Fall Wedding Details: Leaf Save-the-Dates and Invitations

From the first time we met, Kendall told me how much she loved Fall and wanted to really bring that element into her wedding. She also told me that invitations were very important to her and she wanted something completely unique and creative. Enter Saima Says Design.

Saima has created some gorgeous invitations for my clients, and I knew she would be the perfect creative mind to bring to Kendall and Nick's wedding. After meeting with Kendall and hearing Kendall's vision, Saima went to work to create a coordinating suite of paper products for the wedding that would include the Save-the-Date, invitation, program, menu card and even favor stickers. Fall leaves and deep fall tones of burgundy and gold would be the uniting elements.

The Save-the-Date is often the first element that guests see and when guests got Kendall and Nick's boxed Save-the-Date, they were blown away. Each box contained an elegant brown paper leaf tied to a real twig with rope. The card contained the basic wedding information (names, date, location) on one side and hotel accommodations on the other. This creative announcement let guests know that this wedding was going to be special.

The drama continued with the invitation. This time packaged in a chocolate brown box, the elegant wedding invitations were tied with a rich brown satin ribbon and presented on burgundy silk boards with the reception and response cards tucked into a pocket on the other side of the board. The silk boards sat in the boxes on a bed of colorful autumn leaves. Talk about glamour and WOW!

Even though the wedding isn't for another few weeks, guests are so excited about this event because the Save-the-Date and invitation have let them know that it will be an amazing and unique event. Stay tuned to hear about more fun Fall wedding ideas from Kendall and Nick's wedding! Special thanks to Fotobriceno for the lovely product photography.

Laura

Creating Fabulous Welcome Bags (or Boxes)

One of the things we love to do at Engaging Affairs is to personalize weddings. And of my my favorite ways to do this is with the welcome bags that out-of-town guests receive at their hotels.

Because we are in D.C. and so many of our couples have guests coming from all over the world, I think the bags are an important way to start the celebration and make guests feel welcome. I use the word "bags" generally because we like to use boxes, baskets, tins or any other fun container that fits the bill. Just keep in mind that guests will rarely be able to take the container with them (unless they have a huge suitcase) so don't put all your resources towards that part. We have used crab baskets for Eastern Shore weddings, DC skyline bags for city weddings, hatboxes for very swanky affairs and metal boxes for modern weddings. Now we try to choose containers that are recycled or recyclable like boxes made of 100% recycled paper or bags made out of recycled plastic bottles.

I don't think welcome bags need to be elaborate. It's better to include a few really unique, personal items than have a bag jammed full of random items. Also, remember that your guests will only be in town over the weekend so filling a bag full of enough snack food to last them through the end of the year will be a waste.

Here are what I consider to be the welcome bag essentials:

An itinerary. It's helpful to include a list of the events with the dates, times and street addresses, especially if you have numerous activities over the wedding weekend. Include pick-up information if you are providing transportation so guests know when and where to catch the buses. If you have different events for wedding party or immediate family, consider two versions of the itinerary. Of course, then you will need to put names on each bag so that guests will get the proper schedule!

Map or city guidebook. DC puts out a great guidebook called The American Experience that includes a map as well as tourist attractions and restaurant listings. Pocket metro maps of DC are also helpful if guests will be staying downtown.

Something personal or related to the city. We like to do colorful decorated cookies from Bundles of Cookies of The White House or Capitol. Guests love them and they are yummy! Just last week, we did bags of personalized cookies of the bride, groom, the family dog and a Kansas Jayhawk from Parker's Crazy Cookies. The cookies looked just like the people (or animals) and guests got such a kick out of them!

For a Fall-themed wedding, we did caramel apples wrapped in cellophane. For a bride whose wedding color was lavender, we did bags of dried lavender and lavender-scented soaps. A very political couple did bags of red, white and blue Jellybellys. An Eastern Shore couple included a stuffed crab (a toy, not a real crab--yuck!) and a tin of Old Bay so their guests could take home the flavor of the region.

