Sample Sale at Carine's!

Don't miss the sample sale coming up on Sunday June 26th from 10 AM to 2 PM at Carine's Bridal Atelier in Georgetown {1726 Wisconsin Avenue, Washington D.C.}

Brides-to-be will have of the amazing opportunity to purchase today’s top designer’s bridal gowns at 30% to 75% off. Sample wedding gowns by Oscar de la Renta, Carolina Herrera, Melissa Sweet, Karl Lagerfeld, Monique Lhuillier, Jenny Lee, Reem Acra and more will be priced as low as $999, $1,299, $1,499, $1,899 and $2699- marked down from original retail prices ranging from $2,950 to $8,450.

“Sample gowns are a great option for brides on a budget or on a short wedding timeline,” says Carine Krawiec, owner of Carine’s Bridal Atelier. Sample dresses are in great condition and must be sold to make room for new gowns. Sample gowns are a bridal size 8 or 10 and can always be altered to fit a smaller body size. Carine’s Bridal Atelier offers custom alterations onsite in their Georgetown boutique.  

Amazing!

Carnival Inspiration!

credits: candy and game (Victor Sizemore Photography), centerpiece (Green
Wedding Shoes), escort cards ( Grey Likes Weddings), milk jug toss (Victor
Sizemore Photography), photobooth (Grey Likes Weddings), ferris wheel kiss
(Green Wedding Shoes), carousel bride (Picture That Photography), cotton candy
(Victor Sizemore Photography), ring toss (Victor Sizemore Photography)

As I'm knee-deep in both wedding season and planning my daughter's carnival-themed 6th birthday party, I thought I'd share a flashback inspiration board. This week is dedicated to pulling together a backyard carnival fit for a gaggle of kindergarteners and saying lots of prayers to the rain gods for nice weather!  I love the fun details of carnivals and love pulling them into weddings for a whimsical touch.  Enjoy and wish me luck!

Gaylord National {Vendor Love}

This past weekend, Amanda and I had the pleasure of working at The Gaylord National at National Harbor. Although my team has done weddings at The Gaylord before, this was my first time to work there, and I was so impressed!

The catering team we worked with was on top of every detail from beginning to end, taking care of everything from finessing an early set-up in the ballroom to providing a gorgeous getting-ready suite for the bridal party to making sure the vendor room was available early.  Our account exec, Joanna Kaub, went above and beyond to make the wedding day flawless (even though she was under-the-weather and should have been curled up in a ball) and our personal wedding assistant and Teal Jacket Hero, Tracy, was on hand the entire day attending to every issue.  We even had the Director of Local Catering and my long-time friend in the industry, Rachel Chadderdon, stop in to make sure everything was perfect.  Phenomenal service!

As a wedding planner, it's the little things that can make a big difference on a wedding day. Having the valets hold my car at the front so I could run out and hop in it when I needed to make a run for a tuxedo jacket a groomsman forgot to pick up and then again when I was ready to dash off to the ceremony was invaluable.  Every valet knew Amanda and I by sight and let us run in and out all day long with zero hassle. Amazing!

 Not only was the service and food for the wedding guests outstanding but the food for the vendors working on the wedding was fabulous. Now we're all used to eating lots of club sandwiches at weddings but The Gaylord set out a hot buffet for us. Such a treat and one we all really appreciated!

Plus, the Gaylord staff really spoiled the bride with amenities, spa treatments and upgrades from the moment she arrived on property. They really know how to make brides and grooms feel special, and I know the bride loved all the hotel's special touches on her wedding weekend.

Amanda and I were blown away by The Gaylord and we can't wait to go back. Oh, heck, I may go back next weekend just to hang out with the fun staff and watch the fireworks. I'm sure they would love to have a wedding planner stalking them!

Stay tuned for photos from our fun Gaylord wedding!

Bridal Hair by Remona {Vendor Love}

Our Engaging Affairs team loves working together and sharing great new ideas and vendors but we can get a little territorial about our favorite hair and make-up people. Probably because we know how invaluable a great hair stylist or make-up artist is on the wedding day!

