Help for Mothers of the Bride (or Groom)!

Truth time. Which is harder to check off your to-do list: finding your dream wedding gown, or finding a dress that's chic, sophisticated, and fabulous for your mom? If you're like most of our brides, mom is harder to outfit than you are!

So grab your mom, future mom-in-law, grandma, aunt – any woman in your life who has vented to you about her frustrating search for a great ensemble to wear to your wedding – and head on over to Hitched for the Modern Trousseau Mother of the Occasion Trunk Show at Hitched on Friday, April 23rd. Designer Callie Tein understands the frustration, and her Mother of the Occasion gowns and separates are anything but cringe-worthy. Instead of frumpy suits, she has fabulous, chic separates and gowns. Instead of gaudy beading, she has elegant and tasteful ruching, embroidery, and lace. Instead of tacky polyester, she has rich 100% silk separates and gowns. And her designs cover the entire spectrum of dress codes, from garden luncheon to black tie affair!

Make an appointment today for this fabulous opportunity to outfit the most important ladies in your life! Please call 202-333-6162, or email appointments@hitchedsalon.com.

Signature Cocktails for Outdoor Weddings

If you're still looking for a fun signature drink for your outdoor spring or summer wedding, look no further. Here are too yummy drink recipes from our favorite mixologist, Natalie Bovis-Nelson of TheLiquidMuse. For more amazing cocktails, be sure to check out her book, The Bubbly Bride. Thanks, as always, to Natalie, for her yummy drinks.

And remember, ladies, you can always rename a cocktail to fit your wedding or your names so your guests enjoy Mary's Mimosa or Robtinis!



Blueberry Lavender Lemonade

1 ounce blueberry vodka
1/2 ounce lemoncello
3/4 ounce Sonoma lavender syrup
3/4 ounce lemon juice
2 ounces prosecco
1 lemon wheel

Shake vodka, lemoncello, lavender syrup and lemon juice with ice. Strain into white wine glass. Add prosecco and stir. Place lemon wheel on edge of glass for garnish.


Fantasy Island Mimosa (perfect for daytime weddings!)

1 lemon wedge
1 package Pop Rocks candy
3/4 ounce pineapple juice
3/4 ounce guava juice
2 ounces champagne
1/2 ounce grenadine

Rub the rim of a champagne flute with a lemon wedge. Pour about two tablespoons of Pop Rocks onto a small, dry plate, Dip glass rim into the candy so that the pieces stick to it. Pour juices and champagne into the flute. Slowly add the grenadine, allowing it to sink to the bottom. If you make and drink it quickly, the candy will still crackle when you bring it to your lips!

Cherry Blossom Inspiration

credits: tablescape (A Delightful Day), bridesmaid dresses (In Style Weddings), centerpieces (In Style Weddings), cakes (Martha Stewart), invitations (Hello Lucky, landscape (Martha Stewart), cupcakes (Martha Stewart), cake slice (Martha Stewart), boutonnieres (Martha Stewart)

Cherry blossom season is one of my very favorite times in D.C., although I'm not crazy about the unbelievable traffic it creates around here. But what is more lovely that those fluffy pink and white blossoms? As you can imagine, we've done many cherry blossom themed weddings with everything from cherry blossom cakes to cherry blossom invitations to cherry blossom branches poking out of the top of hotel welcome bags. Enjoy!

Engaged at The Willard!

If you missed the Engaged Magazine Bridal Event, you missed an amazing evening. We were lucky enough to be at The Willard with the amazing Edge Floral Event Designers, Digital Lightning, Syzygy Events and DC Rental. Check out the photos of the unbelievable decor that this team created for the hotel.

As guests walked down Peacock Alley, they were met with towering black vases filled with hot pink flowers and surrounded by candles. What a statement!



The Crystal Room was a modern fantasy in white with a custom-built clear chuppah and a raised, lit aisle. The candlelight and white flowers softened this fabulously sleek look. I love the clear chairs from DC Rental--so stunning! A harp provided by Sterling Artists helped set the magical mood with soft, ethereal music.





The Willard Room was divided into two different looks by beautiful brown drapes. The first was a fun, edgy pink on pink look with clean lines and bright flowers. Pink is so fabulous with brown and it looked amazing against the dark wood of The Willard Room. The VIPs, courtesy of Andy Kushner Entertainment, played great 80s hits.