After that, you can do as much or as little as you want. But don't feel like you need to do what is expected or what you've seen a dozen times before. Instead of bottles of water, get customized reusable stainless steel water bottles. Cuter and better for the environment. Or skip the water and include a $5 Starbucks card. Or a can of Sophia sparkling wine with a pink straw attached.

Buy favorite candies or snacks in bulk and repackage them in metal tins. Favorites goodies include: nuts, dried fruits, M&Ms in your wedding colors, jellybeans in your favorite flavors, or candies like Sourpatch Kids or Runts. Godiva or Toblerone candy bars are also nice options to satisfy a sweet tooth.

Of course, food isn't the only option. We have done bags themed entirely around bath products with soaps, bath bombs and loofahs in the bride's colors. A cherry blossom scented bath gel is always a fun addition to a DC welcome bag.

Try to avoid things that require a lot of effort to enjoy. Bottles of wine can be nice but guests will need to get a corkscrew from the hotel before they can enjoy it (unless you include a customized corkscrew in the bag). The same goes for food that requires a knife (like small wheels of cheese). Keep things simple and easy.

The key to creating great welcome bags is to set a budget and then get creative. Guests will appreciate the thought you put into a bag that has a connection to you or the city you've chosen to be married in. Then tie it all together with custom labels, tissue paper, a cute tag and ribbon for a look that will make your guests feel like the VIPs they are.



Have fun!

Laura

An Opulant Affair at the Omni Shoreham

It is such a pleasure to be asked back to assist with a sibling's wedding. About half way into the planning, Aisha Parker, sister of my former bride Shani Parker, realized how overwhelming planning her wedding could be on her own. Fabulous Aunt Rita was still in the picture but helping Aisha plan from the west coast didn't allow for all the hands-on planning necessary. So, lucky me, I got the call once again to work with this wonderful family.


Aisha and Alex have such a great story. While planning her sister's wedding two years earlier, Aisha was challenged to find a man and coaxed into joining match.com. At the same time, Alex was getting ready to end his subscription to the service. Just the day before, he saw Aisha appear and he quickly sent her an e mail. He was about to sign off, so he sent her his email address so they could continue talking. A few months later, she agreed to meet him and the rest was history! And, my favorite part, he proposed in her favorite place, Disney World, in front of Cinderella's Castle. Now that is a Prince Charming!




It's so important that not only each bride has a day fit for her own style, but certainly sisters have days that are different from each other. Aisha and Alex chose the beautiful, historic Omni Shoreham Hotel for it's lush garden space in DC. With an August wedding pending, I was keeping my fingers crossed for good weather.

It could have been worse! The bride stunned in Ulla Maija purchased at Hitched Bridal Salon. The day was humid, but the bride, groom and their guests endured the heat and thankfully were given a bit of shade for the outdoor ceremony. The temperature cooled a bit by cocktail hour as guests mingled around the patio and backyard grounds of the hotel.


As I always do, I brought the bride and groom into the ballroom before the rest of the guests and the tears came rolling. We had transformed the Empire Ballroom into an Old World Hollywood space, complete with VIP bar area, built-in staircase and custom bar with hanging chandeliers. The colors were warm and romantic and the flowers were more lush than an overflowing flower market. It was a scene right out of a movie that could have only been created by the fantastic team at Capital Decor and Events. Thank you to Jeffrey, Kelly, Patrick and their fabulous staff.


Guests were entertained by DJ Aaron Couch from Bialek's Music and the day was captured by Julie at Blue Sky Films and Michael Bonfigli Photography. We also cannot leave out Digital Lightning for helping to create the mood in our reception.



Sara

Rustic Wedding Charm on a Horse Farm {Kristina and Mark}

Sometimes with weddings it truly is about the location, location, location. This was true with the beautiful wedding of Kristina and Mark last weekend on Kristina's family home and horse farm in Potomac. The gorgeous rolling hills set the stage for the event and the home's tree-lined drive and white fence were even featured on everything from the Save-the-Dates to the menus to the itineraries.

