A Summer Garden Wedding

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Over the weekend, DH and I went to a friend's wedding at the charming and historic Hollin Hall. The ceremony was held at the outdoor garden -- an intimate setting with the afternoon sun as the perfect backdrop.

tweed + sequins dress, tweed clutch

Bodo, the bride's dog, loped down the aisle as the ring bearer to collective awwws from the crowd. A few minutes later, sighs could be heard throughout as my friend made her walk slowly towards her husband-to-be. Moments like this occur at every wedding, and when I'm lucky to be a witness, my heart pitter-patters and tears threaten to fall. Without fail. Every time. I'm such a sap.
a summer garden wedding

Sadly, Bodo is advancing in age, and so my friend was adamant about including him in her special day. Here I am with him as he relaxes in the partial shade at cocktail hour. He nuzzled my knee, decided I didn't smell all that great, then turned away, haha.
a summer garden wedding
NoVA/DC/MD brides: from what I understand, Hollin Hall is one of the rare "affordable" wedding venues that also allow for pets and outside caterers. As a guest, I highly recommend it!

I learned my lesson last year after I wore 3" stilettos to an outdoor grassy wedding. Every step I took, I had to exert unnecessary effort to undig my heels. Never again! So this time around, I made sure to choose from chunky heels, wedges, or flats. I chose metallic wedges, even though the rose gold color doesn't really match the gold nor silver embellishments of my dress. Ehh... metallic colors can pass for one another from afar... or in dim lighting... right?
tweed + sequin dress, tweed clutch
tweed + sequin dress, tweed clutch, metallic wedges
lips: Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in softsilver rose (sold here)
dress: By Malene Birger Callinga (similar; similar)
ring: Elizabeth and James Windrose (sold here; similar)
bracelet: Ann Taylor modern classic skinny bangle (sold here - 30% off w/code GETMORE)
clutch: Ann Taylor tweed (similar; similar)
shoes: Loeffler Randall Rae in rose gold (sold at Saks - on sale / LR - on sale / Shopbop - on sale; similar)

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14 comments

  1. Beautiful dress on you - and what a sweet little pup!

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    1. Thank you, Lisa! It was love at first sight when I met Bodo. Too bad he didn't return my affections ;)

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  2. awww what an adorable entry~Loving your outfit too! Perfect for a garden wedding!
    I want to have a summer wedding in a garden also~ I really hope I can get married before my dog gets too old haha

    -liv
    http://chocolivlovelaugh.blogspot.kr

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    Replies
    1. I haven't been to that many weddings in my lifetime, but definitely know my share of dog owners. I'm surprised more people don't include their dogs as part of their wedding somehow. I guess there really are a lot of venues with pet restrictions? Hope your wedding will be exactly what you want when it's your time :)

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  3. Your dress looks amazing! And Bodo is SO adorable!!

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    Replies
    1. It's definitely a "memorable" dress, but I'm wearing it as often as I can, regardless of who's seen it before ;)

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  4. Aww! Bodo is so cute! You mentioned the wedges not matching the other metallics...the silver strip on the bottom half of the dress reflects all sorts of colors, so it makes it work. :)

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    Replies
    1. Ahh, you're right! Could it be that the rose gold from the wedges are reflected in the silver strip? I'll take the hint of color though!

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  5. Wouln't have noticed they didn't match if you didn't point it out! I love wedding season! Still waiting for your Europe pix, going in mid august for my 1 year anniversary =)

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    Replies
    1. Europe pic and post are coming! I just need to find a chunk of time to sit down and hammer out a post. Hopefully it'll be soon... but most definitely before mid-August ;)

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  6. LOVE seeing this dress on you every single time! Have a great weekend, my friend :)

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  7. Love it when you pull out this dress! I think the mixing of metallics is fun.

    www.xjole.com

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  8. The dress suits on you. I really love it!

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  9. Sounds like a wonderful experience! I am going to be attending a Christmas wedding in one of the beautiful wedding venues Chicago has, and I hope to make beautiful memories like these. My best friend is getting married and I am excited. Happy holidays!

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