Bridal Hair by Remona is one of those favorite hair stylists that we love so much we have to share but secretly hope that not everyone finds out how fabulous she is or we'll never be able to book her!  Not only is she an amazing stylist who does fabulous updos and is so creative with hair but she is also really easy-going and fun to be around.  She's worked on plenty of celebrities but her greatest skill is making your average girl look like a star.

 All photos by Fotobriceno

I was lucky enough to get my hair done by Remona for the Engaged Magazine photo shoot last weekend, and I loved being on the other side of the chair with her. She created a gorgeous side sweep look for me that I loved and the looks she created for the other planners at the shoot were equally amazing.  Here she is creating a stunning updo for one of my brides last year.  Love it!

From Russia with Love {Heather & Adam}!

The wedding of Heather and Adam, was truly a treat for all of their guests.  Getting to share the occasion with the couple alone and spend time with them was something many were excited about as the couple relocated to Russia for work shortly after we had begun working together.

The bride came back to town 3 weeks before the big day to help tie up loose ends and make final decisions while the groom breezed in just 3 days before.  How did we let that happen?  The result was a striking event at the Mayflower Hotel to be matched only by the beauty of the bride.  Heather's inspiration for the decor was rich and lush and not a detail was neglected.

I LOVE how you can see Heather through the veil in this picture, so classic!

As an exciting twist, guests were entertained by a belly dancer who escorted the couple to their seats and then put on a stunning show of multiple performances including use of a Shammadan.

Adam and heather then dazzled the audience with not one but two choreographed dances.

During dinner, another surprise performance as Heather and Adam  exposed their guests to some of their Russian experience with another dance group.  Their final dance, the bottle dance, got guests out of their chairs and onto the dance floor as they began the hora and lifted the bride and groom into the air.

Heather and Adam danced into the night surrounded by friends and family to the music of DJ Dan.  Egomedia did a fantastic job of capturing the feeling of the day thought emotion and love.  Petal's Edge worked tirelessly through e mail to make sure the bride's vision was achieved.

Thank you to the whole team the worked together to make Heather and Adam's day so special including Sage String Quartet and Blue Sky Films.

These escort card chairs were one of my favorite details

Thanks to EgoMedia Photography for the amazing images!

Sara

Starting the Wedding Season

I know, it's a crazy title to a blog considering it's mid June.  But, with the craziness of the season, I am left to start catching up on the beginning now.  I have never had a wedding washout, but this may be the closest I have come.  Back in 2008, Ali and Chris faced flooding in the district, but the rain stopped and the skies cleared before the bride left the hotel.

Lissette and Todd were slightly less lucky, as they, along with their wedding parties had to pile into the limo as I held not one, but two umbrellas overhead.  I think I started out that day with my hair up.

But the rain did not stand in the way of their love and by the time the bride stepped out of the limo and into the church, the rain had passed.

Following a ceremony presided over by the wonderful John Wimberly at the Church of the Holy City on 16th Street, the couple and their guests made their way to the Corcoran Gallery of Art for an event of dancing fun.

Design Cuisine catered a fabulous dinner while decor and flowers were provided by John Duffy of Yellow Door and Digital Lightning.  DJ Andres kept the dance floor packed and guests were entertained by the new wave of photo booth, some of you may recall my post immediately following the wedding, Boxi.

The couple ended their evening with a DC evening photo shoot with none other than Jenny Lehman.

Lissette and Todd, thank you for making me part of your special day!

Sara

Make-up Artist Extraordinaire Carl Ray {Vendor Love}

This past weekend I was lucky enough to be part of the Engaged Magazine wedding planner photo shoot. About a dozen or so DC wedding planners gathered at The St. Regis for a Vanity Fair style cover shoot complete with hair and makeup to make us look glamorous.  It was such a treat to be done up by the artists that I use for so many of my brides.

Carl Ray is the make-up genius behind Michelle Obama's flawless face as well as numerous other DC notables and visiting celebrities. He is based out of George's at The Four Seasons but will travel to brides for on-site make-up. He has been making my brides stunning for years, and it was so fun to be on the other side of the make-up chair for a change!  We were laughing because we rarely get to just talk and catch up because we're always seeing each other at weddings where we're both busy working.

