Dancin' in the Moonlight

Well, tomorrow is the big day. The 2009 DC ISES Capital Awards Gala hosted at the new Party Rental Ltd. warehouse. Since Party Rentals reminds up to "think pink" this year's Lucky- 21 (the DC ISES chapter is 21 this year) The Pink Ball will also go to benefit Susan G Komen for the Cure. I think it's a great initiative and can't wait to see who shows up in pink. I must admit, I will not be in the color of the evening.

Anyway, not so long ago, back in December actually when Engaging Affairs first launched our blog, one of the first weddings I posted about happens to be the wedding I have nominated tomorrow evening. I called it "Dancin' in the Moonlight" appropriately named as the festivities took place in a clear tent. Here's a quick re-cap.

Cecily and Ari were married on November 1st, 2008. It was probably the most perfect day weather wise you can get. The event took place at her mother's residence, a large lot of land in Fairfax Station, VA. The wonderful and talented Justine Ungaro of Studio Diana captured the event.

The ceremony took place under a tent erected on part of the home's driveway. There Ari and Cecily shared both Jewish and Filipino traditions. Guests then moved to the home's back yard and enjoyed cocktail hour on the decks and around the pool. Just around dusk, guests were asked to move to the large clear tent set for 250 situated under and oasis of trees whose leaves were changing the most beautiful colors of fall.
Guests dined on one of my favorites, grilled cheese and tomato soup for their first course. The perfect fall comfort food. Occasions dazzled and impressed with the meal. The mood was set with help from Digital Lightning, who not only lit the tent from inside, but lit the trees from the outside so they could be counted as part of the decor. John Duffy of Yellow Door Floral also helped dress up the space. His combination of coral flowers and green apples was a big hit with the bride and the guests.
The night went on as the bride, groom and their guests danced under the stars to Free Spirit from Entertainment Exchange. The evening was not complete until the brothers and sister of the groom topped off their toast with an interpretive dance that brought the crowd to their feet.
Everyone associated with this event was an absolute pleasure to work with. I'll let you know what the judges thought!

Sara

There's a new kid in (Old) Town!

Last night we had the pleasure of attending the grand opening bash for the Lorien Hotel in Old Town Alexandria. The new Kimpton property is the essence of sleek style that we've come to expect from their hotels. I was impressed by how many people flocked to the hotel's opening night and how well the staff handled the crowd. The valet parking by MarcParc Valet was seamless (surprisingly so considering the narrow street and the rush hour traffic) and it seemed that everywhere you turned a Kimpton staff member greeted you. The music, provided by Dand Goldman and Ray Bialek of Bialek's Music, kept the energy high without being too loud to talk over.

The hotel itself is both charming and chic. They had cleverly spread the food and bars throughout the hotel so that you found new treats as you wandered through the space. The living room features walls of built-in bookshelves and all the books are covered in white paper covers. Quite a look! Perhaps our favorite space was the courtyard with the open fireplace. Sara and I immediately started brainstorming of ways to use the space for small weddings or rehearsal dinners.

The hotel's restaurant, Brabo, is getting rave reviews so it was no surprise that the food was fabulous. I liked the fact that they offered enough for vegetarians (like me) and that the vegi options were interesting. Since I lapse for shellfish, I tried the amazing shrimp tempura hors d'oeuvre, as well. I could have eaten a whole tray of them! My favorite culinary part of the evening were the desserts that were displayed in the restaurant. The carrot cake bites and lemon tartlets were to die for!

We didn't get to try out the spa (it just would have been awkward to walk around a bustling cocktail party in a spa robe and slippers) but it sounds amazing. The "Lavender Dreams Experience" has my name all over it! The whole concept of The Lorien is dreams and the tranquil decor and clean lines fit the motif beautifully. This is the perfect spot for a charming bridal tea, and fun rehearsal dinner or even an intimate, hip wedding. It is also just a great place for guests to stay if your wedding is near Old Town or a lovely new restaurant to try. So check out the new Lorien Hotel!

Bridesmaids Dresses Take Two

Who doesn't have a bridesmaid dress (or two or three or . . .) sitting in the back of their closet collecting dust? But if you didn't have to wear a forest green velvet "suit" with gold rope piping or a black skin-tight mermaid dress with a striped chiffon bow on the back, then I don't want to hear a word of complaining. If, despite the bride's best intention (and I like to think my friends didn't mean to inflict suffering on me), you know you will never wear this dress again, why not donate it to someone who would love to wear it?

Beginning April 1st, and continuing throughout the month, please stop by Hitched to donate your gently worn (and dry cleaned) bridesmaid dresses (in all sizes!) that will go to students in the community. Due to the great expense of prom dresses, these girls might otherwise not be able to afford a dress for this special night. So clean out your closet and make a girl's taffeta, silk, or satin dreams come true!

Laura

The Jockey Club

Monday night we were invited to dine at the newly opened, famed DC Jockey Club located in the Fairfax Embassy Row Hotel. It was quite an experience. One of the few remaining restaurants where you have to "dress" for dinner, the Jockey Club has proven it intends to continue the excellence it established when it originally opened it's doors 40 years ago on the eve of President Kennedy's inauguration.

