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::Disclaimer!  The photos in this post are purely inspirational and not from events that Wish Special Events has planned or coordinated.  We can re-create what you see below for your event but these are not a part of our portfolio::

An entire movie was dedicated to the idea that, with most bridesmaids dresses, you can not “wear it again.”  For whatever reason, something about most bridesmaids dresses, there is just no chance you’re wearing it again.  (If that’s true, you should donate it to a great cause!  Hitched in DC does a great drive every year.)  However, there are some wonderful, thoughtful brides out there who won’t make you wear this:

There are many options these days for bridesmaids dresses. From allowing girls to wear different cuts in the same color and fabric, to having them wear different shades, to just letting them wear whatever they desire.  This wedding featured bridesmaids in deep purple dresses of their choosing:

Or have your Maid of Honor stand out in a dress of a different color, as in this wedding photographed by Chris Baltazar:

How cool is this bride?  Clearly she said “Ladies, pick a green dress.  Yes, just green,  any green is fine.  Yes, really.”  I love her for that

Two things I love about these dresses; the different colored sashes and the adorable petticoats peeking out under the hem:

More petticoat goodness:

Okay, these girls?  This is just hot!  I absolutely love the pencil skirts with the sleeveless white tops and wide sashes.  I have no idea how the bride thought of this, but it is genius!

I love the idea of skirts for bridesmaids!  Talk about something you can wear again!  Here are some more skirted bridesmaids. Photo by Brian Wedge Photography:

Another great new trend is patterned bridesmaids dresses, like these black and white dresses from Ann Taylor, shot by Union Photography:

Photography by Eleise Theuer:

Or these patterned dresses from Anthropologie, photographed by Ann Wade Parrish:

Anthropologie seems to be a popular choice for patterned dresses — look at these cute candy striped dresses from the shop (Photo: Stacey Kane):

Speaking of Red and White, how adorable are these Betsey Johnson dresses?! (Photo: Our Labor of Love):

I really like the trend of “shades” from the same color — shades of blue, shades of green.  It not only allows the ladies to pick the color they like but also creates a great palate to work from!

Or you could go with the same dress in completely different colors, like these brides…

Dresses by Calypso; Photography by Paul Johnson:

Or, make it different with accessories, like the shoes…

Amelia Lyon Photography:

Necklaces…

Shawls:

(Photo: Eleise Theuer):

Or Jackets, like these from Banana Republic (Photo: Jonathan Canlas):

How are you dressing your bridesmaids?  Are you doing anything different from the “norm”?

This past weekend we helped Lindsay & Josh celebrate their nuptials!  Since Lindsay and Josh live in Atlanta, I worked almost exclusively with Linday’s mom Sue.  Since the church had their own wedding coordinators, Sue asked me to just coordinate the reception at the Omni Shoreham hotel in Washington, DC.    I think we put together a pretty great shindig!

The Diplomat Room at the Omni hosted our cocktail hour.  Alison at Distinctive Floral provided all the gorgeous floral arrangements for the event:

I have to admit that I was really proud of the escort card table!  The escort cards, ceremony programs, table names, and menu cards were all printed by The Dandelion Patch.  It’s very difficult to get all the cards evenly spaced on a round table but I think I did a good job:

Cocktail hour had to be moved inside because it was raining so hard on the outdoor patio.  Luckily the hotel plans for such things and it turned out great anyway.  The real gem is the Palladian Ballroom, though!  Check out our amazing reception:

Atmosphere Lighting did all the uplighting around the perimeter of the room and also pinspotted the centerpieces.  Lindsay & Josh named all their tables after DC-area landmarks and monuments.  This table was called “The Pentagon.”  I thought the table settings looked very elegant with Distinctive Floral’s silver footed pedestals:

Linda at Cakes by Linda created this gorgeous show-stopper of a cake!  The lace pattern mimicked Lindsay’s wedding gown and you could smell the sweet buttercream icing just by standing nearby:

The lace is just too pretty to not show up close:

Lindsay & Josh chose Marquise, a band booked through Andy Kushner Entertainment.  I always like working with Andy’s company because the bands they represent are phenomenal and their staff is very responsive. Marquise was wonderfully professional, energetic, and sounded great!  They kept guests on the dance floor the whole night.  You can see the band set up there to the left in this photo:

Later in the evening, the Omni staff brought the wedding cake to the dance floor for the cake cutting ceremony.  I thought this was a great photo because it shows you lindsay’s gorgeous gown.  It was satin with lace detail and had a beautifully elegant satin bow around the waist.  I wish I had a photo from the front but you’ll have to wait until I get the professional images from Freed Photography (Chris Newkumet was great!):

Sue, I had a wonderful time working with you on the wedding and am thrilled to have been a part of your family’s special event.  Lindsay & Josh, I hope you enjoyed every minute of the day and are having a fabulous time in Italy this week!

