A Night at the Museum {Amanda and Mike}

Amanda and Mike truly had a perfect day: gorgeous weather, a breathtaking setting and a great party!

This was a quintessential Washington wedding complete with fun portraits at the monuments, a museum setting and the DC skyline adorning everything from the menu cards to the escort cards.

The romantic ceremony featured a lovely chuppah and a string ensemble from MSE Productions for the blending of the couple's Jewish and Christian heritages.

I love the National Museum of Women in the Arts and Nick Perez of Multiflor ensured that it looked stunning.   Nick's work always blows us away and we especially love when he gets to flex his creative muscles.  John Farr Lighting provided the lighting to give us the perfect ambiance.

Joel from Occasions provided the delicious food including a sumptuous dessert buffet (serious yum!) and flawless service.  Occasions always rocks it!

Kendall's Cakes created a gorgeous and scrumptious cake.  Her carrot cake is so addictive but my favorite flavor may be the lemon curd.  So hard to decide!

Guests packed the dance floor thanks to the fabulous band Round Midnight.

Special thanks to Linda from Linder and Associates for her always amazing transportation, Gustavo Mottola for beautiful makeup and Susie McNair for perfect hair, Fotobriceno for sharing the lovely photos, and my phenomenal staff.

Congratulations Amanda and Mike!

A Home Town Wedding {Cori and Rob}

As the weather turns cold, I've been thinking back about the fantastic spring and summer weddings I have had this year and the beautiful couples each was celebrating.  Today, I bring you Cori and Rob's May wedding.  The couple who lives in New York City came back to get married in the brides home town of Rockville at her family's synagogue.

The fabulous Kim and Giselle were on hand at Cori's parent's home for hair and make up that morning.

I've been so blessed by the weather.  Well, my clients have I should say.  A major concern for all of us was the potential for soggy ground.  But, we lucked out and had an amazing outdoor ceremony.

Cori was classic bride as her parents prepared to walk her down the aisle.

One of my favorites, the Fabulous Fantoms, kept this crowd going all night.

The always fun Greg Gibson was on hand to capture all the fun and laughter.

Catering By Design Cuisine

Flowers by Distinctive Floral Design

Thank you Cori and Rob for making me a part of your big day!

Sara

The Ritz-Carlton Powerscourt {Dublin, Ireland}

A long-overdue and much-needed post about my stay at the amazing Ritz-Carlton Powerscourt Hotel in Dublin, Ireland (well, right outside Dublin, anyway). I was fortunate to be included in the amazing FAM trip arranged by Doreen Tisone of Engaged Magazine to check out wedding venues in Ireland. I was only able to make it for the first half of the trip but I'm so glad the visit to the Ritz was at the beginning because this was one property not to be missed. There is so much to tell about this gorgeous hotel but I'm going to give the run-down for brides looking for a destination wedding (or honeymoon) spot.

First off, the hotel is located outside the city of Dublin on the Powerscourt Estate.  This gives the resort the advantage of having gorgeous grounds and rolling hills in the backdrop, the stunning Powerscourt gardens and estate right up the hill and a charming village right down the road.  But for those who need a city, Dublin (and the Irish Sea) is just a hop, skip and a jump away.

 A quick stop at The Irish Sea on our way to Dublin--stunning views!

It's easy to see why this would be an ideal venue for destination weddings.  A world class Ritz-Carlton resort (with an amazing spa and Gordon Ramsey restaurant) on the grounds of a historic estate so close to an international airport isn't something you run into every day.

 The grounds of Powerscourt

What appealed to me the most (aside from the fabulous massage I got in the spa) was the fact that brides have so much flexibility.  They can have their reception in the secret garden and beautiful ballrooms of the Ritz or they can choose the gardens and smaller ballroom of the Powerscourt Estate.

The Ritz "Secret Garden"--perfect for cocktail receptions

The Ritz ballroom (flowers from Mad Flowers)

The ballroom at Powerscourt historic estate

The old part of the Powerscourt ballroom (love the rustic details!)

Then, of course, there are plenty of activities to keep the bridal party and guests entertained before the wedding like the world-class spa and stunning pool, the famed Ireland golfing, bikes to take along a nature trail and all the fun of nearby Dublin.

The pool (with Swarkovski crystals that reflect off the ceiling)

The guest rooms are breathtaking and stocked with top-of-the-line amenities and wonderful touches like lavender pillow mist and bath salts for the soaking tubs.  Your guests will be well taken care of and thoroughly pampered at the Ritz Powerscourt!

I can personally attest to the quality of the amazing food, as well.  We were lucky enough to dine in all the hotel restaurants plus we did a full tasting with the banquet chef to sample what wedding menus. The food was out of this world (Doreen and I are still talking about how we're going to replicate the Irish soda bread!)

 The Gordon Ramsey restaurant (perfect for rehearsal dinners or brunches!)

I'm planning a trip back with my husband because there is so much that I didn't get to see during my short four days, and I would love more time at the Ritz-Carlton Powerscourt.  I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to bring a bride to this gorgeous property because I know that the amazing staff would make sure that everything was as perfect for her as they did for us.

 The Ritz-Carlton Powerscourt catering and sales team (and general manager) with our DC group

Amazing property, amazing service, amazing details, amazing food. Amazing, amazing, amazing! I can't rave enough. You must see it for yourself!  Enjoy!

Laura

DC Wedding on the Water {Tiana + Ferman}

Back from a long blogging hiatus, I am happy to be showing off some of my favorite weddings from 2010!  Tiana and Ferman were both familiar with Washington DC but chose this fine city as a destination location as they had family coming in from all over.   Tiana and Ferman actually live in Philly and we had a good time planning each time they came into town.  When considering venues, they were really looking for a space with an amazing view while still offering their guests a central location to downtown.

Scott Moon at Sequoia Restaurant was the perfect person for us to visit with and they fell in love with the restaurant for their ceremony and reception location.   Sequoia is located on the Potomac River right in the heart of the Georgetown Waterfront {which is always buzzing during the summer months with tons of people and energy!}  Have fun checking out this great wedding!  

-Amy

PS.  One of my favorite sets of bridesmaids ever!  They were such a riot!!

Vendor Credits:

Venue and Catering - Sequoia Restaurant

Photographer - Allison Britton Photography
Florist and; Rentals - DaVinci's Florist
Hotel - Georgetown Inn
Ceremony Music - Sage Strings
Steel Drummer - Andy Huggins
Reception Entertainment - DJ Max Powers

To Kill A Mockingbird Inspiration Board

I was all set to make an inspiration board based on the Harper Lee classic, when I discovered that one of the designers at Chewing the Cud had already beaten me to it! Check out the invitation suite and real wedding inspired by the book at Style Me Pretty and Oh So Beautiful Paper. Here's a small sample of the loveliness:

Happy Friday, everybody!

War & Peace Inspiration Board

One of Laura's favorite books was the basis for today's inspiration board. Tolstoy fans, enjoy!

Photo credits: couple (Brides.com), shawl (Style Me Pretty), uniform (Greg Gibson), tablescape (Style Me Pretty), bride (Martha Stewart Weddings), Russian palace, cake (Style Me Pretty)