District Weddings

Today, Kerry catches up with us to share how she booked the perfect venue for her 10/10/10 wedding…

Not long after Chris and I got engaged and were basking in the bliss of telling everyone we knew and hearing “congratulations” left and right, we knew we had to get to work and make some plans!

We are both more or less locals of Northern Virginia.  We grew up visiting our grandparents who lived a mere three miles from each other, and we were even born at the same hospital!  Having lived here off and on our whole lives, we knew we wanted to get married here.  The question was WHERE.  There are so many beautiful hotels, historical sites, and other potential venues that we were definitely overwhelmed at first.

However, a few things helped us narrow down our choices.  We had already decided that we wanted to get married on October 10, 2010 because of the rarity of having such a memorable date-10/10/10!  We also knew that we needed a venue that would hold at least 150 guests.  Chris and I are both “only” children, but we have huge extended families. (Incidentally, our mothers are both from families of seven children!)  So with those things in mind, we set about contacting venues for walkthroughs.  We knew we had to act fast in order to secure our date before all of the other 10/10/10 couples beat us to it!

With our parents at our side, we visited seven sites – two in DC, two in Alexandria, and three in Loudoun County.  Some felt too formal and a bit cold for our taste.  And a few just did not have that “wow” factor we were looking for.  However, when we visited George Washington’s River Farm in Alexandria, we both just kind of knew that we had found our place. River Farm once belonged to George Washington and sits high on a hill overlooking the Potomac River, just like Mount Vernon.  It is now the home of the American Horticultural Society, so its extensive gardens and row after row of flowers make the estate even more beautiful.  Even as we first walked up the path to the house, my head filled with visions of all the amazing wedding photos we could take there.

Used with permission from the American Horticultural Society.

We toured the site on what must have been the hottest, muggiest day of August.  Walking around the gardens, my narrow heels were digging into the grass and I was constantly wiping sweat from my brow, but I was giddy picturing the two of us standing at the end of the brick walkway in front all of our family and friends.  Walking hand in hand with Chris, the whole idea of us getting married suddenly felt more real.  I thought to myself, “This is really happening! It could be right here where we throw the most important party of our lives!”

Used with permission from the American Horticultural Society.

We drove away knowing that it was precisely where we wanted to get married.  However, Chris’s mom had set up a visit to the Belmont Country Club in Ashburn that afternoon, so we decided to go take a look anyway. His mom was friends with members of the club and could arrange for us to get a great deal on the venue rental fee. Chris and I were prepared to quickly dismiss the Belmont since we were so set on River Farm. But it was not that easy.

By the afternoon, the blazing sun was hidden behind massive thunder clouds, pouring down a deluge of rain.  Having parked in the wrong lot, we had to run through the pelting rain to find the right entrance and walked in thoroughly soaked.  But as we toured the club, we were immediately in awe of the beautifully furnished colonial-style rooms.  Chris was wowed by the billiards room, where we were told he and his groomsmen could shoot pool and have a beer before the ceremony.  I was excited to see the adorable little powder room and dressing area, where I imagined my girls and I could sip pink champagne and get our hair done on the big day.

After seeing the beautiful country club and hearing of its all-inclusive style of weddings, we were suddenly torn!  We were undecided and kept going over and over the advantages of both places, but we knew the holds we had placed on both sites would very soon be lifted and another 10/10/10 couple could swoop in!

At last, we finally decided on River Farm.  We thought its storybook, whimsical feel with breathtakingly beautiful gardens and views of the river would make an amazing backdrop to our wedding.  We wrote the check for our deposit and signed all the necessary papers.  But it was when they wrote on their calendar under October 10^th “McKinnon-Hansen Wedding” that everything felt final and the first step in this journey to the altar was complete!