Go Digging for Diamonds!

And the bling goes on . . .

To celebrate the launch of the new mervisdiamond.com website, Mervis Diamond Importers will host a modern day, “Diamond Dig” on Friday August 28, 2009, 10 AM-5 PM. The diamond importer is inviting the public to dig for themselves and un-earth one of the 60 diamonds buried beneath the sand.

“What you mine, you keep!” says Ronnie Mervis, Vice President of the 3rd generation family owned company.

The 60 diamonds are of varying sizes and shapes, with 55 smaller stones and 5 larger diamonds at a total worth of more than $15,000. The restricted “diamond mine” will be limited to 60 lucky diggers. To win a spot as a digger, the public is encouraged to register at http://www.mervisdiamond.com/diamonds. Additionally, 5 diggers will be chosen at random from the crowd on the day of the event.

Jonathan Mervis says, “We wanted to do something really fun and engaging with our customers. Ronnie Mervis is known for his radio ads telling his adventures in the diamond mines. So we though, if we can’t bring the people to the diamond mines, let’s bring the diamond mines to the people!”

Hope to see everyone out there digging for diamonds!

Laura

Frost Yourself!

Okay, tell me you all know that line from the infamous "How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days" with Kate Hudson and more importantly, Matthew Mcconaughey? Huge fabulous party with huge fabulous diamonds!

Engaging Affairs is happy to announce we are now partnering with Adorn Bridal Jewelry so all of our fabulous brides can frost themselves too! These are real diamonds, ladies. And to make it even better, it's adoringly simple to log in, choose your style and have your wedding day baubles sent right over to your front door. And by entering in our Engaging Affairs promo code, PVX0TY01, you can save an additional 10% on your jewels.

Check out their collection of wedding day diamonds online and Frost Yourself!

xoxo,

Amy Lorraine

Engaging Affairs in Engaged! Magazine

We were so thrilled to open the gorgeous new issue of Engaged! Magazine and see, not only one of our weddings featured in a stunning real wedding spread ("A Celebration of Love and Family" pages 124-133), but a whole page feature of one of our engaged couple's casual portrait session.

Kavi and Maria's three-day celebration last year was one of my favorites so it was great fun to relive it again through the lovely article and photos. I love the fact that the real weddings are several pages each so you get a great sense of the event from start to finish.

The adorable engagement portraits of Kendall and Nick reminded me that my Fall weddings are right around the corner (and then it will be 2010--aaagh)! Be sure to pick up a copy of Engaged! and check out the amazing real weddings and fun articles.

Laura

An Asian (Bridal Shower) Affair

Over the past 2 months, I had the pleasure of assisting with the planning of an Asian-themed bridal shower for the very dear friend of Carine’s of Carine’s Bridal Atelier. Carine’s vision was to host an elegant, Asian inspired luncheon at the home of the Bride’s brother.

Beginning with the invitations, all of the elements for this event incorporated an Asian feel. The colors that we chose to use throughout the event were white, orange and natural wood with purple and yellow accent flowers. Since we would be designing the event in someone’s home, we worked with a handful of vendors to get the necessary items.


The dark, rustic, wood tables and benches were rented from none other than DC’s Capitol Décor. With the help of Nick of Multiflor Florist, we were able to create stunning bamboo centerpieces to decorate the tables, living room and buffet. Purple and orange orchids decorated each of the bamboo sticks which were in tall glass vases with 5 Asian lanterns hanging in between. The glass vases on the tables were placed in a “pond” structure that included black river stones, water and real goldfish to create a pond-like feel. Check out the live goldfish below!

Each guest was given a note pad and 2 glass viles to write their well wishes for the couple that could then send off to float in the pond. All of the food was set up, buffet-style, in the kitchen and decorated with votives and loose orchids to compliment the flower arrangements through-out the rooms.

Check out the fortune cookie "garnish" on the glasses! The napkins under the plates and the open paper fans add just the right punch of color to the tables.

What would a bridal shower be without a cake? Lara of Fluffy Thoughts designed a super unique cake specifically for the bride herself…a Manolo Blahnik shoebox with 2 fondant shoes to go with it. The favors that were given out were mini bamboo steamers wrapped in ribbon and stuffed with delicious Korean cookies. With 18 guests, the party was unique, intimate and memorable for all that attended.

Thank you to everyone that was involved in the planning and setup!

Congratulations to the bride and groom, Colleen and Mike!

Christine

Wedding Inspiration from Rancho la Puerta

Anyone who has seen my blissed out state for the past week knows that I just returned from Rancho la Puerta. And anyone who has been to Rancho la Puerta knows what a beautiful and amazing place it is. Located in Baja, the resort sits at the base of Mount Kuchamaa and features traditional Mexican architecture and stunning gardens.

