Hoo-rah-ray, hoo-rah-ray, ray, ray–U-VA!

That’s right, today we’re featuring the blue and orange of the University of Virginia.  And we don’t have to look too far — remember Meredith and Howard’s wedding?  It was full of blue and orange goodness, shot by Jake Holt:

I also wanted to make sure you saw the gorgeous tent decoration, but the picture is not Jake’s, it’s from my lousy camera (I need a new camera…any recommendations?)

I love everything about this, from the way we set up the tables to the navy pintuck linens to the orange napkins to the orange and blue lanterns!

You know who else loves these colors?  A Wahoo Wedding, a blogger in Virginia planning a Richmond wedding with UVA colors!  Look at her awesome logo!

And look at their cute story, all UVA-themed!

She’s FULL of the UVAspiration

OMG!  How cute are those shoes?!??!!  Speaking of cute shoes…

Julia MacInnis:

The Knot

What, girls get to have all the fun?!

Rachel Clare

(I can’t tell if his shoes are orange or brown, but let’s say orange, okay?)

These are definitely orange, though, right?

And these? (Joe Elario Photography)

(Yes, that was back to the girls again, but guys can wear orange (or blue) Chucks too!)

More for the guys…

E.C. Campbell Photography via Mitten Smitten

A Suit That Fits

Love this bout…

Paper is a great way to use your colors, like this cute invitation:

Or these adorable touches from the Wedding Wire Blog:

Of course, there are TONS of gorgeous orange flowers out there for bouquets — just use some navy ribbon, and you’re all set!

Becker:

Elegance and Simplicity:

Flora Fauna Weddings:

One Thousand Words Photography:

Rachel Clare:

Bridesmaids get to have all the fun when it comes to colors!

E.C. Campbell Photography:

One Thousand Words Photography:

The Preppy Wedding

What Junebug Loves

Of course, the kiddies get some cute duds and accessories too…

Studio Diana

Michelle Lindsay (one of our favorite photographers!)

E Photography:

How awesome is this little man bow tie from Etsy seller Chick and Bud?!

You can highlight the orange and blue in your ceremony decor…

Julia Newman Photography:

Millie Holloman Photography:

Or at your reception:

Heather Saunders Photography:

Etsy Seller Pom Flair:

Renee Broughton:

Vibrant Bride:

Are you having a Wahoo Wedding?  How will you incorporate Blue and Orange?

No, NOT DUKE!!!  (BOO!!!)  In honor of our beloved Laura Auer, owner of Wish and JMU grad, today’s post features the purple and gold of the James Madison University Dukes!

OMG, I want to run out of a giant bulldog tunnel too!!!

JMU’s colors are Purple and Gold, but a brighter yellow can also be used.  This is a great color combination and works well if you’re looking for either a deep eggplant color, like this After Six bridesmaids dress:

or a brighter purple, like this adorable Watters dress.

Of course, if you can find dresses like these amazing ones, photographed by Meg Smith, then you’re all set!  But I’m guessing things like that are a little hard to find!

And how gorgeous are those flowers?!  And the ribbons!!!  PERFECTION!

Speaking of flowers, purple and yellow flowers abound, no matter what the season!  (Are these first ones photographed by Amy Carroll mums?  I LOVE them!)

More from Amy Carroll:

LOVE Billy Balls (or craspedia, or billy buttons)

How great would big bunches of them be in these vases from Jamali Garden Supply?  (One of my go-to recommendations for wedding supplies!)

Yellow flowers can really pop against a purple dress, like in this photo by Jessica Claire

And, of course, the reverse is also true!  How great would these dresses, featured on Green Wedding Shoes, look with the purple bouquets that follow?!

The Wiebners:

Blink DC Photography (who I get to work with this weekend — SO excited!)

Eclectic Images:

Punam Bean:

And, of course, we can’t forget the bride’s shoes, right?!

So, Manolo…we meet again…

K. Thompson Photography:

Katie Stoops Photography:

Millie Holloman Photography is based in Wilmington, NC, one of my absolute FAVORITE cities.  She and her staff do AMAZING work, including the following series of photos with inspiration for a JMU wedding day!

And finally, I just had to show you this amazing picture from Sara France photography.  I am IN LOVE with these dresses!!

