The Bride Called This Wedding’s Aesthetic “Jumanji Attic Chic”

Brenna, a “free spirit” from Florida, and Thomas, a consultant from California, met in high school at a summer camp in England, where they say they became friends as they bonded over their shared love of music and reading. More than a decade later, both living in DC, a mutual friend asked Brenna how she knew Thomas (they were Facebook friends), which she says prompted her to reach out to him to catch up. And, “here we are!”

For their May wedding, the pair wanted something Brenna called “Jumanji Attic Chic.” The vision? “Let’s pretend you have a wealthy, worldly, eccentric great-aunt, then one day you snuck into the attic of her mansion and threw a party.”

Brenna’s favorite part was having her grandfather’s wristwatch around her bouquet as she walked herself down the aisle. Thomas’s favorite detail was all the books: they used books from home for centerpieces; designed escort cards to look like vintage library catalog cards; and table number cards included book passages that featured that respective number. Other special elements of decor included a silver alligator bookend set, the old TV set they used as a cake table, and knickknacks they brought from home for a personal touch. “We remember a friend asked, “Who’s the Kurt Vonnegut fan?” after seeing a bunch of his books on a shelf,” Brenna says. “Even at our wedding, we were finding new things in common with our guests. It was really fun and personal. Instead of giving out guest favors, we took that money and donated it to a literacy nonprofit here in DC.”

For the florals, the only input they offered was the request for a few magnolias to represent Brenna’s southern roots, and hydrangeas as a nod to Thomas’s family home in Rhode Island. “They nailed it with a gorgeous installation above the ceremony/dance floor and pieces that really popped elsewhere,” they say. For dinner, they chose a family-style meal that included herb chicken, short ribs, pepper gnocchi, and goat-cheese polenta. Before the big day, they treated guests to a trolley tour of the National Mall, and after the reception, they hosted a karaoke afterparty. 

See the photos of their big day below.

The Details

Amy Moeller

Fashion & Weddings Editor

Amy leads Washingtonian Weddings and writes Style Setters for Washingtonian. Prior to joining Washingtonian in March 2016, she was the editor of Capitol File magazine in DC and before that, editor of What’s Up? Weddings in Annapolis.