Sweetheart Sale at Love Couture!

They Said Yes! {Monte + Jack--Day One}

I've had the honor of knowing Monte and his longtime partner, Jack, for almost my entire career as a wedding planner. We met when we were both working on a wedding in 1997 and then we went on to work on probably a hundred weddings together (me as a planner and him as the hair guru and stylist) over the next decade or so. And boy do we have some stories to tell about those weddings!

I have loved watching Monte's rise to stardom on TLC's "Say Yes To The Dress Atlanta" but to me he will always be the amazing stylist I worked with almost every weekend for at least a dozen years and who saved me from the brink of insanity on a regular basis. What I can tell you about my friend is that he gives the best hugs, has a hilarious potty-mouth and is very sentimental.

So when we started planning his wedding, I wasn't surprised that he wanted to keep the celebration small and that he wanted to incorporate lots of personal touches and meaningful heirlooms. One the day of the civil ceremony in D.C., Monte carried his grandmother's Bible and a rosary from a dear friend's mother.

Because of the government shutdown, we weren't able to schedule a ceremony inside the courthouse so we did the next best thing. We had the ceremony in front of the D.C. courthouse! Rev. Kirsten Westbrook from DC Elopements performed the beautiful ceremony.

After the short and sweet ceremony, it was off to The White House for some photos!

Monte was recognized by lots of tourists and he graciously posed for photos with all of them!

Then we were off to The Hay-Adams Hotel (Monte's favorite DC hotel) for a wedding lunch.

The staff at The Hay-Adams was so gracious and treated the newlyweds to champagne to toast their happiness as well as a delectable meal. The perfect finishing touch was the blueberry cobbler topped with ice cream (Hillary Clinton's favorite dessert and now Monte and Jack's, too)! The talented chef even came out to talk with the happy couple and take photos.

Then it was off for more monument photos with Juan Carlos Briceno!

Talk about a fabulous looking couple!

Thanks to Juan Carlos Briceno from Fotobriceno for the gorgeous photography! More to come on Day Two of the celebration!

Minister: Rev Kirsten Westbrook
Photography: Juan Carlos Briceno,  Fotobriceno
Wedding Luncheon: The Hay-Adams Hotel
Flowers: Alison deWit, Distinctive Floral Designs

Same-Sex Wedding Planning Guides!

Same Love Week rocks on over here at Engaging Affairs. Up today, some great reference guides!

Bernadette Coveney Smith has planned more same-sex weddings than anyone! I was lucky enough to take a seminar from her on how to plan same-sex weddings and she was a fount of wisdom (and an all-around amazing person). So if you're planning a same-sex wedding and it isn't in the budget for you to hire a planner, please pick up one of Bernadette's books. You won't be sorry!

xoxo
Laura

We're Celebrating "Same Love" Week!

This week culminates in Valentine's Day so we thought it was fitting to spend the week celebrating love. And since we're celebrating love, it seems fitting to celebrate same-sex marriage, which is now legal in 17 states plus the District of Columbia! So here are some of Engaging Affairs' fabulous gay and lesbian couples celebrating their love!

 Above Image by Fotobriceno

 Above Images by Love Life Images

Above Images by Greg Gibson

Images above and below by Fotobriceno

 Images above by Fotobriceno

Happy "Same Love" week!

Happenings at Hitched!

Mad for Plaid {Flashback Friday}

Clockwise from top left: tablescape (The Party Dress), cake (Flickr), linens (Brenda's Wedding Blog), invitations (Beast Pieces), candles (Things Festive), bouquet trim (Wedsmack), shoes (Things Festive), dresses (Wedding Stand)

Plaid isn't just for Scottish weddings, although it is very appropriate for them. A touch of pretty plaid can add zing to just about any celebration!

Trunk Shows at Carine's!

DC area brides! Don't miss the upcoming trunk shows at Carine's Bridal Atelier! Gorgeous designs by Monique Lhuillier and Bliss!

Grooms in Uniform!

We are inspired by Amanda's Naval Academy wedding to remember some of our military grooms. We just love a man (or woman) in uniform!

Image by Amy Deputy

Images by Greg Gibson

We adore sword arches!

Images by Greg Gibson

Above images by Greg Gibson

We are proud to have worked on some truly wonderful military weddings and we are grateful to all the servicemen and women in all the branches of the military we've had the pleasure to work with. Thank you!