Samantha, a corporate event manager, and Christopher, a Navy officer, met and fell in love when they both were living in San Diego. At the time, Christopher was stationed there and happened to run into Samatha on a night out with his friends. “The funny thing is,” Samantha recalls, “we each rarely went out in downtown San Diego, so we always say it was meant to be that we met that night.” After striking up a conversation and taking a few shots of Jameson Samantha says they couldn’t stop talking the rest of the night. “It was like we were in our own little world in the back of the bar.” Fast forward a few years, with a Windy City proposal and a relocation to the DC area, the couple decided to marry at at the Northern Virginia venue, Shadow Creek.
The couple wanted a romantic and rustic vibe, and included an array of personalized details, putting Samantha’s event managing background to work, customizing their big day from start to finish. “The décor and florals were really important to me, personally … I spent hours on this,” says the bride, adding, that she didn’t want a cookie cutter wedding. “Even if people didn’t notice all the quotes and little things I added, Chris and I knew they were there and it meant something to us.” Details included an illustration of the couple’s dog, Seamus, on the cocktail napkins, cake and cupcakes that featured their favorite flavor, Funfetti, and aisle markers and other wedding-day signage that were tailored to the couple’s favorite sayings, movies, and shows. The details ended up being one of Christopher’s favorite memories from the celebration. “I loved how personal everything was to us and our story,” he says. Along with the sentimental details, Samantha also chose to decorate the space with a few prehistoric figurines, as well. Gold dinosaurs were paired with place cards and set on tablecapes for a unique wedding aesthetic, and the night even ended with a cutting of their two-tiered cake, which was adorned with a lasercut dinosaur bride and groom. To see all the other ways they dressed up their venue, check out Shadow Creek fall celebration below.
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The Details:
Photographer: Victoria Heer Photography | Venue: Shadow Creek Weddings and Events | Florist: Elegance and Simplicity, Inc. | Invitations: Minted | Catering & Cake: Design Cuisine | Hair Stylist: Hair by Giselle | Makeup Artist: Kate Face Beauty | Bride’s Attire: BHLDN | Groom’s Attire: Brooks Brothers | Bridesmaids’ Attire: Azazie | Groomsmen’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse | Music/Entertainment: The Dapper DJ’s | Transportation: RMA Chauffeured Transportation | | Photo booth: Snap Entertainment | Calligraphy: Leah Letters | Stationery: Michelle Sinofsky | Rentals: White Glove Rentals
Jacqueline comes to Washingtonian with close to five years of digital content experience and SEO best practices. She previously was a senior editorial associate at WeddingWire, specializing in wedding fashion, and before that, an assistant at Vow Bride. Originally from Norfolk, Virginia, she now lives in Columbia Heights.
