In this series, we interviewed our team with a handful of lighthearted questions.  You can read Kim’s formal bio here.  Read below to learn a bit more about who she really is inside:

What’s the most important piece of advice for brides?
I would tell all brides to take a step back and look at the things that they’re planning, all the things that they’re stressed out over, and really ask themselves “Am I doing this because I WANT to do it, or because I feel like I HAVE to do it?”  Don’t stress over favors, welcome baskets, and little things like that unless it’s truly something you WANT to do.  Nobody will notice if they’re not there.

What are you listening to right now?
Taylor Swift – she’s just too cute.  I rarely listen to country music but how could you not love her?

What blogs do you frequent often?
Perezhilton.com.  I have to keep up on celeb gossip!

What is your favorite memory from a wedding?
My favorite memory from ANY of my weddings is the happiness I see on the bride & groom’s faces when they see their day go smoothly, perfectly, and just how they’d planned it.

I just got a wonderful present in the mail!  Photographer MK McKenna sent me some DVDs of my friend Sarah’s wedding back in May.  She had a few posted on her blog (which I promptly stole) but now I have the full set.  Thanks MK!

Here are some of the images that really tell the story of Sarah’s wedding day.  I think MK did a phenomenal job of capturing everything.

Sarah is a UVA Hoo through and through and Ross is a Hokie.  They are truly a house divided and she had the garter to match:

There is a Turkish tradition that says whoever’s signature rubs off the least will be the next to be married.  All of Sarah’s single female friends are taking their shot here:

I think this is one of MK’s most touching images.  Sarah’s looking at a photograph of her grandfather:

I’m getting everyone ready for the ceremony!

Mr. & Mrs. S!

A quick round of portraits after the ceremony:

The escort cards were placed in wooden trays lined with sand:

Inside each escort card was a story about one of Sarah’s patients, Trevor. This little boy has neuroblastoma and as a pediatric nurse, Sarah oversaw his chemotherapy treatments.  He started a foundation called Trevor’s Treasures to help other kids with the same type of cancer.  In lieu of favors, Sarah and Ross chose to donate money towards his cause: 

During their engagement, Sarah and Ross took up the hobby of brewing their own beer!  There is a local brewery that will help you mix, brew, and bottle your own beer.  Here’s their beer table showing photos of the process, the framed original recipe, and plenty of bottles of brew!

The labels even had this cute engagement photo that MK took:

The first dance:

All the floral decor was provided by Ross’ sister!  Sadly she has moved to Vermont and isn’t available for DC weddings anymore.  They sure were gorgeous:

Sarah is definitely a daddy’s girl and they mean the world to each other.  Here they are during their father/daughter dance:

Sarah’s dad made key lime pies!  They chose to skip the cake altogether and serve up mini pies on their dessert buffet:

Here’s me and my own husband, married at the same venue nearly two years before:

The newlyweds leaving their afternoon reception for a portrait photo safari.  I love this photo in so many ways:

Like me, Sarah chose to have an afternoon reception so she and her new husband could spend the majority of the day together by themselves.  They took photographer MK on a photo shoot around the Capitol, Brookside Gardens, and the new National Harbor hotel.  Here they are downtown:

And inside National Harbor:

Sarah will likely kill me for posting this but I found it too funny not to share.  She’s such a goofball:

And somehow is still just as gorgeous!  She was beaming like this the entire day and you could just feel the radiant energy coming off of her:

It’s been a couple months but congratulations again, you guys!  I’ve enjoyed watching your relationship grow these past couple years and am looking forward to double dates, future play dates, and going to our kids’ weddings together.  See you soon  

The words to the Battle Hymn of the Republic were written here.  Martin Luther King finished off his I Have a Dream speech in his guest room.  The city’s first mint julep was mixed here by a Kentucky senator.  Abraham Lincoln racked up a $700 tab while hiding from assassination attempts before his move into the White House.  The modern-day term “lobbyist” was coined from this very hotel lobby, where President Grant would sit and be influenced by local advocates.  Steven Spielberg used the hotel for his movie Minority Report.  Some former guests include Harry Houdini, Charles Dickens, P.T. Barnum, Mark Twain, Mae West, Emily Dickinson, and Walt Whitman.  The Willard Intercontinental truly is an all-American landmark in an all-American landmark kind of town.

