Indian and Lebanese Wedding Celebration

I have been working on so many weddings at The Mellon Auditorium (one Memorial Day weekend and one next weekend and a few more in the pipeline for later this year), that it has made me nostalgic for one of my all-time favorite weddings from last year. I loved everything about this wedding and especially loved the clients!

Kavi and Maria's wedding was held the first weekend of August of last year. The wedding blended the groom's Indian heritage with the bride's Lebanese background into a really lovely wedding extravaganza. All the elements of the wedding were customized to embrace both cultures, which made the events so unique and personal. We had Saima from Saima Says Design incorporate elements from both rich backgrounds to create stunning save the dates, invitations, programs, and escort cards. This was the first place guests saw the color palette of deep red, gold, mango and cream that would carry through the entire event.

The three day celebration kicked off with a Ganesh Pooja ceremony on Thursday at The Mayflower Hotel. During this intimate and relaxed ceremony, the bride was presented with elaborate presents (this is a custom I can really get behind). Then the groom's face was covered in red by his sisters and cousins!

The actual marriage ceremony was held on Friday during the day at The Mayflower Hotel. The Mayflower was our hub hotel and Dominic Sanchez and his fabulous team took such good care of everyone. We had teams of stylists from Andre Chreky and George's getting all the ladies ready while makeup artists extraordinaire Carl Ray made the bride look even more stunning.

The mandap was gorgeous and very non-traditional with lots of winding branches and fresh flowers. The bride and groom sat on low white chairs, giving the ceremony setting an even more modern look. Again, we went with variations of the mango, papaya, deep reds and creams in everything from the bride's sari to the wedding garlands. The Hindu priest was a delight to work with and was very conscientious about not making the fire too high and setting off the hotel alarms and sprinklers!

After the ceremony, guests enjoyed a lunch in the Mayflower's Grand Ballroom catered by Ascot Catering. I love Indian food and this food was really fabulous (and, more importantly, the groom's family thought the food was great). We brought in rental china and linens from DC Rental to give the lunch the clean, modern look the client loved.

Saturday was the big day for the reception at The Mellon! We started loading in early that morning in order to get all of the lighting, draping and floral decor set by that evening. As usual, we had Sugarplum put up a tent in the alley for the caterer. Design Cuisine then went to work getting all of the various size tables set up inside and building a temporary kitchen in the tent.

A Vista Events brought in floor to ceiling burgundy taffeta to drape between the towering columns. I love to watch the drapes going up using the cherry pickers--what a production! Frost Lighting provided all of the sultry lighting to set the mood. The custom gobo projected on the stage alcove was the same motif that we used on the save-the-dates, invitations and programs that Saima had designed. The amazing team from Capital Decor (Jeff, Kelly, Patrick, Iris, and so many more) created gorgeous flowers that used the clients' rich color palette of mango, papaya and rich reds with splashes of vibrant green and whites for contrast. We set off the intense colors with copper, gold and chocolate brown linens. Again the look was modern and fun!

When guests arrived, they enjoyed cocktails in the back Green Rooms for an hour before moving into the main hall. It was such fun to watch people's mouths drop open when they walked in the room. It did look stunning! The WOW factor continued when the bride and groom entered with an Arabic Zafe' band while all the guests danced and cheered.

Dinner kicked off with a golden gazpacho amuse bouche on each guests' plate and then the international stations throughout the room opened. In order to honor their heritages and appeal to their cosmopolitan tastes, the bride and groom offered a Lebanese station, an Indian station, an Asian station, a British station and a sushi bar. Since it was important that the cuisines be authentic, the Lebanese food came from their favorite restaurant, Indian chefs and sushi chefs made food on-site, and the Arabic sweets were flown in. Design Cuisine did an amazing job pulling it all together and impressing everyone with phenomenal food. Kendall of Kendall's Cakes provided a delicious and beautiful cake that the bride and groom cut with a ceremonial sword. I looked quite daunting carrying a sword down Constitution Avenue into the Mellon, by the way!

The bride and groom were surprised by a song from the groom's sister (we all worked hard to keep the secret from the groom for months!) and a serious of lovely toasts. I don't know when I have heard such eloquent toasting (and the most amazing perhaps from the groom's 14-year-old twin cousins). Both families were just so lovely to work with and get to know. The groom's brother, Kush, was an outstanding Best Man and became our go-to guy for the weekend. If we ever needed a question answered (or a check written), Kush was our man. Of course, it was hard to resist his many attempts to find out where Kavi and Maria were staying on their wedding night but we managed to keep the secret.

