A Historic Washington, D.C. Home Set the Scene for This Elegant, French-Inspired Wedding

Maddie and Stephen met in June 2017 while bar hopping with mutual friends in Washington D.C. They spent time mostly with friends after that—and while Stephen asked Maddie out a few times, it wasn’t until December of the following year that she finally agreed to get coffee with him. "We were there for hours talking, and he brought me flowers the next day," she says. "The rest is history."

In August 2021, Stephen casually suggested Maddie go for a manicure, so she had an inkling a proposal was coming up on their trip to a local Virginia winery. Her suspicion was spot on. "We drank some wine and wandered around the property and the next thing I know, Stephen got down on one knee  and proposed!" Maddie says.

The couple knew they wanted to plan a church ceremony, and when they saw St. John’s Episcopal Church in Georgetown, they loved the church’s rich history and intimate size. They chose Meridian House in Washington, D.C. for their reception. The venue is a French-style historic home with gardens throughout the property. Maddie and Stephen envisioned an intimate European-inspired wedding with touches of New Orleans charm as a nod to Maddie’s alma mater, Tulane University. "We wanted it to be romantic, feminine, elegant, and whimsical," Maddie says. "I was visually inspired by Ladurée, Sofia Coppola’s movie, Marie Antoinette, and Autumn de Wilde’s movie, Emma." The pair worked with wedding planner Leigh Heiserman at Lauryn Prattes Styling and Events to pull off the details of their June 3, 2023 wedding with 90 guests.

The Custom Stationery

Maddie and Stephen partnered with Sugared Fig Paperie to design elements throughout their invitation suite that would set the tone for their wedding weekend. They incorporated embossed designs, letterpress, gold foil, hand calligraphy, and a custom sketch of Meridian House in the invitations. The color palette featured sage, French blue, pale pink, gold, and white.

Getting Ready

Maddie got ready the morning of her wedding with her bridesmaids at The St. Regis. She wore a white satin pajama set with feathers on the wrists and ankles and gifted her bridesmaids matching sets in pink. They celebrated with champagne as they got their hair and makeup done.

The Bride’s Dress

Maddie wore an Oscar de la Renta ball gown with a sweetheart strapless neckline, corseted bodice, and layers of pleated tulle. She tried the dress on at her first appointment and couldn’t find another dress that compared. "I always thought that I would want a tulle dress but I never imagined a dress could look like this," she says. "It exceeded my wildest dreams!" The dress came with a shawl that connected to the back of the dress and matched the length of the train. Maddie chose to wear a simple elbow length veil to accessorize her wedding day look. She held an all-white bouquet that incorporated her grandmother’s favorite flower, a white Casablanca lily, since her grandmother was unable to make the wedding.

The Bride’s Accessories

Maddie wore drop earrings and Loeffler Randall heeled sandals on her wedding day. "The ruffles mimicked the dress really nicely," she says.

The Groom

Stephen wore a peak lapel tuxedo for the ceremony and accessorized with a watch, which was a gift from his sister.

The Big Reveal

Maddie and Stephen decided not to have a first look with each other so that they could see one another for the first time at the church. Instead, Maddie revealed her dress to her bridesmaids, to much fanfare. The bridesmaids all wore different pastel dresses in the couple’s color palette from Sachin & Babi.

The First Look With Dad

Maddie also had a first look with her father. "He loved the dress and thought I looked beautiful," she says. "Since the wedding he has shown photos of me in my dress to everyone in our town including the people working at the pet store." Maddie and her father then made their way from the hotel to the church in a white vintage car.

The Church Ceremony

The setting for the religious ceremony, St. John’s Episcopal Church in Georgetown, is rich with history. Thomas Jefferson contributed financially to the construction of the church and Francis Scott Key was an original member. Maddie and Stephen let the church’s beauty speak for itself and added two flower arrangements at the altar.

The Bride’s Entrance

When the ceremony began, Stephen walked his grandmother down the aisle. The wedding party walked the aisle to "Gavotte" by Samuel Sebastian Wesley, performed by an organist. Maddie was grateful to walk down the aisle with her father to Franz Biebl’s "Ave Maria." "He had a heart attack around the same time I got engaged, and we are really blessed he was able to recover and be there to walk me down the aisle," she says.

The Readings and Vows

Maddie and Stephen wanted to include some of their loved ones in the ceremony. They asked a few of their guests to share readings and prayers. "Our officiant was amazing, and we really felt loved and supported as we figuratively and literally (in the Episcopal tradition) tied the knot," Maddie says.

Husband and Wife

Once they were pronounced husband and wife, Maddie and Stephen walked back down the aisle to “I Allegro” by Antonio Vivaldi. Maddie and Stephen exited the church and spent some time with their photographer, Aby Jiu, taking portraits with the vintage car and around the historic venue. 

The Bar and Cocktails

As guests arrived at the reception venue, they visited the bar to enjoy their choice of wine, beer, spirits, or signature cocktails. Maddie and Stephen served the "French 76," a vodka drink shaken with lemon juice and simple syrup and topped with champagne, along with a "Modern Old Fashioned," a mix of pear brandy, bourbon, simple syrup, fresh lemon juice, and a dash of bitters served on the rocks with a slice of pear. "I think our favorite parts of the venue are a tie between the oval-shaped room we used as a bar that had a gorgeous chandelier and French door that led to the garden, or the library that is a beautiful green color where many of our guests sat for dinner as an extension of the dining room," Maddie says. The couple hired a brass band, Crush Funk, to play during the cocktail hour.

