Disco Balls Added Glitz to This Pink-and-Emerald Wedding at the Larz Anderson House in Washington, DC

After not one, but three postponements, Cierra and Mike were finally able to say "I do" with a disco ball-filled jewel-tone wedding at the Larz Anderson House in Washington, DC. "I basically knew exactly what I wanted for my wedding and really didn't veer far from the original vision throughout the planning (and 3x replanning due to COVID-19) process," recalls Cierra. "In one of my first conversations with my incredible planner, I described my vision as 'Parisian garden at night with deep, bold colors and big disco energy.' Somehow we managed to translate that vision of bold intimacy into a reality—with deep jewel-tone flowers, gold accents, natural greenery, string lighting and many, many disco balls!"

"It was really important to me that the decor complemented the venue without competing or distracting from an already eye-catching space," says Cierra. "The garden where we held our ceremony and dinner is gorgeous and doesn't require a lot of embellishment so we intentionally kept our design choices simple and organic. The ceremony was in the back corner of the garden with chairs on either side of the aisle fanned out and facing the floral-adorned chuppah. Mike and I stood on a beautiful, overdyed pink Turkish rug which accented the flower choices." 

Following the ceremony, the couple's "cocktail hour took place in an expansive hallway on the second level of the Anderson House," says Cierra. "The space is a work of art with bold European tapestries, rich woods, high ceilings, natural light and beautiful chandeliers. Aside from the bars, which were outlined with striking floral arrangements, we kept the space as is, and I am so happy that we did." 

"The reception dinner was in the same garden as the ceremony was held, but the focus was less on the garden and more on the venue's structure. We brought the seating and guests closer to the house, with tables and chairs set up around the pool where we hung string lights above. The head table, where the full wedding party sat, ran the length of the pool and had several large flower arrangements. The round guest tables were situated around the pool and into the yard, and had deep green tablecloths that paired perfectly with the striped awnings over the windows of the house. Did I mention the assorted disco balls and votives placed around the pool?"

"The reception took place in the main hall of the venue, which is truly objectively gorgeous. In the large threshold space between the garden and the hall, we placed several soft seating areas with jewel-tone sofas, armchairs and rugs. This gave our guests a comfortable place to hang out, have conversations and take a break from dancing."

Cierra and Mike's Washington, DC, wedding wasn't just visually beautiful, but it was also packed with lots of meaning and personalization. From Cierra's grandfather officiating the ceremony to the Jewish traditions the couple included as a nod to Mike's late parents. "At the end of the day, we wanted to honor our relationship, stay true to ourselves and make the experience as engaging and enjoyable for our friends and family as possible," says Cierra. Cierra goes on to share that "we were fortunate that the venue included a tour guide who walked guests through the building and shared anecdotes about previous owners, design and architecture, artwork and history associated with the venue. This was something that many of our family members really enjoyed. Another element of personalization was our bourbon tasting during cocktail hour, which was a huge hit with many of our guests, but for those that don't love whiskey, we had a selection of wine, beer and custom signature cocktails."

While every element of personalization was special to the couple, Cierra notes that her favorite moment from the entire wedding was the couple's first dance. "The most special moment of the day was certainly our first dance. Mike's incredibly talented daughter, Heather, sang our first dance song, Aerosmith's 'I Don't Want to Miss a Thing.' It was so sentimental to have her do this for us—I watch and re-watch clips of this and cry almost every time I do because it was such an intimate moment to share."

Looking back on the wedding day, Cierra shares two important pieces of advice to current to-be-weds. Firstly, she says that "if possible, do the legal marriage a few weeks or months ahead of time. It takes so much pressure off and avoids a lot of the nerves and anxiety from the day." Secondly, Cierra encourages couples to "make choices that make you and your partner happy and reflect who you are as a couple. Trying to do things that will impress or please other people just creates undue stress."