Carl is so talented and his work is always so glamorous. Not only that, he is so much fun and has a great sense of humor. If you can manage to book him (call George's and ask for Rick Raines, who does all his bookings), do it (as long as you aren't stealing him away from one of my weddings, of course)! Stay tuned for photos from the Engaged wedding planner photo shoot!

Weddings as Sweet as Honey!

MSW

I recently became the proud owner of a beehive and about two thousand honey bees.  Our neighbor is an amateur beekeeper so we agreed to host a hive as he expands his bee territory. Since I heard about hive collapse several years ago, I've been very interested in bees (and concerned about disappearing colonies) so I was so excited to get a chance to have a hive of my very own.

With two small children who aren't crazy about flying insects, I'm happy to say the bees keep to themselves and the flowers. Even though there are a lot of them about, we really don't notice them. The main beehive two houses down recently harvested honey and shared some of their delicious bounty with us so I thought I'd share some bee-inspired ideas for weddings.

Lindsay Flanagan via Wedding Window

I love the idea of honey stirrers as escort cards and favors.  And, of course, tiny pots of honey are always sweet.

SmartBride

I love the idea of a honey tasting station at a wedding using bread sticks to sample different varieties. Or a pretty cheese and honey display.

PrettyTastyThings

Carrying the bee theme over into the desserts and even beverages (check out the honey lager) can add a whimsical touch.

PrettyTastyThings

Wishing you a sweet week!

Namaste for Your Wedding Day!

Let's face it, wedding planning is stressful. You're planning perhaps the biggest social event you've ever planned, orchestrating two sets of families who may or may not get along (not to mention the people within your own family who don't get along), coordinating thousands of details and learning that your fiance has a completely different style than you.  It's no wonder brides can get a little high-strung.

I am a big fan of yoga and have been practicing for a little over six years since I was first introduced to Ashtanga yoga. I still love Ashtanga but have also tried Bikram, Kundalini, Power yoga and Vinyasa.  I love the calm I get after yoga even if I only have time to squeeze in a few down dogs at home.

Yoga is a great practice for brides. It calms you down, slows the mind (so you can stop obsessing about the seating chart for two minutes) and can whip you into shape.  If you think yoga is gentle and easy, try sweating through a hot yoga class and then come talk to me.

Several studios have popped up focused on yoga for brides (although none in DC) and I think it's a great idea. I've arranged morning yoga classes for plenty of bridal parties and it is a fabulous way to start off the wedding day. Yoga for Weddings has teachers in nine states including New York and California who can do everything from teach a wedding day class to plan a yoga training plan leading up to the big day. Bliss Lab: Yoga for Brides is based in the Twin Cities and offers fun yoga bachelorette party packages. Check them out or check out a yoga studio in your town.  There are also private teachers who can develop a practice for you to focus on certain issues (toning up arms for those wearing strapless gowns, for instance).

Here's wishing all brides peace on their wedding day. Namaste!

Charlie Palmer DC {Wedding Venue Love}

Last week, we had the pleasure of revisiting a favorite wedding venue: Charlie Palmer at 101 Constitution. Our event industry friend Lisa DeMare is the venue's new social catering director, and she is doing a fabulous job showcasing the space for weddings. With the above view from the rooftop event space, how could a wedding go wrong?

 Recently awarded as one of the Best Wedding Vendors in 2009 by Washingtonian Bride and Groom and frequently cited as Capitol Hill's best private event space, Charlie Palmer Steak's private dining rooms can accommodate events ranging from 10 to 70 guests for a seated dinner or 20 to 160 guests for a cocktail reception.   We love having rehearsal dinners in the sleek private rooms!

PLUS, Charlie Palmer Steak has access to a grand rooftop terrace on the top of the building that, combined with Charlie Palmer's cuisine and service, makes for an unforgettable affair.  This space can accommodate up to 500 guests for a cocktail reception and up to 230 guests for a seated dinner. The space is tented and can be heated or air conditioned, if needed.  We have done several weddings on the rooftop and it always Wows guests. Here are some images of a favorite wedding we did on the 101 rooftop with Charlie Palmer catering.

Just try and beat that view! For an amazing wedding venue or unforgettable rehearsal dinner, contact Lisa DeMare at ldemare@charliepalmer.com.  Thanks to Justine Ungaro for the fab photos!