Cat and Luke’s Hotel Dupont wedding was a perfect blend of reflecting on the past while looking forward to the future. Between poignant moments of reflection on loss and oodles of excitement for the new family being made, their day was a roller coaster of emotional highs and lows. We were so honored to be along for that journey.
We always talk about how video is able to show things that photography isn’t equipped to capture, and the heartfelt words of Cat and Luke’s wedding day are a great example of this. So rather than sharing a huge gallery of photographs from their Hotel DuPont wedding off the bat, it feels more appropriate to share their wedding highlight film as a starting point.
Cat & Luke leaned into the grandiose gold ballroom of their Hotel DuPont wedding for inspiration in creating their invitation suite, which then set an Art Deco overtone for their entire styling. But the delicate script font seemed to suit Cat’s feminine personal aesthetic the most. With TWO wedding dresses to photograph and delicately textured roses filling her bouquet, the start of the day was filled with beautiful bits for our team to photograph. But there was a lot of meaning to Cat’s details, as well. She had a beautiful bejeweled frog broach that she wore in honor of her late father, who had passed.
As she got ready alongside her mother and sister, Cat transformed into an absolute princess. (Trying so hard not to feel all of the Ariel vibes, but that gorgeous red hair has my brain fixed on it!) Cat posed for some portraits alone in the suite and also lovingly shared the charms on her bouquet that honored her father, too. To lose a parent in the wedding planning process is such a heartbreaking prospect, but Cat’s family lifted her up so joyfully and memories of her dad were woven into almost every aspect of her day. Her mother had even had a small avatar doll of him made, to participate in family photos and have a seat at the table in his honor. In so many ways, Cat was honoring the man who helped her become all that she is, as she prepared to marry the man that would make her future dreams possible.
Luke was just a few floors away getting ready with his large and energetic wedding party, but when it was time to actually put on the polish and get himself ready, he stepped aside for a few quiet minutes with just his own father, who helped suit him up in the royal blue jacket with black lapels that Luke had selected for himself. We always love a groom who isn’t afraid to show some emotion and Luke was on the more emotional side throughout the day, from wiping away tears as he read Cat’s letter to him to literally bouncing with anticipation in the moments leading up to their first look. But as he bounced around with anxious energy, we did manage to capture some portraits of all the boys just outside the Hotel Dupont.
Although one of the challenges of a Hotel Dupont wedding with a first look is keeping a couple hidden away from the guests who may be mulling about in the hotel lobby, the grand staircases that lead to the Gold Ballroom are always a perfect nook for some pre-ceremony portraits. Cat & Luke shared their first look on the curving ornate staircase. Cat’s approach literally took Luke’s breath away and he barely held back tears (& couldn’t form words) when he turned around to see his beautiful bride. Once these two had their moment, we joined the rest of the family & wedding party in the ballroom to capture all of their formal portraits in the grandiose Gold Ballroom where their Hotel Dupont wedding reception would take place in just a few short hours.
During Cat & Luke’s Hotel DuPont wedding ceremony in the smaller ballroom just above the Gold Ballroom, guests awaited Cat’s arrival with bated breath, as did Luke. Although watching Cat’s brother take her father’s place in walking her down the aisle brought tears to so many eyes (possibly even ours), Cat took the walk with a beaming smile on her face. She was here to marry the man of her dreams and no sadness was allowed to interfere!
After the ceremony, Cat & Luke shared a signature cocktail toast in the boardroom before taking a few moments of cocktail hour to wander the exterior grounds of the hotel and capture a fun set of dusk portraits featuring the clean stone exteriors and the identifiable Hotel DuPont Porte Cochere on the front of the building. Before we knew it, the time had come for Cat & Luke to line up with their wedding party and enter into their reception.
Now, we could tell you about the gorgeous detail that Cat & Luke put into creating their amazing Hotel Dupont wedding reception, the great laughs had as their siblings roasted (ahem, I mean toasted) them, or the fun had on the dance floor as the night went on, but really, didn’t the video tell all of that much better than a blog can? The only moment of the reception that stands out above all the rest was during Cat’s mother/daughter dance, when her sister & brother also joined her on the dance floor and Cat’s remaining family members danced it out together in her father’s honor.
Before turning in for the night, Cat & Luke sneaked away with us for a few last portraits of the night. We’re so glad that they did, because this set turned out to be full of our favorite images from the day!
The team behind this Hotel Dupont wedding included:
Photography & Videography: Ashley Gerrity Photography | Planner: Just In Time Events | Venue: Hotel Du Pont | Florist: Sweet Peas | Entertainment: Steve and Company | Stationery: Minted
