This Artsy Couple Put a Wearable Twist on Traditional Bouquets for Their Wedding Party

Two DC-area creatives, Jamie and Jeff were initially introduced by a mutual friend when he was working as a photographer/videographer and she had an event planning business. They collaborated on creative projects first as colleagues and later as friends. Eventually, love blossomed, and they count their first date as an evening that included pizza and the movie “Better Luck Tomorrow” at Jeff’s apartment. Three years later Jeff proposed the same way Jamie asked him to be an “official” couple: with a handwritten Post-It note, with a “yes” box to check.

Their April wedding—for which they chose a “whimsical, overgrown-Japanese-garden dreamscape fresh out of a Studio Ghibli film” theme—began with a ceremony that was officiated by a close friend who and tailored it to the couple’s love story and incorporated Filipino wedding traditions. The couple wrote their own vows and included words of wisdom and guidance from loved ones for a health marriage. Instead of traditional bouquets, Jamie asked artist and friend Michelle Samson, who she says shares the couple’s quirky aesthetic, to create unique floral pieces for each person in the bridal party. Ultimately, that included crafted earrings, hair pieces, a ring, a headband, and “other distinct wearable works for art.” For the venue florals, Samson drew inspiration from Hayao Miyazaki films and an overall Japanese design aesthetic. Other highlights for the day included a custom cocktail menu crafted by Jamie’s brother-in-law, a master mixologist; a video compilation of the couple’s past videos and work projected in the hallway; a dinner menu that fused Asian and Southern cuisine; custom Filipino attire designed by Francis Libiran for the reception; and the art gallery venue, which the couple says was the only space that felt appropriate to celebrate and embody their relationship and shared love for art.

See the photos of the day below.

The Details

Amy Moeller

Fashion & Weddings Editor

Amy leads Washingtonian Weddings and writes Style Setters for Washingtonian. Prior to joining Washingtonian in March 2016, she was the editor of Capitol File magazine in DC and before that, editor of What’s Up? Weddings in Annapolis.