As seen in Martha Stewart Weddings, Soyoung and Byung Kyu’s Larz Anderson House wedding in Washington, D.C.
We originally began planning an intimate wedding for Soyoung and Byung Kyu in France, their first international trip together. When the travel logistics of COVID-19 caused concern, Soyoung and Byung Kyu made the decision to relocate their wedding to the United States. We began a search for a European-inspired venue to create a little Paris for Soyoung and Byung Kyu stateside, and found the Larz Anderson House in Washington, D.C., historically known as one of the capital city’s most fashionable mansions.
A Larz Anderson House wedding is undeniably chic, and the perfect European-inspired wedding venue for couples looking to incorporate European design in a stateside wedding.
“It had that old European charm, amazing artwork inside, and an amazing little garden with a pond that felt like a dream come true,” Soyoung and Byung Kyu said.
The bride and groom decided to maintain their original vision of an intimate wedding, hosting 47 of their closest family and friends. As a nod to their love of France and their travels together, elements of 18th century Rococo design are woven throughout the wedding design: rich gilding, scrolling curves, and pastel tones.
The Color Palette
Soyoung and Byung Kyu’s color palette was inspired by Rococo design and reminiscent of Paris in the spring, with tones of cannoli cream, cream pink, pearl blush, oatmeal, orchid tint, anise flower, green lily, chambray blue, and French blue, accented by rich gold inspired by European gilded architecture.
The Paper Goods
Soyoung and Byung Kyu’s wedding paperie, thoughtfully brought together personalized details of the bride and groom and elements of wedding design.
The invitation suite’s Rococo envelope liner was inspired by the bride and groom’s love of French design and their travels together to France. Throughout the paper goods, nods to Rococo design are referenced, from scrolled place cards to artistic flourishes, with these flourishes mirrored later in the reception table linens.
Our stationer created a custom crest of their initials, woven throughout the paper goods.
The Fashion
For her bridal gown, Soyoung wore a column gown with a dramatic asymmetrical ribbon bow, sculpturally draped bodice, and voluminous sweep train by Parisian fashion house Viktor&Rolf. The bride paired her gown with an heirloom floral hair vine, a pearl adorned veil, Tiffany & Co. jewelry, and embroidered botanical Stuart Weitzman heels.
Soyoung’s jewelry was gifted by her mother-in-law, creating bespoke diamond earrings and a necklace using diamonds from her own engagement ring and her father-in-law’s wedding ring.
“They were so meaningful and brought tears to my eyes,” Soyoung said.
Byung Kyu wore a Thom Browne suit with a tone-on-tone bowtie for a look that felt more playful and fun.
Byung Kyu requested a colorful boutonnière, and Nava Floral created a spray of butterfly ranunculus, clematis, and jasmine vine surrounding a distant drum garden rose.
The Flowers
Soyoung carried a floral-forward, textured bouquet of pastels with lavender clematis, butterfly ranunculus, garden roses, sweet pea, Princess Charlene of Monaco roses, and her favorite flower, peonies.
Their wedding ceremony was haloed by a growing garden inspired asymmetrical arbor of Princess Charlene of Monaco roses, distant drum roses, lavender clematis, delphinium, gold combo roses, white jasmine vine, and the bride’s personal favorite, peonies.
The Wedding Ceremony
The bride and groom exchanged their vows in the Olmstead Gallery, where the Andersons displayed their larger works of art, including sixteenth-century Flemish tapestries. A harp, violin, and cello trio played as guests entered the gallery for the ceremony.
Guests were gifted traditional fans hand painted by Soyoung’s cousin as a wedding gift.
“My cousin’s fans added a bit of Korean culture to the wedding as she painted oriental peonies that represent promise of love and happy marriage,” Soyoung said.
To begin the ceremony, the mothers of the bride and groom each lit a candle, symbolizing lighting up the future of their children. Rather than a traditional officiant, Soyoung and Byung Kyu opted to have their parents speak, with the ceremony guided by a dear friend.
The Reception
After a cocktail hour of hors d’oeuvres and cocktails in the ballroom, guests were welcomed to reception.
Guests found their seats at a gold framed display with calligraphed escort cards stamped with wax seals of their custom crest. In honor of their Korean heritage, the escort cards were tasseled with norigae, a traditional Korean accessory, lovingly hand-tied by the bride and groom. A bar cart held two Polaroid cameras, and guests were asked to replace their escort card on the board with a Polaroid of themselves.
Shaded by two of D.C.’s oldest magnolia trees in the walled garden, the trio played “Married Life” as guests entered the garden for an intimate, al fresco luncheon.
Estate tables framing the reflecting pool were flowered with colorful garden style centerpieces of garden roses, butterfly ranunculus, lavender clematis, and French tulips, dotted with flickering candles. For a taste of Paris, lily green Ladurée macaron boxes accompanied each place setting, with chocolate, framboise, and pistachio macarons.
Place setting paper goods embodied Rococo-inspired illustration with scroll flourished menus, scrolled place cards, and sketched floral garlands on the table numbers. As a nod to France, the menus listed courses in French: L’Entrée, Le Plat Principal, and Le Dessert.
Place settings sat atop champagne gold linens accented with scrolling flourishes, framed by Louis chairs.
The Fare
The luncheon began with an entrée of burrata with elderflower melon mosaic and lemon vinaigrette with rosemary focaccia and Italian grissini. For the plat principal, guests had a choice of a citrus lobster tail and herb crusted filet with black cherry demi sauce, or a vegetarian miso ginger butternut squash with black forbidden rice. For dessert, guests enjoyed Ladurée vanilla mille feuille with caramelized puff pastry and vanilla cream, and carrot wedding cake.
The Bar
The bar featured two signature drinks: a Brighton Boulevard, and Mandarin Lemonade.
Refreshing notes of mandarin oranges, lemonade, chamomile tea, sparkling ginger beer, lavender, and grapefruit were perfect for a summer fête in the garden.
Mirroring the ceremony, garden-style floral installations grew around the bar and the signature drink menu. The bar menu listed the signature cocktails in French blue with a floral garland border accented with hand-painted gold embellishments, with Soyoung and Byung Kyu’s custom crest.
A Second Look
For the reception, Soyoung wore a fuchsia bow back dress and floral print flats.
“I had purchased this dress in 2017 when I was a graduate student and had nowhere to wear it,” Soyoung said. “The dress was just so me and I had to have it in my closet! I believe it captured my personality and the idea of Paris perfectly.”
A Sweet Farewell
As a sweet parting gift to their guests, Soyoung and Byung Kyu worked with their florist to gift their centerpieces to their guests as they bid farewell.
Larz Anderson House Wedding in Washington, D.C.
We specialize in undeniably chic, experiential destination weddings. Our full service wedding planning, design, and production service creates the most unforgettable experience for your destination wedding.
Whether you envision an intimate affair or a grand, glamorous fête, our service is dedicated to curated, sur mesure experiences.
Contact us to inquire about availability for your Larz Anderson House wedding in Washington, D.C., or your destination wedding.
Vendor Credits
Wedding Planning, Design, & Styling: RSVP Events
Photography: Jacqueline Benét
Venue: Larz Anderson House
Catering: Occasions Caterers
Floral Design: Nava Floral
Rentals: La Tavola, Something Vintage Rentals, The Collection by Courtney Inghram
Music: Capitol Harpist
Paper Goods: The Vintage Inkwell
Bridal Gown: Viktor&Rolf Mariage
Bridal Shoes: Stuart Weitzman
Groom Attire: Thom Browne
Hair and Makeup: Anna Breeding
Macarons and Pastries: Ladurée
Jewelry: Tiffany & Co.
