More Engaged! in Washington 2011

For a fun teaser of the Engaged Show, check out a video clip from last year. The decor is off the hook! This is one show not to miss!

 Click here for Engaged 2010 Video

Engaged! in Washington 2011

We're thrilled to announce the most fabulous bridal event for 2011: Engaged! in Washington will be held Sunday, March 6, 2011, 3pm - 8pm.  This is our favorite show of the year because it is so not a typical bridal show. 


The second annual Engaged! in Washington will be held at THREE of the city's premiere wedding venues: The Hay-Adams, St. Regis Hotel, and The Willard Intercontinental Hotel. From 3pm to 8pm, couples can arrive at any of the above properties and experience each venue as it would look for an actual wedding, meet the people that make fabulous weddings happen, linger and look, ooh and aah, and then take a limo bus to the next venue for more eye candy!  This year the Engaging Affairs team will be on the brand new rooftop of The Hay-Adams, and we're so excited for all the surprises awaiting the couples who visit!

Photographers at each venue will take portraits, wedding planners and florists are designing knock-out spaces to wow guests, bands and DJs will play music, models from area bridal salons will be wearing the latest bridal fashion, hair and make-up artists will work their magic on attendees – first come, first served!  Sample the food and drink champagne and don’t worry about parking or transportation . . . Linder & Associates will shuttle guests all evening to each site throughout the evening!  Engaged! in Washington promises to be an experience! 


PLUS

20 days of fabulous prizes announced daily on Facebook - names drawn from ticket holders - beginning Valentine's Day, February 14, 2011! Purchase your tickets now and win, win, win!

Hot Pink and Black Inspiration {Two Bright Lights}

I just love what you can do on the Two Bright Lights photography sharing site!  Check out this fun hot pink and black inspiration board I put together using photos from a recent Engaging Affairs wedding. Love this swanky wedding on the water at Sequoia in D.C. Modern, chic and oh so fun!  Thanks to A Britton for the stunning photos!

BHLDN Collection Launches Today! {Urban Outfitters Bridal}

Bring on BHLDN! Bhldn, Urban Outfitters Inc.’s newest retail concept, will put the brand's unique stamp on the bridal business. Rather than traditional ballgowns, Bhldn is more likely to make a lopsided bow the focal point of a dress, give a wedding gown a ragged hem or cover delicate pearl-studded flowers with a sheer layer of tulle so only a hint of the decoration is visible.

Accessories by James Coviello, Jennifer Behr and Yestadt Millinery feature vintage-inspired headpieces, veils and corsages made from feathers, jewels and tulle. There’s a tasteful tiara, bohemian headband and enameled flower hair pins. Shoes, including peep-toe pumps and ankle-strap heels, come in saffron, bright green, pale pink and red, and are decorated with butterflies, feathers and vintage ribbons. A collection of wraps includes a feather bolero, a Hollywood-style cropped jacket with a bow, a puffer jacket with a rhinestone closure and a thick wool crafty-style crochet collar.

There’s also a design component featuring items with a do-it-yourself feel, such as flower garlands that look homemade but are already put together, as well as glassware, serving pieces, candelabras, cake toppers and lanterns. Many pieces are one of a kind or reproductions and share its sister chain Anthropologie’s philosophy for singular discoveries and repurposed found items.

Bhldn will launch via an e-commerce website on Valentine’s Day, and the first freestanding store is expected to follow in August.  Bhldn will not be sold at Anthropologie. The web site will launch with apparel, accessories, lingerie, jewelry and shoes. Tabletop, cake pedestals, place cards and everything for decorating a venue will hit the site in May. Invitations, using letterpress or engraving techniques, will be introduced next year with artists creating limited time collections.

We can't wait to see all the fun new wedding options.  Happy Valentine's Day and happy shopping!

Death on the Aisle {Chapter Nine}

Chapter Nine

            “You can’t quit, Kate.”  We sat on the floor of my living room assembling what were surely the world’s most elaborate welcome bags, except they were boxes. Matte silver boxes with lids that each took a good five minutes to put together and had seemed like a much better idea when I’d ordered them.

            “Why not?” Kate asked, popping a box top into place.

            I’d thought that giving Kate the rest of Sunday off after her heartbreaking encounter with Brody would have cooled her down a bit but she’d been just as convinced of quitting when she’d shown up at my office for a day of paperwork and box assembly. At least she’d shown up, I reminded myself.  Granted, she shown up wearing short shorts, a halter top and wedge heels, but since it was an “office work” day I didn’t quibble.

            “I can give you a lot of reasons,” I said. “First of all, we talked the bride into going forward with the wedding.”

