Brittany and Matt Jennings Fairytale Wedding
It has already been a great and busy year so far and we’re only on the 3rd week in January! I must admit though, I need a break from all of this partying. I had the great honor this past week-end to be a bridesmaid for my dear friend Brittany at her fairytale wedding in DC. It was a truly remarkable wedding – from the bridesmaid luncheon, to the rehearsal dinner, to the wedding, and finally on to the reception – it was a complete whirlwind of amazing events. Bill and I took off on Friday morning to head downtown to stay at the Willard Intercontinental hotel – where many of the events took place.
The first event was the bridesmaid luncheon which was held at the Cafe du Parc – a French bistro attached to the hotel. Matt proposed to Brittany in Paris so they continued on with the french theme throughout the wedding. At the bridesmaids luncheon, we received beautiful earrings and shawls to the wedding and accompany our bridesmaid dresses. All of the ladies visited for a while and then parted ways to get ready for the evening events.
The rehearsal and wedding took place at St. Matthews cathedral in DC – a beautiful cathedral covered in gorgeous mosaics and colored marble. Unfortunately -they are doing repairs to some of the artwork so there was a bit of scaffolding taking away some of the beauty of the front of the church. However, this did not distract from the event at hand! The rehearsal went well even with the large wedding party in attendance.
The rehearsal dinner was held at the over-the-top and beautifully ornate Crystal Room at the Willard. Everyone was dressed to the nines and the place felt fancy enough for royalty. Then again – Brittany and Matt did have their family coat of arms behind their chairs, so I’m guessing that was an intended theme! The food and company was fantastic and we had a great time visiting with Brittany and Matt’s family and friends. The night ended around midnight and we headed back to our room in the hope of getting enough shut eye to get us through the next busy day.
The wedding day came and went without incident. Brittany seemed in good spirits the whole day and she had her closest family and friends beside her to make sure that all went as planned. The girls spent the morning getting their hair and makeup done, fancying up, helping Brittany with her preparation, and just hanging out. We took photos inside the Willard as well as outside on the streets of DC. Many of the tourists/locals snapped photos as we hung outside getting out photos taken.
The wedding started at 6:45 to an attentive and packed church. The ceremony was absolutely beautiful and Brittany looked incredible. The service was touching and focused on Brittany and Matt’s continued life together after the honeymoon phase. When the wedding service was complete, we took additional photos and headed off to the reception.
The reception was held at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, which was only a few blocks from the Willard. Brittany and Matt had a DJ for the first few songs and then switched to a live local band called Mr. Greengenes. The band is known for their 80s and pop hit covers. Almost everyone was on the dance floor and spent the night having a great time with all of the singalongs. We all stayed at the reception until 1:00am and then sent Brittany and Matt off with a sparkler lined exit.
Despite the fact that I had a wicked cold – I had an amazing time and gathered up every last bit of energy I had to put forth toward the events. I had such fun with Brittany and Matts family and friends and am so very thankful to have been invited and asked to be in her wedding. It was an amazing and unforgettable experience. May they live happily ever after!
