Photography Contest! {Featuring: Garrett Hubbard}

Garrett Hubbard is a wonderful photographer located here in the DC area. He is a TON of fun to work with and all of our clients that we have had together just adore his personality {which is critical to a fantastic wedding day experience!}.

Garrett is hosting an "Engagement Photo Contest" on his blog at this very moment. They are in the final round and voting is closing on Sunday! We just love engagement photos as it's really a first glimpse into the couple's chemistry and how well the wedding day is going to unfold. Not to mention, for the couples it's a great time to get comfortable in front of the camera before the big day!

Here are the details...

The pictures have been shared, agonized over, the votes have been cast and the finalists have been selected. Now it's time to choose the grand prize winner. The contest has been very popular thus far. Garrett would like to thank everyone who has been voting all week and his awesome clients. Without further ado, here are the four finalists you voted on over the past four days.

Vote for your favorite photograph by clicking on the "Comment" text below the photographs on Garrett's blog

or comment on his note on his Facebook page. Cast your vote by Sunday evening at midnight eastern and the couple with the winning photograph will get a $50 Pictage gift certificate they can use toward archival prints, books, albums, or whatever their heart desires. Good luck!

And More Wedding Venues We LOVE!

From large modern spaces to the most elegant of hotels and to the destination wedding in your own backyard, here are a few more of our favorite venues.

The Ronald Reagan Building
The Ronald Reagan Building crawled onto the event scene in the early years of this past decade. It's two highly modern, very unique spaces offer a great canvas to the contemporary couple. Whether you have a group of 170 or 500 celebrating with you, the Pavilion Room or the Atrium respectively are sure to please.
The Fairfax Hotel

This hotel has a rich history in DC from the famed Jockey Club to the antique piano in their lounge. With one of the most elegant and newly refurbished ballrooms in DC, the show stealer is the big reveal from cocktails to reception that no other hotel can boast. My personal favorite, their stunning crystal chandeliers.


Photo by Studio Diana

The Oaks A Country Inn

I do happen to be the company's Eastern Shore specialist. This venue is one I am at yearly. An intimate retreat away from the hustle and bustle of DC is less than two hours drive. Situated with it's ballroom facing the water, the space is intimate enough for 75 and can comfortably host 200. The hook, the prive bridal cottage. No one can say no!



Photo by LaCour

Keswick Hall

A few miles from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville is one of the most pristine resort style venues I have ever had the pleasure of working with. The grounds are breathtaking. The view of the mountains in the distance with the golf course below is sensational and the amenities, deluxe! Take your guests just three hours outside of DC and give them a wedding experience they will not soon forget!





Photo by Greg Gibson

Sara

D.C. Wedding Venues We Love!

Bride on the balcony of The Mandarin. Photo by Isacson Studios.

For all of the brides who just got engaged over the holidays, one of the first decisions to make is when to hold the big event followed closely by where to hold the big day. Although the Washington, D.C. area has tons of venues, we've decided to feature some of our favorites over the next few days.

Keep in mind that the size of your wedding as well as personal taste and budget may eliminate some of these options for you but all are places that we think are fabulous! Also, keep in mind that there are lots of great sites that we may not mention. These are just a few of our faves (and everyone on our team has different ones). When we start working with couples, we use our database of hundreds of sites to find the perfect match. This is just a taste, but enjoy!

The Willard
I love the historic ambiance of the hotel and the grandeur of the lobby and Peacock Alley. The Crystal Room is a stunning setting for a ceremony, the Willard Room is my new favorite spot in the city and the ballroom is beautiful (especially with votives lining the ledge above). The catering staff is wonderful and the suites are to-die-for. The location (right across from the White House) isn't bad, either.

Photo by Fotobriceno

The Mandarin Oriental Hotel
I love the Mandarin for its sleek ballrooms, gorgeous garden (ceremony or cocktails) and amazing catering team. This hotel can handle large weddings but can also do smaller events nicely. It is always fun to work here! Not to mention that it has the best spa in the city. By far.

