Art Gallery Wedding Inspiration

We love a wedding in an unexpected venue, and we were delighted to hear that Lisa Marie of Sweet Tea Photography feels the same way! Drawn to the beauty of Old Town Alexandria’s Athenaeum art gallery, she recruited the talents of Emilie from Weddings and Events by Bliss to style a feminine wedding shoot for the romantic in all of us.

From Lisa Marie of Sweet Tea Photography: When envisioning the perfect southern wedding, I’m always brought back to Old Town Alexandria. From the cobble stone streets to the historic row homes, how can you not fall in love with this city? I’ve fortunately spent a couple years myself living in this quaint town and make a trip back at least once a week. I just can’t get enough of it. As the hometown to George Washington and the Civil War General Robert E. Lee, Alexandria attracts visitors from near and far to enjoy the historic views.

At the corner of Prince and Lee Street stands The Athenaeum with its classical revival architecture and it’s beautiful peach colored Doric columns lining the front entrance. I’ve walked by this lovely art gallery hundreds of times, every time thinking that it would be the perfect place for a southern wedding. Its neoclassical Greek Revival architecture really got my wheels turning. Of course my imagination went wild while thinking of the possibilities. The Athenaeum hosts art exhibits, lectures, performances, ceremonies, and receptions! After building up the ideas for this shoot, I pulled Emilie of Bliss Weddings and Events to help in bringing all the details and décor together.

From Emilie of Weddings and Events by Bliss: We wanted to achieve a balance between the soft whimsical and vintage elements of our décor with the linear modern structure of the gallery. What is captured is a very romantic, intimate, and beautiful scene for a wedding, the dainty floral arrangements displayed in vintage goblets, vintage place settings with rustic accents all beautifully displayed against a back drop of exquisite modern artwork. We were fortunate to have a beautiful sunny day which provided a great deal of natural light that streamed in through the very large paned glass windows of the gallery.