More Fall Wedding Details!

Photo Credit: Love Life Images

With the temperature dropping and more and more leaves falling outside the
Engaging Affairs' office windows, we thought it’d be fun to celebrate the season
by posting some of our all-time favorite autumn wedding details!

Speaking of leaves… a few weeks ago, Laura shared bride Kendall’s
foliage-inspired Save-the-Dates and invitations. Leaves can also be a festive
substitute for flower petals strewn down the aisle, and give floral arrangements
and centerpieces that perfect fall touch!






Photo credits: i.ehow, Martha Stewart Weddings

And of course, nothing says autumn like pumpkins!
Whether you’re getting married in a rustic barn or
elegant ballroom, with a little creativity, these fall
staples can be inserted seamlessly to create a real wow factor.

Photo Credits: Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding, Portland Wedding and Portrait Photography, Love Life Images- Stephen Bobb 

And because everything should end with food, some delicious images of
autumn’s bounty to send you on your way (and if you’re like me, straight to the
refrigerator— I thought I saw a slice of pecan pie in there somewhere...)



We seem to be drawn to silhouettes lately.  These cinnamon
orange molasses silhouette cookies look so yummy!



Caramel cookie coffee warmers--
they even sound cozy!


What could be more Fall than s'mores? 
Love the pre-packaged s'mores favor!

Photo credits: Smores from Little White Book, all other images Martha Stewart Weddings

Happy Fall, everyone!
Alison

Engagement Photos {Amy & Clark}

Clark and I recently met up with a great friend of mine, Ralph Alswang, for our engagement photo shoot. Ralph is an amazing photographer and SO much fun to be on a shoot with! {Little known fact: He was the personal photog for Bill & Hillary during their 8 years in the White House}


We had a wonderful time revisiting our first date spot, Starbuck's on M Street in Georgetown. It brought back some great memories for Clark and I. Not to mention, it was good experience getting in front of the camera. I was surprisingly intimidated!! Engagement shoots can be fun and produce some pretty classic pics but if nothing else, it's a time for you to get comfortable in front of the camera! I cannot imagine if my wedding day was the first time I had had this experience as I am sure I would have been even more timid.



Tips for making the most out of your shoot from Ralph:
1) Make time in your schedule for the shoot depending on when the photog suggests will be the best light. Work and life may be insane but take the time to enjoy your engagement!
2) Start out at a location that sparks favorable memories of your time together. This will help you loosen up and get comfortable. If you want to go to a new location, talk to your photog about traveling there after you have had a few shots taken at a familiar spot.
3) Dress for success! Wear an outfit that is YOU - just like your wedding day, don't venture out of your comfort zone. Your confidence will shine through in your photos.
4) Snacks - not sure about anyone else, but snacks are a crucial piece to remaining in a good frame of mind for me. Hunger = unhappy bride ;)
5) Live it up! Being engaged is a wonderful season of life, enjoy being with one another!

Ralph also put together a fantastic little slide show for us - http://ralswang.myshowit.com/guthridge


For more of Ralph's fabulous photos, check out his website here. To get him on your wedding day dream team, he can be reached at ralph@ralphphoto.com.


xoxo,
Amy Lorraine

Freakin Fabulous Friday: Honeymoon Deals!

My brides have been using (and loving) Teresa Belcher of Honeymoon Islands for well over a decade now. She has planned some amazing honeymoons for my couples to everywhere from the Caribbean to Bora Bora to the Mexican Riveria. I have always loved Teresa's professionalism and attention to detail. I think that your honeymoon is a once-in-a-lifetime trip so it's important to work with someone who knows the romantic resorts and how to get the best deals. And Teresa really knows the honeymoon hot spots (and out-of-the-way spots) and how to get the most bang for your buck.

Even better, Teresa is now a member of the very prestigious organization, Virtuoso, to which less than 1% of all travel agents gain acceptance. Leveraging the combined buying power of Virtuoso, Teresa will now be able to not only offer the most competitive pricing in luxury travel, but also special added-value amenities, at no cost to the traveler. This translates to complimentary room upgrades, airport transfers, special dining experiences, exclusive shore excursions and custom itineraries for you, offered by the world’s best providers of upscale travel. Cool, huh?