Photo by Isacson Studios

The Mellon Auditorium
I have done some of my most spectacular weddings here and it takes my breath away every time. You just can't beat the magnificence of the main hall and the enormous columns. The upstairs terrace is the coolest place for an after-dinner lounge with a killer view of the Washington Monument.

Photo by Greg Gibson

The DAR
Another great venue for a smaller wedding (125-150 is perfect) with perhaps the city's best backdrop (the Washington Monument) for a ceremony. The portico is an amazing setting for a ceremony or even just dancing after dinner in the O'Byrne Gallery. Great location and great for photos!

Photo by Babs Evangelista

The Corcoran
After a brief wedding hiatus, The Corcoran is back and we are thrilled! I've done ceremonies on the grand staircase, cocktails on the bridge overlooking the atriums and dinner and dancing below. I love the versatility of the space!

The Hotel Monaco
And last, but certainly not least, is the site of my recent New Year's Eve wedding. The Hotel Monaco in D.C. is perfect for 175 guests, and its ballroom has such personality. I love the mix of historical details and modern whimsy. The hotel's wide hallways and spiral staircase are great for photos plus the catering staff is always wonderful!

Photo by Greg Gibson

More favorites sites tomorrow so stay tuned!
Laura

Hitched Sample Sale Soiree!

Check out another fabulous sample sale at Hitched. This is the time to find an amazing gown for a steal, ladies!

When: Thursday, January 14th, 5-8pm. The event is first-come, first-serve, so no appointment is necessary.

What: A night of trying on a selection of deeply discounted designer bridal gowns (including Oscar de la Renta, Lela Rose, Judd Waddell, Amsale and many more) and accoutrements

Who: You! Feel free to bring the ladies in your life who help you make important decisions and get ready to pick "the one" (gown, that is!). Once you’ve picked it ... It's yours to take home with you that night.

To preview some of the sample sale gowns, visit Hitched online.

Ring in the New Year with a Great Deal on a Wedding Gown!

Carine's New Year Sample Sale
Sunday, January 17th, 2010 at 12pm-3pm

Designer gowns will be priced as low as $999 to $1,899, marked down from original retail prices ranging from $3,000 to $9,000 - a fantastic savings for brides!

"Sample gowns are a great option for brides on a budget or on a short wedding time line," 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 size. Carine's Bridal Atelier offers custom alterations on-site in their Georgetown boutique.

Designers include: Angel Sanchez, Carolina Herrera, Junko Yoshioka, Karl Lagerfeld, Kenneth Pool, Melissa Sweet, Monique Lhuillier, Platinum Collection, Reem Acra, Rivini, Rosa Clara, St. Pucchi, and The Vineyard Collection.

Sale is first come, first serve. No appointments needed. For more information, call (202) 965-4696 or email info@carinesbridal.com

Carine's Bridal Atelier
1726 Wisconsin Ave, 2nd Floor
Washington, District of Columbia 20007
www.carinesbridal.com

A Love Story at The Willard {Kendall + Nick}

Kendall and Nick had a fairytale wedding that was perfect for their storybook romance. This couple actually met when they were in fourth grade and have been together (off and on a wee bit) since then! When Kendall and I first met, she knew exactly the style of wedding she wanted. Romantic, fun and pulling in all the elements she loved about Fall. We're talking autumn leaves and candied apples and rich, warm colors!

The morning of the wedding was gorgeous and (after a week of rain) not a drop in the sky. Kendall got ready at The Willard with fabulous makeup artist Carl Ray and hair stylist Remona while the guys got ready at the groom's family home in Virginia.



The bride's gorgeous dress was by Kenneth Pool (before Project Runway's Austin Scarlett left) and her bridesmaids wore chocolate brown gowns. Even the flower girl had a brown sash to coordinate.


Here is a rare photo of me helping the bride into her gown. I'm pretty good at ducking out of the photos so it's funny for me to see myself at work!




Doesn't she look stunning (and so happy)?!



The guys pose for a shot at the groom's family home before hopping in a limo and heading for the church.

Love the shoes!



All of the floral decor was done by the super talented Capital Decor. Jeff, Kevin, Patrick, and Iris were on deck for this wedding and they did an amazing job! I adore the fiddle head fern popping out of the top of the bride's bouquet!