Some couples have “their song,” whether it’s the first song they danced to, a song that particularly speaks to them, or a song they’ve always dreamed of having for their first dance.  This post is for, you know…everyone else.

“Crazy Love,” by Van Morrison, has been covered by tons of artists.  One of my favorites is this version from the tearjerker, Phenomenon, sung by Aaron Neville.

Al Green made many a woman swoon back in the day…Lord knows his songs still do it for me, especially “Let’s Stay Together.”

Country music seems to be a love it or hate it kind of music — I personally love it.  (People always seem surprised when they hear that about me…I have no idea why?)  The one thing you can’t deny about country music artists is that they can do a GREAT first dance song.

“When You Say Nothing At All”, Alison Krauss:

“Then”, Brad Paisley (Colleen and Ali used this as their first dance…there were definitely tears!)

“When I Said I Do”, Clint Black

Of course, if you’re not a country fan, you could always go to your favorite decade for a great song.

80’s: “More Than This” Roxy Music:

70’s: “You Are My Shining Star,” The Manhattans:

60’s: “For Once In My Life,” Stevie Wonder:

Or you could go with one of the true classics, either sung by an early, classic artist, such as Tony Bennett:

Sarah Vaughn:

or Sam Cooke:

Or you can go with a great remake of a classic tune.

“Love Me Tender,” a beautiful remake by Norah Jones and Adam Levine:

Michael Buble, “Quando, Quando, Quando” (This was Rama and Neel’s first dance song):

Or even Smash Mouth, who covered the Monkee’s “I’m a Believer,” which I think is an adorable first dance song!  (Plus the little kids at your wedding will go crazy for it if they’ve seen Shrek!)

Speaking of upbeat songs, if you would rather dance to a fast song, there are some great options out there.

“All I Want is You,” by Barry Louis Polisar (from the Juno soundtrack)

“1,2,3,4″, The Plain White T’s (This is my favorite song right now.  I’m dying for one of my couples to use it!)

Of course, you could go for something a little silly, like a song from my favorite movie, The Little Mermaid:

Or Robert and Amy’s first dance song, from Everybody Loves Raymond:

There are also some great indie and popular songs that are just perfect for a first dance.

One of my favorites is “The Luckiest,” by Ben Folds:

Jack Johnson’s “Better Together”

“Lucky,” by Jason Mraz and Cobie Callait, which was Rob and Maya’s first dance song:

“Yellow,” by Coldplay (this song is also great if you have a string quartet for your ceremony!)

Or, from Meredith and Howard’s wedding (and one of my favorite singers), “You Are The Best Thing,” Ray LaMontagne:

Finally, my favorite first dance song, one that doesn’t often get used because people hear the first few words and think “I may not always love you?  That’s not a good first dance song!”  But trust me, listen to the rest of the lyrics and you’ll agree with Paul McCartney, who has often called it the greatest love song ever written.

God Only Knows, The Beach Boys:

Have you picked your first dance song yet?  What are you using?

::Disclaimer!  The photos in this post are purely inspirational and not from events that Wish Special Events has planned or coordinated.  We can re-create what you see below for your event but these are not a part of our portfolio::

I am in love.   And given my proven love of all things ’80s, it’s no surprise that the object of my affection arrived into this world in 1982.   Ladies, and gentlemen, I introduce you to… the Holga Camera.

Up until a few weeks ago, holga was nothing more than a strange name that I would expect to hear in a chant at a college football game with some sort of barbaric team mascot.   “Hol-ga… hol-ga… hol-ga!”  But then it happened…. I found this Holga photo on Blink Photography’s wedding blog:

(Pause for swoon.)  A vintage looking photograph…taken earlier this summer!  Love it!