The crowd danced the night away with music from Jeff Hulbert from Bialek's Music while some also enjoyed the upstairs cigar lounge that overlooked Constitution Avenue. Capital Decor provided the sleek white lounge furniture for the outdoor jazz lounge and Tom Bowen provided a huge flat screen where guests could watch the dance floor action below.

The bride and groom didn't leave until almost 2 am but when they did, they made their getaway in a silver Rolls Royce Phantom (which we had driven down from New York City for the day). Truly stylish!

I love thinking back to this wedding because it was an amazing series of days with an amazing couple and fabulous families. Great memories! Thanks to Robert Isacson for the gorgeous photos!

Laura

Outdoor Wedding at The Mandarin Hotel

I must admit, I have been pretty fortunate, scratch that, my brides have been pretty fortunate, in that the weather for their weddings, has for the most part, but perfect when it needed to be. There was the wedding last Sept. during the absolute monsoon where streets in DC were flooded and alas, 20 minutes before the bride left her hotel for the event site, the skies cleared and the group took pictures at the monuments. There was also the wedding last October where the rain held out just long enough for the bride to walk from her hotel to the ceremony site. And of course, the 81 degree weather for my tented wedding at a private residence last November 1st is not one to forget.

Two weeks ago, I was almost foiled at the Mandarin Oriental. All Nicole wanted was to get married outside in the garden. Weather reports called for rain and when I spoke to Nicole that morning about bringing her guests inside, she almost said YES! Now, if had let her do that, I wouldn't have been doing my job of making her dreams a reality.


The ceremony was slated for 5:30 and at 5:00 the dark clouds began to roll in. "why didn't I do the ceremony at 5:00?" is what I know she was thinking. I was praying for just 45 more minutes as the guests shuttles began to arrive. The always fabulous Michael Deltette of the Mandarin looked at me like, "You're really going to make this happen?" If I told you we started the ceremony at 5:29 I don't think I was lying. Once everyone was in their seat I wasted no time. The sky had become dark, but awesome for pictures, and the guests were getting nervous. About 15 minutes later, the couple was saying "I do" with lightning flashing behind them. It was quite appropriate that the last passage that was read began with "Now you will feel no rain". Five minutes after the guests were safe inside, the skies opened and the rain came pouring down.


Special thanks to all of you who had faith in my ability to control the weather and to my fabulous bride and groom, Nicole and Nick, for being so adventurous!


Here is a list of the wonderful people who contributed to this wedding:
Venue/Food: Mandarin Oriental, Michael Deltette
Photography: Fotobriceno, Juan Carlos Briceno
Flowers: Exquisite Design Studio, Jennifer Dolan
Entertainment: Dan Haas Band
Dress: Ulla Maija from Hitched
Hair: Susie Rucksthul
Make up: Pattie Martin
Cake: Creative Cakes
Sara

Wedding at The Washington Club

Lauren & George had the most amazing smiles on their faces during their May 16th ceremony at St. Matthew's Cathedral. The story of how they met will make your heart melt and you can see their love overflowing for one another in these amazing photos. The photographer, Melissa Schwartz, is one of Lauren's oldest childhood friend and a world traveling photojournalist.

http://www.organicphotographs.com/lauren&george/

Occasions Catering did a fabulous job with the incredible selection of food stations - everything from Asian to Southern style elements. Syzygy Event Design and John Farr Lighting transformed the Auditorium space at the Washington Club in DuPont Circle. Creative John Duffy with Yellow Door Florist, created a stellar MayPole for the entrance way - Photos of this coming soon!

Check back soon for more shots of this wedding!
Wishing Lauren & George all the best!

xoxo,
Amy Lorraine

Greek Wedding in DC

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of working with Laura and Mike on their fabulous, fun Greek wedding. The ceremony took place at Saints Constantine and Helen Greek Orthodox Church and the reception was at the always amazing Willard Hotel. I don't have all the pictures of this wedding yet but here are a couple stunning black and whites of the very happy newlyweds. Photos courtesy of Joyce Boghosian.