The adorable flower girl ran the entire way down the aisle at St. John Neumann Catholic Church!


Nick and Kendall enjoy a quite moment after the ceremony before running out and hopping in a stretch Hummer (courtesy of Linder and Associates) while guests blew bubbles!



Meanwhile, we were busy at The Willard getting the ballroom ready with the help of our wonderful catering manager, Christina Canalez-Presock. Capital Decor created amazing tablescapes with runners made of fall leaves, trees covered in orange and brown leaves and even a tree with escort cards hanging from branches. We brought in burgandy linens, gold chivari chairs, gold napkins and amber water goblets from DC Rental to complete the look.


Each table had custom table numbers designed by Saima Says Design, who designed all the paper elements of the wedding from the Save-the-Dates (a leaf tied onto an actual twig) to the invitations to the programs to the menus to the favor stickers.


Each guest also received at their place a bottle of maple syrup in the shape of a leaf. So cute!


Since the bride and groom had such a long history, we decided to create something completely unique for their wedding: the love story of Kendall and Nick in an acordian-style booklet. It told of their courtship in a fairytale format.

Lara Stuckey of Fluffy Thoughts designed the wedding cake covered with fall flowers and leaves made entirely of sugar and the groom's cake made to look like the groom's camera (compete with a photo of Kendall and Nick in the viewscreen on back!).





Guests loved the photo booth from Posh Booth. Even the bride and groom got into the action!

This was one bride who had fun at her wedding. Jeff Hulbert from Bialek's kept the floor packed all night!


Guests left with bags of freshly made donuts compete with monogram stickers (designed by Saima Says Design) and to-go cups of warm cider.


A HUGE thanks to everyone who worked with me on this amazing event and to the wonderful couple and their families. This wedding was a joy to work on from beginning to end!

Thanks to Juan Carlos Briceno and the team from Fotobriceno for the gorgeous photos. You captured all the beautiful details and moments of the day!

Laura

Happy New Year!

Just a quick note to say a HUGE thank you to my team last night for a fabulous New Year's Eve wedding at the Historic 6th and I Synagogue and The Hotel Monaco. The party was amazing! A big shout-out to my wonderful assistants Krista and Erika (and kudos to Erika's quick thinking with some White-Out to cover a a stain on the bride's dress). I'll share photos as soon as I get them but now I'm going to crawl back in bed. Needless to say, it was a late night! I wish everyone an amazing 2010. Happy New Year!

Gustavo Mottola {A Makeup Lesson}

Sorry for the extended absence everyone. I always take a little time off around the holidays since I work through most holidays (Labor Day, Memorial Day, etc.) but now I am back at it!

While I was off, I had the good fortune to see one of my industry colleagues, makeup artist Gustavo Mottola. I've known Gustavo for eons and we've done some pretty phenomenal weddings together. He is such a great guy plus he always makes brides look stunning (and it's fun to see the latest celebrities that he's done--Penelope Cruz, Julia Roberts, Paris Hilton, Katie Holmes)! Recently, he's developed his own line of organic skin care and makeup (Gustavo Cosmetics) so my eco-friendly brides love him even more. No animal testing or harmful chemicals or any yucky stuff!



The reason I got to see Gustavo the day after Christmas was that he was part of my stepdaughter's Christmas present. She's in high school and apparently the trend for 14-year-old girls is to wear as much black eyeliner as possible without actually tipping over from the weight of it. Since I didn't want her to go through life looking like she'd been sucker punched, I called Gustavo and set up a makeup lesson.

He was so great at showing her how to do everything from clean her face to how to put on blush so that it looks natural to how to do her eyes without caking on the liner. She left looking so pretty and with a bag full of new makeup and lots of confidence. I even got a party favor: Gustavo's Vitamin C Lifting Serum. I have been faithfully applying it and I could swear that I look 25 again. For those of you saying that you thought I was 25, I love you the most!

Check out Gustavo if you're looking for great wedding day makeup (and hair--he has a resident stylist) or just a lesson to learn how to do your own. And check out his amazing organic products online!
Laura