The other half of The Willard Room was a more rich, rustic setting alternating wooden farmhouse tables with brown and copper linens, peasant plates with beaded chargers and velvet Renaissance chairs with tufted banquettes. The power band, Sound Connection, (also from Andy Kushner Entertainment) rocked out. What a gorgeous look for a Fall wedding!





The Engaged Event was an amazing creative showcase and Edge, Digital Lightning, Syzygy and DC Rental blew us away with their ideas. Plus, they are all favorites of ours to work with; you couldn't ask for nicer or more fun people! Everyone was amazing to work with and that is exactly what you want for a wedding. We can't recommend this team enough!

Thanks to Steele and Christina and the entire staff at The Willard for the stunning culinary displays and for making the day run so smoothly. You are the BEST! A huge thank you to Doreen at Engaged Magazine and her crew for conceptualizing and pulling off such a phenomenal event.

We had a fabulous time meeting couples and enjoying the other vendors. The wedding gowns being modeled by Rizik's were beautiful. We loved the mini cupcakes from June B Sweet and the champagne girl (wearing a peacock skirt that held glasses of bubbly) from Moet & Chandon. The amazingly gifted cake designer Patty Colette created a breathtaking wedding cake. We were also spoiled by the talented team from Red Door Salon who touched up our makeup and by the guys at Fotobriceno, who treated us to a fun photo session for our long overdue company portrait (more on that later this week)! The lovely Julie from Blue Sky Films was filming all the behind-the-scenes action and we can't wait to see that (we'll be sure to share).

Hope you all enjoy the inspiration!

Princess for a Night

It's that time again … time to start cleaning out those winter clothes to make room for the flirty clothes of Spring. And with Spring comes weddings … and new bridesmaids dresses to fill your closet.

So even though your best friend who got married two years ago went out of her way to pick a dress that you would wear again (you knew it would never happen) … it's time to clean it out and bring it down to the 5th Annual Hitched Dress Drive to benefit Princess for a Night.

Beginning April 1st, and continuing throughout the month, we invite you to stop by Hitched to donate your gently worn (and dry cleaned) bridesmaid dresses (in all sizes!) that will go to students in the D.C. 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! And feel good about you; someone will wear the dress a second time.

Help Hitched reach their goal of collecting over 200 dresses for these girls. Thanks!

Easter Inspiration!

Credits: tablescape (Martha Stewart), bridesmaids and flower girl (J. Crew), egg place card (A Southern Life), linens (Martha Stewart weddings), cake (Martha Stewart Weddings), egg nest menu display (pottery barn), bride (Jessica Clare Photography), tie (The Perfect Palette), candy (the Wedding Vine), Easter Lilies (Martha Stewart), tulip basket (Martha Stewart)

Easter colors are so wonderful for weddings and, although I don't always have a wedding on Easter weekend, I think it can lend itself to some lovely touches. I love using candied eggs in nests for place cards! Last year I had a wonderful wedding over the Easter weekend and we did a candy station but with all Easter candies (peeps in yellow, peeps in pink, jellybeans, chocolate eggs, malted milks that looked like blue robin's eggs, little chocolate bunnies wrapped in foil) and petite baskets for people to fill. It was so pretty and adults loved feeling like kids again as they filled their baskets with childhood favorites.

Enjoy our Easter inspiration and have a wonderful holiday!
Laura

Sultry 1940s Style {Danielle and Nick}

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of planning a fabulous 1940s styled wedding for Danielle and Nick. They loved rich colors, feathers and retro cocktails so we worked to create a wedding that would reflect their fun personalities.




The bride found her gorgeous Monique Lhuiller gown at Carine's Bridal Atelier in Georgetown and paired it with to-die-for Christian Louboutin shoes. Her bridal bouquet featured ivory blooms and brown feathers and was wrapped with a jeweled rosary.

After getting ready at The Mayflower Hotel, the bride arrived for the ceremony at St. Aloysius Catholic Church in a classic white Rolls Royce from Regal Limousine.




After photos on the steps of the church, the bride and groom dashed away to the reception at The Carnegie Institute. This is my new favorite venue for smaller weddings. I love the grand entrance and the gorgeous marble rotunda!



Cocktails were in full swing with 1940s music played by the amazing DJ Kopec, and fun hors d'oeuvres like mini pigs-in-blankets atop shots of beer being passed by Well Dunn Catering.


Guests were welcomed with a note tucked into a vintage typewriter and cards were slipped into an iron birdcage adorned with feathers.