More photos and details to come about the ceremony, the rain, the Greek money dance and why drunk people shouldn't play with sparklers!

Laura

Reagan Building Weddings

Last weekend (May 9th) I returned again to a venue I seem to have on speed dial. I worked my very first full wedding there years ago, before it was the main attraction it is today. My wonderful couple, Liz and Christian, were torn between Hershey, PA, the bride's hometown, and the bustling DC area where they both now live and work. I, clearly, was pushing for Hershey. A chance to be surrounded by all that wonderful chocolate? You bet! But alas, this is not my wedding just yet.

So, they fell in love with the modern space of the Ronald Reagan Building Pavilion Room. It allowed for all the ammenities the couple was looking for, a modern space with a sizable children's room and a location for cocktails outside.

Liz, her mom and sisters got ready at the Willard Hotel and the couple said "I do" at Holy Rosary Church on 3rd Street. Following the ceremony, the couple drove around town for pictures in a gold 1952 Bently with the wedding party following in toe in a party bus. The group arrived in Woodrow Wilson Plaza to join their guests for cocktails outside as the pending rain stayed away.

The party then moved to the Pavilion Room where the look was classic and elegant and guests danced the night away to Mixed Company. John Duffy of Yellow Door Floral created stunning centerpices that helped make the high ceilings feel a little bit more intimate. Stephen Bobb of Love Life Images captured the prefect day for our couple and for your viewing pleasure!

Sara

The Rush Hour "Zoo"

Almost two weeks ago I was lucky to take part in the cultural traditions of a set of my clients that literally stopped traffic. You may have seen on the news or read in DCist. You may have even been one of the onlookers lining Connecticut Ave. and DeSale Street at Rush hour. Neil and Shilpi, a lovey couple I have been working with since the fall, began to wrap up their week of celebrations with the ceremony uniting them in marriage at the Mayflower Hotel on Friday May 1st.

The celebration began with the grooms family and friends parading down the street at 5pm on Friday afternoon, singing and dancing while the groom follows on elephant, or horseback when an elephant is not available. We of course, had both. (Hence the actual "zoo" at rush hour) For us, this celebration lasted about an hour, as we were lucky the rain decided to hold off a bit. At the end of the parade, the groom is received by the bride's mother and is then escorted into the mandap, the four poled canopy the ceremony takes place under. For this event, Neil was received and welcomed by Shilpi's mother and then he and the guests went into a cocktail hour before the ceremony. A dinner and celebration followed the ceremony at the Mayflower Hotel on Friday evening.
The festivities didn't stop there as the couple who had been together since they were 14 danced the night away on Saturday at their main reception held at the National Building Museum. Guests enjoyed 2 hours worth of cocktails American style to mix and mingle with friends and family. They then proceeded into an authentic Indian dinner buffet and dancing for the rest of the evening. The setting was stunning and just what the bride and groom wanted. The black, white and red lounge the couple had in mind for the cocktail turned dessert space was a nod o the bride's love of everything Hollywood and glamorous. The red carried into the more traditional dinner and dance setting mixing with tones of purple and white.



Special thanks to all the wonderful vendors I worked with to pull this enormous event together. The families were thrilled with the end results and the bride and groom were over the moon!


Venue: National Building Museum, Chris Frame
Caterers: Occasions Caterers, Joel Wolke
Ascot Caterers, Ajay
Photography: C.B. Art Corner, Purvak
Fotobriceno, JC
Lighting: Digital Lightning, Alysha and Vince DiGiorgio
Decor: Syzygy Events, Julie Shanklin
Entertainment- Extra Hot DJs, Bobby

Sara

Spring Wedding at Woodend

If you can think back to April 19th, just a few weeks ago, the day was absolutely wonderful! I opened up my 2009 Spring season with Dena & David at Woodend Audubon Sanctuary in Chevy Chase, MD. The ceremony took place in the grove and we were so fortunate as the rain held off until the cocktail hour started indoors - it couldn't have been more perfect timing!

Ralph Alswang did a fabulous job with the photographs and has put together a slide show of the day (link below). Occasions Catering was marvelous to work with and New Monopoly from Bialek's Music hit the ground running with the Hora right off the bat! Petal's Edge Florist did a lovely job with the Chuppah and was even able to match the tree blossoms to the wedding colors - magical! John Farr Lighting was also on-site to enhance the dinner location.

