Cecily and Ari

My fall wedding season ended with the most perfect weekend for an outdoor wedding. After a cold, rainy week, the skies cleared and the air warmed as the temperature reached into the low 80’s on Saturday, November 1st.

The wedding took place at a private home in Fairfax Station, VA. After a romatic late afternoon ceremony under a tent, guests enjoyed cocktails on the deck and around the pool as the sun set. Guests were then invited into a clear tent where they were enveloped by the amazing changing colors of the trees above them for dinner and dancing. The bride and groom literally danced the night away under the stars!

The space sparkled thanks to Sugarplum Tent Company, Digital Lightning and Yellow Door Floral Designs. Occasions provided the cuisine- my favorite was a first course of grilled cheese, tomato soup and bouquet of lettuce. How fun! Thanks to Free Spirit for keeping the dance floor packed, and to Justine Ungaro for the amazing images.

A highlight of the evening was one of the best “speeches” I had ever witnessed, as it turned into an interpretive dance by the siblings of the groom. So creative! As a parting gift, guests were given personalized Starbucks travel mugs with diamond ring key chains inside, a subtle reminder of how the groom popped the question. It was an enchanting night for all!

Stay tuned for more over the winter slow-down and a full spring of great events!

Sara

And There Was Much Rejoicing!

We were thrilled to find out yesterday that Engaging Affairs was named the Top Vote Getter among wedding planners in the Washingtonian Wedding Survey!! It is always such an honor to be included in the list (and even more exciting to come out on top) because it is a list voted on by our industry peers. We are so thrilled that our colleagues love us as much as we love all of them! A huge thank you to everyone who voted for us. We truly appreciate your support. You all make our jobs so much easier and loads of fun. We couldn't be a success without each of you!

It was fun to see some of our favorite folks on the top of the list with us. Kudos to the fabulous Greg Gibson, ranked #1 photojournalist; Martin Andrews and the great team at Blue Sky Films for winning top videography honors; our buddy John Farr for the best lighting in town; the stunning Kim Giammarria for stunning makeup; the amazing Giselle for breathtaking hair; the super-cool Ray Bialek for super bands; the truly talented folks at Occasions for best catering (a big shout-out to Joel); the amazing team at Hitched (including our own Alison Ross) for the best wedding gowns in town; the lovely Caren Milman for calligraphy; the incomparable Chris Laich for best DJ; Amaryllis for truly gorgeous flowers; Fancy Cakes by Leslie for amazing cakes; Creative Parties for cutting-edge invitations; the fabulous Davis Richardson and his team at Sugarplum for the best tenting in the city; Atlantic Valet (we love Donna Chin) for flawless transportation and valet; and Steele Stevenson at the Willard for the best hotel for brides.

There are so many great folks on the survey that it would take all day to list them but check out the list for yourself. Of course, not everyone we adore is on the list. We still have some hidden gems. While we would love to keep them to ourselves, we know it is only a matter of time before they hit the list and the big-time, too.

We also want to give a huge congratulations to our fellow wedding planners and good friends Pam Barefoot and Jamie Sears for making the list. Well deserved, ladies!