Welcome to the first ever inspiration board on The Unbride Blog. Here I will share with you some inspiration boards that I’ve put together based on weddings that I’ve actually shot. If you have your own inspiration board, please email it to me at justine@theunbride.net and I will select some to share on the blog. This first one is from the wedding of Kate & Mike who were married at the Hay Adams in Washington DC on July 14th, 2007.
Gown: Hitched
Flowers: Helen Olivia
Hair: Elegant Hair by Giselle
Makeup: Kim Giammaria
Photography: Me
Music: The Johnny Artis Band
I asked Kate a few questions about her wedding…and she answered them. Yay! 
What was your color palette/ theme for your wedding?
Mike and I grew up together in Arlington knew we wanted to have a very “Washington” wedding. We both have been living all over the country since college and wanted to come home to celebrate with our family and friends. I was living in Arizona during our engagement and Mike was deployed in Iraq, so coming home to Washington was like a destination wedding for us. We knew we wanted our wedding to feel like an intimate dinner party that would unite our families, who largely had never met, and our friends from various stages of our lives. Wanting to find a place where we could have the ceremony outside but the reception inside, and after looking at many venues, we fell in love with the Hay Adams Hotel. To us, it was the quintessential Washington location full of history and views of the city we love. My dress was very vintage looking and with Mike in his uniform, it all seemed to fit.
Why did you use these particular colors? Were you influenced by the season or your venue? Were there other factors?
Mike and I easily agreed on purples, greens, and whites for our colors. While the Hay Adams is quite traditional, I wanted the flowers to be more on the modern side. I also love orchids- my parents eloped in Hawaii and Mike and I got engaged there-so the flower was special to us. Our florist added a few touches of bright pink which complemented the tropical arrangements beautifully.
Are there any descriptive words you would use to describe the overall vibe/ atmosphere of your wedding?
The wedding was a wonderful combination of the reunion of families and old friends and the beginning of new friendships and extended family. It was also a blast! Our band was fantastic (thanks to Justine’s recommendation!)- people danced for hours and afterwards retreated to the hotel bar for a few more hours of celebration. People had a chance to meet each other and create memories- everyone was relaxed and just enjoyed themselves- including Mike and I!
Were there any details that were particularly meaningful to you?
We absolutely wanted our wedding to be family affair. My brother officiated our wedding, my sister was my maid of honor, and Mike’s sister was the “best person”. We also had two couples we are dear friends with do readings and Mike’s aunt and uncle played the guitar and sang “Grow Old With You”. We also had Mike’s Marine and Navy freinds escort our guests and end the ceremony with a sword arch. My aunt also made a pillow with my great grandmothers broach for my 6 year old cousin to carry as the ring bearer.
