Way back in March I posted about some non-traditional first dance songs.  Well, I’ve been updating my iTunes and fell back in love with Queen.  Somebody MUST pick this song for their first dance:

OK, the video’s a little odd and we all know Freddy made some interesting wardrobe choices.  But who doesn’t love this song?  Shout out to Erin for Queen first dances!

If you’ve opened a bridal magazine or read a blog in the past year, you’ve probably seen a manzanita tree.  These are scraggly branches that lend themselves well to hanging things like votives, photographs, or cards.  Here’s one of the most famous examples of their use:

Thanks to Wedding Chicks, we now have easy pictorial DIY instructions explaining how to get the branch to stand by itself.  It also explains how to make the branch into a ‘Wishing Tree’ where your guests can leave their message of hope for you and your new hubs.  Click here for the full instructions.

If you decide to make one of these for yourself, be sure to send us a photo and we’ll post it on the blog!

Get ready….it’s that time again!  The largest bridal show in the area, the Washington Bridal Showcase, is coming to town.  Like the past few years, Wish will be exhibiting at the Dulles Expo Center show.  We’ll share a booth with The Dandelion Patch like last time so we’ll be easy to find.  Here’s the details on the show:

February 1, 2009
11am-5pm
Dulles Expo Center
4368 Chantilly Shopping Ctr.
Chantilly, VA
Tickets are $10 at the door or $8 online

Click here to register in advance and get your discounted tickets.  I know it’s on Super Bowl Sunday but don’t worry — it’s early enough that you can take your time around the show and still be home before the pre-game show.  Rebecca has informed me that she’ll be wearing her Steeler’s jersey.  I have a feeling she won’t be the only one  

If you’ve never attended a bridal show, click here for some bridal show tips I compiled in another post.  Wear comfy shoes, bring a bottle of water, carry a separate bag for trash, and enjoy the show!  Be sure to swing by our booth and say hello.  We’ll be giving away Washingtonian Magazines to the first 30-40 brides!

Liz and Zach were married at a small, but energetic wedding this past October at the National Press Club in downtown Washington DC.  The sharp-eyed Cassidy DuHon provided photography coverage for the beautiful autumn day.  Both bride and groom were calm, cool and collected as they took their vows in the Holeman Lounge and then moved to the Ballroom for a fun-filled dinner and dancing reception.  Below are some of the professional shots taken by Cassidy and his assistant. Enjoy!

Taking some informal photos before the ceremony at Freedom Plaza:

The beautiful floral arrangements were provided by the always-talented Barbara vonElm of Growing Wild Floral.  This is one of the huge altar pieces for the ceremony that doubled as tall centerpieces for the reception:

An intimate candlelit ceremony at the National Press Club:

Brian S. Vaughan officiated the ceremony:

The ballroom at the National Press Club:

Here’s the whole room.  Aren’t the wood-paneled ceilings amazing?

I gave the newlyweds a quick cake-cutting lesson before they dove in.  They were pros in no time:

Dancing the night away!  Frank Young provided excellent entertainment and as you can see, kept people on the dance floor for the whole night!

A beautiful shot taken on 14th Street at dusk:

Congratulations again, Liz & Zach! I absolutely loved working with you both thorugh the entire process and wish you the best in the future.  Also, Go Sox!

Our congratulations goes to Rae Robinson Trotman, a recent Wish Bride!  Rae and Braeden tied the knot and celebrated at 2941 Restaurant in Falls Church, VA this past September.  Cristin was their wedding day coordinator and handled the torrential downpours that day like a pro.  We were thrilled to see Rae’s spot-on advice featured in the new Washingtonian Bride & Groom magazine.  Her advice?

“When choosing a wedding planner, hire an experienced, tested professional.  Anyone who’s too new to the game can make things difficult.”

We couldn’t agree with you more, Rae!  Congratulations on the wedding and on this beautiful feature.

It’s that time of year — bridal show season!  The DC Couture Wedding Consortium is hosting a bridal show this weekend.  Here’s the details:

Saturday, January 31st
12-5pm
The Stephen Decatur House
1610 H St. NW
Washington, DC

They have free goody bags for the first 100 brides through the door!  Even better?  This show is FREE as long as you register online beforehand.  Click here for more information and to sign up.

Washingtonian Bride & Groom is hosting a bridal show!

With a handful of special perks:

There will also be a lot of luxury door prizes!  Here is a short description of each.  My favorite would be Cinderella for a Day.  Can’t year hear Matthew McConaughey reading the title of the last one?

Tickets are $55 apiece and can be bought online.  Just click here to purchase tickets!

Here’s the sweetest note I received from Esther and Michael after their wedding:

“Dear Rebecca,

Michael and I sincerely thank you for all the time, effort, smiles, your great informational emails, determination and more that you put into our special day.  You made the whole planning process more fun…boy, do we wish we had found you earlier!  Like I’ve said before, all our friends, family, and even the vendors themselves commented they felt they were in good hands having you guide us through the day and complimented on how smooth the day’s events occurred.  I also received a lot of comments on how relaxed I looked throughout our wedding day and I really attribute it to knowing you were managing all the details, the guests, the decor, etc.  I didn’t have to worry about a thing!  From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for coming into our lives.  We feel blessed to have had you as our wedding coordinator and to also have made a good friend along the way.

Warmest Regards,

Esther & Michael”

Washingtonian’s Best Wedding Vendors List 2009

Transcript for those of you at work without sound:
“Hi everybody, thanks for checking out the blog today.  I wanted to introduce you to a new wedding planning magazine.  This is for the DC-area only.  This is Washingtonian Bride and Groom.  This is a brand new publication.  It just hit the newsstands on December 15th.  Those of you who are here in the DC area are probably familiar with the Washingtonian already.  They area  monthly publication.  Every year they publish a 100 Best Restaurants list and as part of that magazine they do the top wedding vendors in the DC area.  This year they’ve decided instead of just throwing it into the monthly issue, they would make their own wedding-only magazine.  It’s a nice big, fat, chunky magazine…I love the feel of it…it’s nice and big.  This is DC-only which I really like because there’s not a lot of DC-area magazines.  They ask local vendors questions, they have information on real weddings, and venues, and all kinds of great stuff.  We are on page 202 as part of their “Best of Weddings” list…we are right under a beautiful image.  I’ll scan that for you so you can read below what they said about us.  They said some really nice things.  I’m really excited that this magazine is out.  It’s going to be a bi-annual publication so it’ll be in December and in June.  We’re just so thrilled and proud to be in the Washingtonian again this year.  This is our second year we are being featured.  I wanted to tell you about the magazine so you can check it out for yourself.  If you are interested in a copy of the magazine, I have about ten extra copies which you can see by my big ol’ stack.  If you would like a copy, I have ten to give away.  Just leave a comment here on the blog and I will send one to your address.  Make sure you leave your email address so I can get in contact with you and we’ll either set up a time that I can drop it off at your home office or I’ll just pop it in the mail to you.  Have a great day everybody and we’ll chat soon!  Thanks.”