First things first:  What is a Holga?   It is a minimal and inexpensive camera using medium format 120 film. It contains only the bare necessities for photo mechanisms and although it looks like a Fisher Price toy I might have once owned, it’s photos provide a stipped-down perspective that’s far more beautiful and unique than any children’s toy.  Although it debuted in 1982, I love that the photos look like vintage photos from a far earlier decade, due to the simple camera mechanics.

Since I am not a photographer or Holga expert, I reached out to local DC photographer Sarah Hodzic at Blink Photography who has an affinity – and quite a talent – for her Holga (as evidenced by the above photo).  I love love LOVE her work..Holga or otherwise.   You can read more about her Holga relationship here and here.   Here are a few examples of her Holga work:

Here’s another double-exposure from local DC holga artist Erin Antognoli at Halo Photo:

And a few more to get lost in….   This abstract version of the National Cathedral is from Juxtaexposed.com:

Here’s a triple exposure shot from JB Smith Photography:

These shots are  from an entire wedding shot in Holga by Leo Patrone Photography:

And one last one from Mary McHenry Photography.  Swoonworthy, no?

So…. are you as in love with the Holga as I am?   Interested in some Holga shots for your wedding….or maybe an e-session?   “Hol-ga…hol-ga… hol-ga! ”

Every so often I get an email or a note that reminds me why I love my job.  It’s such a great feeling to know that we’re making a positive impact on people’s happy memories.  I received this wonderful email from Hallie and Matt and just had to share.  I thought you might like to see it too:

Laura,

Hello from Hoi An, Vietnam!  We’ve been meaning to write you over the past two weeks as we’ve been traveling throughout Asia for our honeymoon, but couldn’t seem to find the time or 21st century Internet connection until now. However, our lack of expediency is no reflection of our amazing experience with your planner, Rebecca Dick.

As my wife, Hallie, can attest I was very much against hiring a planner for the wedding as I thought we could do it on our own.  Yes, winning your contest for the free planning eased a major part of my concern, but I still didn’t foresee the value of hiring someone to do the planning for us.  I’m not wrong often , but this time I was very wrong.  Without Rebecca, I don’t know what we would have done.  She was truly Super Woman and the key to our perfect wedding.

Where should I begin to sing her praises.  Let’s start from the beginning and our initial meetings with her.  Despite my initial reluctance of meeting with her, upon our first meeting on a Saturday morning in Starbucks we were immediately impressed.  Her organizational skills, knowledge of the planning world, and passion for her job were evident from the beginning.  We drew an immediate comfort with her professional skills and personable nature.  From there, things only got better.

In the weeks prior to our wedding, she handled everything flawlessly.  Her unbelievable organizational skills were crucial to us having a literally perfect wedding day.  If it were left up to us, I have a feeling our guests may still be talking about the wedding that never happened. She was an excellent source of knowledge and a sounding board for questions we had about music, food, favors, etc.  In our opinion, she went over and above the call of duty by meeting with us and communicating via email several times.

Now to the wedding day and the couple of days beforehand. I think that it’s natural for most brides and grooms to be nervous about their wedding day. Not necessarily about the person they’re marrying (at least I hope not), but more about the stresses of the “day” actually working out as planned after the culmination of a full year’s worth of work.  For us, that nervousness never set in…in large part because of Rebecca.  Not only did she assure us when we questioned ourselves, she took proactive steps to make us feel even better.  For example, I hired an independent ice cream truck that I had little faith in as there was a clear language barrier and I was never sure if he clearly understood that he was the ONLY dessert at our wedding. Rebecca knew this was one of my biggest concerns and went out of her way to get in touch with this guy numerous times before the wedding to ensure that he arrived and arrived on time.  With her help, he did and the ice cream was a big hit.  (AJ the Ice Cream man wound up being a nice guy and someone you should consider using now that we know he is reliable and actually does have an ice cream truck not a Camry with Mr. Softee music).  Just a small example of her diligence and concern for making us feel more comfortable about our wedding day.  In addition to her handywork with securing the ice cream truck, she made my wife feel extremely comfortable that every base was covered and that there was no need for us to worry about a thing. I could list several examples, but suffice it to say that she didn’t miss a thing.

On the actual wedding day, in true Rebecca style she took control of the evening and coordinated seamlessly with all of our vendors..  She ensured they were all there on time and from conversations afterward with the other vendors; they’ve all said she was a pleasure to work with.

