Noah + Sandra's Wildflower Summer Wedding at Josephine Butler Parks Center, Washington DC

There are so many things I loved about Noah and Sandra's wedding last summer! First, the brides! They are kind, sweet and creative and involved family and tradition and memories into their Jewish/Brazilian wedding. Second, the venue, Josephine Butler Parks Center is by far one of my favorites venues in Washington, DC. The staff is amazing, the space is gorgeous (so many fireplaces and mantels to decorate!) and the feel is intimate. Third, the color and whimsy of the decor which included local seasonal summer flowers in every color you can imagine!

Noah and Sandra's ceremony was held outside in Josephine Butler Parks Center's outdoor ceremony space under a chuppah. Each bride carried a wildflower bouquet of white, lavender and yellow with bird of paradise as the focal flower in memory of Noah's mother. The other blooms were: hydrangea, chamomile, lavender, craspedia, dahlias and baby's breath. The bridesmaids wore flowing gowns of dusty lavender and carried baby's breath bouquets wrapped in burlap. The adorable flower girl wore a floral crown of baby's breath and wildflowers and tossed petals down the aisle which was lined with birch buckets filled with baby's breath. The men all wore bird of paradise boutonnieres, in remembrance of Noah's mother.

The baby's breath and wildflower theme continued inside the venue filling an assortment of vintage style bottles, jars and vases and wooden crates and boxes. Noah's sister, Leigh, provided a plethora of rustic details and decor to the flowers adding extra warmth and a personal touch. Each mantel was draped in either baby's breath, foliage or wildflower garland along with the railings on the grand staircase. There were flower arrangements inside the fireplaces, on the windowsills, in the restrooms, you name it! The guest tables were all different but coordinated beautifully with an assortment of vessels displaying bright, seasonal wildflowers and a framed table number atop a rustic slice of wood. The flowers used in the centerpieces and throughout the venue included: hydrangea, celosia, scabiosa, veronica, marigolds, black-eyed susans, sunflowers, ageratum, millet, wheat, asters, zinnias, dahlias, craspedia and chamomile to name a few. The place cards were held in notched birch logs nestled on a bed of moss and there were candles everywhere!

Check out this glowing review from the beautiful brides (I'm blushing just reading it again):

Noah and Sandra said...
"Jolie is the kindest, most responsible, professional I have ever worked with. Jolie made our wedding so very beautiful by listening to exactly what we wanted and bringing it to life. She was the only florist that we interviewed who brought us a sample flower bouquet to our meeting as a gift for meeting with her. We were not easy customers, we asked for a lot, and Jolie did it all with a smile and a true love for what she does. In every way that we asked her to she went above and beyond her call of duty. If you are looking for a florist who can work with whatever budget you give her, listen to you with professionalism and warmth, and bring to life your dream day - Jolie is the person for you! Out of all our vendors, Jolie gets our highest ratings and endorsement. Additionally, we are an LGBTQ couple and Jolie is incredibly welcoming and supportive of our love and did all that we asked to incorporate new and old traditions into our wedding day."

This wedding was so much fun to be a part of and the vendor team was amazing! So if you're looking for a beautiful yet intimate venue in DC with a rockstar cast of vendors then check out the list below!

Now, enjoy these fun photos from the Doug Stanford Photography!

Flowers: Uncloudy Studio

Photography: Doug Stanford Photography

Planner: Jasmine Smith and Co.

Venue: Josephine Butler Parks Center

Caterer: Main Event

Bettina and Laura's Intimate Plum, Blush and Gold Fall Wedding at the DC War Memorial