Did you or your fiance go to JMU?  How are you showing your Dukes pride?!

Continuing our College Football series, we move now to my hometown of Pittsburgh, and the Pitt Panthers!  Although Pitt’s new logo looks like this:

which is more Navy and Gold, I’m going to focus on the logo I grew up with:

Oh, that’s right…the straight 70’s Royal Blue and Yellow!  Both are beautiful, but the bright yellow and royal blue make for a fun wedding color combo, don’t you think?!  Wedding Wire sure thought so

(p.s. How much are you loving those chairs in blue and yellow?!)

Here’s another great blue and yellow inspiration board, from Style Me Pretty:

Mrs. Lemon from Wedding Bee got in on the blue and yellow action too!

Blue and Yellow are easy to use, especially in your wedding party.  I LOVE a blue dress with yellow accents:

Decisive Moment Photojournalists

Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bridezilla (That’s the name of the blog, not a commentary…)

How about this cute yellow J. Crew dress with one of the necklaces below, from Etsy sellers Londons Gate and Night Owl Crafts

There’s also this bib statement necklace, which is great, although I’m not sure that the bib necklace trend is for everyone (Etsy seller Lily White Pad)

Or how about a great blue dress with some adorable yellow sandals?! (Coren Moore dress, shoes by Kelsi Dagger at Zappos)

Of course, you need to get the guys involved too!

Next two photos by Millie Holloman Photography

Style Me Pretty

Decisive Moment Photojournalists

And, of course, you can’t forget the little ones!

(Above and below pictures, Millie Holloman)

Union Photography

Actually, that adorable flower girl was in an AWESOME blue and yellow wedding, featured on Project Wedding.

Linens and tableware such as china and glassware are a lovely way to bring your color palette out at your wedding, as shown here by Style Me Pretty.  Of course, a gorgeous centerpiece doesn’t hurt either!

And again here, photographed by Geoff White Photographers:

Speaking of beautiful centerpieces, look at these beauties, photographed by Millie Holloman photography:

Although there aren’t really any royal blue flowers, you can come awfully close with Hydrangea, and mix them with fun yellow flowers to create some gorgeous arrangements.

Theresa Choi Photography:

Style Me Pretty (next two photos)

How about using blue and yellow in your programs like these photographed by Millie Holloman:

Or these from Union Photography:

And, finally, how about some fun lawn games for your guests, like bocce at this Salt Harbor Designs wedding:

Are you a Pitt Panthers fan?  How are you showing them the love in your wedding?

I. Love. Football.  LOVE it.

My father and brother both played college football and coached high school football.  We are a football family.  We used to go outside during halftime of Steelers games when I was little and play touch football.  My dad and me on one side, my brother and sister on the other.  I missed one home football game in my four years of college.  Get it?  Love football.

SO, in honor of football season starting, I’m doing a series of team color weddings.  This week we’ll start with college football, since it kicks off first (September 4th) and next week we’ll do some NFL teams.

Since I’m the one writing, we get to start with MY team, my beloved Demon Deacons of Wake Forest University!  GO DEACS!

Wake Forest’s colors are Old Gold and Black (the Old Gold distinction will be important next week when you see Steelers gold, which is really more of a yellow).  Old Gold, for you Pantone geeks out there, is PMS8640

So, you know…gold.

Gold and black actually make for gorgeous wedding colors.  They give off an elegant vibe, and would be perfect, say, for a New Year’s Eve or winter wedding.

(Photo collage from Ritzy Bee)

Gorgeous, right?!  There are SO many elements that you can use for a Demon Deacon wedding.  You can add special touches to the cake, whether it’s the wedding cake:

(About The Cake)

(Michael Caswell Photography)

The Groom’s cake

Or even cupcakes (I am in LOVE with these cupcakes, from English bakery Frosted Cupcakes.  I might start putting glitter on all of the cupcakes I bake from now on.)

