where things seemed natural and easy, the style for the wedding reflected that with dried lavender and touches of sage and wheat and a fall garden with lots of sparkle coming from twinkling lights and candles. It also felt a bit bohemian with a touch of sophistication and class.”

Congratulations Ashlee and Elmo!

Special thanks to the team:
Venue: Acqua Santa
Flowers: Paula Jeans Garden, Etsy
Dress Designer: BLHLDN
Shoes: BeholdenBridal, Etsy
Makeup & Hair: Park Suhyun
Bride’s Ring: Catbird, Groom’s Ring: RobertWBruce, Etsy
Suit Designer:  Calvin Klein
Bride’s Earrings, Head Piece, Purse: Pippen Vintage Jewelry
Cake: Baked
Stationery: Wedding Paper Divas

Cammy and Josh were married on a beautiful day in September at the Ravel Hotel in Long Island City.

After getting ready with their friends and family, Cammy and Josh met in Queensbridge Park for some beautiful portraits with the Manhattan skyline.

Cammy shares, “My favorite moment of the day was walking up to Josh before the first look. When I saw him from behind standing near the river, I was overcome with emotion. Even thinking back to the image now takes me back to that feeling. I’m so glad I got to see him before our ceremony; it put me at ease, and I loved having that moment between us.”

The ceremony took place on the rooftop of the Ravel Hotel, Penthouse 808. Their open air rooftop has amazing views of the skyline and the Queensboro Bridge.

Cammy shares, “At first Josh and I weren’t sure if we wanted to have a wedding, and even after Josh was on board, I still needed some extra convincing. In the end, we’re both so glad we decided to do it.  The day was absolutely perfect, and we felt surrounded by so much love and excitement from our family and friends.

It took us almost nine months to choose a venue (I was very picky), but when I saw Penthouse 808 I fell in love with how unique it was, and how beautifully it showed off the New York skyline.”

Josh shares “For the wedding, Cammy and I decided to write our own vows but not to share them with each other before the ceremony. One of my favorite memories from the day was hearing all of the thought and care that she had put into writing hers through various inside jokes (in particular a modification on a Winnie the Pooh quote that caused me to almost lose it during the ceremony). Hearing her vows for the first time during the ceremony would have been emotional for me regardless, but to have so much of the humor from our relationship took it to a completely different level. I laughed, came very close to crying, and I’m smiling now just thinking about them.”

The reception began as the sun set. The chic decor looked very elegant with an urban twist, with beautiful centerpieces by Petals and Roots.

Josh adds, “Being from New Jersey, I love my Bon Jovi, so the most memorable moment of the wedding for me was when the DJ played Living on a Prayer.  Everybody on the dance floor went nuts and friends who weren’t on the floor rushed in knowing that I’d be going nuts. The energy and the memory of singing Living on a Prayer at the top of my lungs surrounded by friends and family is something that I will remember forever.  The fact that the next song was R. Kelly’s Ignition (Remix) was a cherry on top!”

Congratulations Cammy and Josh!

Special thanks to the team:
Venue and Caterer: Penthouse 808
Officiant: Gary Katz
Florist: Petals and Roots
Invitations: Vera Wang
Makeup: Monica Martelo
Hair: Monica Martelo
Bride’s Dress: Demetrios Bridal
Jewelry: Rafi Designs (by the bride’s mom!)
Groom’s Suit: Robbie & Co
Photographer: Jessica Schmitt Photography

Louise and Simone eloped from the U.K. to get married in Central Park with an intimate gathering of friends and family. The joyful ceremony took place at the Ladies Pavilion.

Louise shares, “Simone and I met at work, he’s a paediatric cardiac surgeon and I am a nurse and I was working on the paediatric cardiac ward. He came to the U.K. in 2009 from Italy for a one year post in Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. At that time I had been working there for six years. We happened to live near one another and used to bump into each other on the tube on the way to work. We started out socialising as a group of people including other nurses and doctors. Toward the end of the first year, we started dating and so he extended his post for another year. Nobody at work knew we were together so when his next job took us to India for one year, everyone was very shocked that I was leaving! After spending a tough year together in India we knew we could cope with anything.

Simone knows I am way too fussy so for the proposal so he took me to Tiffany’s in Regent St, London, to buy me my perfect ring.

We decided to get married in New York as it’s our favourite city in the world. One of our first holidays together was to NYC. We both wanted a small wedding with only our nearest and dearest there so we decided that NYC was the perfect place. Central Park is one of the most beautiful places in the city so we wanted our ceremony to be held there. It was the perfect day and everything we could have dreamed.”

Congratulations Louise and Simone!

Special thanks to A Central Park Wedding.