From the start, the bride wanted a wedding that wasn't like every other wedding she'd attended. She wanted hers to be fun and very personal and full of great details. We decided to play with the space we had and really take advantage of the gorgeous pasture behind the house. After the ceremony at St. Bartholmew's Catholic Church in Bethesda, guests enjoyed a cocktail party that featured croquet, boccie ball and a live painter. Ladies could shed their heels and slip into brightly colored flip-flops for the lawn party, and everyone loved trying out the old-fashioned photo booth from PoshBooth. Susan Gage Caterers provided delicious hors d'oeuvres including favorites like mini heart-shaped grilled cheese, petite burgers and fire shrimp while listening to beautiful harp music from MSE Productions.

Local painter Patricia Rice captures the beautiful wedding landscape as guests look on. After the wedding, the bride and groom have a work of art to remind them of their wedding day!

After finding their names on the giant chalkboard propped against a tree (custom-made by an artisan I found on Etsy), guests moved into the dinner tent where Ociana had created beautiful floral arrangements in warm autumn colors to go with the dusty peach linens, brown hemstiched linen napkins and woven rattan chargers. Guests feasted on yellow tomato gazpacho, filet mignon, corn pudding, and three different flavors of wedding cake.

The bride's dog, Carmel, joined the wedding and sat calmly by the Mother of the Bride during dinner!

After dinner, the amazing band, Simply Irresistible, took the stage and blew everyone away. I work with a lot of bands and these guys from Atlanta were phenomenal. Not only were they talented and high-energy, they were so nice and easy to work with. French tennis star and singer Yannick Noah (the bride comes from a big tennis family, to say the least) took the stage to serenade the bride and groom and had everyone dancing and singing.

When the band finished, the party didn't stop. Guests enjoyed hot donuts from Talk of the Town that were made on-site then moved to the after-party around the pool where DJ Andres spun dance music until the wee hours of the morning. This was one fun party!

Laura

Getting Hitched! {Amy & Clark}

With only 5 months to go until our wedding, I had to get the search started pronto for the perfect gown to wear down the aisle! To be honest, I didn't have a favorite designer, I was skeptical about the neckline and skirt type I would prefer {to do a ballgown or not? who knew!}, and I just really had not a clue about which fabric I would feel most glamorous in. All I knew is that I wanted to have fun doing it!

We set out on a bright sunny day in late September, just a week into my engagement, to find "THE Gown." With my dear mum and maid of honor, Stephanie, in tow, we were off on our way with several appointments set up at several different bridal salons in the Greater DC area. I had to have 'the full experience' I thought to myself as I set up appointments back to back...



30 + gowns later and an entire day full of silk, lace, buttons, zippers, taffeta and appliqued flowers, we had become pros at getting in and out of these fabulously couture pieces of artwork! It did become clear to me as the day went on that I am definitely a "romantic" type of bride.

We have always had a very close relationship with Hitched Bridal Salon in Georgetown and send clients to them constantly knowing they will be taken care of. But I have to say, I had the best experience with them searching for my own gown! They are a team full of fabulous women and they will certainly make sure you find the gown that best suits your style. Leigh Ann knew right away the gown that would work for me... first one I tried one that day... and it's the one I ordered! Now, how is that for understanding their clients hopes and dreams?!


Must Haves when searching for a gown:
1) Make appointments - showing up unannounced can mean that you won't have one-on-one time with a consultant and may not be able to try on gowns.
2) Wear an outfit that easy to get in and out of. And not to mention, do your hair & make up - it will make you feel better when you slip into couture if you bring the best of yourself. Definitely wear a strapless bra as well, unless you are looking to be fully exposed in front of people you don't know!
3) Bring snacks & bottled water if you have back-to-back appointments - it's easy to get grumpy with your mum & maid of honor if you are hungry and drained. Not that I am speaking from experience...
4) Ask before taking photos as many of the salons have policy against this.


My favorite designer of all turned out to be Ulla-Maija, like many of our brides. Check out their collections at Hitched and online. The one I fell head over my Manolos for... well, you will just have to wait for Wedding Day to find out!

xoxo,
Amy Lorraine

How to Survive Planning an At-Home Wedding

Having just come off two back-to-back weddings at clients' homes (one where it poured buckets and one with perfect weather), the complexities and challenges of at-home weddings are fresh in my mind so I thought I'd share some tips on how to survive. Weddings at your home will always take more planning, more work and, almost always, more money. If you imagined that an at-home wedding would be a way to save money and stress, think again. Unless you are talking a dozen people in your living room with cake and punch, weddings at private homes are usually very involved affairs (at least the ones we do).

