End of Summer Soiree {The Pink Lotus Party}!

For the past three years, Engaging Affairs has co-hosted an end-of-summer cocktail party for the D.C. event industry along with two of our favorite wedding planners, Pam Barefoot and Jamie Sears (the three of us are above).  This year, we held the bash at the D.C. nightclub, Lotus.  I love the combination of Zen Buddha elements and groovy 70s lines.

Nick Perez of Multiflor provided the gorgeous flowers in shades of pink and Kelly from Capital Decor decked out the club with fuschia draping.

Check out some of our Engaging Affairs team posing in front of the pink drape (it was a total coincidence that we all wore black-seriously)!

Ric Marino from Well Dunn Catering provided a menu of all pink food from the poached shrimp to the strawberry milk with heart-shaped cookies to the mini pink ice cream cones.  Ric is always so creative with menus. Rose from Party Rental provided the rental equipment (check out the cute shot glasses for the milk and cookies). So chic and so delicious!

Lotus served some fun pink signature drinks to our guests: The Pink Lotus and The Buddha-tini. Speaking from personal experience, both were delish! Christina from Paper Zest created all of the gorgeous paper products including the bar menus.

The great guys from MyDeejay kept the party hopping with some fabulous Indian-inspired club music and guests left the party with a yummy Buddha cookie from the talented Lara Stuckey from Fluffy Thoughts. Truth time: I ate mine in the car ride home.  Thanks to MarcParc Valet for keeping the valet parking running smoothly all night long.

And a huge thanks to the super-talented Mary, Jennifer and Stephen from Love Life Images who took the divine photos.  The snapshot studio they set up was a huge hit with everyone (those photos later today). 

Big thanks to Alex from Lotus Lounge for being an amazing hostess and to everyone who helped us create another fun event where the event professionals could come out and play! And it's always fun to plan this party with Pam and Jamie.  Thanks, ladies! It gets better every year!

It was so much fun!
Laura

A Love That Crossed Land and Sea [Kathleen + Tom}

Kathleen and Tom met in San Diego and began to fall in love.  Kathleen moved to Boston while Tom remained in San Diego.  Tom was deployed overseas to Iraq. Kathleen and Tom live happily ever after, together (finally!), in Massachusetts.  That is the short version of a very long love story that survived 1,000’s of miles.

The bride was in Boston for most of the planning so I met the Groom and the Parents of the Bride first.  With the Groom, Father of the Groom and Father of the Bride being former military, working with them on a detailed timeline and organized yet smooth flow of the evening was a breeze. 

Arriving at the Bride’s Parents' house on Saturday morning, all was calm.  The girls were getting their hair and makeup done in one of the upstairs rooms by the talented Katherine Patsas Nevitt.  While the girls were getting ready, the Parents of the Bride and I discussed all of the details for the day. 

The groom and his groomsmen arrived at St Aloysius first.  The church is a perfect location for a wedding with its long aisle and gorgeous architecture.  It was established in 1856 and is located on the Gonzaga High School campus. 

Once the Bride had arrived with her bridal party, we tucked the Groom in the sacristy and brought her inside.  Shortly thereafter, the guests began to arrive and take their seats.  We had 5 young greeters to assist with handing out our programs. 

The music for the ceremony was provided by several talented musicians: organist and pianist – Dr. John Warman of St. Aloysius, strings – Sunrise String Quartet, soloist - Elizabeth Hungerford.  After the hour long ceremony, guests and bridal party were loaded into the transportation provided by the family and headed over to Washington Golf and Country Club located in Arlington, Virginia.

The bridal party took some cute pics on the 1^st tee while the guests enjoyed cocktails overlooking the beautifully kept golf course.  In the background, a slideshow of the couple played.

Guests entered the Presidential ballroom and were struck by the gorgeous blue linens on each of the tables with the simple, yet elegant centerpieces designed by Anne Holcombe.  Bowls of blue and pink M&M’s with the couple’s names written on them were sitting on each of the tables for guests to enjoy throughout the night.  

The amazing cake, designed by Kendall of Kendall’s Cakes, was not only beautiful to look at but also quite tasty.

After dinner guests boogied down to the energetic band Trademark, which is based out of Richmond.  Even guests of the Club who overheard the music playing couldn’t help but dance and sing along when walking by the ballroom.  

The amazing Paul Morse had the pleasure of photographing all of these special moments throughout the day and we had the pleasure of working along-side of him and his fantastic assistant, Jenna.

Congratulations to Kathleen and Tom! Thanks for letting us share your fun wedding!

Christine

Michelle's Memos giveaway! (TWO of them!)

How do we love invitation queen Michelle Alberg? Let us count the ways.

1. Her company, Michelle's Memos, is able to offer great discounts on a variety of lines.
2. She's a true expert on invitation wording and etiquette, having been in the business for more than 23 years.
3. Michelle carries over 50 stationery vendors, and works one-on-one with clients to create the perfect invitation suite for their big day.
4. She loves her job, and it shows.

Having worked with Michelle dozens of times, we can honestly say she is one of the best in the business: efficient, knowledgeable, and completely creative. And now, she is about to make two Bridal Bubbly readers very happy. Michelle is giving away a $100 and $50 gift card to Michelle's Memos. If you'd like to win one of them, email us at weddings@engagingaffairs.com with a quick note and Michelle's Memos in the title. And read on for our interview with Michelle!

How did you develop your business?

