Tag Archives: family

Weddings – what was yours like?

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This weekend we celebrated my brother-in-law’s wedding here in Northern Virginia. It was a fun weekend and it got me thinking about how everybody’s wedding is different and unique. To give a quick rundown, here is how this particular wedding weekend unfolded:

Friday

  • Wedding rehearsal at the church
  • Rehearsal dinner (5 course meal with lots of wine and subsequent headache the next morning)
Saturday
  • Photo session at bride and groom’s place
  • Limo ride with the boys (I was a groomsman) to the church (with shots of vodka for good measure)
  • Hiding out with groom, best man and groomsmen in a side room before ceremony starts (with more shots of whiskey from a flask – surprisingly, we were barely even tipsy after all of that. I’m not a big drinker, but the nerves and excitement must have had something to do with the non-reaction)
  • Wedding ceremony
  • Limo ride to Lightfoot restaurant in Leesburg for dinner
  • Open bar, then dinner, with around 100 guests
  • Best man speech, maid of honor speech, bride-groom dance, mother-groom dance, father-bride dance
  • Dance party with DJ until end of night (and they didn’t play all the corny wedding songs…except for 1 or 2, which is pretty good!)

This wedding took lots of planning, and money I’m sure, but it was fun, strangers became friends, and it will be a memorable weekend for lots of people.

So back to my point – everybody’s wedding is different and unique to them, wouldn’t you agree? My own wedding was almost the complete opposite of the one this weekend. It was outside in Old Town Alexandria, on the banks of the Potomac river. We had 8 total people there –  my wife and I, the pastor, my parents, my wife’s parents, and her brother. My 2 siblings couldn’t make it – my brother was studying in Peru and I can’t really remember why my sister couldn’t make it (they live in Indiana). I know there was a good reason, so no hard feelings!

Here is a quick rundown of our wedding:

Wednesday

  • Wedding ceremony at Founders Park on the Potomac river in Old Town Alexandria
  • Lunch at Rosa Mexicano restaurant at the National Harbor
  • Flight that evening to Ibiza, Spain for honeymoon
Week and a half later
  • Wedding celebration brunch with family and friends at Overwood restaurant in Old Town

Sure, some people were a little upset they weren’t invited to the wedding, but hey, I think that happens whether it’s a big or small wedding. What’s important is that those who are getting married, are getting married the way they want to! It can be conventional or unconventional – whatever works for you! We didn’t even get engaged…we’d been together for a long time and knew we wanted to get married, so we did!

What was your wedding like?

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Papaw and I

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A Gift to my Grandfather

"family painting", family, art, painting, "dave white painting", "family portrait", people, grandpa, grandfather, grandson

The Dave White's - 12" by 16" oil painting

This painting is a gift to my paternal grandfather, who goes by Papaw.

Papaw grew up on a farm in rural southern Ohio during the Great Depression. His family didn’t have running water or electricity until he was an adult! The first time he left his county was at 18 years old when he joined the Navy and traveled all over the world. He fulfilled 2 terms of service in the Navy, then briefly worked for the railroad (where my own father retired from), and then made his career working for the Air Force, where he attained numerous awards for his accomplishments. Since the early 1950′s, Mamaw (my grandmother) and Papaw have lived in the same house in Pickerington, Ohio, now a suburb of Columbus. For a long while, it was a rural area, until the suburbs grew out to Pickerington.

While on a Midwest road trip in August to visit family in Indiana, we stopped by Ohio on the way back to see Mamaw and Papaw. We snapped this photo of Papaw and I by his garden out back. I was picking cucumbers and tomatoes to bring back to Virginia. I thought it was a great picture of us, so it’s the one I chose to paint.

His name is also Dave White. David Leigh White, Sr., while I am David Leigh White, III. I’d never thought about it much, but out of all of his grandchildren and even great-grandchildren, I’m the only one with the same name as him. So this painting is not only a surprise gift that speaks more than words, but a celebration of the Dave White’s.

New E-Mail Newsletter for my art community!

I’m happy to announce a new, monthly email newsletter to my art community. This art enthusiast newsletter will feature you, the clients! Here you will be able to read about other clients I’m working with, their artwork, and the stories behind the art.

Over the past year, I’ve been posting this type of content on my blog, which will now shift to the E-Newsletter. The E-Newsletter will be more client interactive and, hopefully, more interesting for you, the readers!

Meanwhile, on my website blog I’ll begin to write more about topics beyond art, as, believe it or not, I have many interests aside from painting!

I encourage you to sign up and stay connected here - Monthly E-Newsletter.

I’m currently working on several paintings, including a few dog portraits, which will be featured in the next E-Newsletter!

Website Renovations

Within the next couple of months, I’ll also be introducing a re-design to my website.  This will mean larger portfolio photos on the home page, an overall clean-cut look and simple navigation. Not any huge changes, but I’m excited about it and just thought I’d let my followers know!

Thank you for your interest in my artwork! As always, e-mail me any questions or comments at info@davewhitepaintings.com