Destination Wedding in Naples, Florida

Today we have a guest blog from our very own Grace, who got married just over a month ago. She wrote this right before her wedding (as if she didn't have enough to do). She did an amazing job of planning her destination wedding (no surprise, as she is an amazing planner). She has promised to share pictures with us as soon as she gets them. We can't wait!




From 3 months to 3 days away, I can’t believe it! The last few months have just flown by! Well, I guess the last time we spoke, my fiancee and I were on our way to Florida for the last time to finalize wedding plans. It was only a three-day trip and it was packed with plenty of appointments and meetings. Meeting with the floral designers, Sheryl, Michelle and Olga at The Pink Tangerine was the best part, I have to say. I felt like I was on an episode of Platinum Weddings (which by the way, I can’t get enough of), when I walked in to see our table all decorated in linens and votives showing off our gorgeous centerpiece arrangement. It was more beautiful than I could have imagined. All due to the many ideas and pictures I have collected during our planning.





Having a wedding “idea book” or Wedding Bible as it has been referred to, has been extremely helpful to me when conveying to the vendors the look we wanted to create, and the feeling and ambiance we wanted for our special day. So basically the month after we were engaged, I started tearing pictures out of magazines, copying articles out of books and printing color combinations off websites to tape into my wedding book. This book was carried with me at all times during the meetings with my vendors and when they asked, “So when you mean votives hanging off branches in your centerpiece, what do you mean?” I just ripped open my book, went to page 29 and ah, there was what I had envisioned. Floral designers, caterers, cake artists and even the DJs responded so well to my book, because as we all know a picture can speak a thousand words. It helped show them what I was looking for, explain my tastes and they loved when I told them exactly what I wanted. Thank goodness for my Wedding Bible.





So back to the centerpieces…they looked great and things were finally starting to all come together. When we got back from Florida, it was time to finish our hand-made invitations. We hand-made our Save the Dates, with a video montage set to music, so why wouldn’t we do all the invitations from scratch, right? Now if I could go back and do it all over again, I still would want to make them ourselves, but I would have started a lot earlier! The time it takes to design, print, emboss, lick, seal and tie ribbons on each invitation was so much work! If I had to guess, I would say that each invitation took about 2 hours to create! But the time spent creating them with my fiancee was well worth it; we sure had a great time together.





After finishing those, it was on to hand-making our menu cards, table seating and programs. (The girls at Paper Source in Alexandria all know me by name!) So we were working up until the final countdown, but luckily we were able to tie the last bow on the program to get them out in the mail on their way to my parents in Florida the week before the wedding. And you better believe that I put insurance and express mail all over that package! Ha!



The last couple of weeks before the wedding are when all the details start coming together and when all the nervousness kicks in to gear. A good nervousness though, just hoping that all will go well. As my fiancee said, “You have your dress, I have my tux. What else do we need?” If only these boys knew! My fiancee did a wonderful job selecting his groomsman’s gifts, however. After much internet searching, he was able to find some handmade coin cufflinks. Our friend, WowCoin designed each one individually and even sent me a pendant gift for our wedding. So if you love different cufflinks; especially coins from foreign countries, check out WowCoin on eBay!






So, today is my last day at work before we leave on the plane for our wedding. I am taking a huge sigh of relief, praying for good weather and hoping that everyone gets down to Florida safely. Once I get to the Sunshine State, it’s all smooth sailing. Wow, my wedding…the day I have thought of, imagined and envisioned for so long and it’s all happening THIS weekend. What an amazing journey this past year has been for me as a fiancé and as a wedding planner. The bad, crazy dreams of me walking down the aisle in a tux have faded and I’m excited and ready for my next adventure in life…being married. Oh and of course, I’m looking forward to getting back to wedding planning…not mine of course, but hopefully one of yours!


Grace

Green Wedding Details

As you probably know, we love doing green events. Finding ways to make our weddings have less of an impact on the environment is at the top of our list. But with all of this rain (and everything looking so green), my mind also turns to a different kind of green wedding.

Spring is the perfect time of year to use the color green in weddings. From celedon to lime to kelly, green is fresh and fun (and looks great in combination with almost any color). As a florist friend once told me, "green is the new black." We love the idea of wearing colored shoes under a white wedding dress and what could be more fun than the pair above (photo courtesy of the Knot)?

I love these green floral pomanders decorating the aisle above (courtesy of the Knot) and the fabulous paper ones (from Etsy's Pom Love). Wouldn't these giant paper poms be fabulous suspended throughout a tent or just over the dance floor?

