Bold, Urban Wedding in DC

Though Emma Lowenstein (32) works in event management and planning, she wanted her wedding to Drew Rudnick (35 and a named accounts manager) to feel like anything but work. “I’ve been to so many different venues in DC and I love my job, but this needed to be our own,” Emma says. In that spirit, fun and playfulness reigned supreme. Known for being full of ideas and creativity, Emma brought her colorful vision to life with bright, mid-century modern décor, popsicle-scented stamps on the invites and vows under a chuppah made of fabrics that belonged to her maternal grandma, held up by the couple’s friends.
 Emma and Drew brought vibrant color to industrial Dock 5 with jewel-tone goblets, bright yellow tablecloths and tropical-inspired greenery. “We transformed the space, which was a blank slate,” Emma says. The pair read about the Southern superstition of burying bourbon a month prior to ensure ideal wedding day weather. “After all that work, we were willing to try anything,” Emma says. One small snag: They forgot where they’d buried the bottle, so their photographer gave them a hand. It was worth it—the sun came through.
Partygoers snacked at an extra-large grazing board as they sipped two drinks: the Room 11, a bourbon concoction, and the Oxaca Old Fashioned, a tequila-infused twist on the classic cocktail. Guests found their seats with snail mail, selecting cards from envelopes. Emma and Drew hit the floor for the hora, minus one. “Emma’s mom planned to join us, but seeing us both up there, she passed,” Drew says.