Whitney, a senior event producer at the Stratus Firm, and Barrett, a private equity professional, met as teenagers at a youth group retreat in their home state of Texas. It was love at first sight for 16-year-old Barrett, but the pair didn’t start dating until ten years later. Eventually, Barrett proposed at sunset on the beach in Cape Cod over Fourth of July weekend.
Their November wedding was inspired by their travels, particularly Whitney’s favorite, Morocco. For the venue, they wanted a historic DC location with columns for draping “to incorporate a standard in Moroccan interior design,” they say. Other Moroccan influences included the the color palette, which they say blended desert-inspired colors with those typically found in Moroccan architecture including desert rose, sage green, plaster, gold, and rust. The pièce de résistance, they say, was a custom pergola over the head table in the ballroom, decorated with lush greenery and twinkling Moroccan lanterns, which were repeated from the chuppah at the ceremony to the space behind the bandstand. Finally, blood-orange slices were dried and calligraphed as place cards, and the centerpieces incorporated both florals and fruit. For the ceremony, they chose an electronic violinist who specializes in trap music covers—the playlist included a custom rendition of the song “Helpless” from Hamilton as the processional.
After the reception, guests were directed to an after-party in the adjacent ballroom by mirrored disco dancers. There, an LED dance floor and a mirrored DJ booth with a custom neon “Drunk in Love” sign, were focal points, and the newlyweds handed out blinking cowboy hats as wedding “swag.” On the late-night menu: specialty smoke-bubble cocktails, espresso martinis, fries, sliders, ice cream, and a cookie bar.
See the photos from the wedding day below.
The Details
Photographer: Richard Anthony Photography
Planning: Birch Event & Design
Venue and catering: Willard InterContinental
Cake: Fancy Cakes Bakery
Invitations: MLC Designs
Florals: Flor de Casa Designs
Hair and makeup: Beauty by Emily M; Unveiled Artistry
Bride’s attire: Love Couture Bridal
Groom and groomsmen’s attire: The Black Tux
Bridesmaids attire: Birdy Grey
Entertainment: Extraordinary Entertainment (electronic violinist and roaming sax player); Moontower Entertainment (band); DJ Dior (after party); Champagne Creative Group (disco dancers)
Rentals: White Glove Rentals, Nuage Designs
Lighting and dance floor: Extraordinary Entertainment
Drapes and pergola build: Fabrication Events
Specialty cocktails: The Grand Bevy
Videogaphy: LHP Media
Dog care: Furever and Fur Always
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.