The Escort Card Display

Guests found their table numbers on an escort card display with an intricate pattern that read "trouvez votre place" or "find your place" in French. "Madeleine studied abroad in Paris and her whole family are Francophiles, so that is why there was so much influence in the design," Stephen says.

Dinner in the Library

The couple hosted dinner in the venue’s library before guests moved to the ballroom for dancing. The long dinner tables were topped with ash blue tablecloths featuring an embroidered floral pattern.

The Centerpieces

The table centerpieces were full floral runners of garden varietals in shades of white, blue, and pink tones, including peonies, delphinium, and roses. The tablescape also featured ivory taper candles in glass hurricanes and a variety of cut glass votives.

The Place Settings 

Maddie and Stephen chose white dinner and salad plates with a gold rim and floral etching detail and matching glassware. They went with gold flatware and pistachio green linen napkins. Each guest found a menu at their seat with their name on it that matched the couple's Save the Dates with an oval shape, blue toile pattern, and gold writing.

The Second Line

The couple’s band led guests from the cocktail hour into the library when it was time for dinner. "Our guests were having so much fun being included in that and it was a great transition into the next part of the night," Maddie says.

An Elegant Feast

For dinner, guests enjoyed a gathered salad with sesame-crusted chevre and onion chutney to start. Maddie and Stephen chose to serve a duo of tenderloin pavé with lemon-arugula gremolata and champagne-poached salmon with a pink peppercorn sauce as the main course, served with saffron and tomato basmati rice, green beans, and asparagus on the side.

The First Dance

Guests moved into the ballroom for dancing, where the K Street Union band kicked off the fun. Maddie and Stephen chose Frank Sinatra’s "Fly Me to the Moon" for their first dance song. "A few months before we were engaged, Stephen and I were having dinner outside at our house, and this song came on and we both loved it," Maddie says. "We started dancing and singing along to it and agreed that night that it would be our first dance song whenever we got married." The couple had so much fun during their first dance—and they watch the video of it often. Stephen also danced with his mom to Fleetwood Mac’s "Landslide," and Maddie shared a dance with her father to Louis Armstrong’s "What A Wonderful World." The whole extended family got on the dance floor for "We Are Family," one of Maddie and Stephen’s favorite memories from the wedding.

The Dress-Inspired Cake

Maddie and Stephen chose to serve an elderflower-soaked lemon wedding cake with blueberry jam and vanilla buttercream along with a Biscoff cookie-flavored cake with cookie butter buttercream. The cake was designed by Buttercream Bakeshop with inspiration from the layered tulle on Maddie's wedding dress. 

The Beignet Cart

Guests enjoyed New Orleans truck fries as a snack passed around the dance floor. The couple also brought out a cart for beignets and café au lait. Pulling inspiration from Café du Monde in New Orleans, the cart was inscribed with "Cafe du Novak," the couple’s last name. The beignet bags were customized to say "Beignet, done that 6.3.23," while the mugs featured the same stripe design as Café du Monde but in pastel pink to fit the couple’s color scheme.

A Change Into Party Outfits

Later in the evening, Maddie changed into a Helsi spaghetti strap mini dress with white floral embroidery and Stephen changed into a white dinner jacket for his second look.

A Sparkling Send Off

At the end of the night, the bride and groom exited through big French doors as sparklers went off around them. To brides planning a wedding, Maddie recommends hiding your wedding dress from as many people as possible. "What matters is that you love your dress, you don’t want other people influencing your decision or making you second guess yourself," she says. "Only three people saw my dress beforehand: my mom, my matron of honor, and my wedding planner. I’m happy I did that and kept it a surprise."

Sources

• Photography, Abby Jiu 
• The Ceremony Venue, St. John’s, Georgetown 
• The Reception Venue, Meridian House 
• Event Coordination, Leigh Heiserman of Lauryn Prattes Events 
• Videography, Clayton Film Co
• Flowers, Sweet Root Village 
• Invitations,  Sugared Fig Paperie 
• Paper Products, Carine's Bridal Atelier 
• Bride’s Dress,  Oscar de la Renta 
• Bride’s Reception Dress, Helsi
• Bride’s Shoes, Loeffler Randall 
• Bride’s Jewelry, Elizabeth Johns
• Bride’s Hair, Remona Soleimani 
• Bride’s Makeup, Shirin Ratner 
• Bridesmaids’ Attire, Sachin and Babi 
• Groom’s and Groomsmen’s Attire, The Black Tux  
• Cocktail Hour Music, Crush Funk Brass Band 
• Reception Music, Entertainment Exchange 
• Catering, Occasions Catering 
• Cake, Buttercream Bakeshop
• Rentals,  BJ La Tavola, Luxe Event Rentals & Decor, Maison de Carine 
• Transportation, Vintage Limos 
• Lighting, Frost Lighting DC