The Best Non-Traditional Wedding Venues Are Already Part of Your Story + Kaitlyn and Chad’s DC Micro Wedding

When most couples start planning a wedding, the first thing everyone tells them is to lock down a venue as soon as possible. It sets the tone and determines other important aspects of wedding planning. Florists, photographers, and planners often want to know the venue before they even have a conversation with you, because traditional weddings are essentially built around it. 

It works really well if a traditional wedding is what you want. But here is the thing about elopements and micro weddings… that system doesn’t apply! And that is one of the most freeing things about them. 

When you step outside the traditional wedding model, the whole idea of a venue completely opens up. You are not locked into a list of approved caterers, a minimum spend, or a Saturday time slot between two other couples. You can celebrate anywhere. Your favorite restaurant. A park you go to every weekend. A place that already holds your memories. Non-traditional wedding venues are not a compromise or a budget workaround! They are often what makes your day feel the most meaningful and personal. 

Kaitlyn and Chad’s DC micro wedding is one of the best examples of this! They got married at a stone bridge in Rock Creek Park, took photos with their dog Lucy at a park where they actually spend their weekends, and celebrated at their favorite neighborhood pizza shop, a place they go so regularly that they know the owners personally.

Meet Kaitlin & Chad 

Kaitlin and Chad’s story began with the same friend who would eventually officiate their wedding. 

In January 2019, Kaitlyn went over to hang out with their mutual friend Brian. Chad, who had moved to Colombia a couple of years earlier, happened to be back in town visiting. Brian and Chad were on the dating apps that night, trying to secure last-minute dates for a Christmas party. Brian found a match. Chad had someone “waiting in the wings.” And then Kaitlyn showed up.

Chad decided against meeting up with the other girl. Instead, he and Kaitlyn hatched a plan to spy on Brian’s date at the Fainting Goat. They showed up separately, acted casual, and basically had their own first date while pretending to surveil someone else’s. Brian eventually “bumped into” them. They all ended up at the Christmas party together. Kaitlyn and Chad snuck away with a bottle of wine, found some hammocks, and the rest is history.

The proposal was perfectly them, too. New Year’s Eve, at home, with just Brian and his wife, Morgan, present. Chad told Kaitlyn he had one more Christmas gift for her, came around the corner with a box, and got down on one knee right there in their kitchen by the garbage can. Kaitlyn’s words, not mine: “the romance!” Low-key, intimate, meaningful. Exactly how they like things.

When it came to their wedding, they had been engaged for almost two years and were getting ready to leave DC to move closer to family. The wedding became something more than just a celebration of their marriage. It was also a love letter to the city where they met, fell in love, and built a life and two businesses together. To celebrate their love, they wanted their closest people, their favorite places, and a great time, so that is exactly what we planned together.

An Intimate Ceremony in Rock Creek Park

We met in the parking lot at Rock Creek Park on a beautiful early October afternoon. As everyone started to arrive, it was all smiles and laughs, building the anticipation as we got ready to walk through the park to the ceremony spot.

The weather could not have been more perfect. Warm sunshine filtered through the trees, and the golden fall light created a beautiful atmosphere for an intimate wedding ceremony. 

Kaitlin and Chad chose a ceremony spot near Boulder Bridge where large rocks stretch out into the river. Their friend officiated the ceremony, which was perfect because he actually introduced them in the beginning! Standing together in the middle of the water, surrounded by nature and the people they love most, they exchanged their vows and shared their first kiss as married. Everyone cheered from the riverbank, which was so precious!

Family Photos & Golden Hour Portraits in the Park

After the ceremony, we spent some time taking family photos before everyone headed off to freshen up before the reception. Kaitlin, Chad, and I stayed behind to take more newlywed photos in the park, and the golden light through the trees and the water was absolutely stunning. 

One of the benefits of having a micro wedding or intimate wedding is that there’s often room to slow down and enjoy the day. There was no rush or strict timeline pushing us from one event to the next. We wandered through the park together, stopping whenever a beautiful patch of light caught our attention. 

And that’s one of the things I love most about intimate weddings. You actually get to experience your wedding day while it’s happening. 

Including Lucy (Their Dog) in Their Wedding Day 

After portraits, we drove over to Stanton Park, where a friend was waiting with Lucy, their dog. They wanted to include Lucy in part of the day, so we made sure to carve out time to meet in a park where they spend a lot of their time together! 

Lucy had a great time. She chased tennis balls, ran around with absolutely zero awareness that this was a wedding day, and made everyone laugh. The photos are some of my favorites from the entire day, because the joy in them is completely real.

Your wedding day does not have to be separated from your real life. Some of the most meaningful moments happen when you intentionally include the people, pets, and places that are already part of your everyday life. 

