Sunday was a beautiful day for a wedding. Danielle and Steve were so lucky to not only have great weather but to enjoy the view from the gardens at the Meadowlark Atrium.
Martha Fitzsimon Photographers took fabulous pictures so here is our sneak peek…
Hope you are enjoying Antigua, Danielle and Steve!!
Cheers,
Whatever you were up to on Valentine’s Day it wasn’t as beautiful, as much fun, or as memorable as Sara and Tyger’s wedding! I met Sara and Tyger late in 2008 and had a fabulous time working with them – both busy professionals, they made my job easy thanks to being super organized (Sara is a former planner) and their all-star cast of vendors.
The day started at Christ Church of Georgetown . When guests stepped off the motor coach from Chariots for Hire they were greated by Norm Weaver, bagpiper extraordinaire, who piped before and after the ceremony, as well as at the entrace to the reception.
After the ceremony was over, Sara and Tyger took a vinatge Rolls Royce from A Regal Limo to the reception, but not before taking a few picture with MK McKenna. The guests boarded the motor coach and headed to the reception at the Arts Club of Washington. Brennan Hurley and Jon McCracken were amazing to work with – a last minute scheduling change caused the guests to arrive an hour early for cocktails! Jon’s response “No problem!”; everything was in place when the bus pulled up. Thanks for your great work!!
Everything at the reception was fantastic: English Rose Garden provided beautiful bouquets and centerpieces, Heidelberg’s cake was (as always) delicious, and the Millennium Band created the best party atmosphere. Everyone had a fabulous time!
Once the reception was over, the bride and groom went with their guests to the Hotel Palomar for a celebratory drink. A perfect ending to a perfect day.
I pulled a full of my favorite images from photographer MK McKenna’s blog. She captured some really beautiful photos! To see the rest, check out the slideshow on MK McKenna’s blog:
Sara and Tyger, thank you for allowing me to be a part of your special day! You have been a great couple to work with and I wish you all the best with everything you have going on (especially with medical school, Sara!). Congratulations!
Cheers,
A few weeks ago I had the chance to tour the beautiful Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. You may remember this as the location of the most recent ISES Expo although it looks a lot different set up for a wedding than it does for a trade show. Here’s about half of one section of the ballroom (it splits into four rooms):
Here’s a photo from the hotel that better shows a wedding setup:
And another from the hotel that shows the whole ballroom. This room can seat up to 1700 guests banquet-style! To get an idea of the scale, consider the size of the double doors on the opposite wall:
The Marriott set up sample tables for us with beautiful floral arrangements:
On the tables, the chef prepared some tasty-looking entrees for display:
And of course some amazing desserts like this tiramisu:
And the chocolate chocolate chocolate layered mousse:
After checking out the ballroom and meeting space we took a tour of the rest of the hotel. Here’s the lobby:
And some photos of their ultra-luxurious Presidential suite:
One of the things I noticed that sets this hotel apart is it’s attention to detail. Check out this funky tic-tac-toe set:
I especially loved this beautiful glass artwork inside the suite:
I really enjoyed my visit to the Bethesda North Marriott and think it would be a beautiful location for a larger wedding. If you have 250+ guests, be sure you add this hotel to your list!
Wish is now a featured vendor on the latest greatest wedding planning resource site. This one’s a little different from the rest and we’re proud to be included! SoYoureEnGAYged.com is the premiere place for those of you planning same-sex weddings.
We’re so excited for Kelly of Two Brides/Film Noir Photography and Lara at Lara Swanson Photography. These two ladies have worked countless hours to make the site a reality. They’re super excited to share their creation with the world and I am too. Check it out and leave a comment or two.
While we haven’t had many inquiries for these types of celebrations, we’re certainly open to the idea and are happy to be a part of any couple’s event. Click here to check out our profile. Hopefully this site will prove to be a useful resource!
Are you a wedding vendor in the DC area? If so, mark your calendar for the ISES Gala! Here’s some more info from the official press release:
“It’s time to dust off your party shoes and get ready to dance the night away at the Annual DC ISES Capital Awards Gala. The special event industry’s social event of the year will be held on March 29, 2009 from 5:30pm until midnight at the new Party Rental Ltd. warehouse in Laurel, MD.
‘Lucky 21 – The Pink Ball’ will celebrate the Greater Washington DC Chapter’s 21st Anniversary and benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Because a portion of all proceeds from the event will support breast cancer research, pink will be the color of the evening for the swanky warehouse cocktail ball.
