Something Old, Something Blue: Marissa & Eric’s Waterfront Wedding
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For Marissa and Eric, their wedding was never just about the two of them. It was a celebration of the family, friends and generations of love that brought them together. The Columbia, Maryland couple chose a waterfront venue in Woodbridge for their late-summer wedding and imagined it as an elevated coastal garden party: soft blues and whites, a fun and colorful party atmosphere, and a dance floor that stayed full well into the night.
That sense of community began with the ceremony. Officiant Rev. Mary Stone guided the couple through thoughtful questionnaires and let them shape the ceremony until it felt entirely their own. “She crafted the ceremony to capture who we are as individuals and as a couple, perfectly reflecting the love story between us for all of our guests,” Marissa shared. The venue’s waterside gazebo was a quiet nod to her parents, whose own wedding photos were taken at a gazebo back in New York.
Family heirlooms appeared throughout the day. Marissa wore her mother’s wedding dress, restyled into a more casual look, to the welcome party. Lace from that same gown trimmed the flower girls’ dresses, and her mother’s veil became their hair pieces. The cake was topped with the same vintage topper used at her grandparents’ wedding and again at her parents’. It was repainted once more to match the couple’s blue palette, this time with a blond groom for Eric. A table set aside for grandparents and loved ones who had passed kept them close throughout the celebration.
When it was time to celebrate, the energy never dropped. Chris Garcia Music brought live saxophone to the evening, and for Marissa, the excitement started even before the party did. “He was a highlight for so many of our guests (including myself). He brought energy and the vibes,” she said. “The joy I felt during cocktail hour when I could hear him play from the bridal suite was next level.” Later, the newlyweds even took a turn at the DJ booth. Guests stopped by Marissa’s “whimsy station,” stocked with glitter, face gems and cat stickers honoring the couple’s furbabies, then headed straight back to the dance floor.
“Overall our special day was the definition of perfect,” Marissa said, “because of all the vendors who made the day possible and went above and beyond what I could have imagined.”
Other Local Vendors:
Timeless Photo and Video, The Osprey's at Belmont Bay, Taste of Elegance, AP Entertainment DC, Rose Bowman Photos, Lucy Q's Cakery, Fredericksburg Limo, The Electric Palm Woodbridge, Indochino, Michaels Flowers DMV, Beauty By Heather Louise, Silly Shotz Photo Booth