Jewelry is another way to bring in the Old Gold and Black.  Of course, you would go with gold jewelry with this theme, but I loved these earrings with the added black touch:

or this necklace from Nordstrom

Or even this simple picture of a couple’s rings, tied with gold ribbon (photographed by Ben Crisman)

It’s easy to get the bridal party into the color scheme as well…

Jung Lee Fete

Rebecca with Millie Holloman Photography

What Junebug Loves

The parents can get involved too (especially if they’re Wake alumni!) (What Junebug Loves)

Gold is easy to incorporate into the bride’s dress as well, whether it’s as a sash, like in this L’ezu Atelier dress:

A golden dress with a black sash

Or just a knockout gold dress, like this stunner as featured on  Style Me Pretty:

And, of course, we can’t forget the shoes! (Oh Manolo…how I love thee…)

What do you think?  Will you be incorporating your school pride into your wedding day?

One of Rebecca’s couples made it in to The Knot Magazine!  Check out this great feature on Erika & Jamie’s wedding:

A big special thanks to photographer Kate Headley who submitted these photos to The Knot.  You rock!

Aww, I melt every time we get some nice feedback!  We received this sweet note from a mother-of-the-bride:

“Dear Laura,

Our sincere gratitude for all you did to make Amy & Alex’s wedding so memorable.  Working with you was always a pleasure and your guidance was a very valuable input.

Many thanks,

Trudy & Warren“

GORGEOUS!  That is the best way for me to describe this wedding.  Gorgeous bride, gorgeous ceremony and reception locations, gorgeous bridesmaids dresses…just GORGEOUS!!!

The day started out with the ladies getting ready at the Metropolitan Club, where the reception was to be held later.  Maddy and Dana are young members of the Met Club, which offers great events like wine and beer dinners, which the couple regularly attends!

After the ladies finished primping, Alexander Morozov, the amazing and HILARIOUS photographer, arrived to take photos of the girls before they left for the ceremony.

LOVE this picture of Maddy coming down the main staircase at the Met Club.

The ladies then hopped into the limo provided by ING Limo company.  These guys were GREAT.  One of the shuttle buses was in a very minor fender bender, and the company immediately sent out another bus.  Luckily, the first bus was relatively unharmed, and showed up a few minutes later — meaning we had two buses for the price of one!  Not only that, but the drivers were WONDERFUL, and one of them ran to the store and picked up a bottle of champagne for Maddy and Dana to enjoy on the ride back to the club after the ceremony!  Talk about customer service!!!

As guests arrived at the ceremony, they were greeted by bagpipes, played by one of Dana’s fraternity brothers.  (How handy is it to have a fraternity brother who plays the bagpipes?!  Also, do you think they would get drunk in college and make him play the bagpipes at parties?  I need to know this information)

The ceremony was held at the absolutely adorable Little Sanctuary at St. Albans.  (Photo from the St. Albans School web site)

HOW CUTE IS THAT??!?!  Dana went to school here at St. Albans, so he and his family have known the minister and the organist for years!

After the ceremony, we walked over to the AMAZING Bishop’s Garden behind the National Cathedral for photos.  St. Albans, in case you didn’t know, is on the grounds of the National Cathedral…very handy for awesome wedding photos, but you don’t have to get married on the grounds to use this stunning space!

This is maybe my favorite mother/daughter picture ever.  I teased Maddy all day, saying she had been practicing her Tyra…little did I know, she had been learning those poses for a LONG time…like mother, like daughter

After the photos, Maddy and Dana rode in the limo to enjoy their champagne and head back to the Met Club to start the party!

The flowers were provided with one of my FAVORITE florists, Growing Wild.  I think I recommended Barbara to Maddy and Dana at our very first meeting, before they had even booked me!

The peonies are from her farm!  She told Maddy she had used pretty much every last peony she had available on the farm, and the result was AMAZING!

After being treated to a wonderful dinner, the bride danced with her dad while the groom danced with his mom — I love this cute image Alexander took.

This was the least crowded the dance floor was the rest of the night, though!  Hang the DJ ROCKED the dance floor!

Do they look familiar?  You might also know them as Juniper Lane, a popular DC/MD/VA (and Dewey Beach!) band.  LOVE these guys, and the guests did too!

Dana and Maddy had a LOT of college friends at the wedding, so we had to be sure to take a big group photo of the Hamilton crew!

(I told you there were a lot of them!)

Alexander also got some great photos of Dana with his fraternity brothers:

Even with all of these group photos, Dana and Maddy were able to sneak away to the beautiful library of the Met Club for some bride and groom photos:

This next one was my idea…I call it the naughty librarian

I LOVE it when photographers get a picture of me with my couples!

