A Bridgerton-Inspired Wedding at The Willard InterContinental

Sep 7

A woman holds a custom sketch of a bride and groom in front of a bookcase with gold frames

As a live illustrator, I love nothing more than seeing how couples personalize their wedding. Lauralee and Matthew wanted a classic DC wedding with Bridgerton flair, and The Willard Intercontinental was the perfect venue! I worked alongside Theresa Kelly Art for this event, and together we provided dozens of sketches to help everyone remember this one-of-a-kind celebration.

The Willard InterContinental: The Perfect DC Wedding Venue

Lauralee and Matthew love their home city. They wanted their wedding to feel quintessentially DC, so they chose to get married at the National Cathedral, a beautiful and historic location in the heart of the city. After their ceremony, guests made their way to The Willard InterContinental for dinner and dancing. The ballroom at The Willard truly brought the bride’s regency-era dreams to life with gilded pillars and intricate crystal chandeliers.

While the wedding itself was absolutely incredible, actually getting to The Willard InterContinental the morning of the wedding proved to be a bit of a challenge. This wedding took place the same weekend as the UFC Fight on the White House Lawn… which is directly across from the hotel.

Streets around the venue were closed, and the traffic made driving nearly impossible. Theresa and I decided to skip the chaos and take the metro. We carried our gowns and equipment by hand and got dressed at the hotel to make sure we would be there on time! No matter what’s going on around your wedding, I’ll do everything in my power to get there—like the one time I flew on a tiny, duct-taped airplane to get to a wedding on Block Island!

A High-Energy Celebration

Despite the challenges, Theresa and I had a wonderful time providing illustrations for Lauralee and Matthew’s guests! As a fashion enthusiast, I loved the way they tied their pastel color theme into their decor as well as the illustrations. The couple wanted every element of their wedding to feel cohesive. So we incorporated the border from their invitations into the sketches and added their names and the wedding date at the bottom in the beautiful pastel blue that tied their color scheme together. Theresa and I even dressed for the occasion, with her in pastel pink and me in gold!

Theresa and I work together often, and it was so fun to work alongside her again! We each provided five hours of live sketch time with ten overtime sketches to make sure every guest got a keepsake. And everyone was thrilled with their sketches. It was so rewarding to watch their faces light up when they received the final illustration. In fact, the entire celebration was electric. The dance floor was bursting—especially once the bride changed from her satin ballgown into a tea-length dress with sneakers and brought out the large cardboard cutouts of their cats’ faces!

To top it all off, as the wedding was wrapping up and guests were dispersing, the Knicks won the NBA Championship. The entire city erupted in cheers, and I like to think they were celebrating along with Lauralee and Matthew!

Live Event Illustration

I loved how dedicated Lauralee and Matthew were to creating an unforgettable guest experience. By choosing iconic DC settings, like the National Cathedral and the Willard Continental, guests essentially got a mini-tour of the city! And then, of course, they provided live illustrations, which are always a favorite. I’ve yet to see guests get as excited for any other wedding favor as they do for custom sketches! There’s really nothing like getting a handmade piece of art to remember a celebration.

If you want to give your guests a unique keepsake, I would love to discuss live illustration options with you! Click here to learn more about my process, and inquire to learn more about working with me.