First, you need to make sure you have enough space for the kind of party you want either inside your home or in a tent outside. And make sure a tenting professional takes a look at your space to make sure that a tent will fit and that they can get to the area you want to tent. I have had clients have to rip up trees to get tents into their backyards!

Think of how your guests will get to the tent. I have also had clients have to build brick stairs so that guests could get to the tent without killing themselves on sloping ground. If ladies will be standing on grass, consider provding a basket of flip-flops so they don't spend the whole event sinking into the ground.

Lighting. Remember that it may be dark when your guests leave (or arrive) so consider landscape lighting. You don't want guests tripping trying to find the way out! With that in mind, make sure your homeowner's insurance will cover you for any accidents at the event. If in doubt, consider additional event insurance. Check out Wedsafe for reasonable policies.

Power. Don't rely on power from your house. By the time you get a band, industrial coffeepots and lighting plugged in, you could easily blow a fuse. You will most likely need a generator. Just be sure to ask fora whisper generator so the noise doesn's steal the show!

Think of parking! If guests will be parking in your neighborhood, make sure to let your neighbors know ahead of time. If you have a field guests can use, it is still smart to hire valet so ladies aren't trudging through grass in heels and long dresses. You may need permits to park on public streets, as well, so be sure to know the rules.

Think of the weather. If it will be hot, that may mean bugs. Have your lawn sprayed before the wedding to eliminate most of the pests. Also, spray table and chair legs with bug spray to prevent ants from crawling up. Have packets of insect repellent wipes on hand (next to the programs as people arrive for the ceremony, on the bars and in the bathrooms) in case guests start to get bitten.

Hot weather also means making sure you have fans in the tent, plenty of water passed to guests and even paper fans or parasols if guests have to sit in the heat for any length of time. If there is chance of cold, however, consider heaters, sides on the tent and a supply of pashminas for ladies in strapless dresses.

Have a good rain plan. Make sure guests can get to your tent without getting wet and make sure the tent is guttered well so rain doesn't drip in through seams all night long. Have plenty of golf umbrellas on hand if it looks at all like rain. You can't stop rain, but you can make it more bearable.

If your wedding will be at your home, you will need to think seriously about bathrooms. Do you have enough? If not, should you bring in restroom trailors? Even if you decide not to do additional restrooms, you should have one staff person dedicated to keeping the restrooms in your home clean: emptying the wastebaskets, wiping down the sink and restocking with guest towels, toilet paper, and fresh soap. Consider an amenity basket for each restroom full of practical items guests might need (bobby pins, mints, safety pins, combs, etc.). A very practical reminder for those with septic tanks: get it emptied before the wedding or you may have an unpleasant surprise on the wedding day.

Security. Don't keep any valuable out or unlocked. Avoid having guests or staff in your personal rooms but always put any valuables away regardless. If you really want to discourage wandering, ribbon off areas where you don't want people to venture.

People always forget to factor in the cost of additional landscaping and redocorating that they inevitably do to prepare for the wedding day. I've had clients remodel bathrooms, build decks and recarpet entire floors in anticipation of two hundred wedding guests. Also, remember that you will need someone (hopefully not you) to clean the house both before and after the wedding.

It is very possible that your house and/or lawn will be the worse for wear after the wedding is over so be sure to consider the fact that you may have to reseed a lawn that guests have parked on or replant a flowerbed that may have gotten trampled.

Don't let all the warnings scare you off, though. Home weddings are wonderful and so personal but I think it is good to know the additional challenges so you don't have any surprises on the wedding day. Have fun!

Laura

Where to Begin... {Amy & Clark}

So, I was at an industry event this past Tuesday chatting with two of my favorite DC photographers, Jennifer & Mary from Love Life Images. I was gabbing non-stop about how much fun I have been having planning my wedding over the last very short, but yet somehow long, very exciting three weeks.

