Feel-Good Inspiration

Photo credits: Chairs (The Knot),, Oscar De La Renta Dress (Ceci New York), drinks (The Knot), courtyard (Style Me Pretty), heels (Fotobriceno), bouquet (In Style Weddings), cigar roller (Style Me Pretty), fireworks, church, balloons (weddingaces.com)

Some days you need a little pick-me-up-- and often that day is Wednesday. My sister J had a rough day recently, so I whipped up this inspiration board for her dream wedding in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. J wants to ring in the new year and her marriage at the same time, so naturally the party had to include some extra-festive touches. She especially loves the monogrammed chairs, cigar roller, and fabulous Louboutin heels.

Happy hump day, everybody! (And if you have any inspiration boards you'd love to see, leave a suggestion in the comments. We're all ears!)

-Alison

A Glittering Romance {Rebecca and Nirav}

I had such a great time working with Rebecca and Nirav on their wedding plans and the BEST time the day of their wedding.  This was a day full of energy and joy and the most stunning saris!

Since we had to fit in two ceremonies, a lunch, cocktail reception and dinner in a single day, we were off and running at the crack of dawn. We started the day with breakfast in the Mayflower for everyone while the bride and bridesmaids got ready upstairs with Jayshree Rathod.  Then portraits of the bride and groom and bridal party at 8am.  I was amazed at how fresh and energetic everyone was!

Next the horse from Harmon's Carriages arrived for the Baraat and the groom and his family and friends gathered outside the Mayflower for the joyous procession.  Dohli drummers led the way while everyone danced and sang. Every wedding should start with this much energy!

Guests came into the Mayflower and the drummers continued down the hall to the East Room where the ceremony began and Rebecca entered with her uncle.

Both parents were very involved in the Hindu ceremony.

After the Hindu ceremony, guests had lunch prepared by Ascot Caterers while the bridal party changed into attire for the second ceremony of the day!  Saachi and her team from Partyland Flowers did an amazing job converting the mandap into a classic setting for the Christian ceremony.

Music for the ceremony was provided by MSE Entertainment.

Rev.  added some lighthearted moments in the ceremony.

I love the contrast of the henna hands with the white bridal gown!

After the Christian ceremony, guests relaxed and changed into evening attire and the bride and groom took photos in the hotel and around the city.

Then it was time for the party!  Guests had cocktails in the State Room and then were invited to the seated dinner in the Grand Ballroom.  Again, Saachi did an amazing job with the floral decor and the lighting team from The Mayflower added the ambiance with lavender lighting.  Stephanie with the Mayflower was wonderful coordinating all the various events and set-up throughout the hotel; we couldn't have done it without her!

The stunning cake was created by Cakes by Design.

I love this photo of the little girl looking up with awe as the bride and groom enter the ballroom!

DJ Mike from MyDeejay kept the dance floor packed and played a great blend of Indian and American music.

Thanks to my hard-working colleagues who made this day such a success. And thanks to my hard-working assistants Alison, Maeve, Christine and Amy for being so fabulous!  Thanks to CB Arts for sharing the beautiful images.

A huge thanks to Rebecca and Nirav and their families for letting us be a part of their amazing day.  We had such a fun time!
Laura

Charleston in the Pink {Inspiration Board}

Credits: tablescape (Style Me Pretty), tent (The Knot), centerpieces (Martha Stewart), bridesmaids (Sanebrideadvice.blogspot.com), cake (Maggie Austen Cake), palm tree (Style Me Pretty), paper (Martha Stewart), boutonniere (Martha Stewart) 

This board was inspired by one of our brides who wants a hot pink and black wedding (with touches of beige for softness--the groom's request) and a Southern sensibility.  Think Charleston sophistication with fun, fabulous colors. Enjoy!

Winners of Michelle's Memos Giveaways

Congratulations to our two winners of the Michelle's Memos giveaways. The winner of the $100 gift certificate is Andrew Lynch and the winner of the $50 gift certificate is Melissa Davis.  Congratulations to both of you!  Shoot us an email and we will hook it up. We know you'll have an amazing time working with Michelle!

Ireland Bound {Ritz-Carlton Powerscourt}!

Here's a sneak peek of the part of Ireland I'll be jaunting off to next week with Doreen Tisone of Engaged Magazine.  Doreen has put together a fabulous trip for a few wedding planners so we can explore some destination wedding options in Ireland.  Our first stop: the Ritz-Carlton Powerscourt outside of Dublin.  I can't wait!

More details and ideas for weddings in Ireland when I return.  Happy weekend everyone!
Laura

Winner of Saima Says Giveaway!

The winner of the 50 letterpressed Thank You notes from the amazing Saima Says Design is Angie Lumanau.  Congrats! Shoot us an email and we will hook you up.  Another great giveaway to come next week so keep reading.  Thanks everyone!

Back to School {Ceci Style}

 As you may know, we're big fans of Ceci Style and since I just sent my daughter off to kindergarten this week, her latest issue is particularly inspiring.  Check out the back-to-school inspired colors and fun details!

Happy back-to-school everyone!
Laura

Pink Lotus Snapshot Studio

 So here are the fun party shots from the awesome Snapshot Studio that Love Life Images set up at our Pink Lotus Party.   Check out the DC wedding industry letting loose! Party hostesses Jamie, moi and Pam above.  Some of the Engaging Affairs team (Sara, Laura, Amy, Christine and Maeve) below.

What's a D.C. party without the charming Ray Bialek of Bialek's Music surrounded by women?

Pam vamping it up with the makeup artist extraordinaire Carl Ray and Rick Raines from George's Salon.

Lovebirds Anne and Bill Holland from Holland Photo Arts.

Our own Amy and Renee below.

A match made in hair and makeup artist heaven: Meredith and Giselle!

The fabulous Park Hyatt team led by the incomparable Michael Deltette!

This party was packed with D.C.'s finest makeup and hair artists: Nour, Carl, Remona and Rick.

Thanks to Love Life Images for the fun photos!
Laura

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