Of course, Alexander had to get in on the action too!

And he also got a cute picture of me with Linsey, the Event Coordinator at the Met Club:

Not only did the Met Club provide a beautiful and delicious cake:

But they provided these amazing truffles, along with this gorgeous sugar sculpture for the bride and groom.  Look at the look on Maddy’s face — this might be my favorite photo of the night!

Congratulations, Maddy and Dana!  We need to hang out in Arlington sometime!!!

Hey, gang!  I’ll have some AMAZING pro photos taken by Michelle Lindsay for you soon from Diane and Allen’s gorgeous wedding at the Clarendon Ballroom, but to tide you over, I have some pictures their guests took and posted to a web site Diane and Allen set up to see the pics!  I LOVE that so many couples are doing this — it’s SO much better than the disposable cameras on the tables, since everyone’s cameras are digital now, and you get to see so many candid shots you might have missed!

First up are some shots of the GORGEOUS flowers provided by Yellow Door Floral Design:

I loved the girls bouquets…I can’t wait to post some close ups of them!

The kids in this wedding (an adorable set of triplets!) were AWESOME!

I need to remember to ask Sandra at the Clarendon Ballroom who did this GORGEOUS cake!  The Clarendon Ballroom does in house catering, but outsources its cakes.  SO pretty!

I LOVE an involved groom, and Allen was a great one!  He designed a lot of the couple’s stationery items, including their programs and escort cards (check out the cute icons for dinner choices on the escort cards

Allen also purchased some great props for their photo booth — I can’t wait to see more pictures from this!

Stay tuned for pro pics in the next few weeks!

The first time I met Kate and Brian in the fall of 2009 I knew working with them would be a real treat – they certainly did not disappoint! Married June 12th, working with Kate and Brian was such an absolute pleasure. Cassidy DuHon did an amazing job capturing the day.

Aren’t the bridesmaids bouquets gorgeous? Kudos to Linda from Heaven on Earth who was such a joy to work with!

Here is a shot inside the limo heading to St. Thomas Apostle Catholic Church for the ceremony:

Brian and his best man – his dad Tom! Don’t they look dapper:

Kate and Brian’s attendants were so much fun! Here they are getting ready for the processional:

The ceremony, officiated by Father John Kartje was beautiful and included many special personal touches. Father John flew in from Chicago to be a part of Brian and Kate’s special day!

Husband and Wife! I love this shot:

In the limo heading downtown to take some formal photographs at the monuments:

Kate and her bridesmaids:

A shot of the groom and his groomsmen:

Cassidy DuHon really captures great moments and this is one of my favorites:

The Omni Shoreham was such a  beautiful backdrop for some of the portraits. I love with one of all the girls!

The hammocks on the property made for some great, playful shots:

The patio behind the ballroom served as the site for the cocktail hour and luckily for us, the rain held off just long enough for the guests to enjoy some time outside before heading in to eat.

Atmosphere Lighting did a great job setting the mood with the lighting and the centerpieces Linda put together made the room look absolutely stunning!

I love the green and black color scheme!

Fluffy Thoughts provided this gorgeous (and delicious) three tiered cake complete with a custom damask middle tier.

The couple used Washington landmarks as their table names along with some of their engagements shots. I love the touch of personality it added to each table:

Kate and Brian had one of the best choreographed first dances I have ever seen!

The couples sweetheart table gave them a great vantage point of the room. I loved the green linens and black chiavari chairs!

Brennan Sullivan with Bialek’s Music kept everyone dancing long into the night:

I’ve never seen a dance floor so packed!

Kate and Brian had a great group of friends surrounding them on their special day.

Here is Kate, her matron of honor and the rest of the girls getting down on the dance floor:

The guys did their fair share of dancing as well!

Here are the bride and groom, once again demonstrating their awesome dance moves!

It was such a pleasure to work with Kate and Brian over the last few months. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of such a special day!

We’ve been planning weddings for five years and have helped over 250 couples tie the knot!  Luckily for you, that means we know the ‘ins and outs’ of nearly every wedding venue in Washington, DC, Northern Virginia, and Maryland (beltway & eastern shore).

