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Thursday, July 23, 2009

This is a church, this is a steeple...

Leading up to the 1-year announcement, Mr. GWU and I met with special events coordinators and visited 6 possible options: Fairmont, Westin Grand, Hotel Monaco, Park Hyatt, Top of the Town, and The Madison. After weeks of visiting venues, we were elated to decide on The Hotel Monaco. While all of the sites were great in their own way, Mr. GWU and I couldn't deny the unique qualities and utter GORGEOUSNESS of the DC Hotel Monaco. Man oh man. Once the National Post Office and Tariffs Administration, the now Hotel Monaco boasts the architectural design of Robert Mills, a contemporary of Thomas Jefferson. Marble staircases, marble walls, Corinthian columns, skylights - its pretty breathtaking. Kimpton Hotels leases the building from Congress to make it a higher end hotel. Since Kimpton's corporate culture is socially responsible, eclectic and fun - the modernity juxtaposes nicely with the old. Man, they are not afraid to play with color. I think the venue will make for some really great photos and captured moments. Does anyone have suggestions for photographers that could really make the space and us pop? Anyway, we're also pleased with the F&B package. It just happened to turn out this way but Hotel Monaco offers a 15% discount off the F&B minimum for certain dates in the non-high season. And one of those dates is July 17, 2010. That works wonderfully for us and will save us a couple $K.

Last post, I shared with you the informal this-is-not-the-save-the-date but please DO save the date! :) In the message to our friends and family, we confirmed the venue reception but had not yet decided on the church for our ceremony. Well, this week we met with All Souls Church located on 15th and Harvard St, NW...and we LOVED it. LOVED it. The sanctuary seats 1,000 easily and boasts arched ceilings and columns but still feels intimate at the same time. The aisle is nice and wide and the pews are beautiful. Not your standard pews. Just that nice touch to make it stand out. They recently went through a large renovation and are installing a modern sound system this season. The organ view from the altar is beautiful as well. I'll try and post a picture when I upload my pics. We had also visited Universalist National Memorial Church (where Miss 16th St is tying the knot) and really liked that too. I think at the end of the day, we loved the light that poured through the windows and the image of us, our family, and the sanctuary coming together for our ceremony. So...All Souls Church it is! Here is a picture of the sanctuary:

Well, unfortunately this will be last post for the next 3 weeks. I am leaving on a missions trip to Uganda to work with Watoto. The first week, I'll be there with a team from my church, National Community Church, and we'll be building a school building for the Children's Village. When they leave, I'll stay for the next two weeks where I'll be a baby care giver for Baby Watoto, who provide holistic care for 0-2 year old babies. I'm so excited. And it eases my mind knowing that Mr. GWU and I got 3 big items checked off the list: date, ceremony venue, reception venue. So I think we're good. I'll have limited access to email but look forward to reading more posts and wedding plans!

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4 Comments:

Blogger Steffanie said...

I just met with Maria Vicencio and her husband Drew. They shoot as a team. Personally, I love their work. She did have photos up on her blog of a wedding they shot at Hotel Monaco too! Check her out: http://mariavicencio.com.

Best wishes!

Thursday, July 23, 2009 4:34:00 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

This comment has been removed by the author.

Friday, July 24, 2009 5:32:00 AM  
Blogger Miss Fairfax said...

great church! have fun/good luck/be safe in Uganda!

Friday, July 24, 2009 6:34:00 AM  
Blogger Miss16th Street said...

Your church was my second choice - we must have the same wedding planning brain! Have fun and be safe!

Friday, July 24, 2009 11:39:00 AM  

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