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.”

Wedding Day Tips

July 28, 2010

Wedding Day Hints

Based on more than 25 years of wedding photography experience, here are three tips for your wedding day ...

(1) If you're dressing at the site, make a list of what you need to bring. Have someone you trust go over the list and make sure everything is packed. I've known brides who arrived without their veils or their slips. Sending someone to pick them up adds unnecessary stress. It's a good idea to pack a small bag of things like deodorant, mouthwash and safety pins.

(2) Make sure the security tags have been removed from bridesmaid's dresses. They can't be cut off at the site without risking damage to the dress.

(3) If the groom and groomsmen are renting tuxedos, they should check the delivery when it arrives. Besides checking for correct size, look to make sure the studs are included and the cumberbunds are the right color. You'll probably want to wear or bring black socks. It's a hassle to have to shop for them on the wedding day.

Look for more tips on Wed-nes-days.

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Nina Tisara
Rental Events Coordinator
Hollin Hall & The Meeting House
at Mount Vernon Unitarian Church

Wedding Photography

How can you help your photographer get the photos you want quickly and efficiently?

First most important thing: Make a list! Decide which are the "have to" photos.

Second most important thing: Tell everyone who is in the photos to follow you out from the ceremony and where to assemble for the photos.

We recommended doing photos before a Receiving Line. For starters, Receiving Lines take longer than one would think. And, after you've been hugged and kissed by many guests, you may need to spend even more time freshening up.

In another life, when I was with Tisara Photography, our goal was to move people in and out of photos as efficiently as possible. (It's still the goal of Tisara Photography.)

For example:

Bride and Groom with Bride's Family
(This would include siblings and might include grandparents. You might individual shots with each set of grandparents)
Bride and Groom with Bride's Parents
Bride and Groom with Bride's Parents and Groom's Parents
Bride and Groom with Groom's Parents
Bride and Groom with Groom's Family

If there are more than one set of parents, consider whether there will be one photo with everyone or separate photos. An important factor is how comfortable the parents feel being in a photo together. This will affect how they are placed. It's very helpful to decide in advance.

Bride with Bridesmaids
Bride with Maid of Honor
Bride and Groom with Maid of Honor and Best Man
Bride and Groom with Bridesmaids and Groomsmen*
Groom and Groomsmen
Groom and Best Man

Bride Alone
Bride and Groom Together
Groom Alone

*If there are young flower girls and ring bearers, it might be best to do this one first.

Ask your caterer to provide water but not food until after the photos are done.

Nina Tisara
Look for new posts on Wed-nes-days
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Wedding Dresses

July 19, 2010

I spent several hours yesterday at the Alfred Angelo Grand Opening Event in Springfield. Alfred Angelo specializes in dresses for brides and bridesmaids. I was there to distribute information about Hollin Hall (www.HollinHallWeddings.com) but the photographer in me kept seeing the pictures that wanted to be taken. I didn't have a camera with me so I have to paint this one for you in words.

Picture a mirrored room with a couple of round seating areas in the center. At one end is a pedestal. Well, maybe not a pedestal, just a small stage. Up steps the bride in the dress she is modeling. Thumbs up from the onlookers, including those of us who were there to promote our own services. And the mom? The mom pulls out a tissue and dabs at her eyes. I'm thinking that she's thinking, "There's my baby, my princess, grown up, growing away, and stepping into the wide world with all its joy and all its pain."

The picture was reflected from all sides in every mirror.

Nina Tisara