Capital Decor built a custom wooden bar to create a speak-easy vibe for the bar and bartenders from the popular Todd Thresher bar PX who created handcrafted cocktails like a sweet basil martini and their signature grog (don't ask me what's in it but it's good).


The groom changed out of his ceremony tux and into a custom brown suit that fit the reception vibe while the bride changed her hair and jewelry. Don't they look amazing?



Kendall from Kendall's Cakes created the gorgeous cake that was decorated with peacock feathers and sat on a linen created entirely out of peacock feathers!




Carrying the feather theme into the dinner, we tucked peacock feathers into the napkins along with the menu cards that featured a peacock. Even the bride and groom's places were topped with a jeweled peacock frame with a picture of the couple.


Jeff and his talented team from Capital Decor created stunning floral arrangements and tablescapes for the long, rectangular tables we used for dinner. Deep brown velvet linens from DC Rental were topped with crystal table runners, jeweled candles and shaded candleabra dripping with crystals. John Farr Lighting created the amazing sultry lighting for the room.




I loved when the bride and groom entered the dining room and the bride saw her married name for the first time on her place card (all the place cards were done in vintage typewriter print by Sprites Ink)!


After a elegant three course dinner during which The Cherry Blossom String Quartet serenaded the guests, the couple took to the dance floor for their first dance. Then DJ Chris Kopec turned it up a notch and guests took to the dance floor and it was packed the rest of the night.



While guests danced, the catering and decor team (and my fabulous team) broke down all the tables in the dining room and moved lounge furniture in to create a lounge for the cappuccino station and donut machine. I have never seen such a fast room turnover in all my years in events! Guests enjoyed freshly made donuts and coffee before hopping on shuttles from Linder and Associates and heading back to the Mayflower Hotel. What an amazing night!


Thanks to the phenomenal team of vendors that made the wedding possible. Michelle from Carnegie was a dream to work with, Ric from Well Dunn moved mountains to make everything happen, Chris Kopec and his team spun some of the best dance music I've heard in ages, Jeff from Capital Decor went above and beyond to create the breathtaking decor and my own team (Maeve, Alison and Christine) was everywhere at once.

We can't wait to see the video from Stereo Waltz Films--they are always a pleasure to work with! A huge thank you to Fotobriceno for the gorgeous images. And a special thanks to Danielle and Nick for letting us share their special day!

1940s Wedding Sneak Peek

Be sure to check out the post of my recent 1940s inspired wedding tomorrow! Here's a sneak peek of the bride and groom in the sexy bar we created at The Carnegie Institute in D.C. More fun photos tomorrow!

Rain, Rain Go Away!

Well, it's Spring in Washington, D.C. and that means rain. Since today is a rainy day, my thoughts turned naturally to fun ways to stay dry (or shaded from the sun) at our many upcoming weddings. We love Bella Umbrella for their fabulous umbrellas and parasols. There are so many amazing designs to personalize your wedding!



If you are looking for classic white umbrellas, you can also try the options at Think Wedding.



I love the look of umbrellas for photos, as well. Even if the sun is shining! I keep a stash of white and black umbrellas in my car for rain or photo ops. So if it rains on your wedding day (knock on wood), some fabulous umbrellas can save the day!

Last call for the Engaged Bridal Show!

Don't miss all the fun this Sunday at the Engaged in Washington Bridal Event!

The first event of its kind, Engaged! in Washington will be held at FIVE of the city's premiere wedding venues: TheFour Seasons Hotel, The Hay-Adams, The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis Hotel, and The Willard Intercontinental Hotel. From 4pm to 9pm, couples can arrive at any of the above properties and experience each venue as it would look for an actual wedding, meet the people that make fabulous weddings happen, linger and look, ooh and aah, and then take a limo bus to the next venue for more eye candy!

Photographers at each venue will take portraits, wedding planners and florists are designing knock-out spaces to wow guests, bands and DJs will play music, models from area bridal salons will be wearing the latest bridal fashion, hair and make-up artists will work their magic on attendees – first come, first served! Sample the food and drink champagne and don’t worry about parking or transportation....Reston Limousine will shuttle guests all evening to each site, rotating in 30 minute increments!

There will be fabulous goodie bags for the first 300 attendees plus drawings for 7 different honeymoons as well as other fab prizes (like a $500 Cartier gift certificate). Engaging Affairs will be at The Willard (with two Paris honeymoon giveaways and Cartier so come say hi)!

Engaged! in Washington promises to be an experience!