 I developed my business in 1987 when I was pregnant with my twins. I knew I wanted to be with them as much as possible but still had a desire to work. So, I started my business from my home, living in Massachusetts. At that time there weren't really any home-based businesses, so it was hard to get it started. I loved what I was doing from the very beginning so it was just a matter of getting people to understand that not only did I knew what I was doing, but that was a legitimate business as well. Twenty-three years later, I guess it worked!

What customizations do you offer?
I work with most major companies whether it is letterpressed, engraved or thermography invitations. I also find the "start up " companies who offer great prices because they are not as well known as the more popular ones. A great advantage in working with the "start up" ones is many times they can create invitations very similar to the popular ones at a much less expensive price. I can always work within someone's budget, and most of the time will find exactly what they were looking for, many times at a less expensive price. Since I have been in this business so long, I know all the tricks of the trade . In addition, there are many companies that I am able to offer a discount so that also saves people a lot of money.

What one thing in your business could you not live without?

The thing I could not live without in my business are all of the books that have all the samples in them. I don't really understand how people can choose a wedding invitation or stationery without seeing  and feeling the actual paper. With all the new papers available, as well as different thickness, I don't understand how people buy from the Internet. The books also have ink samples so you know exactly what you will be getting. When ink colors are shown on the Internet, I know the color varies from one computer screen to another.So, what you get may be different than what you see on your screen.

What trends do you see in color, texture or detailing?

There used to be a trend that the invitation should always match the colors used in the wedding, but I think that is changing. People are really choosing what they like and worrying about the colors in the wedding with the tablecloths, dresses and flowers. However, there are still people who will run " their colors" from start to finish.

What colors do you love?

Hmm, what colors do I like? That is a hard question, it really depends on the season and what I feel like at the moment. I always love classic and traditional  colors with a little "zip" to it, but then I work with someone to create this really colorful and fun invitation, and then I really love that look.

What is one piece of advice you'd give a bride or groom?

The one piece of advice I always will give a bride and groom is make sure you love what you are choosing. Whether it is the invitation, the band, the flowers, or the caterer, love it from the beginning. You never want to look back when the wedding is over and think, " I should have done this or should of done that", so fast-forward in the process and think, "Will I love what I chose when it is all over?"

Thanks, Michelle, for the interview and fabulous giveaways. Remember to email us at weddings@engagingaffairs.com if you want to enter the drawing for the gift cards. The winners will be announced next week. Good luck!

Alison

Spotlight on Menus

Here are some delectable menu presentations to get you through the afternoon....

Love these wine bottle labels with the menu printed on them-- very cute, and functional! (Source: Creative Crabbe)

This hand-illustrated menu is gorgeous, from the calligraphy to the ruffled edging. (Source: Designs by Robyn Love)

Apparently, the kids' toy that inspired these menus goes by two names: fortune tellers and cootie catchers. The latter isn't exactly appetizing, but they are very playful-- good for the wedding of childhood sweethearts, perhaps? Source: Kat's Krafts and Cami's Paperie.

Adore the vintage charm and simplicity of this menu-- very elegant! (Source: Two For Joy Paper)

A scrolled menu tied with a ribbon and adorned with a peacock feather has an Old World feel to it. (Source: Peacock Invitations)

More Fun Paper Finds from Etsy!

Today we're continuing our celebration of all things papery with more fun finds from Etsy!

True story: in high school my friends and I made Bingo cards to entertain ourselves during boring glasses. The "Bingo" word was always some ridiculous phrase you had to work into the class discussion. For example, "Daisy's husband in The Great Gatsby is a one-legged pirate monkey." Yeah, we thought we were pretty clever. And so obviously, I find these Wedding Lingo Bingo cards pretty entertaining! (Source: Tie That Binds Weddings)

From the same Esty shop: customized matchboxes. I will refrain from making a 'perfect match' pun-- wouldn't want to ignite any wrath from an enflamed readership!! (Source: Tie That Binds Weddings)

Raise your hand if you're surprised that I loved these adorable cupcake toppers from My Lady Dye. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Hands down, these are the fanciest confetti cones I've ever seen. (Source: My Lady Dye)

Sparklers are another classic send-off for couples at the end of the night. We usually display them in buckets but I might become a convert to these personalized sparkler holders. (Source: Print Your Party)

And maybe my favorite find of the day: personalized luggage tags with real personality! (Source: C'est Superb)

That's all for now! But be sure to come back later today for some very appetizing menu ideas! (Okay, I'll stop punning now. Really.) 

Spotlight on Guest Books

I love a traditional guest book album as much as the next person, but sometimes it's nice to change things up. So today we thought it'd be fun to spotlight some more unusual guest book ideas. Enjoy!

This romantic silhouette poster is so darling that whether guests sign it or not, you really could hang it in a fun part of your house as a fabulous memento of your wedding day.  (Source: Maxim Creative Invites)

Look closely and you'll see that the leaves on this wedding tree are actually thumbprints. An included sign asks guests to "leaf" their mark and a signature. Love the idea-- just make sure you have an easy, accessible way for people to clean their green thumbs so no pretty clothes get stained! (Source: Lovliday)

The postcards as guestbook idea is super easy-- what makes this one extra cute is the actual mailbox used for delivery! (Source: The Knot)

This creative chain-link guestbook requires just a little bit of work from an attendant. On one side of each slip of paper are song lyrics from love songs, and the other side is notes from guests that the attendant linked together. Love the delicate symbolism. (Source: The Knot)

This one isn't so much a creative use of paper as it is a creative idea. In lieu of a traditional guestbook, this couple had a time capsule at their wedding. Notes written by guests weren't opened until the couple's first anniversary! (Source: The Knot)