The building we see today was erected in 1901, fell on some rough times in the 60s and 70s and took 6 years to renovate to it’s original glory.  It was designed by the same gentleman who designed the Waldorf-Astoria and the Plaza hotels in New York City.  It truly brings you back to a more elegant and proper time in our history.  What a wonderful venue for a wedding!

The entrance to the hotel is at the corner of 14th St. & Pennsylvania Ave.  What a posh address!  This is smack dab in the center of town:

Looking down Pennsylvania Avenue from the front doors, the US Capitol is off in the distance.  The White House is just two blocks down at 16th & Pennsylvania:

Across Pennsylvania we have Pershing Park.  Did you know this turns into a public ice skating rink in the winter months?

Before we step inside, let’s go around the corner.  Between the hotel and the Willard office building there is a beautiful courtyard.  Where there was once a fountain will soon be a flat patio!  This is exciting to me since it means this space can be tented for events.  They hope to use this as ceremony and cocktail space once it’s completed:

Upon entering the hotel, the lobby makes you feel insta-glam.  It’s like you step back into an old classic movie:

The floor is an incredible original mosaic of teeny tiny tiles.  This beautiful W seal is over by the concierge desk.  It’s about 2′ across which helps you see how small those tiles really are:

I love this old-school front desk:

The ceiling of the lobby boasts these beautiful tiles representing each state in the Union:

Just past the lobby is the Peacock Alley.  This famous promenade cuts from the front door to the back entrance of the hotel.  Back in the day, mothers would bring their eligible daughters to strut back and forth for the prominent gentlemen sitting here.  It was truly the place to see and be seen:

Comfy seating is set for small groups all the way down the promenade.  In the afternoon they have a wonderful formal tea service:

I could sit in this hallway all day and adore the details.  These doorknobs caught my eye:

Off of Peacock Alley, the Crystal Room awaits.  This room is elegantly appointed in gold tones and huge crystal chandeliers.  It seats up to about 170 guests for a wedding:

On the second floor there is a small L-shaped room called The Nest.  You can squeeze about 70-80 guests up here.  I think it would be lovely for a rainy day ceremony backup plan.  Here is the crux of the L, set for a small wedding reception:

Here’s one leg of the room set up for the wedding ceremony.  I love the fireplace with the woodworked mantel:

And check out the view!  Across the street is the Ronald Reagan Building:

Downstairs we have The Grand Ballroom.  Here is the lobby/cocktail area with built-in plush seating:

There are even private elevators that go straight to the parking garage so regular hotel guests don’t interfere with your party:

Through the double doors we are treated to the ballroom!  This room is absolutely gorgeous.  It has 18′ ceilings and can seat about 300 guests for a wedding:

My favorite part are these stunning crystal chandeliers.  This photo also shows a track with some built-in lighting.  Their in-house crew can do professional lighting in here or the hotel surprisingly allows you to bring an outside team:

I really enjoyed my visit with Steele at The Willard and can’t wait to go back!  AJ coordinated a wedding in the Crystal Room in 2007 and hopefully we’ll book something in the Grand Ballroom this coming year.  I recently attended a wonderful luncheon here, too — stay tuned for photos from that event soon!

In this series, we interviewed our team with a handful of lighthearted questions.  You can read Rebecca’s formal bio here.  Read below to learn a bit more about who she really is inside:

How would you describe your approach to planning weddings?
Fun!  Most importantly, you should have fun planning your wedding.  It’s an exciting time, and my goal is to make it as non-stressful as possible.  Usually I’ll do that by telling some stupid joke.

What do you do for fun?
When I’m not reading wedding blogs?  I’m a big pop culture fan…especially TV and movies.  I have lots of favorite television shows…it changes depending on the day!  I also love to cook and bake…if only my kitchen weren’t the size of a shoebox!