I was completely captivated by the rustic charm of the buildings and the natural beauty of the herbs and cactus which cover the grounds. Walkways are lined with rosemary and lavender bushes, making strolling around the property a heady experience. After spending a week in this little bit of Mexican paradise and getting truly rejuvenated, I thought I'd share some inspiration for a Rancho la Puerta style wedding.

The cactus reminds me of the arid mountainside we hiked up every morning. The natural paper of the invitations feels perfect for a rustic, outdoor wedding.

We dined outdoors each evening at long tables that surrounded a stone fountain.

I love long tables for weddings and love the look of this one looking out onto a courtyard. The ghoulish bride and groom are traditional Mexican figurines used during the Day of the Dead. There were plenty of these to be found at Rancho la Puerta.

I love the idea of using traditional Mexican papel picado banners as decor. Customized with your names and wedding date, they make perfect keepsakes. I think the use of the colorful flags on the invitation below is so much fun!

Summer in Baja calls out for short, fun dresses with more flounce than form. The dress below from Anthropologie would be a perfect choice for bridesmaids for a warm weather, outdoor affair. Love the color!

I was in heaven with the amazing cuisine at Rancho la Puerta. Since they have their own enormous organic garden, the meals were so healthy and delicious. Lots of fruit used in creative ways like an avocado sorbet served with mango and a lemon tiramisu with papaya. And, of course, bowls and bowls of papayas, mangoes, and melons. Exotic fruits are perfect to incorporate into a summer wedding, whether in a display or desserts. I am a huge fan of fruity desserts and find fruit in general so refreshing during the heat of July and August.

What more perfect way to send your guests off from your wedding fiesta than with boxes of Mexican wedding cookies? Although we didn't get these at Rancho la Puerta (or anything covered in powdered sugar), I'm sure they would approve of them. Okay, maybe just one itty-bitty one.

I hope you enjoyed a little South of the Border inspiration. For true inspiration, I highly recommend Rancho la Puerta!

Laura

Blog shouts-outs from the top: landscape from Rancho la Puerta, landscape from Rancho la Puerta, cactus & long table from Jose Villa, , flags from Mexican Sugar Skull, Papel Picado invitation from {frolic}, dress from Anthropologie, fruit skewers and Mexican wedding cookies from Martha Stewart

A White House Wedding!

Before you get too excited, the wedding didn't take place at The White House (how cool would that be?) but the bride is the President's Director of Domestic Policy so it seemed like most of The West Wing turned out for the event. This is a continuation of the original blog I posted right after the wedding when it appeared in the Post and the NY Times. Now I have photos!

The wedding of Melody and Marland capped off an amazing Spring/Summer wedding season for me. I have had the most amazing clients and truly wonderful events all year long and this wedding was the cherry on top. First off, I adored the couple and had the best time working with them. They were both funny and fun and knew exactly the type of wedding they wanted (which makes my job so much easier). They were also fast decision-makers and had exquisite taste (two more big pluses in my book). Plus, they were very conscious about being as eco-friendly as possible and insisted on sourcing as much locally as possible.

Melody and Marland wanted a beautiful and joyfully reverent ceremony followed by an elegant yet fun reception, both with some surprises for guests and plenty of WOW factor. And that is exactly what they got!

June 13th was a gorgeous day and everything was going well: the set-up at The Mellon was buzzing right along, the bride was calmly having makeup done by Carl Ray and we were on schedule. We knew that the Gay Pride parade would be blocking off streets between the hotel and church so we had already rerouted every limo and shuttle to avoid hold-ups. With the help of the amazing Park Hyatt staff and security and my fabulous assistants Alison and Grace, everyone was loaded smoothly into cars and made it to the church early and before any roads were closed.

The ladies at Peoples Congregation United Church of Christ helped ensure that the ceremony went off without a hitch. The church looked stunning with flowers coordinating with the stained glass windows and the ceremony music was gorgeous. At the end of the ceremony, we surprised the guests with the St. Martin's Catholic Church gospel choir singing "Rejoice" from the balcony as the bride and groom kissed. Guests were clapping and singing along with the choir's amazing energy. I've never seen people come out of a ceremony smiling so wide! Another special detail about the gospel choir: they use all proceeds for community outreach in the city.

After the ceremony, the couple took the wedding party and did some shots at the monuments with Greg Gibson while guests enjoyed cocktails at The Mellon.

As you probably know if you've been following the blog, I love The Mellon! Each wedding I have done there has been so different. What I loved about this wedding was the simplicity of the decor. The bride and groom love a clean modern look so Jeff with Capital Decor and Events created three different tablescapes that incorporated orchids, river rocks, bamboo and water. We used a mix of steel gray linens on rounds and long rustic wooden tables with rock runners. Then John Farr Lighting made everything look sultry and amazing with just the right lighting.