And, of course, what could be more clean and lovely than an all-green bouquet like the one featured at the top from Martha Stewart? I love the soft tone-on-tone look with various shades of barely green to lush celedon. The look is more unique than an all-white bouquet but not as dramatic as brightly colored or all-red bouquets. Love it!

Laura

Wedding on The Eastern Shore

The last weekend in April was a steamy one. Much better than this 50 degree rainy weather we are having the first week of May here in DC. But I digress. On April 25th I had the pleasure of being out on the Eastern Shore, back at a little place called the Oaks where I tend to be once or twice a year. Andrea and Rick had a lovely evening for their intimate wedding celebration and the party lasted all night long.


Wanting to take their guests out of the busy hustle and bustle of the every day DC life, the couple settled on the quaint inn on the water after realizing they had attended a wedding there years ago.


As always, a fabulous cast of characters worked with me to create an evening the couple would not soon forget. Candi Erin and Paul at the Oaks are always wonderful, the food is fantastic and the view is picturesque. Juan Carlos and JC from Fotobriceno were there to capture every minute. Pattie Martin and Susie Rucksthul, my dream hair and make up team, made up Andrea so she could relax and enjoy her day. The yummy cake was provided by Gena at Bay Country Bakery and Prelude kept the DC crowd dancing all night long.


Sara

A Perfect Southern Wedding

Last weekend I was blessed with gorgeous weather, a stunning wedding and a fabulous couple! This has been the year of amazing clients for me, and Susan and David were two of my all-time favorites. Susan is so easy-going and sweet and David is high-energy and one of the funniest people I've ever met. They are the perfect example of a couple who balances each other beautifully.

They started the fun on Friday night with a rehearsal dinner at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse in Crystal City, which is known for great food and fabulous views of the city. The bride surprised the groom with a cake in the shape of the Washington Monument (created by Fluffy Thoughts), a tribute to the fact that his company restored the Washington Monument a few years ago.

Both hailing from the South (the bride from North Carolina and the groom from Lousiana), this fun couple eschewed the DC wedding paradigm of a seated dinner and instead chose to have a traditional Southern-style reception with lots of food stations, great music and plenty of mingling. I love this style of reception; it can be so much fun!

Before the party, though, the bride got ready at the Willard in one of their amazing suites with her four sisters. The bride looked absolutely gorgeous in her gown (and was so calm)! The groom and his men, looking so swanky in white dinner jackets, had a toast at The Willard before heading off to the church in a executive coach bus from Capital City Limo. The couple had a beautiful ceremony at Ascension and St. Agnes Episcopal Church in D.C. Since both the bride and groom had been musicians for years, the music they chose for the ceremony was amazing and included The Strolling Strings, a choir and a trumpeter.

Between the ceremony and reception, the couple took their classic car from Regal Limousine to the monuments for some photos with Robert Isacson and videographer Jenny Lehman. As you can see, they had the perfect day for this! All the photos are courtesy of the amazingly talented (and fun to work with) Robert Isacson.

When they joined their guests in the Crystal Room at The Willard Hotel, the Jack Diamond Band was in full swing and guests were dining on seafood from an ice bar, crawfish etouffe, the groom's favorite pizza flown up from Lousiana, mini North Carolina barbeque sandwiches and a towering display of tiny cupcakes (courtesy of Kendall's Cakes) and sweets. Steele Stevenson from the Willard was amazing, as always, and made my job so much easier.

The stunning flowers by Alison de Wit of Distinctive Floral Designs featured cherry blossom branches lining Peacock Alley and tulips and hydrangea in a soft Spring palette. John Farr Lighting created an amazing ambiance in the room with his soft uplighting. The groom's sister, Becky (who used to do events for the Governor of Louisiana), had envisioned the tower in the center of the room topped with flowers and bedecked with sweets of all kinds, and it was the hit of the night!

At the end of the evening, no one wanted to leave so they extended an hour and even then guests still lingered! It was an amazing party for a truly fabulous couple (and one I'll miss working with).

Laura

Fit For Royalty

Last Friday was an absolutely perfect day to jump start my spring season. My New York City couple went chic and had 125 guests attend their Friday evening celebration. David and Bershan were a pleasure to work with from day 1, which happened to be just over 4 months ago. The couple envisioned a wedding with a little DC and a little WOW NYC.

