A Spring Wedding at The Fairmont Hotel {Sarah + Jason}

My first wedding of every season always holds a special place in my heart.  This season’s first wedding was no different.  I had the pleasure of spending the first Saturday in May with my bride, Sarah, and her family at the beautiful Fairmont Hotel while they were primped and pampered by makeup artist Leah McKay, and Hairstylist, Diane, of Hair by Diane.  

Once the ladies were done getting ready, they were transported to beautiful 6^th and I Historic synagogue where the bride stepped into her wedding dress and was given a special gift from her grandmother…her grandmother’s wedding band. 



After tears were shed, she and her bridal party were able to relax a little before the groom, Jason, and his groomsmen arrived for the Ketubah signing.  After the Ketubah signing was done, the bride and groom along with their bridal party and families had their formal photos taken by the talented Greg Gibson and his second shooter, Kurstin Roe. 

As guests began filing in, the Sage String Trio began to play music specifically chosen by the bride such as the theme song from Forrest Gump, "All You Need Is Love" and Coldplay's "Clocks", to name a few.  The ceremony was lead by a rabbi very close to the bride and groom, the groom’s brother.   



After the ceremony was concluded, the bride and groom along with their guests were transported back to the Fairmont Hotel for a night of good food, good drinks and good memories in the Courtyard and the lovely Colonnade Room. 



The Colonnade Room was decorated with simple yet beautiful centerpieces by Petal’s Edge who also designed the bride and bridal party’s bouquets.  The bride and groom worked with the amazing Bob Mikolitch at the Fairmont to design a menu that included lobster mac and cheese, mini monte cristos and mini pizzas for cocktail hour and vegetable wellington and free range chicken for dinner.  

Once dinner was done, guests were ready to dance the night away.  With the help of the talented band Prelude, that was accomplished.  At one point, I looked around and not one person was sitting (especially during the 10 minute long hora).  After a late night of dancing, the bride and groom left for an eight day trip to Hawaii.



Thank you to all of the vendors that help make this day possible and also to my wonderful assistant, Lauren.  Congratulations Sarah and Jason!

Christine

My Awesome Outdoor Duo!

Ok, I haven't blogged yet about my amazing Memorial Day weekend couple.  Stay tuned for pictures.  But you can check out Cherie and Trop and their story at a special Washington Post section:

LOVE them!

Sara

To All the Dads Out There

Nothing beats the moment of walking down the aisle on daddy's arm on your wedding day.   There are many years of memories and months of excitement leading up to the final steps towards your new marriage.  All along the way, Dad has been there for you with support, love and well, let's face it - in most cases, the financial backing to make this glorious day possible!  HUGE thank you to all the Dads out there this Father's Day for all you do for us!

A special shout out to MY awesome Dad for being a super great guy and the very best dad any girl could ask for!  Moments like these just don't happen every day!

Happy Planning!

xoxo,

Amy Lorraine

Two Engaging Affairs Weddings Featured in the New Washingtonian Bride & Groom!

We were so thrilled to open up the hot-off-the-presses issue of Washingtonian Bride & Groom magazine and see that two of our real weddings from the past year were featured!

My wedding of Melody Barnes and Marland Buckner from last summer was such a stunning affair (and they were both so lovely) that I loved reliving it by seeing it in the magazine.  And my New Year's Eve wedding of Eliza and Micah seems like it was just yesterday and was such a fun night.  I still have vivid memories of standing on the side of the crowd setting off huge confetti poppers so the air would be filled with color for the "money" shot of the bride and groom kissing. Another fabulous couple that I adored!

Be sure to pick up a copy of the magazine and check out all the gorgeous real weddings and the stunning photo essays.  Since I got excited and hoarded a big stack of them, I'll send a free copy of the new magazine to the first three readers who shoot me an email (laura@engagingaffairs.com) with their mailing address.  Thanks for reading!

 Cover photo courtesy of Washingtonian Bride & Groom and Carlos Andres Varela (and thanks to the ever-fabulous Vanessa for zipping it over to me).

A D.C. Wedding Planner Takes New York

With both my April 2011 bride (Nadya) and her venue (the amazing Gotham Hall) being in NYC, we have limited face-to-face meetings and when we do have those face-to-face meetings, we have to try to get as much done as possible.  Our last meeting was no exception, I spent the earlier part of the morning on a train to NYC with my 2 forms of entertainment for the ride, Martha Stewart Weddings Magazine and Hello Vodka, It’s Me Chelsea (which is perfect light reading for a 3 hour train ride, not to mention, pretty funny). 