Check out these deals from some gorgeous new luxury resorts in Mexico that Teresa is offering to readers of Bridal Bubbly!

Purchase one night, receive one night complimentary at Capella Pedregal - Cabo San Lucas Purchase one night at Capella Pedregal between now and December 18, 2009, and receive every second night complimentary. call Honeymoon Islands 800-937-3104 and ask for this offer. Honeymoon Islands, Inc Offer available for stays up to 14 nights, subject to availability; complimentary night(s) will be applied at checkout. Rates do not include 13% tax or 15% nightly service charge. Service charge equal to 15% of rate on paid night(s) will be applied on complimentary night(s). All rates are quoted in U.S. dollars. Advance Purchase Rate at Capella Pedregal Receive 20% off our Best Available Rates, good from December 19 to March 31, 2010. Must book by November 15, 2009. call Honeymoon Islands 800-937-3104 and ask for this offer. Honeymoon Islands, Inc Book by November 15 for stays from December 19, 2009, to March 31, 2010. Bookings are fully pre-paid at the time of booking and non-refundable. Rates do not include 13% tax and 15% daily service charge. Purchase one night, receive one night complimentary at Capella Ixtapa Purchase one night at Capella Ixtapa between now and December 25, 2009, and receive every second night complimentary. call Honeymoon Islands 800-937-3104 and ask for this offer. Honeymoon Islands, Inc Offer available for stays up to 14 nights, subject to availability; complimentary night(s) will be applied at checkout. Rates do not include 18% tax or 10% nightly service charge. Service charge equal to 10% of rate on paid night(s) will be applied on complimentary night(s). All rates are quoted in U.S. dollars. Advance Purchase Rate at Capella Ixtapa Receive 20% off our Best Available Rates, good from December 26 to March 31, 2010. Must book by November 15, 2009. call Honeymoon Islands 800-937-3104 and ask for this offer. Honeymoon Islands, Inc Book by November 15 for stays from December 26, 2009, to March 31, 2010. Bookings are fully pre-paid at the time of booking and non-refundable. Rates do not include 18% tax and 10% daily service charge.

Black and White Chic {Colleen and Mike}

Colleen and Mike were such a fun couple, and I was so excited to work with them on their wedding! Upon arriving to the St. Regis on the Big Day, the bride, surrounded by her bridesmaids, was all smiles. Giselle of Hair by Giselle was already working on everyone’s hair and Nour was working on their makeup. Colleen's dress was a stunning custom Monique Lhuillier creation from Carine's Bridal Atelier. Carine herself helped the bride into her dress! When it was time to head off to the ceremony, the bride was transported, along with her father, in a vintage Bentley provided by Regal Limo.

The venue they had chosen was the modern 2941 Restaurant located in Falls Church, VA. The restaurant, with floor to ceiling windows overlooks a man-made lake, which would serve as the backdrop for their outdoor vows. Guests were greeted by the two very large koi ponds located at the front of the restaurant as they arrived. The ceremony took place along the lake while waterfalls could be heard running in the background.

A black and white custom runner sets the modern tone.

A gorgeous profusion of all white flowers!


In addition to the beauty of the natural environment, DaVinci’s Florist designed beautiful white arrangements that served as additional décor for the ceremony. After the couple said their “I Do’s”, their guests enjoyed cocktails both outside by the lake and inside at the bar. The couple wanted their guests to be able to capture their own fun memories of this special day so they brought in a photobooth, provided by Booth-O-Rama. After cocktails, guests were invited inside to begin the dinner festivities.

The monogram at the top of the menu cards echoes the aisle runner.

Dinner began with guests being treated to a slide show of the couple, put together by the Maid of Honor, Carine of Carine’s Bridal Atelier. Guests then enjoyed their meals listening to the smooth sounds of the Brandon Combs Trio. The cake, provided by Lara of Fluffy Thoughts, was not only beautiful but super delicious.

The silhouette motif used on the program and the wedding cake. So retro chic!

After dinner, guests were invited into a separate room where a traditional Korean ceremony took place to honor the bride's heritage. After this beautiful ceremony, the guests were ready to party. DJ Nica cranked the music and guests danced through the night. All of these special memories were captured beautifully by Nicole and Brad of Sota Dzine Photography. Thank you for your amazing work!