While the bride grew up on the outskirts of Washington, the groom was British down to his accent so the couple wanted to make sure their international guests were treated to the best of what the city had to offer. They chose the rooftop of the Hay Adams for their ceremony and cocktail reception, showing off the hotel's famous view. Overlooking the White House, guests were surrounded by Cherry Blossoms, another DC signature, that helped frame the aisle.

Regal seemed to be the word of the evening as the stunning couple moved around the corner to their reception at the US Chamber of Commerce. The detail of the old building is grand and spectacular and most of all, it's a place their guests would only expect to see on CNN.

The couple shared two first dances, one when they were introduced and the other after dinner when the bride changed into her party dress. The two were exquisite all evening long and were thrilled at the outcome of their vision. Here's to you, Bershan and David!

Sara

A Cherry Blossom Wedding at The Mandarin

Last week brought my first wedding of the Spring season and what a way to kick things off! Mila and Chip's wedding was such a fun, beautiful event that I feel like I am spoiled for the rest of the year. I had such a great time working on the wedding with the bride's mother, Christine, and the bride. They both had great taste and a fabulous sense of fun. While the wedding was elegant, it was also full of whimsical touches.

Both the ceremony and reception were held at the amazing Mandarin Oriental Hotel with the flawless assistance by Director of Catering Michael Deltette. It is always such a joy to work with Michael! The bride was made even more stunning by the skills of makeup artist Carl Ray and hairstylist Ishmael, both from George's Salon at The Four Seasons. After getting into her slinky gown and fabulous burgundy shoes, the bride took some time for portraits with the fabulous team from Ever After Visuals. This easygoing and charming group of photographers was a joy to work with!

The ceremony featured soaring arrangements of cherry blossoms hung with tiny votives by the talented John Duffy of Yellow Door Floral Design and white chiffon draping by Fabrications.

Chris Grasso provided lovely music for both ceremony and cocktail reception, while DJ Andres kicked things up later on for the party. The cherry blossom theme was carried through the reception in the centerpieces, menu cards and cake (a fabulous white chocolate confection by Kendall's Cakes). We brought in rental chairs and linens from DC Rental to really make the room pop, all in shades of deep wine to pink. The Oriental ballroom really looked stunning!

Of course what I loved most about this wedding were the fun touches like the digital portrait station from Fotobriceno, the donut machine from Smoothie Time that turned out unbelievably delicious donuts, and the Easter candy station (it was the day before Easter, after all). It was so much fun watching the guests discover each surprise throughout the evening. I love creating the WOW factor over and over during an event and this party definitely had lots of those moments.

Aside from the fun details and fabulous design, the bride and groom were so wonderful and clearly head-over-heels in love. And on top of all of that, the families were delightful and the guests were lovely. What more could a wedding planner ask for?

Wedding Photo Station

I have always been a fan of the photo guest book that we used to do back in the days of Polaroids and the recent comeback of the photo booths at weddings. This past weekend at my fabulous wedding at The Mandarin Hotel, though, I did something that was kind of a combination of both and it was a HUGE hit!

Juan Carlos Briceno of Fotobriceno set up a digital portrait station for me where guests could take photos of themselves (alone, as couples or larger groups) by pressing a remote clicker (I'm sure there is a more technical name for it but that's what it looks like to me!) and then he would print them on site and put them in the guest book for guests to sign around. People had so much fun goofing off for the camera and they loved seeing the images a few minutes later in the guest book and writing messages for the bride and groom.

A digital portrait station for a corporate event or holiday party is usually pretty expensive but Juan Carlos gave us a great price, and I have to say that it was one of the biggest hits of the night. The bride and groom ended up with a guestbook that was so much more fun than the usual version, and it turned out to be entertainment for the guests, as well. Check out some of my favorites! The one at the very bottom is actually me and my assistants Christine and Maeve. We had to make sure it was working properly, right?!

The Winner Is . . .

I know I said that we'd announce a winner on Friday but I got caught up in last-minute wedding prep for this weekend plus the rehearsal and a wayward shuttle bus (ah, the glamorous life of a wedding planner!). So here it is, one day late. Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway for a fabulous Julianne Smith garter, and a big thanks to Julianne for offering one of her amazing creations. The winner is ShaMaLa! Congratulations! Be sure to email me (lauraeai@aol.com) with your address so I can make sure to get the garter to you.

I'm off to the fabulous Mandarin Hotel for a wedding. Should be fun!
Laura