What’s the most important piece of advice for brides?
Probably to be organized.  That’s what we’re there to help you with, but it’s really important to be organized, in whatever way works for you. It will save you a TON of stress, it will save your planner a ton of stress, and it will make your life SO much easier!

What inspires you?
I swear this is the honest answer…Laura inspires me   Seriously!  Her courage as a business owner and her calm in the face of small and large crises is seriously inspiring.  Beyond that, wedding blogs are a GREAT source of inspiration…Snippet and Ink is amazing, The Smart Planner, and, of course, Soiree’s blog!

What sets you apart from other wedding planners?
I honestly have no idea how to answer this.  I know I should, but I’m not sure I’ve done enough weddings to say for sure!

What are you listening to right now?
You know it’s a long list!  But just looking at my iTunes, I’d have to say Sugarland, Amy Winehouse, Jason Mraz, Jack Johnson, Damien Rice, The Swell Season, Michael Buble, and, yes, I’ll admit it…a bunch of people from the most recent season of American Idol (yay David Cook!)  Apparently I’m a 14 year old girl.

What blogs do you frequent often?
Oh, Lord.  Soiree Special Events, obviously.  Entertainment Weekly’s PopWatch, DCist, The Regetis blog, Jessica Claire, Confessions of a CF Husband, Southern Wedding Style, The Bride’s Cafe, The Smart Planner and, for a good laugh, Stupid Wedding Crap.

What’s the best thing about weddings?
All the love!  Not just the love the bride and groom (or two brides…or two grooms…) have for each other, but the love their friends and families have for them and vice versa.  It’s like a big room full of this amazing love.  And little kids.  Little kids at weddings are SO cute, and once the music starts, just try to stop them from getting on the dance floor!

What’s the worst thing about weddings?
That I can’t find a cute comfortable pair of shoes to wear when standing for hours and hours on end!

What is your favorite memory from a wedding?
Well, it wasn’t a wedding in which I was a bridesmaid, right after college.  The groom was a huge Prince fan, and after the ceremony, the wedding party and the bride and groom came back into the sanctuary to take pictures, and the groom pulled the bride over to sit down in front of the string quartet that was still sitting there, and they broke into Prince’s “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World.”  It was the sweetest surprise, and I don’t think there was a dry eye among the bridesmaids.

What would you do with $1 million dollars?
Well, of course I’d buy a new car, preferably one that isn’t 12 years old.  Then I’d pay off my student loans.  Then with the money I had left, I’d try to convince Laura to open a “Wedding Cottage” with me in Del Ray, which would be a collaboration of wedding professionals — planners (Soiree, obviously), invitation designers, dress designer, baker, etc.

One goal you have for 2009:
To book more weddings!  And to learn as much as possible about the wedding industry.
What is your favorite wedding trend right now?
Hmm…I’m loving Damask, which I’m seeing in a lot of weddings.  Bridesmaids not all being forced to wear the same thing.  Retro inspired wedding dresses (I love you Stephanie James Couture!)  Mixed gender wedding parties (i.e. Best Men, Girl of Honor, etc.)  Non cake wedding cakes (i.e. cupcakes, pies, ice cream, etc.)

What is your least favorite wedding trend right now?
Chivari Chairs…Seriously…you’re paying too much.  Birds…they’re kinda creepy.  Giant bridal bouquets…your arms are going to be KILLING you in about 2 minutes!

Remember when we visited the River House back in January?  This amazing venue in Queenstown, MD held Lindsay & Sam’s big bash this weekend.  They tied the knot bay-side and celebrated under a beautiful glowing tent.  I’ll have better photos from photographer Greg Gibson soon but for now I’ll share the ones I took.