Check out the slide show here!!

http://ralswang.myshowit.com/amy

It was a wonderful wedding all the way through and I couldn't have had a better team of vendors to pull it all off.

PS. Dena & David were also in the NY Times Engagement Section - how exciting! http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/19/fashion/weddings/19RINGOLD.html

Until next time!

xoxo,

Amy Lorraine

Nikki Beach Resort in Turks and Caicos

We've been lucky enough to do some gorgeous destination weddings over the years, and we especially love destination weddings on the water. Caribbean water, if possible! So we just had to pass along the news about the Nikki Beach Resort in Turks and Caicos (and a great deal, as well).

Recently rated #2 on the Travel Channel’s 21 Hottest Caribbean Escapes, Nikki Beach Resort is part of the Worldwide Nikki Beach Luxury brand famous for it’s European style entertainment and beach clubs. The first of many resorts to come, Nikki Beach Resort in Turks & Caicos is a 423-acre gated property including a private beach, infinity pool, serenity area, beach club, and restaurant.

An exclusive and intimate resort experience offering 48 luxury suites with sleek, modern residential décor, all boast an ocean view address. World class amenities include VIP Limo airport transfers, a Personal Assistant for each guest (now you're talking!), a pre-ordered “home-style” wet-bar including gourmet meats, cheeses and snacks (how cool is that?), Signature Nikki Bedding, and a Pillow Menu (so luxurious that even the pillow gets a menu) for ultimate comfort. A first class restaurant, Café Nikki embodies Old World Global cuisine with a Caribbean twist. Plus it boasts the world’s first-ever ecologically friendly mega-yacht marina. You know how we love that!

This resort seems practically built with weddings in mind and offers several ideal locations for wedding events. Whether you choose the a private beach, the wedding gazebo located down a long bamboo walkway right over the ocean or the 5th floor, 1,500 sq.ft. open air terrace with a magnificent 3 sided view, your event will be spectacular.

Right now they are running an exclusive special of Pay for 3 nights, and Get 1 free with the promotional code ADDNIKKI. (Offer expires October 31, 2009.) So even if you aren't planning a destination wedding, you can take advantage of a good bargain and have a few days away from it all.

Doesn't this place look amazing? I can feel the tension melting away just looking at the stunning photos. I think maybe we need to take a company trip down to Nikki Beach Turks and Caicos so we can be ready when a bride wants to host her wedding here! All in the name of work, of course. Shall we pack our bags, ladies?

Punk Rock Bride!

I love supporting new businesses. Especially local ones run by two women as fun as Meredith and Stephanie of Punk Rock Bride. Punk Rock Bride is a boutique wedding dress business that features dresses for a bride who might want something less traditional and fussy than your average dress, while still maintaining a high level of design and detail.

My assistant, Maeve, and I had such a fun time on Friday hanging out with Meredith and Stephanie in their Georgetown showroom and checking out the fabulous dresses from the two Punk Rock Bride wedding dress collections. What I really love about the dresses that designer Stephanie has debuted is that none of them are overwhelming or over-the-top. No giant cream puffs here, ladies! But they all have really unique details and elements like pleating or a drop shoulder or an inset flounce. I love the two-peice gowns they offer, as well. How cool is it to wear a tank top to your wedding?

Maeve loved a vintage-style dresses with gorgeous lace and a dropped waist while I was a smitten kitten when I saw the simple silk gown with piles of ruffles falling from the side. The fabrics on all of the dresses are really stunning, from a cotton silk blend to a textured silk. If you're in the market for something a bit different or you're having a destination wedding on the water somewhere, you should check out Punk Rock Bride. Some of their flowing, drapey gowns are perfect for a beach wedding!

Another favorite aspect of the design house is that the dresses are all custom-made within about 100 miles of D.C. and the fabrics come from the U.S. so they are more eco-friendly than most dresses that are manufactured overseas (no huge carbon imprint from shipping fabric and dresses all over the world). We all know that local is better, right? Punk Rock Bride is a great option for all of my brides doing "100 mile weddings" where we source nothing from more than 100 miles away.

So for all you cutting-edge "unbrides" out there (or even brides who just hate the idea of the dress walking them down the aisle), check out the amazing creations from Punk Rock Bride. Happy dress shopping!

Laura