I loved loved LOVED working with Bettina and Laura! It really doesn't get much better than that. Seriously. Bettina and I just clicked when we met last summer. Her vision was right in line with my aesthetic and I didn't want to wait until October to see it all come to life! But I really got excited for this wedding when I met Laura during a venue visit. I could feel the love so strongly between these two that I was inspired to do my very best to create the perfect flowers for their wedding. The look was organic, lush, seasonal and textural. The color palette was blush, burgundy, plum and gold. We used deep red peonies, antique hydrangea, peach garden roses, pink ranunculus, red dahlias, hanging amaranthus, blush anemones, blushing bride protea and seeded eucalyptus with accents of gold. The bouquet was wild and lush and Bettina told me she took it with her on their honeymoon :) Each boutonniere was different from the next as were all of the centerpieces. The ceremony took place outside on a gorgeous fall day at the DC War Memorial and the intimate reception was held at Poste Moderne Brasserie adjacent to the Hotel Monaco in downtown DC. The centerpieces were designed in beautiful ombre vases with gold table numbers (provided by the bride). I'm kind of sad that it's over...

Okay, enough gushing. Happy married life you two xoxo! Enjoy a few photos from Nick Stone Photography (and a few from yours truly)!

Flowers: Uncloudy Studio

Venue: Poste Moderne Brasserie

Photography: Nick Stone Photography

Event Planning: Lovebus Events and Design

Grooms + Garlands + Gold = Gorgeous Wedding at Josephine Butler Parks Center in Washington DC

I had the absolute pleasure of working with Anthony and Darius last fall for their October wedding at Josephine Butler Parks Center in DC. They had a very chic and understated vision for their flowers - simple, white with gold accents and lots of garlands for the mantels. They also wanted to keep costs down which we were able to do by keeping the flowers simple and using them in the ceremony and the reception and focusing on foliage only for the large areas. For the flowers we focused on classic mini calla lilies, fluffy hydrangea and elegant dendrobium orchids with touches of gold ribbon. To add warmth to the large rooms we placed garlands of foliage on all the mantels in the venue designed with Italian ruscus and plumosa fern. The mantel that provided as a backdrop for the ceremony was accented with white hydrangea in matte gold vases and votive candles in gold mercury glass holders. The bridesmaids' bouquets were repurposed as centerpieces at some of the guest tables by placing them in the same gold vases that were used on the mantel. We also added a large, all-white arrangement on the windowsill on the landing of the grand staircase to welcome guests upstairs. The final look was warm and intimate thanks to all the wonderful vendors involved!

Flowers: Uncloudy Studio

Venue: Josephine Butler Parks Center

Photography: Victoria Ruan Photography

Event Planning: Bright Occasions

Caterer: R&R Catering

Wedding Cake/Desserts: Huda's Sweet Bee Bakery

Ceremony/Cocktail Hour Music: Piano D'Amore

DJ: Chris Laich Music Services

Video: Craig Schattner Productions

Officiant: Joan Phillips

Flower Recap on a Few Recent Events in DC

I've been a total slacker at blogging lately. Sorry. Each time I sit down to write I think I hear my garden calling me and that's the end of that! So I'm going to do a little recap today of a few of the events that Uncloudy Studio was lucky enough to be a part of in the last couple of weeks.

Pride and Preservation: Cocktails in the Castle. This event took place earlier in the month at the Heurich House Museum. This official Capital Pride Week reception honored and celebrated the National Park Service (NPS) LGBTQ Heritage Initiative. For more information about the event and the initiative please check out the Heurich House Press Release.

Absolut Elyx Event at Chez Billy. This launch party for Absolut Elyx Luxury Vodka and was held at a great restaurant/bar, Chez Billy, in Petworth. The theme was clean, classic, simple luxury using an abundance of open white roses arranged low and lush in copper square vases.

Fit Foodie 5K Race Weekend with Cooking Light and Health magazines. The Fit Foodie race was held in Fairfax, VA and Uncloudy Studio designed a few arrangements to accent the Celebrity Chef (Anna Bullett and RJ Cooper are seen in two of the photos) cooking experience hosted by Eco Caterers. The theme for the flowers was colorful, eco-friendly, natural and locally sourced. The arrangements were designed in natural birch boxes and used 100% local flowers including peonies, lilies, black-eyed susan, thistle, yarrow, zinnia, honeysuckle and more.

I had so much fun designing each event and, as always, feel so lucky that my job is a floral designer in Washington, DC! Have a great weekend everyone :)