For a fun detail, some tables had a single orchid tucked into the napkins, some had a smooth black rock on top and some had crisscrossed bamboo across the plate. The natural elements mixed with the modern created a fabulous look! We even clustered couches and mirrored cube tables around the dance floor to create a sleek lounge environment.

Carolyn Bushmeyer designed the wedding cake with scrollwork taken from the bride and groom's custom invitations. The couple chose carrot cake for the inside (yum!) with one layer of plain vanilla for those less carrot-inclined. The unflappable Joel with Occasions Caterers worked with us to create an amazing menu (the bride and groom are true foodies) and one that was completely locally sourced. Nothing came from more than 100 miles away! The couple wanted the dinner to be memorable; we even served the entree in black bento boxes. After dinner, waiters passed mini ice cream cones and tiny cherry cobblers. I am a huge cobbler fan (as is the bride) so this was right up my alley!

After dinner and some lovely toasts and dances, local celebrity hip-hop DJ Chuck "Dirty Hands" took over and kept the dance floor hopping.

When guests needed a break from the hip-hop scene, they could retreat upstairs to the balcony lounge we set up with funky furniture and lighting (and some low-key jazz). The weather was perfect and what view could be better than looking out at the monuments?

This was truly a magnificent event and one I was honored to be a part of. Thanks to Melody and Marland for letting me be a part of their gorgeous wedding day.

A huge thanks to the amazing Engaging Affairs team who helped me throughout the day and night: Christine, Ashley, Maeve, Grace, Erica and Alison. Big shout-outs to the fabulous vendors who make my job fun: John Farr Lighting, All Stage and Sound, UniPark Valet, makeup artist Leah McKay (who took care of all the bridesmaids), American Sedan who provided all the transportation and successfully navigated around a parade, Sugarplum Tents for the catering tent at The Mellon, and The Park Hyatt and Amal Zaari for taking great care of the guests and hosting a flawless rehearsal dinner and brunch.

And lots of hugs and kisses to phenomenal photographer Greg Gibson, who graciously maneuvered around lots of newspaper paparazzi to get the most amazing shots so he could share them with us. Thank you!

Laura

A Fairfax Hotel Affair

My spring started off with a bang back in April and it would only be fitting if it ended that way. It was an amazing season that led up to an evening of absolute fun. Lauren and Nessim were planning their wedding from Boston and I began working with them about 14 months before the big day. I packed their trips to town with venue visits and vendor meetings and the cast of characters they used for their dream team was nothing short of the best. The always wonderful Scott Button from the Fairfax Hotel had the venue end taken care of. Along with their in house av team from SWANK, the ceremony and reception sparkled with two totally different looks in the same space.



Philippa Tarrant of Philippa Tarrant Floral Designs created a spin on the brides inspiration images from the pages of Grace Ormonde. The ceremony tone was soft and romantic with pink lighting around the room and on the white taffeta draped chuppah with lots of twinkling candle light. The swags of the chuppah legs were pulled back with ties of white cymbidium orchids that had deep pink centers to match the bride's bouquet.


After the ceremony, guests then made their way up the stairs to the balcony for a taste of the groom's family flavor. A little Latin music and a mojito in hand, and the party could get started. Downstairs, crews worked hard to turn and transform the ballroom space. The mood for the evening was going to be big energy and the guests were treated that from the first pull of the curtain.



Once the reception space, shaded in Carribean Blue lighting and deepened by Indigo Blue linens from Party Rental Ltd. was ready, the curtains of the balcony above were pulled away to reveal to the guests the party was about to begin. Guests raced to the edge of the balcony when they heard the band strike up and while gazing down were met by the eyes of the wait staff below lined up on the dance floor ready to serve. Candles continued to twinkle on the guest tables all through the evening and DJ Carlos from Bialek's Music and Spectrum from Washington Talent had guests on the dancfloor all evening.


The personal touches ran all through the evening. The bride surprised her groom with a wedding gift. We commissioned a painter to attend the wedding and paint the event in progress for the couple to keep as artwork on the wall of their new home. The wedding cake was made of beautiful white sugar flowers in the shape of the same cymbidium orchids Lauren carried down the aisle. Dessert consisted of more than just wedding cake as the couple had a coffee station and fresh donut machine on site. You could gain 10 lbs. just by the smell! Finally, a sweet dreams treat was provided for guests on their way out. The bride's sister made, boxed and stickered chocolate cupcakes with blue frosting to send home with the evening's guests.




Thank you to the fantastic photography provided by Jenni Green of Studio Diana.


I'm upset to see these clients and the season go, but sitting here I realize, it has been a month already and I have three weeks to get in shape for me big August. It has been a wonderful spring with some of my favorite events ever. I can't wait to see what the fall will bring!

Sara