DAR Wedding | Elegant Wedding Reception

I am back with L & J’s elegant DAR wedding reception in the Library and O’Byrne Gallery. Did you see their Jewish wedding ceremony earlier this week? I hope so! L & J aren’t big dancers (so they said during the wedding planning; photos posted below say something else) so they wanted some reception activities to entertain their guests that didn’t rely on dancing. One activity we came up with was doing a champagne tower as a transition from the end of the cocktail reception to the start of dinner. L & J gathered their guests in the DAR Library, poured the champagne, the Occasions staff passed the glasses, and the L L & gave their own toast of gratitude to their guests. Endless thanks to Stephen Bobb for these great photos.

DAR elegant wedding reception
DAR elegant wedding reception
DAR elegant wedding reception

I often joke with my clients that I won’t let them use plain white linens. It’s not really a joke though 😉 I love great linens. They are such an affordable way to add pop and pizzazz to your wedding or special event. You have to rent something, you might as well rent something awesome! L & J picked a pair of linens in the same pattern but with two slightly different palettes. The linens we used outdoors, on fewer tables, had a darker, bolder look with charcoals and coppers. The linens we used inside the O’Byrne Gallery were lighter, the pattern more subtle, with more creams and golds.

DAR elegant wedding reception DAR elegant wedding reception
DAR elegant wedding reception

I was super grateful that LynnVale had 20 or so extra dahlias on site during the set up of this elegant DAR wedding reception. She gladly put them on the head table chargers, giving the tablescape a little extra pop!

DAR elegant wedding reception
DAR elegant wedding reception
DAR elegant wedding reception
DAR elegant wedding reception

Another awesome thing that LynnVale created for us was this purple ombre cake swag. How awesome is this? Andrea from LynnVale is an architect by training, so she knows how to take my ideas made of crazy words and make them work in real life, which I am super thankful for.

DAR elegant wedding reception
DAR elegant wedding reception

Every elegant DAR wedding reception ends with dancing on the Portico, with pashminas to keep you warm, and cannolis to give you energy! While DAR does have decent existing outdoor lighting, it is a bright, harsh white light, so I always recommend bringing in a lighting professional to create a softer ambiance.

DAR elegant wedding reception
DAR elegant wedding reception
DAR elegant wedding reception

DAR elegant wedding reception
DAR elegant wedding reception
DAR elegant wedding reception
DAR elegant wedding reception

They sure look like dancers to me!

DAR elegant wedding reception

Other awesome wedding pros who were on our team for this elegant DAR wedding:

Alison Harper & Company for hair & make up

Bowen Films for videography

Cherry Blossom String Quartet

Event Media Tech for lighting

Michael Bell, My DeeJay