I want to send a special thank my assistant for the day, Grace, who helped me make sure the evening was seamless and stress-free.

Christine

Sota Dzine: It's Not Your Mother's Bridal Portrait

Nicole and Brad from Sota Dzine sent me the photos of the portrait session they did with Christine's couple from a few weeks ago, Mike and Colleen. I was blown away by the creativity and innovation and had to share the images and the process with our readers. For brides who think a "bridal portrait session" is old-fashioned, think again!

Nicole and Brad are commercial photographers and designers and when they started shooting weddings in 2000, they knew that in order to stay creative, passionate and excited about wedding photography, they had to produce imagery for clients that was not the norm. With portraiture, they knew they could specifically bring an approach every time that was inventive to the couple, their style and relationship.

They get to know the couple over the course of a year: hang out, go to dinner, spend time with them and location scout. This gives them an opportunity for couples to feel connected and comfortable with them, trust them and value where they want to take them with the work.

They conceptualize ideas, scout cool locations and storyboard a concept. They try to rarely shoot at the same location twice, and if they do, they take a completely new approach with concept and lighting.

With Mike and Colleen, it played out this way. A few months before Brad and Nicole met them, Nicole stumbled upon the Chanel 2009 Spring Runway show photos and was blown away. It was white garments on what looked like white origami, paper cut-out background. She thought how cool it would be to do something with a Bride, white on white and three-dimensional looking. Then Nicole and Brad met Colleen and Mike and found out that Colleen used to work for Chanel!

Nicole knew that she would be perfect for the shoot. So after months of organization, finding the perfect spots, tracking down tissue paper flower designers on Etsy, hours of unfolding tissue paper flowers and then figuring out how to get them to stay on the wall, they finally had their idea constructed.

Actually, they set the whole scene up in their Studio the night before the shoot so that the couple could just walk right into it the next day. When they arrived, ALL the flowers had fallen off the wall!!! So Brad and Nicole ordered two pizzas and Colleen and Mike ate and hung out as they frantically stuck everything back on the wall and did the shoot! As you can see, it turned out amazing!

The Mansion photos happened when Nicole discovered an amazing space after hearing a friends band play at the mansion. She was more interested in looking around that night than listening to her friend's music. She went back the next day, rang the doorbell, introduced herself and after two hours of lovely conversation with the owner, the house was hers.


Nicole knew that it would be another great fit for Colleen and Mike, as well. She wanted it to be this soft, beautiful love story, kind of old world, with all available light and a juxtaposition of the clean, stark, editorial shoot with the flowers. The images speak for themselves. Breathtaking!

Thanks so much to Nicole and Brad from Sota Dzine for sharing the images and the process. I hope this inspires everyone to do some really fabulous bridal portraits and check out Sota Dzine.

Laura

Trunk Shows at Hitched!

Check it out, ladies! Some of our favorite gown designers will visit Hitched for the following trunk shows. Call 202-333-6162 or appointments@hitchedsalon.com to schedule an appointment. Judd Waddell Trunk Show Friday, November 13th and Saturday, November 14th Anna-Maier/Ulla Maija Trunk Show Friday, November 20th and Saturday, November 21st Amsale Bridesmaid Trunk Show Saturday, November 28th Oscar de la Renta Trunk Show Friday, December 4th and Saturday, December 5th

Giveaway Winner!

Congratulations to Miss Megan for winning the copy of "Fete: A Wedding Experience!" Miss Megan, send an email to weddings@engagingingaffirs.com with your shipping info and we will zip the book out to you.

Thanks to everyone who entered, and thanks for your nice comments. We will be having frequent giveaways so keep checking back. You can't win if you don't play! And the odds are much better with us than with the lottery! :-)

Stephanie and Ryan: A Video Highlight

Fabulous videographer Tom Bowen shared the highlight video he put together from Stephanie and Ryan's beautiful Labor Day wedding at The Mandarin (you can check out my blog about the wedding by zipping back a few entries). I think the video captures the lovely details of the day and happiness of the bride and groom. Watching Ryan smile as Stephanie enters the room for the ceremony brings tears to my eyes! Enjoy!
Laura