Happy 4th of July!

 Photo by Greg Gibson

Wishing you a fireworks-filled holiday!

Engaging Affairs Kicks Off Lifestyle Wedding Planning {Styling Party at Love Couture}

Last night we kicked off our new wedding planning concept, Lifestyle Wedding Planning, with a fabulous Styling Party at Love Couture Bridal! Lifestyle Wedding Planning is all about having a fabulous engagement and wedding planning experience filled with amazing events, parties and bling (and who doesn't love bling?).

Along with working with the premier planners in DC to plan their weddings (that's us), our brides are treated to exclusive events designed to make the experience fun and fabulous.  Last night we hosted a Bridal Styling Party at Love Couture Bridal so our brides could see the latest gowns from the New York runway, learn how to accessorize their wedding day look and get dolled up by some of the top hair stylists and makeup artists all while mingling with the Engaging Affairs team and sipping champagne.  It was such a fun party, and our brides left looking like movie stars (and with bottles of pink champagne)!

A huge thank you our amazing stylists: Carl Ray, Remona, Giselle, and Nikki. Thanks to The Sweetest Affair for creating a stunning sweets display. And big thanks to Sandy and her staff at Love Couture for hosting us and putting on an amazing fashion show for our brides.

Stay tuned for images of the amazing event  from Daniel McGarrity and news of our next Lifestyle Wedding Planning event in August!

Bar Candy {Sweet Drinks!}

Although Bar Candy's delightful edible champagne and cocktail glasses aren't brand new (creator Liz Green has been delighting party guests with her creations for a few years now), I just had to share them. 

These cone-shaped glasses are made from the highest quality Belgium chocolate (they won't melt) and sit in a glass base.

They can be made in dark chocolate, white, swirled or custom-dyed to match your wedding colors!

If you want to get really fancy, they can be rimmed with cookie bits, candy, sugars and edible glitter.

What a fun and unforgettable way to jazz up your champagne toast! Cheers!





















Photos courtesy of Bar Candy via SMP

Great Wedding Hair Tips {Hair by Giselle}

I love Giselle's new blog with amazing tips for keeping your hair wedding perfect.  Not only does she give great general tips on how to blow-dry your hair (always in the direction of hair growth to reduce frizzies) but she names names and let's us in on the products she uses and loves. This is hair stylist gold!

Engaging Affairs featured on Borrowed and Bleu!

We were thrilled to learn that a beautiful wedding we did was just featured on the wedding blog Borrowed and Bleu!  Maya and Chip's wedding at The Mandarin was so fun and sexy with lots of touches of cherry blossoms. Ever After Visuals captured all the moments so check it out over on Borrowed and Bleu!

Details, Details, Details!

If you're one of my brides, you may recall this line from our first meeting, "I don't do themes".   However, I do feel very strongly that your event has to look cohesive and pulled together.  Another of my famous lines, "I don't plop flowers in the middle of the table and not have those colors pulled out through the room".   In weddings, I prefer to refer to these common threads as the details.   Let's take crystals for example.  You can have crystals and gems throughout your event, but we don't want guests to think of this as the "crystal wedding".  There is a fine line :)

The point- this past weekend I had the pleasure of working at the National Museum of Women in the Arts with a bride who was very detail oriented and we had some amazing things created for her.

It all started with her invitations sent in Thai Silk boxes tied with a bow.  From there we moved on to flip flops with the couple's monogram, escort cards each with tiny gems, menu cards, the Pellegrinitini drink menu, matches, programs and place cards at each guest's seat in small round crystal frames.  It was ALL in the details for this wedding.

Many of these creative pieces were done by Mayla Studios.  Thank you for the amazing work you did on Jeremy and Melanie's wedding!

The couple had these Mr. and Mrs. signs on the back of their chairs.

Stay tuned for more pictures and details from this stunning event!

Sara

Wedding Pinatas!

I love pinatas, and they are a staple of birthday parties at our house!  The party isn't complete without whacking the brightly-colored pinata and rushing for the candy.

We've also used them at weddings! Not often, but they are a fabulous whimsical touch for just the right outdoor celebration. What could be more fun?

Scenes from a {6 year old birthday party} Carnival!

It's official! I survived my daughter's 6th birthday party! Despite the heavens opening up towards the end and sending us all scurrying inside, the backyard carnival was lots of fun for everyone. Here are a few photos of our homespun carnival.

Skylar Hill Confections {Artisan Cookies}

Every so often you come across something so fresh and unique that you think maybe the old adage "there's nothing new under the sun isn't true." That's how I felt when I found Skylar Hill, a designer of hand-crafted tuiles.  Now I've seen tuiles before but the way she combines the colors and shape into such whimsical, charming little works of art really sets these apart.

The delicate cookies come in flavors from classic (vanilla, almond, lemon, raspberry) to intense (Grand Marnier, Kahlua, Amaretto) and she blends the flavors to create captivating patterns. These sweet cookies are perfect for an upscale cappuccino station, an elaborate dessert display or even favors for guests to take.  I already have my eye on them for favors for an upcoming Lilly Pulitzer-inspired wedding!

Chevy Chase Bridal Blowout {Sample Sales Galore!}

Chevy Chase Bridal, Washington’s premier designer bridal dress salon, announces it’s semi-annual sample sale, set to take place June 17th-June 24th.  Known for its impeccable service, in-house atelier, well-edited accessories collection and designer exclusives, Chevy Chase Bridal offers brides–to-be, bridesmaids an mothers-of-the-bride a complete, hassle-free, and intimate shopping experience for what will be one of the most important purchases of their lives.
   
Chevy Chase Bridal Semi-Annual Sample Sale, where dozens of gowns are offered between 50-80% off will feature gowns from some of the industries most sought after designers.  This twice-annual event gives brides on a budget the opportunity to shop many designers normally out of their price range.  Unlike other fashion samples, bridal samples are sized 8-10; Chevy Chase Bridal’s expert in-house ateliers can alter many samples up or down to perfectly fit a wide range of sizes.

Chevy Chase Bridal carries leading bridal fashion houses that each have their own wedding aesthetic. Legends by Romona Keveza, known for her high-style, classically designed gowns, Simone Carvalli (dramatic gowns with expert craftsmanship that are a great value); Justin Alexander, which offers modern interpretations of classic silhouettes, as well as Chevy Chase Bridal area exclusive Badgley Mischka, known to be worn on the red carpets of Hollywood are just a few examples.

Two designers exclusive to Chevy Chase Bridal, Rosa Clará and Pattis, will also be featured in addition to famed bridal couturier, Lazaro’s mid-priced gown line, Tara Keely, and renowned bridal designer Stephen Yearick,

Rosa Clará is based out of Barcelona, Spain, and infuses the romance of the city into their design aesthetic.  Rosa Clará has worked with designers including Karl Lagerfeld and design house Christian Lacroix to design capsule collections.

“We pride ourselves on not only offering brides exquisite wedding gowns and a great selection, but also creating the best dress shopping experience a bride can have,” says Nick Kassman, owner of Chevy Chase Bridal. “We know how important the wedding dress is on your big day, and trunk shows are the perfect way for brides to see entire collections, save, and get the one-on-one attention they deserve.”

Chevy Chase Bridal is located in Mazza Gallerie, Floor Two at 5300 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Washington, DC. Appointments are recommended.  To schedule an appointment, brides can call 202.363.9301 or visit www.ChevyChaseBridal.com.