For an inside look at some weddings at our favorite venues, take a peek at the links below:

Historic/Garden:
The Carnegie Institute – and here – (Washington, DC)
The Atrium at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens (Vienna, VA)
The Wilson-Farr House (Fairfax, VA)
The Lee-Fendall House (Old Town Alexandria, VA)
Woodend Sanctuary (Chevy Chase, MD)
The Newton White Mansion (Mitchellville, MD)

Hotels/Clubs/Ballrooms:
The Willard Intercontinental (Washington, DC)
The National Press Club (Washington, DC)
The Hay-Adams Hotel (Washington, DC)
Tyson’s Corner Marriott (Tyson’s Corner, VA)
The Sheraton Reston (Reston, VA)

Restaurants:
Sequoia Restaurant (Georgetown, DC)
2941 Restaurant (Falls Church, VA)
Famoso Restaurant & M Cafe (Bethesda, MD)
Old Ebbitt Grill (Washington, DC)

Museums:
The International Spy Museum / Zola (Washington, DC)
The Newseum (Washington, DC)

Eastern Shore/Bay:
The Chesapeake Bay Beach Club (Stevensville, MD)
Queenstown Harbor River House (Queenstown, MD)

Non-traditional:
Glen Echo Park (Glen Echo, MD)
Signature Theater (Shirlington, VA)

Here’s a list of the venues we’ve featured as part of our Real Weddings:

Historic/Garden:
The Decatur House (Washington, DC)
The Carnegie Institute (Washington, DC)
Newton White Mansion – and here – and here – and here – (Mitchellville, MD)
Mount Airy Mansion (Upper Marlboro, MD)
Oxon Hill Manor (Oxon Hill, MD)
Woodend Sanctuary – and here – (Chevy Chase, MD)
The Mansion at Strathmore – and here – (Bethesda, MD)
Brookside Gardens (Wheaton, MD)
Stronghold Mansion (Sugarloaf Mountain, MD)
Collingwood Library – and here – and here -  (Alexandria, VA)
River Farm (Alexandria, VA)
Hollin Hall (Alexandria, VA)
Old Town Hall (Fairfax, VA)
The Atrium at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens – and here – and here – and here – (Vienna, VA)
Oatlands Historic House & Gardens (Leesburg, VA)
The Thomas Birkby House – and here – (Leesburg, VA)
Raspberry Plain – and here – (Leesburg, VA)
Rose Hill Manor (Leesburg, VA)
Long Branch Historic House (Millwood, VA)
Whitehall Manor – and here – (Bluemont, VA)

Hotels/Clubs/Ballrooms:
The Fairmont Hotel – and the Colonnade here – (Washington, DC)
The Mandarin Oriental (Washington, DC)
The Omni Shoreham – and here – (Washington, DC)
The St. Regis Hotel (Washington, DC)
The Ronald Reagan Building – and here – (Washington, DC)
The Westin Grand – and here – (Washington, DC)
Hotel Monaco – and here – (Washington, DC)
The Washington Club (Washington, DC)
The National Press Club (Washington, DC)
Fort Myer Officer’s Club (Arlington, VA)
The Army Navy Country Club (Arlington, VA)
The Westin Arlington Gateway (Arlington, VA)
Top of the Town (Arlington, VA)
The Sheraton National (Arlington, VA)
The Hyatt Regency Bethesda (Bethesda, MD)
The Hyatt Fair Lakes (Fair Lakes, VA)
Fairfax Marriott (Fairfax, VA)
Old Hickory Golf Club (Woodbridge, VA)
Hidden Creek Country Club – and here – (Reston, VA)
River Creek Club (Leesburg, VA)
The Hilton Washington Dulles (Dulles, VA)
Foxchase Manor – and here – (Manassas, VA)

Eastern Shore/Bay:
Queenstown Harbor River House (Queenstown, MD)
The Chesapeake Bay Beach Club (Stevensville, MD)
Kent Manor Inn (Stevensville, MD)

Non-traditional:
Glen Echo Park – (Glen Echo, MD)
The Barns at Wolf Trap (Vienna, VA)
The Torpedo Factory (Old Town Alexandria, VA)

Have you already picked your venue?  Where will you be tying the knot?  Which venues did we miss?