The ceremony site, all ready for some chairs:

Ray L. of Party Perfect hooked us up with this fantastic 60′x90′ tent!  The walls went all the way around since it was rather gusty on the bay.  They even left a Tent Attendant all night in case there were any problems:

Inside the tent.  Mike B. with Blondell’s Accents on Events set up these beautiful Chinese paper lanterns inside the tent.  He also handled the uplighting in the tent and on some trees, which you can see in full effect in the night photos later:

Like a lot of DC caterers, Capitol Catering gets their rentals from DC Rental.  They are reliable, have great equipment, and carry just about anything you need!  Here we have some glassware racks on the left, our table linens in the center, some plates in the black crates, who knows what’s in those gray bins (serving utensils?), and high chairs down in the front:

Can you believe that all these racks are JUST glassware?  Each stack has about 8 racks of 25-36 glasses each!

Bobby’s Pottys provided this wonderful luxury restroom trailer.  I’m not kidding — these were nicer than the facilities inside the house!  If you have an outdoor venue and limited restroom options, Bobby’s Pottys did a great job and provided an attendant to stay with the trailer all night:

Alison from Capitol Catering and me, getting started on some of the guest tables inside the tent:

John from Spot Floral Design came up with this beautiful canopy for the ceremony.  It was made of bamboo, curly willow, and had strands of orchids hanging from three sides:

The centerpieces had three low vases of flowers and three cylindrical vases with gold floating candles.  They were gorgeous!

Chatting with the musician from Entertainment Exchange about our cues for the ceremony:

Unfortunately no matter how much you confirm details, plan, and confirm again, things will inevitably ALWAYS go wrong on the wedding day.  This is where having a wedding planner truly makes a difference!  Twice before the ceremony, the wind caught our beautiful canopy and blew it over.  The fall broke every connection between the poles each time.  Unfortunately our florist was long gone to their next delivery and were were left to our devices to fix it.  A roll of clear duct tape ended up being our savior both times:

After the second fall, Rebecca was assigned to standing with the canopy to avoid further disaster:

Sam & Lindsay tying the knot!  They chose to incorporate Sam’s Indian culture into the service by lighting a traditional fire and walking around it.  Rev. Amanda Tate did a phenomenal job with their custom-made ceremony:

After the ceremony Lindsay & Sam escaped to take some portraits.  They chose to see each other before the ceremony so they took the big family shots earlier:

Remember how great Arienne & Rahman’s photos were?  It was a pleasure to work with Greg Gibson again.  Here he is getting “The Shot” with his assistant Rebecca:

Here’s what I saw through my lens.  I can’t wait to see what they captured!

Meanwhile inside the tent, the finishing touches are almost done.  Here, the chef from Capitol Catering dresses each of the salads individually after they’ve been set on the tables:

The catering team is folding napkins to fit Lindsay’s menu cards.  Here you can see just how windy it was!  Check out that tent wall behind them:

Thanks to our wonderful assistant Tracey, the escort card table looked beautiful!  She laid out strips of ribbon, pinned them to the table linen, then slipped each card’s back underneath to hold them in place.  The idea was to set this table outside and let guests find their card during the outdoor cocktail hour.  Unfortunately with the wind, even those ribbons wouldn’t have done their job very well.  I think they looked nice anyhow:

Can you believe our bride Lindsay made all these gorgeous cards?

Here’s a closeup of one of the salads.  Those are figs there around the edges.  Mmm!

The tent looks gorgeous!  Let’s have a party!

David from MyDeejay.com did a great job mixing the traditional American reception music with some great dance music for the Indian guests.  He was a little camera-shy but this is what his setup looks like:

Once the sun went down, the tent really looked amazing!

I was thrilled when I learned that Kendall’s Cakes would be bringing the cake.  Kendall is very talented and does a phenomenal job.  Lindsay and Sam chose to serve sheet cake as a cost-cutting method.  Can you believe that three layers of this cake are styrofoam?  Can you guess which one is real?

Outside, the lighting on the trees was very dramatic:

Congratulations, Lindsay & Sam!  Your big day was so gorgeous and I heard so many wonderful compliments on the food, the decor, and your personal ceremony.  I’m so glad we were able to be a part of your big day.

Did you know that the National Park Service requires a permit for all commercial photographs of the national monuments? 