            Kate held up a finger. “For now. She still might change her mind.”

“Okay.” I pushed up the sleeves of my white button-down shirt and reached for an unassembled box. “But you love this job. Where else can you meet so many men?”

            “Married men,” Kate corrected, leaning back against the leg of my pale yellow overstuffed couch.  “The good ones are always married. Or engaged. Or gay. The best ones are gay.”

            “Since when have you been looking for marriage material?” I brushed some beige carpet lint off my jeans and made a mental note to vacuum someday.

            Kate shrugged.  “It would be nice to have the option. Don’t you want to be on the other side of things one day?”

            This was something I tried not to think about. Planning other people’s weddings took so much time that I didn’t know when I’d ever be able to focus on having a normal relationship of my own.  With Ian’s erratic lifestyle and bad-boy persona, he certainly wasn’t exactly what anyone would call marriage material.  And Kate was right about one thing, our business didn’t offer up many straight, single men unless you counted intoxicated groomsmen, which I didn’t.

            “Right now I just want to be on the other side of this wedding.” I stood up and stretched my legs. “We still have to fill these boxes and tie them with ribbon.  Do you want something to drink?”

            Kate picked up the empty Frappucino bottle next to her and waved it. “Do you have anymore of these?”

            “Do you have to ask?” I walked from my living room into the kitchen that opened into it. I ignored the growing collection of dishes in the sink and opened the refrigerator, where I kept a supply of Diet Dr. Pepper, bottled Mocha Frappucinos and leftover takeout Thai.

            “So why are you not quitting?” Kate called from the other room.  “Don’t tell me you like refereeing fights between Richard and Jeremy Johns or trying to calm down the bride for the hundredth time.”

            I opened two bottles of Mocha Frappucino and tossed the lids in the metal trashcan in the corner. “If I quit every time something went wrong, I’d have to quit at least once during every wedding.”

            “Exactly,” Kate said. “There has to be an easier job. One where people don’t start hyperventilating over linen colors or insist on a South Beach meets the South of France mash-up motif.”

            “Not every wedding is like this,” I reminded her as I walked back into the living room and passed her a bottle.  I perched on the edge of the glass coffee table that we’d pushed over to the side of the room to make more floor space. The curtains were pulled back and the morning light poured in from the large widows that took up almost an entire wall.  I liked to keep my curtains open since I was on the fourth floor and didn’t have to worry about peeping Toms in Georgetown where most buildings didn’t go above three or four stories.

            “You’re right.” Kate took a drink. “Not every wedding has silver boxes that take half a day to put together.”

            I made a face. “You’re right. We’d better get back to work.”

            “Yoo hoo!”  A singsong voice came from the front door, and I saw dark brown hair pop through the crack in the door. Leatrice, my elderly downstairs neighbor, had a habit of dropping by unannounced.  She also had a habit of wearing her heavily dyed hair in a Mary Tyler Moore flip accented with a variety of headbands. Today’s headband had pink sequins and a fabric flower on one side and looked like it could have come from the Hello Kitty store.

            “Didn’t you lock the door?” Kate whispered.

            “It doesn’t matter,” I said. “She has a key.”

            Kate’s mouth fell open. “You gave her a key?”

            I shook my head. “She made a key. You know how she’s really into spy movies. I think she learned how to secretly copy a key on some show.”

            “Great.  What we really need is a little more crazy in our lives.”

            “Oh, there you are,” Leatrice’s face lit up when she saw me, and she bounded into the room. She didn’t stand over five feet tall but between her hair and her wardrobe selection, you could never miss her.  Today she paired her pink headband with what appeared to be a sailor suit.  The white pants flared into bell-bottoms and the matching shirt had a sailor collar edged in blue with a loose red bow at the neck.

            Kate openly gaped while I tried not to laugh. “Wow, Leatrice.  That’s quite an outfit.”

            She spun on the spot. “Do you like it? It’s nautical.”

            “I can tell,” I said. “But why are you wearing it?”

            “I want to be ready,” she said as she sat down on arm of the couch.

            “Ready for what?” I asked, almost afraid to know the answer.

            “In case you need me on the boat.”

            Kate spluttered and almost spit out a mouthful of Frappucino. “What?”

            I didn’t even bother asking how Leatrice knew we were planning a wedding on a boat. Leatrice found out everything about my life from either snooping or talking to Ian when I wasn’t around. While most people found Leatrice odd, Ian found her charming and ended up helping her with handyman jobs almost every time he stopped by. So maybe that gave him a little marriage potential, after all.

            “I don’t think we’ll need any help with the wedding, Leatrice,” I said. “But thanks.”