The awards ceremony will honor the best of the chapter’s special event professionals – from event producers to wedding planners, florists to photographers, lighting designers to videographers. After celebrating the achievements of teh event industry, the party will heat up with the best entertainers, caterers, florists and decorators in Washington showcasing their talents. Capital Awards Gala co-chairs Wendy Raab and Kelly Jenkins, both award-winning event planners and designers, promise an evening filled with casino games, dancing, aerial artists and even roller girls.
Don’t miss this spectacular event! Not only will this year’s Gala showcase some of the top special event professionals in the city, it will be the perfect time to network with the best in the DC wedding and special event industry. Tickets are $150 for members and $175 for non-members and are available through the website. Over 400 ISES members and guests are expected to attend.”
I’m going! Are you?
Here’s a new one…have you thought about decorating the elevator at your venue? If your site requires guests to use an elevator, this is the perfect way to attract your guests and keep them entertained. This would be great at venues like Top of the Town, the Newseum, the Sheraton National, or even the Fairmont’s lower-level ballroom. Your guests will know exactly where they’re supposed to go to find the party!
This example is for a corporate environment but it would be great for weddings too. You can use any graphic like a monogram, logo, or even a photograph! They go up quickly and peel off with no damage to the surface. You can even decorate the inside of the elevator door for the ride. What about a collage of family photos your guests see when the doors close?
To get more information or place an order, email Barbra Dennison at Surface Media.
Last week I took a trip to visit Katie Martin, owner of Elegance & Simplicity. They’ve been in business since 1998 and have a beautiful office in the heart of downtown Bethesda. Katie started as a wedding planner and over the years has added floral services and a bunch of other things to her offerings. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the floral designs she creates:
One of the greatest things about Elegance & Simplicity is their commitment to the environment. They only source flowers from farmers who are VeriFlora certified or USDA Organic certified and use sustainable farming methods. They also support smaller co-ops and farmers who prove fair wage practices. Their shop is wind-powered and they offset their carbon footprint. They even drive smaller fuel-efficient delivery vehicles instead of gas-guzzling SUVs and trucks. This florist is GREEN!
Something else that helps them stand out are the varied product offerings they have. Did you know you can rent glassware and scoops for a candy buffet without having to buy all those vases yourself? They have over 500 pieces to choose from so you can get a modern eclectic mix or go classic and matchy. Elegance & Simplicity can even bring the candy:
There are several companies that provide chuppahs, mandaps, and wedding canopies. Have you ever seen a wooden one like this, though? Their in-house carpenter makes these gorgeous arbors. They have two sizes…one smaller for three people to stand under (you, husband, and the officiant) and a larger one for the whole gang:
A lot of brides call us inquiring about hanging Chinese-style paper lanterns. While we can’t provide that as a decor service, Elegance & Simplicity can! Check out this beautiful wedding with dozens of strung orange lanterns:
Here are a few more photos from their website that I found appealing:
If you are a current Wish bride looking for a florist, Elegance & Simplicity is offering 10% to our clients! Please let us know that you plan to meet with them and we’ll hook you up.
Did you hear? The Post Office is raising their prices again. Effective May 11th, the price of a first-class stamp will go from $0.42 to $0.44. Envelopes between 1-2oz. will go from $0.59 to $0.61. Remember that you can buy ‘Forever’ stamps. Just buy them before May 11th to get the $0.42 price.
They are also releasing a new wedding stamp! Here are the designs:
I can’t say I love them but they’re not awful. I like that the Post Office is using photographic images instead of clip-art-y drawings like they usually do for weddings. Plus these were taken by a local DC photographer!
ATTENTION SPRING BRIDES! Are you sending your invitations before May 11th? Are you stamping your RSVP envelopes like a good bride should? Don’t forget that your little responses won’t make it back to you if they don’t have enough postage. The post office will have no problem returning them to your confused guests. Check your RSVP date and either use Forever stamps or the new $0.44 wedding stamp.
Click here for the USPS press release & more information.
Wish has always tried to the planet’s best interests at heart. Here’s a short list of the socially conscious practices we’re proud of:
Now we can add one more thing to our list! Wish’s central office is now 100% supported by Green Power. Our power supplier, Dominion, has recently announced that it will offer Green-e Energy certified renewable energy certificates (RECs). Wish will be purchasing these RECs to account for 100% of the power we consume in the office. RECs are used to support suppliers of renewable energy like Wind, Solar, Landfill/Biomass, Geothermal, and Hydroelectric.
Now that’s something to be proud of!
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We contributed to a book! Really!