Pizza Shop: Their Non-Traditional Wedding Venue

After spending the afternoon celebrating in Rock Creek Park and playing with Lucy at Stanton Park, it was time for the reception. And this is where Kaitlin and Chad’s wedding day became even more uniquely theirs. 

Instead of booking a traditional wedding venue, they celebrated at The Little Grand, their favorite local pizza shop in Washington, DC, which they visited weekly. So it wasn’t just a pizza shop. It was THEIR pizza shop.

Guests mingled during cocktail hour, catching up over drinks and appetizers while music played in the background. The atmosphere was relaxed and welcoming from the moment people arrived. Meanwhile, Kaitlin and Chad headed home for a quick outfit change before making their grand entrance. 

One of my favorite things about intimate weddings is how couples can truly make the day their own. There aren’t any rules saying you have to spend your reception in a ballroom or banquet hall if that doesn’t feel like you.

For Kaitlin and Chad, pizza, good drinks, great conversations, and their favorite people sounded like the perfect celebration. And the pizzas were DELICIOUS!

Kaitlin’s best friend made their cake, and the couple included Anytime Seltzer, the company they co-own, into the celebration. It was another thoughtful way to include something that reflects their everyday lives and the business they’ve built together.

Why Meaningful Places Often Make the Best Wedding Venues 

Watching Kaitlin and Chad at the Little Grand was a great reminder that the best wedding venues aren’t always traditional wedding venues. Sometimes they’re the places where you’ve already built memories. 

The restaurant where you have date night every week. The coffee shop where you spent hours getting to know each other. The park where you walk your dog every morning. 

One of the biggest advantages of choosing a meaningful wedding venue is that it often feels more comfortable and authentic from the start. You’re not trying to make an unfamiliar place feel special, because it already is. That’s exactly what Kaitlin and Chad’s wedding day felt like. Every location reflected who they are, what they value, and the life they’ve built together, and that’s something no traditional wedding venue can replicate.

Non-Traditional Wedding Venues Worth Considering for Your DC Micro Wedding or Elopement

If Kaitlyn and Chad’s day is making you think differently about what your own wedding day could look like, good! Here are a few alternative wedding venue ideas to get you thinking: 

Food & Drink Spaces 

• Your favorite restaurant or neighborhood spot
• A pizza shop, taco place, or whatever you actually eat on a Friday night
• A brewery, winery, or cocktail bar you love
• A coffee shop that has become a ritual for you

Creative Spaces

• An art gallery or museum
• A bookshop or record store
• A historic building or library
• A conservatory or botanical garden

Outdoor Spaces

• A local park you actually spend time in
• A family property or backyard
• A waterfront location, garden, or trail
• A private yacht on the Potomac

Personal Spaces

• Your own home or family home
• A vacation home or Airbnb that means something to you
• A spot in your neighborhood
• Cozy cabin in the woods

Questions to Help You Find Your Perfect Non-Traditional Wedding Venue 

If you’re struggling to figure out where you want to get married, start by asking yourself a few simple questions: 

• Where do we spend our weekends together?
• Is there a restaurant that feels like “our place”?
• Where do we celebrate milestones?
• What locations already hold memories for us?
• Where do we feel most comfortable?
• What places reflect our personalities?
• Where do we feel most like ourselves?

One of my favorite parts of helping couples plan their wedding day is brainstorming locations that actually feel personal. There truly is no right or wrong way to plan your wedding. Do what you want! 

If that means exchanging vows on a mountaintop, let’s do it. If that means getting married in a park and celebrating with pizza afterward, let’s do that too!

Meaningful Doesn’t Have to Mean Traditional

Kaitlyn and Chad’s wedding day is a reminder that the most memorable days are not always the grandest or the most elaborate. They are the ones that are built around the life you have already built together.

From exchanging vows in Rock Creek Park with a friend who introduced them years ago, to spending time with Lucy at one of their favorite parks, to celebrating at The Little Grand surrounded by pizza, drinks, and the people they love most, every choice felt intentional. 

If you are starting to picture something like this for your own day, I would love to help you create it.  You don’t need to have everything figured out before you reach out. You don’t need a finalized guest list, a locked-in location, or a clear vision board. You just need to have a feeling… a sense that you want something different, something intentional, something that actually feels like you.

Every Elopement and Micro Wedding Package with Juliana Wall Photography Includes:

• 4 hours to two days of Photo Coverage with me, Juliana
• In-depth questionnaires, so I can truly get to know you and help create a day that feels right.
• Sneak peeks within 3 business days, so you have gorgeous photos to share ASAP.
• Personalized planning assistance – helping you with locations, permits, vendors, and timelines.
• A private online gallery – to easily download, share, and order prints of your photos.
• Photographer’s travel costs included 
• A new adventure buddy!

If you’re starting to picture a day like this and you’re not sure how to bring it together, I’d love to help you turn those ideas into something real. Reach out here and schedule a FREE phone call.