            “Maybe I could just drive.” She rubbed her hands together. “You know, be your wheel man.”

            Kate wiped coffee from her chin. “Why would we need a wheel man?”

            “I figured you’d want to beat the police there,” Leatrice said. “And I’m the fastest driver you know.”

            I felt a nervous flutter in my stomach. “What are you talking about?” I asked.

            “I just heard it on my police scanner.” Leatrice jerked her thumb in the direction of her apartment below. “Some accident on the big boat at the Harbor. They called for an ambulance.  So, are you ready to go?”

            I looked at Kate, whose face had lost a few shades of its tan. So much for a quiet day in the office.

Mother of the Wedding and Bridesmaids Trunk Show {Love Couture Bridal}

Love Couture Bridal is hosting a Mother of the Wedding and Bridesmaids Trunk Show!

The 2011 collection of Love Evenings and Love Bridesmaids will be available on February 11th, 12th and 13th.

Save 10% on Mom's gowns and 15% on maids orders of 4 or more!!! 

                

Schedule your appointment today~  301-610-5683
 

Friday- 12-5

Saturday- 10-5

Sunday- 10-5

Casting Call! {Erin and Jon}

Did someone call for a beautiful bride and handsome yet rugged groom?  They did last September when Erin and Jon came home from LA to wed in Jon's parents backyard.  The beautiful duo and their dogs celebrated with friends and family under a gorgeous sail tent on one of the most beautiful evenings the weather Gods could create.

Helping to crate the venue was Skyline Tents out of Charlottesville, VA.  Their beautiful tent was a tan sail color underneath with teak wood poles and grand peaks.  Party Rentals, The Enchanted Florist and Occasions Caterers all did their part on the inside to make guests feel comfortable and casual at this tie-optional party.

Edsel West brought down the house and kept the party going an extra hour and a half as their country rock sound melted into classic rock and current chart hits.  My favorite part was sitting up on the property looking down over the reception tent as Jon ran up to grab Erin's hand when she came out of the house.  "They're playing Free Bird for us honey" he said as she literally floated down to the tent in her Vera Wang gown.

One more thing I cannot forget.  An interesting tradition presented itself to me that evening that would come back several times through the fall with other new clients.  The bride, who is from Pittsburgh, (sorry to all your Steelers fans, is it too soon?) had her family and several of their friends bring down cookies (home made, store bought, all the favorites) and we had a cookie bar as part of the dessert offering at the wedding.  Apparently, in that area of Pennsylvania, when any group gets together for any occasion, everyone brings cookies and they have a huge smorgasbord!  Seriously, now that is my kind of tradition.

Thank you to Michael Segal for shooting the stunning event.  And just in case you AMC fans think Jon looks too familiar, "I know I've seen him somewhere", you're right! This handsome groom also fights zombies (on screen, of course)!

Sara

A Southern Romance

I love this gorgeous Southern wedding with lush green and white flowers from Petal's Edge, sassy bridesmaids' dresses, Arnold Palmers made with Sweet Tea vodka and Adirondack chairs on a country club lawn. Simply stunning!  Amazing photos by the fabulously talented Paul Morse (who covered the White House and also photographed Jenna Bush's wedding)

A Custom Touch {Guest Books}

Guest books, picture boards, even plates and pottery.  There is no end to what items brides and grooms are asking their guests to sign these days.  The traditional signature record at a wedding was a simple book with lines where guests could sign their names and a three word message, if they wrote small.  That always seemed pretty silly to me.  What will the couple do with that book after a few weeks?

More recently, we have seen guest books made from the pictures of couples' engagement or informal portrait shoots.  This is such a smart idea.  Where else are you going to keep all those great, fun pictures?  It also allows guests who wouldn't otherwise have seen them, to leaf through and see the couple in their more everyday element. 

A few months ago, Erin, a bride of mine, pulled out such a beautiful, personalized guest book that I couldn't wait to share it.

Jenni Bick makes customized photo albums, journals, guest books, planners and more.  Her fun creative styles allow couples to use colors, monograms, pictures and motifs on the cover of their books.  You can use leather, velvet or linen in neutral tones and can get as fun or sophisticated as you'd like.  The photo albums would also be a great gift to the bride from her ladies.  Think about reliving the fun of the shower and bachelorette party over and over again!

Sara

Green & White Inspiration {Two Bright Lights}

I am so gaga over the photo sharing site Two Bright Lights that I just have to share an inspiration board that I made on the site using photos from one of my favorite summer weddings. Thanks to Andrea from The Observatory for the amazing photos. Enjoy!