So to summarize our gratitude for Rebecca’s work, the highest praise I can give her is to simply say that we had an absolutely perfect wedding day!  There was zero stress, anxiety, or problems throughout the night. Over the past couple of weeks we’ve relived our wedding night and still cannot think of a single thing that didn’t go as planned. In large part thanks to Rebecca our married life together has started off on the right foot.

Clearly Rebecca is only one person in your company and we thank you as well for the job Wish did!! We’ve already referred one friend to Rebecca and will be sure to recommend others in the future.

All the best and thank you!

Matt & Hallie Offen

Remember how rainy it was in June?  CRAZY rainy, right?!  Well, Veronica just KNEW it was going to be gorgeous on her wedding day, so she went ahead and planned dinner for outside, under the stars, no tent.  And you know what?  It was PERFECT!

The day started with the ladies getting their hair and makeup done at Jon’Ric Alexandria, who did a great job getting them dolled up!  Everyone then trekked over to the new National Harbor, where the girls finished getting ready at the Westin.  What great light they had in their room, and great places were found all around at the National Harbor by their photographer, Mark Sypher, of Bella Pictures.

I love this picture of Veronica’s shoes — look how great their view is!

Mark got some GREAT shots of the guys at National Harbor too!

From National Harbor, it is literally about a 2 minute drive up the hill to the gorgeous Oxon Hill Manor.  Everything in this place is beautiful, but one of my favorites is the spiral staircase up to the amazing bride’s room!

I love this shot of Veronica and two of her bridesmaids in the bridal room, one of whom, if you couldn’t tell, is her twin sister!

The room has such gorgeous light — it’s great for a “first look” with the groom, or for dad to see his little girl in her dress for the first time.

Veronica is checking out her dad’s bout — the AMAZING flowers were actually done by Poya’s sister!  This girl basically turned her parents basement into a floral studio for the week before the wedding, and boy was it worth it.  The flowers were GORGEOUS!!!

Actually, the programs were designed by a friend as well.  It’s nice to have talented friends!

As everyone got ready for the wedding, I wrangled the adorable flower girl and ring bearer, who were doing a perfect job…right up until they saw the fountain at the start of the aisle:

I was able to get them on their way…

And then I think someone spotted her mom…

For me, it’s moments like those that make weddings so great — completely adorable and spontaneous.  Luckily, no one actually fell in the fountain!

Mark got some gorgeous shots of the ceremony, which included both Veronica’s faith, Episcopalian, and Poya’s, Baha’i.

After the ceremony in the upper gardens, the guests moved to the house and patios for cocktail hour, while Mark used the awesome reflecting pool for some great shots!

When they finished with photos, everyone returned to the manor to get ready for introductions.  I swear, there’s a picture of me like this at almost every wedding, bustling the bride’s dress.

See that dapper looking fellow standing next to me?  That is the AMAZING Pete Medina.  When Veronica told me that their wedding was being catered by a restaurant (the OHMYGOD SO GOOD Kabob Bazaar in Clarendon), I told her she absolutely HAD to have Pete do her staffing and rentals.  I worked with Pete on Rama and Neel’s wedding, so I knew he was perfect.  He works everywhere from the Italian Embassy on down to offering to get me a few linens for a shower I was throwing.  He does rentals for everything from silverware to linens to ceremony arches, plus he provides a wonderful staff, and, perhaps most importantly, finds out what the bride and groom (and even the Maid of Honor) drink, and makes sure there’s one in their hand all night.  If you’re having a restaurant cater your wedding, or if you need catering staff or linens, post a comment and we’ll send you his information.  He is THE BEST!  He even got Veronica and Poya special linens, chargers and glassware for their sweetheart table.

When Veronica and Poya were introduced onto the patio for the first time as husband and wife, I couldn’t believe it — from every area of the patio, roses came FLYING!  I had never seen this before, but it was so sweet!  They continued to fly during their first dance…you can see some in these photos.

(Author’s Photo)

We were SO lucky to have dinner on the patio — there’s a great fountain, and a great view…plus the night was just PERFECT, temperature wise.  This was largely thanks to the awesome lighting from Frost Lighting. I like working with these guys because they actually leave a technician there on site in case something goes wrong…as it did this night when a little too much power blew a fuse!

After dinner, it was back inside for the delicious cake from Amphora Bakery.

