21 Jul 2016

Shopping:

Fitting DC Love Into A Wedding (Or Other Events)

8a8333_e1af09d39f7743349f768bf1fb0d2dd4I’ve been a little quiet on here lately because the last few weeks up to and after my wedding got, well, a bit hectic. Who knew planning a wedding was so much work?! I’m finally getting caught up and back into the swing of things and wanted to share a few ways we incorporated supporting DC businesses into our wedding day.

If you have a major event coming up in your life that requires registries, catering, or bringing family in from out of town, consider a few of these options for bringing some of that business to your favorite local businesses.

Make Your Registry List Local:

When you have a big event in your life that calls for a registry, you usually opt for all the usual nation-wide chains. But then I thought local. With a little help from Leah at Hill’s Kitchen, I ran my potential registry list of kitchen items by her and was elated to find out that while her store may not be as big as the chains, she can match prices at places like Sur La Table. There were some brands that she doesn’t carry, so I did still need at least one registry at a larger store, but at least I could move half or more of my list to her store.

In talking to other business owners, I found that Hill’s Kitchen is not alone. Dawn Price Baby, Salt and Sundry, and plenty more all said that registries are something they love to do for their customers.

I was a bit worried that out-of-towners would be deterred by having to call the store, rather than just order online. Yeah, that was a silly concern. It turns out people loved calling a local shop, chatting up a small business owner, and learning about our favorite spots in our hometown. And we now have a full matching set of DC-etched drinkware in our cabinets to match our DC serving plates and cutting board.

Local shops have a few other advantages for registries. They carry unique items (think DC-shaped cutting  boards, DC-etched glasses, etc.) that you can’t get at major retailers, but that are so much more special in your home. They also hold gifts for you to pick up at your convenience so you’re not left with nearly the amount of waste from having all gifts packaged and shipped.

Support Local Charities Too!

Anyone who knows us knows how much we love our rescue dog. I am a huge advocate for rescue groups, so we also added a charity option on our registry asking for guests to consider giving a donation to the Washington Humane Society in our name as their gift. Contact your favorite charities and they will give you information on the best way to have donations sent to them in your name.

Not-For-Tourist Guide For Your Guests:

A large number of our guests were coming from out of town, and many had never been to DC before. Knowing we would get a lot of questions about where to go and what to do, we put together a Google Map of our favorite local restaurants and sights. Most of our out of town family stayed in various B&Bs around Capitol Hill, so we added a full section of our favorite spots in our neighborhood.

Catering:

We wanted a backyard BBQ-style rehearsal dinner so I called up Union Kitchen, the food incubator that helps local start-up food-industry businesses get started. They helped put together a menu of fantastic food from the BBQ Bus, Broodjes & Bier, and Capital Candy Jar. Yes, any caterer I picked would have qualified as a “local” business but I really loved the idea of using start-up businesses that are working together to support one another in their growth.

Love you, DC!

DC is not known for being a very easy city in which to open and run a business. Small business owners put amazing energy into bringing their passions to life and bringing retail to our neighborhood. Keep shopping local and bring your friends!

Tags: , , , ,


What's trending

Comments are closed.

Social Media Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com
Add to Flipboard Magazine.