Meet Laura & Alejandro

Photo by: Fredericks Photo and Films 

The Hendry House in Arlington, Virginia was the perfect venue. It sat perfectly in our venue while also being a dream location! Our goal was to find a venue that made it feel like an at-home backyard wedding without actually being at our home, and this space was perfect. The ceremony space covered in greenery and the gorgeous fall colors were also big selling points, and we were blessed with the perfect October weather!

Nope, this is about 20 minutes from our home! A hidden gem, as most of our local guests had never heard of this park!

Photo by: Fredericks Photo and Films 

It's so hard to choose! I loved our ceremony so much! Our officiant was perfection, and we tried very hard to be present in the moment. I can still feel my husband's hands in mine as we geared up to exchange rings. I also loved our first dance! We spent a few months practicing and while my husband was super nervous, it was flawless! I also loved having Doritos as our wedding favor, watching our guests munch on the bags of chips was such a highlight. We chose to do a morning wedding, which was the perfect choice for our introverted selves! It allowed us to get the best of the fall weather, have our ceremony with the best lighting, serve a scrumptious wedding parrilla lunch, and decompress at home for a few hours after the wedding before our family's after-party.

Chicken wire is the best system for arrangements, go no foam! Assign your helper's specific tasks that you feel comfortable handing off! I let my sister be fully in charge of bud vases (something I don't enjoy and she loved), and my aunt with the arrangements (modeled after a sample I made), which left me free to focus on the bouquets, especially mine! The boxes your flowers come in are great for transportation, just be sure to double-box or reinforce them to ensure they stay sturdy. Make sure you carefully measure the suit jacket pockets for pocket square boutonnieres so they fit and don't have to be cut the day of! PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE!!! It is hard at first but with time and effort, you'll get more confident! Participating in the Flower Moxie challenge was so helpful, as I was practicing floral design at least once a month before my wedding. Getting comfortable with the mechanics as well as deciding what you do and don't like is the key to success.

• I walked down the aisle to "Jane's Love Song", the romantic theme from Jane The Virgin.
• We wrote our own ceremony script, infusing nods to our hobbies and interests throughout
• We incorporated Bad Bunny lyrics into our ring exchange: "y si el dia se pone feo, tu me lo haces bonito. ya no pido mas deseos, tengo todo lo que necesito" (which translates to "and if the day gets ugly, you make it beautiful. I don't make wishes anymore, I have everything I need")
• We had our miniature Dachshund Deetolai there with us! & Ale wore wiener dog socks
• Our caterer served Venezuelan food (that's where Laura's family is from), including empanadas and tequeños
• We choreographed our first dance to the song "Do You Want to do Nothing with Me" by Lawrence the Band. The lyrics perfectly describe the homebody essence of our relationship
• Our seating chart was displayed on a painting done by Ale's sister
• Our tables were named after our favorite TV couples and what they've taught us about love, like Michael & Holly (from the Office) and Leslie & Ben (from Parks & Rec)
• We skipped the cake and served quesillo (Venezuelan flan) and cinnamon rolls for dessert instead!
• We sprinkled disposable cameras throughout the venue which let us see the day from our guest's perspective
• We gave out mini Doritos bags as favors! Doritos are our favorite snack (it even inspired our dog's name!)