Upon arriving at Penn Station, I first began my search for the nearest Starbucks and then walked the 3 blocks to Gotham Hall.  I would have preferred a NY style pizza instead of the coffee but surprisingly  I found that there are no authentic NY style pizza shops or authentic NY delis within 5 blocks of Penn Station…bummer.  

Arriving at Gotham Hall around 12:15pm, I had some time to peek around a bit before my bride arrived.  Wow…is the best way to describe it!  Formerly the Greenwich Savings Bank headquarters and built in 1922, the only thing left over from the bank are the teller walls that are freestanding within the dome shaped main ballroom.  Everywhere you look you can see the characteristics of ancient amphitheatres (the Flavian amphitheatre – the Colosseum – is the prime Roman example).  A dome tops the ceiling and columns flank each wall.  The venue could not be more perfect for Nadya and Jordache’s wedding (more exciting wedding details to come). 

We began our whirlwind vendor meetings with a walk-through of the space by the special events manager, Cindy.  She showed us the mezzanine (where cocktail reception would take place and the where view of the ballroom is amazing) and the main ballroom area (where the ceremony and dinner/dancing would take place).  We then met with the in-house lighting, sound and draping companies where we went through all of the elaborate details of the wedding such as the tree lined aisle, color changes and designs throughout the night in the ballroom area as well as the dome, just to name a few. 

Finally emerging onto the streets of NYC a few hours later, we began our 25 block hike (we started off thinking we would just walk a few blocks but we got caught up in the energy of the city) to SoHo for our first NYC florist appointments.  Halfway through our floral meeting I realized I was losing my bride due to exhaustion so we took a much needed coffee break where we established that the next 1.5 hours we had free were going to be spent walking around town, “gathering ideas for the wedding” and, of course, shopping!  SoHo to Canal Street to Union Square to Broadway…

A few things I thought were interesting on our NYC walk…the notorious club Limelight has turned into a cute boutique market selling everything from chocolates to gourmet cheeses, the street in front of the world famous Macy’s store is now closed to vehicles and lined with tables and chairs where you can sit and people watch. 

Rounding off the day’s meeting with a final floral meeting, we then spent the last 45 minutes of our day trying to track down an authentic Italian hoagie that was requested by my boyfriend back home (thank you, Nadya!).  

50+ blocks walked, 15 hour day (travel time included), 6 vendor meetings and a walk-through later, we had everything we needed to make some much needed wedding planning decisions.  I can’t wait to fill you in on some of the really cool details of this wedding!

Christine

Our Bride Featured in ESSENCE!

 

The wedding I did for Lauren and Malik back on May 8th at the Hotel Monaco has created quite a bit of BUZZ.  First there was the amazing speech I just had to share from the Father of the Bride.  Then, the FABULOUS color pallette inspired a board created by our own Alison.  And I just found out the wedding has been featured on ESSENCE Magazine's web site! 

Go Lauren and Malik!

Sara

Creative Escort Card Displays: Part II

As promised last week, here are some more escort card displays that made us sit up and take notice.

Photo Credit: Martha Stewart Weddings

Speaking of sitting, we love this witty take on the traditional tent card. The alternating colors make the whole display even sharper.

Photo Credit: Martha Stewart Weddings

The sandbox display was everywhere for a while-- even at weddings with nary a body of water in sight-- but these chaise lounges make the whole idea seem fresh and fun. (Although I don't envy the person in charge of setting up the display-- those tiny parasols are hard to keep standing, especially at an outdoor wedding!)

Photo Credit: The Knot

This DIY display is a little complicated, but very cool. A poster of the 1930s Chicago skyline was cut into rectangles with guests' names printed below each section. Beneath the display was an identical, intact poster, which the bride and groom hanged in their house after the wedding.

Photo Credit: Martha Stewart Weddings

We aren't crazy about making guests count hearts to find their tables (not everybody wants to do math at a party), but we do love the artfulness of actual playing cards used in this display.

Photo credit: Fotobriceno

Admittedly, my favorite thing about this display is how low maintenance it is! But it gets extra points for dressing up a simple white board in an ornate frame with beautiful flowers. The mixture of elements really works, and gives off an effortlessly cool vibe. This is a wedding that'd be fun to attend, don't you think?

A Family Tribute with an ECO flair

My May was stocked full of amazing events.  May 15th was no exception.  I met Danielle and Ken in January of 2009.  I loved them at "hello".  Ken is from Philly, so we quickly bonded over the Eagles and Danielle was just so darn cool!  She knew exactly what she wanted and it was so unique and uncharted, that I couldn't wait to jump in.