We had the company of the fantastic Scott Button, Director of Catering and Convention Services at the Fairfax, who lived through the remodel experience of not just the Jockey Club, but of the whole hotel over the past year and a half. One thing is for sure, he is happy to have his hotel fully back to operating order. (And we are too! In June I have a wedding there that I can't wait to blog about) While the restaurant was for sure not empty on a Monday evening, Scott mentioned that Thursdays and Fridays are packed and the establishment will not flip tables or have two dining sessions like so many in DC.

The food was wonderful. My pick for first course was the Golden Potato Gnocchi with Wild Mushrooms and Black Truffles. Laura had the Ricotta and Parmesan Filled Cannelloni suggested by Scott and it did not disappoint. We both finished off the meal with Strawberries Romanoff, YUM! The Jockey Club gets four stars in our book. Don't miss it!

Drumroll please!

Thanks to everyone who entered our very first Bridal Bubbly contest. I love entering contests (and am usually genuinely surprised when I don't win), and it was just as much fun being on the other side of things.

I'm happy to announce that our winners are Alexis and Erin. Keep reading for more fun contests. We'll have a new one starting next week although mum's the word about the cool wedding accessory we'll be giving away. Don't want to spoil the surprise!

Laura

Crazy Cookies!

Cookies are certainly nothing new in the wedding game. We've used Capitol-shaped ones for welcome bags, monogrammed wedding cake versions for favors and even little dog-bone shaped cookies to go with a donation card for the animal rescue league.

But we can't help think that the customized cookies from Parker's Crazy Cookies are something special. These cookies look so much like the brides and grooms! How funny would it be to have a bag full of cookies that look just like you and your fiance in the welcome bags at the hotels? With how formal and extravagant weddings have become, we don't think a little whimsy is a bad idea!

The company also does other shapes like monuments but we are crazy about the little brides and grooms! And they will ship these babies cross-country to the D.C. area (since the company is based on the West coast). If anyone orders these for their wedding, please send us a pic of the final product!

Laura

Video Magic

As I was reading Sara's blog about her amazing Eastern Shore wedding, I realized that both of our Capital Award nominated weddings last year were filmed by Jenny Lehman. So I thought I'd give her an extra shout-out. I've been using Jenny for over a decade and her work is truly stunning. After seeing so many weddings (over 450 but I'm not counting anymore), it takes a lot for a wedding to make me tear up but Jenny's videos regularly make me get all misty. If you want really stunning cinematic video (no cheesy effects or painful interviews with guests), check her out. She uses real super 8mm and 16mm cameras if you want a vintage look (not a fake 8mm effect that I've seen some companies use--blech). She even is offering a cool short-form video for brides who want the best highlights of their wedding set to music instead of a traditional video.

A Bridal Bubbly Giveaway!

For all our faithful readers (and for those who stray), we're doing our first fun giveaway. Two lucky readers will win a signed copy of Better Off Wed. This mystery won the Agatha Award for Best First Novel of 2005 and features a wedding planner and a cast of zanny wedding industry characters. We are in tight with the author (okay, okay, the author is me) and can tell you that lots of the crazy situations in the book were inspired by real weddings. But I'm not naming names!

If you want to get your hands on the book, just send us your name through the comment section of the blog. We'll draw names on Monday, March 23rd. Good luck!

News Update!

We just received word that SOMETHING in DC is actually running ahead of schedule! As we mentioned just a few weeks ago, the new W hotel was slated to open some time in August and was taking events for September 2009. Ladies and gentlemen, we are excited to announce that we will be having drinks on the rooftop terrace 1 month earlier in July!! See you there.

2008 Gala Revisited

While Laura came out the big winner last year, I was honored to be nominated in the Capital Awards Gala's Best Wedding Event category with her. The wedding I entered, suitably named "A Walk by the Water" took place at the Oaks in Easton, Maryland. The quaint bed and breakfast played host to just under 200 guests as the bride and groom decided to bring their friends and family out of the hustle and bustle of their daily DC lives to a relaxing retreat on the water.

Laurie and Mike were a great couple with a lot of energy. So, energy became the theme of the evening. The morning started with a light rain, but be noon the sun was shining and excitement was in the air. While the groom played football in the front yard and the bride and her party got prepped in the bridal cottage, my crews were just beginning the end of a set up which began on Thursday evening. The bride had envisioned getting married in a tent by the water, but the Inn's new ballroom took the space previously used for this away. So, we draped the ballroom and hung twinkle lights to create the feel of a soft canopy.

The ceremony took place over the footbridge and out on a bluff close to the waters edge. The simple design of the chuppa with sporadic Gerber Daisies let the stunning water backdrop shine.

After the ceremony, guests walked back towards the Inn and enjoyed cocktails on and around the dock. Everything from a raw bar to mini Reuben sandwiches were served to a bubbly crowd. As a foreshadow of things to come, the guests found their escort cards tied to Tab energy drinks. The detail had double meaning; the bright pink can gave a hint to the interior decor and the beverage told guests the event was going to be high energy.

The guests danced the night away to Highway Star and at the end of the evening the bride and groom made their way to the bridal cottage under hundreds of glowing sparklers.

Here's a run down of this couple's dream wedding team.

Venue/catering The Oaks

Photography LaCour

Band Highway Star

Decor Syzygy Events

Flowers The City Florist

Videography Jenny Lehman

Transportation Dockside Express

Cake Bay Country Bakery

Sara