A bride trying to plan her November wedding and day-after photo shoot asked me this, so I bet there are others out there looking for the answer. For couples married in DC, photographs of the bridal party at the monuments are almost a requirement. If this is on your “Must Do” list, make sure that you and your photographer are prepared.

Q: So, which monuments does this apply to?
A: All monuments and memorials run by the National Park Service. Including:

Jefferson Memorial
{ Save the Date NYC }

Washington Monument
{ Borrowed Blue }

Lincoln Memorial
{ Ryeli }

And others less photographed memorials:
World War II Memorial
FDR Memorial
Korean War Memorial
Vietnam Memorial

There are two ways to solve this problem. The first is to get a permit. More information about the restrictions on taking photoraphs on Natioanl Park Service land are available here and the permit application is available here. Permits cost between $50 and $250 (depending on the number of people in the pictures) and are good for the entire day.

Your second option: visit one of DC’s free locations. It is only the National Park Service which charges for photo privileges, so take the {bridal} party somewhere else! You will have beautiful photographs without the hassle at these locations:

Union Station  

{ Spence Photographics }

The White House

{ NPR }
you won’t get as close as Ms. Nixon, but it would be a beautiful shot

The Capitol Building

{ Ryeli }

And these other great options:
Lafayette Park (behind the White House)
Sculpture Garden
Capitol Hill (quiet little streets, parks)
Georgetown (the Beacon Hill of DC)
Tidal Basin Cherry Blossoms (just watch the monuments:)

If you were married in DC, where did you go for pictures?

Thanks to our photographer friend Justine Ungaro, we were introduced to the wonderful EcoLimo!  Did you know there’s an environmentally friendly transportation option in DC?  This great company also operates in LA, SanFran, NYC, and Vegas.  Imagine your guests getting picked up from the hotel in this bad boy:

How about a sweet ride home at the end of the night?  You and Hubby can jet off in this beautiful bio-diesel Mercedes Benz E320 CDI:

Or perhaps your parents are coming into town and want to rent this Tahoe gas/electric hybrid to haul all your gifts from the reception to your condo:

Have you thought about the transportation for your wedding yet?  Be sure to consider this eco-conscious company.

Eight years since we met. It’s hard to believe how quickly time has flown! We’re actually high school sweethearts and I can vividly remember our first date playing laser tag. Lame, yes.

We had many “pick up Papa Johns, take it to the park, and just sit together for hours” dates and continue them in the form of “pick up California Tortilla, take it to the dog park, and watch our Schooner-dog run around for hours” dates. We’ve grown and changed but somehow stay the same.Here’s one of my favorite photos of us from our wedding day in 2006. I have no idea what he told me but most of his silly comments make me laugh like that. I’m so lucky to have an incredibly supportive, loving, energetic, goofy, smart, and wonderful husband. Happy anniversary, Sweets!

I recently coordinated a wedding for a bride in New York City!  Here at Wish we love to travel and are always up for a challenging new location.  The bride and several of her friends are on Broadway so this wedding was held on a Monday, their one and only day off!

I received these beautiful images from Dave Cross Photography and just had to share them with you.  Thanks Dave:

Our bride Beth is currently a cast member in Spamalot and has performed as a bona fide Radio City Rockette:

Beth had the most attractive bridal party! A lot of them happened to be in showbiz:

We can never resist a gal with red shoes:

The ceremony was held at 5th Avenue Presbyterian:

How beautiful is this girl?? Adam’s a lucky guy:Gotta sign the marriage license:

I love this image progression:

There were tons of tourists crowding the streets once they realized a wedding was going on. Look how many people stuck around for a peek at the bride and groom!Our newlyweds jetted off to Central Park which afforded some gorgeous portrait opportunities:

The day continued with cocktails, dinner, and dancing at the Tavern on the Green:

Julian at Tavern on the Green provided all the floral decor (even the bouquets!):

The first dance:

How amazing is this cake, provided by Alice’s Teacup:

Expressway Music’s DJ kept them on the floor all night:

Well what did you expect at a Rockette’s wedding?

