Thursday, October 11, 2012

Perfectly Pink {Courtney + John}



The first thing Courtney told me when we met to start planning her wedding was that she loves pink and she and her fiance love good wine!  She and John even got engaged at a Virginia winery.  So we got to work on a pink-infused wedding with tons of amazing wine!


The wedding weekend began with a festive rehearsal dinner at Cafe Milano in Georgetown where the father of the bride revealed a custom caricature he'd had created of the couple.  Then the fun continued at a dessert and drinks reception at The Fairmont, also the site of the wedding reception.

 The couple fell in love with The Fairmont Hotel in DC from the first moment they saw it and the amazing Bob Mikolitch worked with us to make sure every detail was perfect.  The bride and her girls had such fun getting ready in the Fairmont suite the morning of the wedding with Chris Cushing doing hair and Kim Giammarria doing makeup.


The bride fell in love with a magical Vera Wang ballgown and found pale pink bridesmaids' dresses with complementary cream sashes.


John Duffy with Yellow Door Floral Designs created the stunning bouquets and arrangements using tons of pink and white peonies and garden roses.


The ceremony was held at Western Presbyterian Church and was officiated by their family pastor.  Guests enjoyed harp music before the ceremony began then the bride processed in to the sounds of a trumpet and organ.






After the ceremony, the couple took off with the fabulous photographer Elaine Studley of Hay McKenna Photography to Georgetown for some photos on the cobblestone streets.


They also stopped for a quick photo outside the Georgetown bar where they first met!


While the bride and groom were dashing about taking portraits, guests were at The Fairmont enjoying a cocktail hour that featured a Peking Duck station, an expansive raw bar and passed flavored vodkas.


Guests found their escort cards around a beautiful pink floral arrangement filled with wine corks.  Out-of-town guests had also received welcome bags filled with bottles of wine from the winery where the couple got engaged!


A Dixieland jazz band played during cocktail hour and led the guests into the Colonnade Room for dinner.


The bride loved the look of all all white and pink room so we brought in chivari chairs and covered them with made-to-fit slipcovers and pink sashes. Lovely pink arrangements sat over crisp, white linens and each guest found a pink wedding cake cookie on top of their menu card.


The wedding cake featured a pale pink bow, as well.


The bride and groom opened the dance floor with a choreographed first dance then the fabulous band "Nightsong" kept the floor packed for the rest of the evening.


After a wonderful dinner, guests filled bags with pink, white and silver candies. Even the candy jar labels were created to resemble the trademark patterns of the bride's favorite designer, Lily Pulitzer.



Painter Irina Koren created a painting of the wedding throughout the evening that the couple can hang in their home to remind them of the spectacular event.


Congratulations to Courtney and John!! And thanks to Elaine Studley for sharing the gorgeous images of the day with us and letting us share them with you!


Thanks to our amazing team of vendors:

The Fairmont DC
Cafe Milano
Kay McKenna Photography
Dolce Studio Films
Yellow Door Floral Designs
Vera Wang DC
DC Rental
Sunny's Limousine
MSE Productions
Nightsong Band
Kim Giammaria
Irina Koren
Fancy Cakes by Leslie

And special thanks to my assistants Bella and Gingy who patiently tied hundreds of bows over the course of the wedding day!
Laura