We knew we wanted to share Torrance and Sam’s elegant Washington, DC wedding with you as soon as we read their beautiful words and saw these gorgeous images from Preferred Vendor Elisa Bricker Photography. The couple intentionally planned their wedding in ways that allowed them to celebrate their families and their heritage. They also designed a simply lovely day, incorporating some DIY elements (those adorable welcome boxes!), beautiful flowers by Once Wed Preferred Vendor Mallory Joyce, and a killer dress. Read on for more from Torrance!
More from the bride:
“My husband (!!) and I worked hard to make family the centerpiece of our wedding. Dumbarton House, where the ceremony was held, is just two blocks away from the Georgetown rowhouse where my great-great grandparents were raised. On our walk from the ceremony to Sequoia restaurant, where the reception was held, we walked past where I had lived as a Georgetown student and the church where my grandmother was baptized. Everyone worked so hard to make our wedding happen. My husband’s parents planned and hosted a fantastic rehearsal dinner at F. Scott’s, family and friends generously helped us build the bridesmaid bouquets, and my sisters did a great job reading Robert Fulgham’s ‘The Union’ during our ceremony. My parents honored our Norwegian heritage by finding traditional Norwegian wedding spoons for our cake-cutting ceremony. These intricately hand-carved spoons are connected by a chain, all of which is symbolically carved from a single piece of wood. Our favorite part of our wedding day was taking a step back during the reception and watching members of both of our families talking, laughing and dancing together. It really made us feel like our two families had become one big family!
My dear friend and bridesmaid, Briana, helped me build welcome boxes for our out of town guests. In each one, we included a handwritten card, a Washingtonian welcome guide to the city, celebratory champagne, some favorite snacks, a map of our wedding weekend events and a Carry on Cocktail Kit. Building these boxes was an effort to make each guest feel welcomed and appreciated. The process was so much fun and so rewarding that Briana and I have since co-founded Teak & Twine, a partnership dedicated to creating beautiful gift boxes for weddings and events.”