Congrats again, Beth & Adam!  It was a pleasure being with you on your wedding day and I hope you both enjoyed every second of your day.

I’ll admit it…I’m sad that it’s over. Esther and Michael were the very first clients I ever booked (actually, I was booked by her beautiful Matron of Honor and cousin Joanna and her adorable husband Patrick as a gift to the couple) and, as such, they hold a special place in my heart. Of course, that special place is helped by the fact that, as the groom’s brother said in his toast, Esther may well be the nicest person I have ever met. (And Michael’s not too bad himself!) Esther and I spent a lot of time together the week before the wedding going over the last minute details (and eating pizza…) and I got to know her better, and I now consider us good friends…but sadly the couple lives in Seattle! Oh, well…now I have a good reason to visit one of my favorite cities!

The day started with a Catholic ceremony at St. Thomas a’Becket in Reston. I need to offer special thanks to Jessica, another Soiree coordinator who stepped in LITERALLY at the last minute to help out after one of our assistants was unable to make it. Thanks, Jessica!!

Esther and Michael had a large bridal party — 24 people! All were wonderful (including two HILARIOUS best men, who I conspired with, along with the band, to create an “unusual” Tom Jones inspired toast), and I spent as much time as possible holding one of the adorable 6 month old ring bearers!

The theme for the couple’s wedding was “Seattle in DC” and boy did they pull it off! Esther and Michael are a very outdoorsy couple, which was reflected in their decor. They collected amazing river rocks from a beach in front of their Seattle home, and somehow transferred over 200 of them back to DC (thanks, in part, to groomsman Jeff!)

The rocks were then placed on each napkin and were used among the decor throughout their reception venue, the beautiful River Creek Club in Leesburg, Virginia. River Creek is at the intersection of the Potomac River and Goose Creek, providing amazing views such as this one from the balcony of the club.

That’s a great little pond and just beyond is the Potomac River.

Esther and Michael did an amazing job finding some great natural elements and some adorable creations at Michaels. (Michaels…the mecca of many a bride and wedding planner…) The centerpieces were provided by River Creek, but Esther added her own touch by filling the hurricanes with recycled glass from one of her favorite shops in Seattle.

Instead of table numbers, each table was named after one of their favorite places in Seattle, and postcards were placed in each holder to indicate the name of the table. The one above is Mount Rainier. Oh! And the beautiful latte colored linen above the centerpiece in the above picture? It’s a pillow sham! Esther found them on DEEP discount in Seattle and carried them back to her house on her bike!

There were pictures of Esther and Michael and their families all over the venue. My favorite photo tables, though, were outside on the deck – Esther gave us a huge box of Manzanita branches (like those found here), some vases, even more rocks and pebbles and recycled glass, some moss, various large potpourri and said “Go at it!” Well, one of our wonderful Soiree assistants, Julie, did just that and came up with the displays you see in these pictures (also taken by Julie…thanks for your help!!!) It’s amazing what you can come up with when you’re given fun objects, a creative assistant and a relaxed bride who basically says “make it look cool.”

In addition to the awesome staff at River Creek, we also got to work with some great vendors. The cake (which I heard was delicious, although I never seemed to find a piece) was provided by Chantel’s Cakes & Pastries in Sterling. In addition to the cake, AMAZING pastries were provided by the mothers of the bride and groom.

The bridal party flowers and two beautiful arrangements that did double duty at both the church and the reception (and are on either side of the table in the picture below, with the orange flowers) were provided by, get this, Giant! (Yes…the grocery store, can you believe it?! I didn’t even know they could do stuff like this!)

Entertainment was provided by the amazing Mustangs. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a wedding that had SO many people on the dance floor for SO long. No one ever had to look for the bride or groom, because you knew they would be on the dance floor ALL NIGHT!

As they were leaving, guests were treated to either a beer or a root beer that was home brewed by Michael in their Seattle home. I never did find a beer, but the root beer was delicious!