A Love Story - Kim and Bruce and Uniquely Yours

September 1, 2010

Photo by Nina Tisara

A Love Story - Kim and Bruce

We asked Kim and Bruce to rate us and their caterers on a scale of 1-5 (5 is best) and this is what Kim said:

"5 and 5!!!! We had such a lovely time. The place was gorgeous. R&R did an excellent job catering, the food was awesome. All of our friends and family were asking us how we found Hollin Hall and were so impressed with its charm! It was definitely a wedding like no other!

"Bruce and I met through friends from work. He is a psychologist and I am a talker. I guess I felt like he listened when I talk. He would stop everything to listen to me talk and I, in return would do something nice for him, simple things, like cook or bring him coffee.

"We chose Hollin Hall for the charming outdoor garden and the details on the inside of the house. We love "old charm", history and unique things that are still very simple. I think Hollin Hall was the perfect choice for us and our friends and family felt so welcomed there.

"Thank you for the memory! It was better than we envisioned!"

Uniquely Yours

If you're looking for a custom-designed engagement or wedding band, something that will be uniquely yours, you might start by looking through magazines, catalogs and ads to discover what you really like. Or you might try your hand at sketching the design that's in your mind.

Remember that your designer is your consultant, your engineer. Choose someone whose style fits yours and someone you feel comfortable with. Select a designer with the experience to help you understand what is possible and what is not feasible.

Your meeting at Gold Works will start with an introduction to the world of custom jewelry. There is a basic selection of rings in the shop and you will helped to visualize your own special design by looking through catalogs, photographs, drawings and sometimes with the help of a computer.

David Martin Gold Works
1400 King Street, Alexandria
www.goldworksusa.com
703 683-0333

A Love Story - Caitlin and Matthew--and--Hints for the Glowing Bride

Caitlin and Matthew met in Cambridge, Massachusetts in March of 2005. They were having a great time at a mutual friend's birthday party. Matthew noticed how Caitlin always closed one eye when she took a beerpong shot. He liked her freckles and curly hair. Caitlin noticed how sharply dressed Matthew was and she thought he was funny. The next week after the party, Matthew asked his coworker, Tag, how he could get to know her better. His friend told him that they all had plans to go to Southie for the St. Patty's parade that Sunday. If you have ever been to Southie on parade day, then you know that the whole town is party-hopping. So, Matthew followed his friends from house party to house party, meeting lots of people, toasting the Irish Patron Saint, and always keeping his eyes open for the young lady he was hoping to see that day. They seemed to keep missing each other. Finally, after a long day, they made their way back to Cambridge, Caitlin and Matthew's paths never having crossed in Southie. When they got there, Caroline, Tag's girlfriend and Caitlin's best friend, called to say they were right down the street and they were coming over!

Caitlin and Caroline came through the door first, followed by seven or eight dudes. The ratio of this gathering had tipped in the wrong direction for a man who was looking to spend some quality time getting to know somebody. However, within the first few minutes, it became apparent that the place down the street where they were all hanging out, was in fact Caitlin's place. Matthew knew that all he had to do was be patient and he might get the opportunity to walk her home. The mob of dudes slowly dwindled until only Tag, Caroline, Matthew and Caitlin were left. As people started to yawn, Matthew offered to escort Caitlin home. Despite a long day of house parties, they talked for hours. They found out about the uncanny amount of things they have in common. When it got really late and they were both struggling to stay awake, they decided it was time to call it a night. But just before he got to the door, he turned and kissed her. They made plans for an official first date. Five and a half years later, their next official date will be the most significant one yet: plans to be married at Hollin Hall on October 9, 2010.

The Glowing Bride~

The bridal "glow" comes from within. but take care to avoid the outward "shine" - the shine that comes by not keeping a matte finish to your makeup for those wedding photos. While a more-than-dewy complexion may look fine to the wedding guests, it can translate into an unattractive shine in photos. There's even the horrifying chance you'll look like you just finished a workout and slipped right into the wedding gown!I recommend using a finely milled powder matched to your skin tone exactly at the jawline and then touching up throughout the wedding day. Blot any oil or sweat that appears with a facial blotting sheet (drug store purchase), and then lightly touch up your look with a light dusting of powder. The powder absorbs light and keeps a more matte look so your features project your joyful glow - not shine! Pressing, not rubbing, blotting paper on your face absorbs the oil/sweat and pushes the powder back to the surface of your skin.Emergency Tip: those disposable seat covers in the ladies' restroom make great blotting paper. no residue, easily available. Shhh.only tell your girlfriends.The scoop on powder - opt for a compact rather than loose powder. It's so much easier to control in a hurry. Avoid bare mineral powders. The edges of the ground minerals reflect light and can give a gray cast or odd luminescence in photos. Mineral powders also don't have the necessary staying power or light-absorbing effect of talc-based powder foundations. A makeup pro experienced with on-site makeup (out of the controlled lighting of a studio) can further advise you on the best choices. We useArtistry Ideal Dual Powder Foundations and have gotten rave reviews!

Relax. Just a minute for a quick touch-up takes away the shine and brings all the attention back to your expressive eyes and lips where a little sheen enhances rather than distracts!