See the Cake Topper?  Veronica really wanted a Gold “S” for their new last name, but all I could find were silver ones…or ones that were INSANELY expensive!  So I did what any crafty (and cheap) girl would do — I bought a silver one and spray painted it gold!  See what your wedding planner can do for you?  We really do save you money

After cake, everyone hit the dance floor where DJ Ani kept the crowd going with Persian and American tunes.  It actually got insanely hot in the room, so the crowd just moved out to the wraparound porch and kept the dancing out there!

Congratulations, Veronica and Poya!  Thanks for a great day, and all the best in the future!

I recently posted about Volanni, one of the most creative floral design companies in the area.  Lisa just sent me some gorgeous photos of a floral screen they put together.  It really speaks for itself.  Check it out:

I love the pinks, oranges, yellows, reds, and purples together. What a stunning combination!

Can you imagine this behind the bride and groom as they exchange vows?  I think this is a great alternative to the traditional “two vases with pillars” altar decoration.  Plus it could be moved behind the sweetheart table and re-used at the reception!

Volanni also created a matching centerpiece for this client’s party.  I love how it’s complimentary but not exactly the same:

What do you think about the pink/yellow/orange/purple/red combination?  Are multi-hued weddings going to be a new trend?  Sasha Souza would be proud!

::Disclaimer!  The photos in this post are purely inspirational and not from events that Wish Special Events has planned or coordinated.  We can re-create what you see below for your event but these are not a part of our portfolio::

Yesterday we featured bouts for the boys.  Well, turns out, they’ll actually have to wear clothes, too!  (Except for you, Clooney…clothing optional for you…)

Yes, he could wear a tux.  A tux is classic.  A tux is hot.  A tux is James Bond.  (Oh, speaking of which, you too are clothing optional, Daniel Craig…or just wear those swim trunks from your first Bond flick.  Thanks…)

But you all know what a tux looks like, what a group of men look like in a tux.  You can envision a tux wedding.  This post is dedicated to those non-tux looks.

I love a tan suit for a wedding — not only can everyone wear it again, but it just looks great!  Photo by Joshua Caine:

Especially love a tan suit with flip flops!

For my friend Coralie’s wedding in Hawaii, her husband wore a beautiful tan suit while his groomsmen wore casual white shirts and tan pants:

Even more than a tan suit, I LOVE a brown suit!

How great is this brown suit with a tweed vest, photographed by Brian Tropiano:

Or this corduroy jacket?

The guys could also go for the preppy Nantucket look:

Kristin Spencer Photography:

Blue Daisy Weddings:

Or go for the ultimate in preppy with these Nantucket Red Pants, Photographed by Therese Marie Wagner:

Speaking of preppy, how great are these sweater vests?!  They have a certain Weezer look to them.  Beaux Arts Photography:

Or you could go to the other end of the spectrum, and rock some suspenders!

Or is the opposite of preppy the hip look, complete with hat?  These guys just look like they belong in a Speakeasy, don’t they?!

Ron B. Wilson Photography:

A grey suit is always a nice tuxedo alternative.  Heather Cook Elliott Photography, Suits by Banana Republic:

What is your groom wearing?  Will it be a classic tux, or a different look?

::Disclaimer!  The photos in this post are purely inspirational and not from events that Wish Special Events has planned or coordinated.  We can re-create what you see below for your event but these are not a part of our portfolio::

Because we talk so much about the brides on this blog,  I thought we’d focus on the boys for a bit!  Boutonnieres are often a last-minute thought but there are actually some really great things you can do with this frequently overlooked feature of a wedding.  Below are some great examples to show off your fiance (or dad, or grandpa, or groomsman, or usher).

We start, where all wedding ideas probably start, with Martha.  Oh, Martha.  Why must everything you create be so perfect?

Fall seems to be a great time to experiment and have some fun with the bouts…

Berries, small branches, greenery and other non-floral items make for nice, masculine boutonnieres:

Photo from Jasmine Star:

There are even some flowers that aren’t too feminine…

Photo: Jasmine Star:

Photo: Colin Michael Photography:

Photo: HRM Photography:

Here are some great boards that feature boutonnieres by color:

And ones that adds one of my favorite features, feathers!

A great new trend is having a boutonniere that isn’t even necessarily floral.  This cotton boutonniere is perfect for a Southern Gentleman.  Look how it matches the tie!

Or this one that highlights one of the groom’s favorite activities:

Etsy is a great resource for non-floral bouts like this that feature your groom’s hobbies.  You might also be able to do one yourself!  Is anyone doing something special with their man’s boutonniere?