The Venue: A Historic Auditorium, the Vibe: Old School Glamour, the Results: Spectacular!

As you can probably tell from the title, this wedding is truly something special - so it came as no surprise when we found out the bride is a wedding expert herself, having worked in the industry for many years at Design Cuisine! Everything from the unique auditorium venue to the bridesmaid dresses in various blush hues - each detail was thoughtfully curated by the bride and her amazing planner, Etc Coordinators. Don't miss out on the full gallery captured by Kir Tuben to see all the old school glamour this wedding has to offer.

From Kir Tuben... From start to finish, Jesse and Haley were a dream to work with. Their engagement session launched a litany of clients wanting Cherry Blossom engagement photos so I can’t imagine all the requests for elements from this wedding day. From this couple’s amazing style to Haley’s insane organization skills cultivated from working in the wedding industry at Design Cuisine, every little detail of this day was perfection. Even the walk-through was a well run event.

Even more noteworthy than throwing an incredible event is the beautiful support system of friends and family these two created. Every single image I look at brings me so much joy in remember this day and all who made it a reality. Wedding morning began at the brand new Intercontinental at the Wharf. This bride is super stylish so it is no wonder she selected this brand new trendy spot for her morning events. Haley had adorable custom made little champagne bottles to celebrate the anticipation with her bridesmaids (including her twin sister!) The only person that rivals Haley in style is her now husband, Jesse. He couldn't wait to show off his very own red bottom shoes all day. Haley did a back to back first look with her dad and her groom in the lobby of this chic modern hotel. After a quick summer shower, the weather cleared for photos all around the auditorium! White blooms and a draped chuppah made this Jewish ceremony one for the books. The two danced underneath their custom monogram and were toasted in this stunning elegant room before cutting the cake and eating custom cake pops to end the night on a sweet note.

Write up from Bride... Jesse and I are college sweethearts that met at the University of Maryland, College Park over five years ago (March 2014). We now live together in the Apollo apartment building on H Street in Northeast Washington, DC. Jesse is in commercial real estate and I work for Design Cuisine (who catered our wedding). Working for a caterer made it a little easier to plan the wedding, since I get to see so many spectacular DC events and weddings on a regular basis. Once I got engaged I knew exactly what I wanted and which vendors I wanted to work with. I also knew I wanted a big, old-school glamour style wedding with a champagne, ivory and gold color palette (I had my bridesmaids all wear champagne but let them pick their own floor length gowns). I knew that the historic Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium would be the perfect Beaux Arts canvas to work with.I also made a decision very quickly about my wedding dress - I actually found it online then located it in a store, tried it on and knew it was the right one immediately. It was the only store I had to visit and I bought it on the spot. We quickly were able to select our officiant too, as Jesse's Boca Raton family's rabbi had married into the Mates family last December, wedding Jesse's uncle Mitchell. The wedding planning lasted from February 2018 to June 2019, so we had a solid 16 months to make decisions, which I felt was crucial! We also had plenty of time to plan our bachelor/bachelorette parties and wedding shower. My shower was a high tea for about 50 ladies at the Watergate Hotel in DC, with Jesse and a few other male family members showing up at the end for some shower games.

Jesse held his bachelor party in LA in May 2019, visiting Dodger stadium, The Bungalow and Laugh Factory. I opted for a spa weekend and vineyard tour with my girlfriends the following weekend at the Salamander Spa in Middleburg, VA. We also planned out our rehearsal dinner, held the night before the wedding at the Palm in DC, and our brunch at the hotel the morning after (The Intercontinental at the Wharf). As a surprise from Jesse's aunt and uncle, they arranged to have our faces painted up on the walls at the Palm in time for the Friday night dinner! Three years ago, Jesse and I operated a dessert business together out of Union Kitchen (a communal kitchen incubator space in Washington DC), and we brought back the cake push pops for one night only to use as our wedding favor. Our wedding also included a sparkling grapefruit specialty cocktail named after our apartment building "The Apollo", a strolling sushi cart during cocktail hour (my favorite food), and a first dance to Helpless from Hamilton on Broadway (Jesse proposed after seeing the play with me in NYC). Our 235 guests also enjoyed other passed bites such as Truffle Mac & Cheese Spoons and Baby Lamb Chops before enjoying a plated salad and dual entree (Chilean Sea Bass & Tenderloin with Gruyere Potato Gratin and Asparagus). This was followed by passed desserts such as Salted Caramel Ice Cream Sandwiches and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Bon Bons, as well as a slice of our six tier wedding cake (half Swiss Chocolate with Dulce de Leche and half Mocha Tiramisu). Jesse's Girl was the final song before everyone headed back to the Intercontinental at the Wharf for an after-party at Kith + Kin (+ 30 pizzas from Union Pie!).

Our wedding was the best day of our lives, but the proposal was a close second! Jesse - hardly able to ever keep a surprise - was able to pull off the surprise of a lifetime, arranging for about 40 family and friends to surprise me during a weekend trip to see Hamilton on Broadway in NYC. I was excited already because we were finally able to score Hamilton tickets and were planning a fun weekend getaway to NYC the weekend after my birthday in February 2018. The evening after seeing the show, Jesse took me to Catch NYC, one of my favorite sushi bars (even though Jesse doesn't eat raw fish). Following dinner, he persuaded me to head up to the roof for a drink. Written in chocolate on the restaurant's signature dessert was "Haley Will You Marry Me?". Shocked and thrilled, I tried to call my parents and sister to share the good news, but no one was answering me. My dad even texted back "We're in the middle of watching a movie, we'll call you back later!". It wasn't until we walked over to Buddakan, a bar next door ("to meet up with 2 NYC friends") that I realized all of our close friends and family were actually in NYC ready to surprise me. It was so surreal!

Photographer: Kir2ben | Coordination: Etc. Coordinators | Florals: Amaryllis | Wedding Dress: Essence Of Australia | Cake: Fancy Cakes By Leslie | Invitations: Creative Parties | Ceremony Venue: Andrew Mellon Auditorium | Jewelry: Cartier | Bridesmaids' Dresses: Birdy Grey | Catering: Design Cuisine | Makeup: Kelley Unthank Makeup | Hair: Karma By Erwin Gomez | Entertainment: Spectrum | Suit: Hugo Boss | Hotel: Intercontinental Hotel | Hotel: Intercontinental Hotel | Venue: Andrew Mellon Auditorium | Bride Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Groom Shoes: Louis Vuitton | Linens: DC Rental | Video: Washington Talent