I can’t even begin to tell you how PERFECT everything was last night. Thank you so much for your expertise, patience, voice of reason and kindness. Mother of the bride
Keep reading this blog to find out more about this wedding — Vicky
I can’t even begin to tell you how PERFECT everything was last night. Thank you so much for your expertise, patience, voice of reason and kindness. Mother of the bride
Keep reading this blog to find out more about this wedding — Vicky
Last part of Jessica and Bill’s Maryland backyard wedding – Vendor Recap. Go back to Part 1 for the intro, Part 2 for Style Overview, and Part 3 (ceremony). Photos by Kate Hauschka.
Catering: Fusions Cuisine. Chef Jim Thompson is so creative with coming up with a menu that embraced Bill and Jessica’s lives, the places they’ve been and the foods that remind them of those place.
Tent, Generators, Fans: L&A Tent Rentals. I’ve done several backyard weddings with the Drivers. L&A is a family owned business and they take good care of their customers. They were kind enough to hang all the paper lanterns for us!
Trailer Restrooms: Blue Ribbon Restroom Trailers. Good experience here. The bathrooms are easy to operate and are in great condition. They even pipe music inside the bathrooms. It just requires access to water source and power. I recommend that you get the toilet its own generator.
Photographer: Katharine Hauschka. Chance would have it that this was the 2nd time I worked with Kate within a few months. Kate is really easy going. Her portraits of the couple are fun but have an intimate feel, focused close in on the couple, a little artsy. She gets a good balance of detailed shots and unscripted moments.
Musicians: St. Charles String Quartet. Great to work with and I love that they have a wide repertoire of music, ranging from classical to pop/rock tunes.
DJ: Michael Perry
Wedding Planner: Vicky Choy, Event Accomplished, Arlington, VA
Hope you enjoyed reading about this wedding as much as we did putting it together! Vicky
Continuing the story of Jessica and Bill’s Maryland backyard wedding. (Part 1 for the intro and Part 2 for Style Overview.) Photo by Kate Hauschka.
I have to admit theirs was one of my favorite ceremonies. Working with officiant, they put together a ceremony that was very inclusive of both families, having them participate in many parts of the ceremony. To me, this represented more of the Asian cultures where a wedding is more about the joining of two families than of two people.
Chinese Tea Ceremony: Prior to beginning the ceremony, Bill and Jessica performed the Chinese tea ceremony, offering tea to the elders in their families as a sign of respect, in exchange for some words of wisdom.
Ringing of the Bells: Just prior to the processional, Bill and Jessica’s nephews and cousins rang bells to signal the beginning of the ceremony. In many cultures, it is a tradition to make some noise at weddings because it was said that the noise scared away any evil spirits that might do harm to the couple or to their marriage.
Water & Fire: As part of the processional, 2 of Bill and Jessica’s nieces and cousins, carried 2 small jugs of water. Then the two mothers poured from each of the small jugs into a larger vessel. Then the two fathers along with Jessica and Bill performed the Unity Candle ceremony. Both of these rituals symbolizing the joining of two families
Bread, Salt & Wine: In Ukrainian tradition, the presentation of bread and salt is a traditional way of offering greetings on special occasions. Their parents presented Bill and Jessica with bread, salt, and wine. The bread represents the parents’ hope that their children will never experience hunger or need, and the salt reminds the couple that their life may be difficult at times and they must learn together to cope with life’s struggles. With the wine, the parents hope that they will never thirst and that they will have a life of good health and cheer and share the company of many good friends.
Family Blessing: At the end of the ceremony, the officiant again invited both sets of parents and siblings to place their hands on the bride and groom to offer their blessings.