Barbara Hill, www.bridalartistryDC.com

Anne and Andy met at a philosophy conference in Bellingham,Washington in August 2007. One evening we went with a few mutualfriends to an ice cream parlor, and we all played a game of Taboo. Anne noticed Andy's remarkable ability to read her mind; luckily we were on the same team.At the time, Anne was a grad student in New York City and Andy was a professor in Michigan, so a relationship seemed unlikely. But the next month, Andy came to New York for a wedding, and Anne and Andy met upin a café for a game of Battleship. It was a rout; Anne won in record time, after she correctly predicted Andy's strategy (clump the battleships in the center of the board, because your opponent will expect them to be evenly spaced throughout the board). That pretty much sealed the deal. When Andy had a sabbatical in the spring, he moved to New York. We’ve had jobs in different states during most of our 3-year relationship (currently Andy works in New Jersey and Anne works in Washington and Baltimore), but we’ve managed to spend almost every weekend together.We wanted to get married in a Unitarian Church, because Unitarian Universalism supports marriage equality. As a straight couple, we have the privilege of getting married anywhere we want, and having our marriage recognized anywhere we go. We’re taking advantage of that privilege, but with the hope that marriage becomes a fully equal institution during our lifetime. We want to get married in a church that shares that hope, and fights for it. We chose Hollin House and the Mount Vernon Unitarian Church in particular because it is a peaceful and interesting place. The garden is quiet, and very green; we think it’ll be a simple, beautiful place to get married. The grounds are full of delightful surprises, for our guests to wander off and explore. And the meeting house seats 175 for dinner, so we don’t have to cut anyone from the guest list!

Anne and Andy will be married at Hollin Hall (www.HollinHallWeddings.com) in October 2010.

Love Stories

Erykah and James first met in the fall 2002 while starting their freshman year at George Mason University. The two were placed on the same freshman dorm floor and within a week became acquainted. Over the next four years their friendship grew over mutual interests including outdoor adventure, travel, photography, and music. They shared adventures in hiking, biking, camping, and snowboarding. Their love for traveling took them up and down the East Coast and abroad to Europe. Though they very much enjoyed each other's company, they maintained being strictly friends over the years. That is until the fall of 2006.
One evening after spending a long day on campus, James asked Erykah to dinner where they discussed the possibility of developing their relationship. Both a bit hesitate, they decided to leap! Now 4 years later, they are engaged and preparing to vow in front of close family and friends their commitment to spend the rest of their lives together.
Note: Hollin Hall was recommended to Erykah and James by Aylene and Kevin who were married there in May 2007.

Love Stories

This Week's Tip:

Ask your Maid of Honor or a friend to keep your make-up kit handy and to watch for when your hair or make-up needs attention, especially for the times of those important photos-- announcement, toast, cake cutting, first dance and father-daughter dance.

Love Stories – How We Met

We're expanding our blog to include stories about how couples met. Send your stories and photos to mvucevents@earthlink.net and we'll do our best to publish them in future blogs.

Here's the first story (photo to follow):

Tying the Knot

“In 2008 Christian and I met at a Gala fundraiser for a community theatre in Charlottesville, VA called LiveArts. Every November LA rallies local restaurateurs, businesses and artists and pulls off a fabulous all night party which funds a good percentage of their annual operating costs. My friend Ian was wrangling aerial dancers to fly and spin over the heads of well healed supporters busting a move on the dance floor at the party. When I was called to volunteer, he told me he had something special in mind for me. Two dancers would be suspended over the side of the theatre wall to greet party goers as they entered the Gala. The day before the event, Ian introduced me to his old friend from graduate school, Christian, who had driven all the way from DC to volunteer, on his birthday, when the person who was supposed to be my safety guy canceled late in the game.

“Christian showed Steven (the other 'crazy enough' dancer) and me how to tie a few knots, then somehow got me to trust him as he lowered me over the side of a 4 story building- tied to him and the building. I was terrified. He was supremely patient and did a good job of instilling trust - still, it took a while to work up the nerve to experiment with jumps and to flip about while looking down on the street below.

“Throughout the weekend we chatted a lot. We began getting to know one another over e-mail and decided to meet for a first date about a month later. Coffee turned into lunch, turned into a long walk, then a chocolate shop expedition and a movie. We started talking on the phone, and going on dates and were pretty much goners not long after the New Year. Little did we know that first day, the significance a knot tying lesson would have.

“Hollin Hall came up in our venue search months ago. Christian stumbled over it even before we purchased our house only about a mile or two from Mount Vernon Unitarian Church. We thought it outside of our budget at the time, so we dismissed it. We looked at a lot of other venues and had pretty much decided on one in Vienna. Then last week we attended a summer service. We felt very warmly welcomed, took a stroll around the grounds and spoke with a few church members after the lovely service, and decided to reconsider our venue choice. I did some math, we did some thinking, and finally chose Hollin Hall because of it's beauty, flexibility, and accommodating space. There is also something attractive about being wed in our own community, rather than a transient space we'll likely not revisit. We were also really impressed with your knowledge and obvious love of the place. It shows that you all truly care about keeping a special space for community, reflection and spiritual cultivation.”