Alison and Michael, a Washington DC Wedding at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center

I am so excited to share Alison and Michael’s beautiful Washington DC wedding!! Alison and Michael celebrated their wedding on August 21, 2021 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, DC.

After two rescheduled dates, Alison and Mike were finally able to safely celebrate their wedding with their family and friends. Alison, a doctor, knew how important it was for everyone to stay safe while celebrating together, so Alison and Michael made the difficult decision to postpone not just one time but twice. Thankfully, they were able to celebrate on Saturday, August 21, 2021 and finally say “I do”!

Alison and Michael began the day getting ready in separate areas of the beautiful and historic Willard Hotel in Washington DC. Alison’s group was in an incredible room that the Obamas stayed in at one time! Alison and Michael gifted each other special gifts; Mike gave Alison beautiful double heart Tiffany earrings and Alison commissioned a custom piece of art for Mike. They were such thoughtful gifts! 

And then it was time for portraits! Our plan was to travel to the National Mall for separate bridal party and groomsmen portraits before Alison and Michael’s first look, but things changed quickly as we started to feel some raindrops halfway there.

Leading up to Alison and Mike’s wedding day, Alison, her wedding planned, Jo, of Touche Special Events, and I came up with a great rain plan. Thankfully – or so we thought – on their wedding day the forecast was clear and the skies were blue. Alison and her bridal party walked to the Washington Monument while Mike and the groomsmen rode the shuttle. But as we neared the Monument, it started to rain, and luckily, we found cover quickly, because the skies opened up and it poured! It REALLY poured! Two of the bridesmaids’ super helpful husbands held umbrellas sideways to keep the blowing wind off of everyone and Alison and her amazing wedding party kept the day fun and upbeat the entire time while we waited out the storm! Alison had the best most positive spirit and she was so happy and upbeat – even as she navigated giant puddles without shoes on! Meanwhile, Kelsey and I worked to get the shuttle over to pick up the bridal party. Once we were on the shuttle and en route to the National Mall, the rain started to clear, and Alison and Mike decided to do their first look in a totally fun and unique way – on their shuttle!! It was SO sweet, so special, and so memorable – and they were surrounded by their favorite people, too. As they shared their first look, the shuttle started to move, and Alison reached to hold on. Mike wrapped his arms around her and said “Don’t worry – I have you. I’ll always hold onto you.” It was so sweet!

We hopped off the shuttle and took some pictures at the Washington Monument and then headed to the World War I Memorial for beautiful and iconically Washington DC portraits. We were short on time from the long rain delay and the shuttle traffic, but we maximized our time so well because this group was SO cooperative, upbeat, and helpful – and super photogenic!! I LOVE their photos so, so much. They are absolutely beautiful!!

After portraits, we headed to the Ronald Reagan Building so Alison and Michael could sign their ketuba and then have their wedding ceremony! Their close friend officiated their ceremony, and it was so personal and special. Alison’s sister-in-law, Jameson, and Michael’s sister, Rachael, read a beautiful poem together, and then Michael’s grandmother, Ada, gave a blessing to the couple. Alison and Michael both wrote vows to each other that they shared for the first time during their ceremony – and both Alison and Michael began their vows by talking about how they knew they were meant to be together in 2015. It was so sweet! At the end of their ceremony, Alison and Michael both stepped on the glass to begin their new marriage and had their first kiss as a married couple.

And then it was time to party!! The Ronald Reagan Building Pavilion Room was beautifully decorated in classic black and white with soft flowers and highlights of gold details. Alison and Michael had Chico’s Vibe playing live music all night and it was SO much fun! They are a great band with so much energy. The group played instruments, sang, danced, had a “Love Train” go throughout the ballroom, and kept the dance floor packed all night. It was SO fun!! Their music choices were awesome, too. A live band is always so much fun at a wedding and this was a blast! And there was a great musical surprise toward the end of the night, too.

Alison and Michael both love music, so they came up with a fun surprise for their guests – they joined their band, Chico’s Vibe, on stage to sing and play “Ophelia” and “Rolling on the River.” It was so much fun! There were so many moments that were personal to Alison and Michael just like this. Instead of having the band introduce their wedding party, Alison and Michael introduced each of their bridesmaids and groomsmen individually with a fun fact about them. Later in the night, they had a very fun sendoff, too. Each of the guests were given a paper airplane that they flew through the air to the couple as they shared their last dance. It was so cool to see all of the paper airplanes flying through the beautiful Pavilion Room around them!

Instead of wedding cake, guests were gifted individual donuts and cookies to take home – or to bring to the afterparty at the Hamilton just down the street! Alison and Mike also had beer coozies and personalized guitar picks for guests to take home (such a fun idea!).

Alison and Michael are such cool, unique, and talented individuals and together they are truly incredible. It was so wonderful getting to know these two and celebrating with them. They are both so positive, optimistic, happy, driven, and hard-working and it is so easy to see how much they admire, respect, and love each other – and how much they love their family and friends. These two have cultivated an amazing community of friends and family and it is clear that they are so loved by so many people. Alison and Michael, it was such an honor to celebrate with you! We have loved getting to know you both and we are so happy for you two. Congratulations on your marriage!! Enjoy some highlights from your beautiful wedding day!!

The rain changed our plans some, so Alison and Mike decided to have their first look on the shuttle and it was SO sweet!!

VENDORS

Wedding planner | Touche Special Events

Band | Chico’s Vibe

Hair and makeup |Creative Hair and Makeup by Perry Warren

Florals | Holland Flowers

Reception venue | The Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center

Getting ready location | Willard Hotel

Videography | Last Avalon Films

Photography | Brooke Tyson Photography and Kelsey Tyson