While some of you may have caught wind from our blog that Clark proposed {more to come on the engagement story soon} it has been a whirlwind ever since! Our engagement day truly was the happiest day of my life thus far and without Clark knowing, it unleashed the months of planning that my dearest mum and I have been working on undercover!! Needless to say, it was high time to kick it into gear if I was going to make my hopeful wedding date of March 6, 2010.

Jennifer & Mary told me how fun it would be to follow along on this path of a Wedding Planner planning her own wedding... so, here goes!

First things first. While my engagement came in September, I started having the planning discussions with my mother over the summer in hopes that Clark would ask one day soon. As we hemmed and hawed over details, the day finally came when I had to pop the question to my parents... "What is the budget?" It's not an easy task of reigning in all the wonderful ideas to the confines of a budget but it must be done! I always advise my clients to define a budget and stick to it. It was time for me to follow my own advice...

The second thing that I always say is a must is having someone assist in the planning who isn't emotionally attached to all of those wonderful ideas and who can realistically guide you through matching up your dreams while still staying on the right track with funding it all - Hire a planner!

Finally, I had Clark sit down and pick his side of the guest list. {Yes, only his side... I did mine in July!!} This was a lot of fun to do. We both are very fortunate to have both friends and family that are excited to share in this long awaited moment with us! However, Sara has been key in reminding me that our guest count drives budget. Somehow I am having bridal amnesia when it comes to my own wedding and how things work in this process ;)



Must Haves in the beginning:
1) Defined Budget - be realistic about what you can afford and stick to it!
2) Have help in maintaining reality along the way!
3) Define guest list - this will help maintain your budget throughout the planning!

More to come on the fun stuff - event design, wedding gowns, photography, venue, bridal party and men's attire!

xoxo,
Amy Lorraine

Romance at The National Cathedral {Ashley + Adrian}

A few weeks ago, I had the great fortune to work in one of my favorite places in the city: The National Cathedral. I've been doing weddings at The Cathedral for well over a decade now and can't count how many brides I've sent down that magestic aisle. I love the grandeur and reverance of the space; I always feel both humbled and inspired after being inside the Cathedral.
I also love the Cathedral staff. The Vergers know their stuff and working with them is always a pleasure.

If being in the Cathedral again wasn't wonderful enough, I got to work with the nicest couple you could imagine. Ashley and Adrian were an absolute dream! I started working with Ashley at the beginning of the year and we hit it off right away. We're both vegetarians who love yoga and animals (Ashley plans events for the Humane Society) so it was a perfect fit. We had the best time running all over to find the perfect reception site (finally landing on the beautiful Strathmore Mansion) and vendors to make her wedding day perfect.

Ashley was such a calm bride. She even calmed the nerves of her soon-to-be stepdaughter right before the long walk down the aisle. Adrian's three charming children all took part in the ceremony and behaved beautifully. It was touching to see that they all felt part of their new family already.

After the gorgeous ceremony in the Great Choir at The Cathedral, Ashley and Adrian ran outside while guests blew bubbles and dashed off to Strathmore Mansion for the reception. They took photos on the lovely grounds before joining guests inside the house. Sharone from DaVinci's Florist created the beautiful, classic arrangements in shades of cream and white for the bride and burgandy and celedon at the reception.

Ashley has wanted a reception that was fun and fluid so, instead of seating everyone, we had various size and shapes of tables throughout the mansion (some long, tall share tables and some cocktail tables). Waiters passed small composed plates (mini crab cake with corn souffle, fried chicken on mashed potatoes) to guests and then a main buffet opened. Augie Bove of Strathmore made sure that the food and service were flawless. I love working with Augie!

Guests danced to the sounds of Bittersweet before the bride and groom cut the cake from Just Cakes. Just Cakes also provided the heart-shaped chocolate chip cookies that guests left with at the end of the night.

Special thanks to Joseph Allen for the gorgeous photos. Joseph is an absolute delight to work with and creates such stunning images. It was an honor to be a part of such a special day for such special people in such a truly special place. I really do have a great job! Thanks to Ashley and Adrian for letting us share their joy.

Laura