The venue, 101 Constitution Ave, Rooftop.  The caterer, Charlie Palmer's of course!  The concept, a produce market.  I quickly found out the bride was the product of two supermarket families from the north, Pathmark, which I have fond memories of from my childhood in NJ, and Food Emporium in NY. Danielle wanted everything we used for the wedding to be reused by her guests, and they all literally ate it up!

Given the location, a lot of decor is not necessary.  The Capitol Dome in the background presents the greatest focal point of all.  Together, we created the bright, lushness or a produce market under the tent and on each of the guest tables.  My favorite piece, a flowers and food cart, similar to those seen on NYC street corners or at DC Metro entrances, that greeted guests as they stepped outside the elevators onto the rooftop.  At the end of the evening, brown paper bags were left on guests chairs and by the cart so everyone could take the fresh flowers, fruits, veggies and herbs, they didn't already consume, home with them.

This wedding shouted personality everywhere you turned.  The day started with a triathlon that ended in the popular college game Beirut, or beer pong, at the reception itself.  All players were given shirts with the couple's logo on it and the theme carried through to the glasses and ping pong balls used late Saturday evening.  Another treat, one of the very talented bridesmaids, serenaded the bride like she did back in college with an amazing rendition of "Lean on Me". 

Guests from up and down the east coast and some from the west celebrated until 1am and I'm pretty sure they could have kept going.

Danielle and Ken, thank you so much for making me a part of your big day!

 

Thank you to all the amazing vendors who worked on this event.
Justine Ungaro Photography
Capital Decor Events
Jared Rosen through Bialek's Music
Paul Tewksbury, Guitarist
Charlie Palmer's
Pattie Martin Makeup
Olga Carballo Hair

Sara

Real-Time Wedding Planning {The Venue Search}

I have spent the last several years assisting Amy with weddings for Engaging Affairs. However, this year there is one major difference - I’m engaged! Two months ago, my boyfriend proposed in the beautiful Mayan Riviera, Mexico and we spent the rest of our weeklong vacation enjoying our semi-secret engagement. We called our parents, but waited until we got back to announce the news to everyone. As a wedding assistant, I love seeing the details that each bride has chosen to incorporate into her wedding day, but now I am really paying attention to all of the options and creative ideas. Even more lucky for me, I have the fabulous team at Engaging Affairs to help me in my own journey towards our big day, and I couldn’t be more excited!

Two days after we returned from our sunshine-filled vacation, I sent a few e-mails out to potential venue choices and was a little surprised that over a year out, places were booking up fast! What mattered to me most was that we could get married outdoors, but also have a good back up plan should the weather turn ugly.

With my fiancé and parents in tow, we spent our first Saturday back touring three potential venues. We all immediately fell in love with the first one we saw, the Meadowlark Botanical Gardens. The other two venues we toured did not compare to this one, so after an additional week of searching, we booked it for our wedding! I had stumbled across this venue in web browsing before, but I wasn’t quite sure based on the pictures on the website (they don’t do this place justice!) There is a beautiful outside patio overlooking the gardens where the ceremony will take place followed by cocktail hour. Incorporating the garden setting inside the Atrium, there are eight live trees growing as well as a stream running through the building to connect the inside and outside fountains!

If it should happen to storm on our big day next year, we can pull the whole thing inside.  And between the indoor foliage and glass windows surrounding the building, it would still feel like we were outside! Here are a few pictures of the venue with more to come on my journey to my own big day!

Reneé

Creative Escort Card Displays

In fifteen years planning weddings, we've seen tons of escort card displays. At minimum, they tell guests where to sit at the reception, but the displays can also reveal lots about the personality of the couple getting married. Here are a few escort card displays that have inspired us lately with their originality and style.

Photo Credit: The Knot

Apparently, this quirky display was inspired by the father of the bride's habit of putting his tie around his head at fun weddings. (Alternative explanation: the happy couple meeting at a "My Tie" party in college.)

Photo Credit: Jesse Leak

Adore these vintage library drawers featured on Brooklyn Bride. The handmade escort cards were made to look like min scrapbook pages, sprinkled with photos of the bride and groom. Such a darling idea!

Photo Credit: The Knot

Pop quiz time. Handwritten pebbles in lieu of traditional escort cards are:
 a) totally charming
 b) breathtakingly easy
 c) exquisitely eco-chic
 d) captivatingly cost effective
 e) all of the above

Photo Credit: Martha Stewart Weddings

This wreath is festive and delicate. A lovely option for any season!

And finally, because it's Friday, here's a sweet looking display to send you off into the weekend.

Photo Credit: Tammy Golson featured on Elizabeth Anne Designs

We'll have more unique escort card displays next week, so stay tuned!