WAHOO!  For the third year in a row, Wish Special Events has been included in Washingtonian Magazine’s best wedding vendor list.  This is no small deal, folks.  Washingtonian Magazine has been publishing this list for quite a few years and has really become the gold standard in the DC area.  We’re thrilled to be included yet again!

Here’s what they had to say about our team:

Sounds like us, right?  They hit the nail on the head.  I’m really fortunate to have such a wonderful group of planners on my team.

A special round of applause goes to all our (friendly) competitors who also made the list.  We’re honored to be included amongst: Aimee @ A. Dominick Events, Alexandra Kovach, Atrendy Wedding & Event Co, Sara @ Bella Notte, Bonnie Schwartz & Co, Alex @ Cherry Blossom Weddings & Events, Creative Parties, Distinctive Events by Susan B. Katz, Katie @ Elegance & Simplicity, Laura @ Engaging Affairs, Events by Andre Wells, Events by Ayran Kanter, For All Occasions, Jodi @ Jodi Moraru & Associates, Michele Hodges Events, Party Portfolio, A Perfect Wedding, Pineapple Productions, Rave Reviews, Maria @ Ritzy Bee Events, Sandi Hoffman Special Events, Jamie @ Simply Chic Events, Sara @ Social Scene Events, Soco Events, and Terri Bergman Events.  Congratulations everyone!  We did it!

I have a few extra copies of the magazine and would be happy to mail one to you.  The first five commenters below will get a copy!

We’re so excited to announce that Hallie & Matt have been published!  Their July wedding at Glen Echo made it into the sparkling new Eco-Beautiful Weddings magazine which was just released this week.  The e-zine focuses on environmentally friendly wedding ideas without compromising style, design, or quality.  There are some gorgeous things in this baby!

Best of all?  The magazine is ONLINE which means you don’t need to drive to a store to pick up a copy.  Just click here to flip through the pages in your browser!  What could be easier?

While you’re there, be sure to check out Hallie & Matt’s wedding on pages 102-104.  Here’s a sneak preview:

Our congratulations goes to Rebecca Dick, a WishPlanner who coordinated this event.  This is Rebecca’s first published wedding and we’re so proud of her!

Another huge round of applause goes to our friend Katie Martin who poured out her heart and soul for this magazine.  A ‘green’ wedding planner since before it was trendy, Katie really knows her stuff and is passionate about sharing her eco-friendly advice with the wedding industry.  We glad we could be a part of it, Katie!

PS – for more eco-beautiful ideas, check out the blog!

I just beam when I see lovely letters come in from our brides about our team.  Of course I know we do a great job for our clients but it’s nice to be reminded now and again.  Here’s a fabulous letter from one of our October brides that I couldn’t help but share:

Hi Cristin!

We’re just back from Grand Cayman (I actually kissed a stingray!!) and I wanted to write a quick note to say a HUGE thank you for everything you did to make our day so awesome!!!  We truly couldn’t have done it without you!!  I know people always say that, but this time it is really, really ture!!  You made everything run so smoothly and we all felt so comfortable with you organizing the day!  From your quick, helpful responses to emails when we were far out, to communicating with vendors the week of, to lighting a million candles, tipping folks at just the right time, fixing my mistakes on guests’ names (oops!), and keeping us on schedule throughout the night, you were fabulous with ALison, our flower girl, and that wand was perfect and taking her to get her sundae first!  Her parents were so impressed with you and your skills.  You’re AWESOME and I “wish” I knew someone getting married soon so I could recommend you to them right now!!!  I’ll be singing your praises for a long, long time!  You made our wedding a success!!

All the best & much love,

Holly

Thanks for your note, Holly!

In this series, we interviewed our team with a handful of lighthearted questions.  You can read Cristin’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?
I am a very organized, creative person and I bring those elements to the table whenever meeting with a couple.  But then I really let them dictate my approach since it’s their big day, not my production.   Once I have a feeling for the couple and their style, I use my experience, organization skills and creativity to bring their vision to life for the big day.

What do you do for fun?
I plan weddings for fun!  But aside from that, I work on way too many craft projects, sing, do yoga, play softball, ready celebrity magazines, watch football, shop and cook (although not always very well!).

What’s the most important piece of advice for brides?
Always remember that your big day might not be perfect, but it will be perfect for you.  Just like a marriage, your wedding is likely to have a few surprises. Once the day arrives, don’t sweat the little things.  The day is about celebrating your love and new life with another person, so don’t let the details keep you from enjoying your own celebration.

What inspires you?
People.  Whether its crafts, music, a wedding….I like using my talents to creat things for others that will make their life a little happier.

What sets you apart from other wedding planners?
When I’m working with a couple in the weeks before a wedding, I like to focus all of my time and energy towards that couple.  I prefer to only take one wedding a month so that I can immerse myself in that wedding and ensure that it is a memorable day for everyone involved!

What blogs do you frequent often?

Style Me Pretty, Etsy Wedding, Cupcake Takes the Cake

What’s the best thing about weddings?
I love watching the first dance and imagining what the bride and groom are saying to each other as they twirl (or maybe trip a little!) around the dance floor in the middle of all the people that mean the most to them.

What’s the worst thing about weddings?
The cost.  I love working to help keep costs reasonable for each couple.

What would you do with $1 million dollars?
Buy a house in Arlington with a yard for dogs. I’m not sure I’d have much left after that!

What is your favorite wedding trend right now?
I am becoming a fan of engagement rings with gemstones as the center stone instead of a diamond.  Princess Diana did it years ago (she had a sapphire surrounded by diamonds) and I thought it was beautiful.  I think a ruby, aquamarine, pearl, sapphire or other precious gemstone can be unique and different way to show someone that they are special and beautiful (I’m partial to vintage aquamarine).   And if you really want diamonds, surround the gemstone with diamonds or add a diamond band as the wedding or anniversary band.   I’m also a big fan of cupcakes, but I have to say that I’ve been a fan of cupcakes BEFORE cupcakes were cool!

What is your least favorite wedding trend right now?
iPod playlists without a DJ.   I know it’s cost-effective, but a great DJ or band really sets the mood for the whole party.

“Meghan and Eric’s wedding ceremony and reception were Saturday at Oatlands Plantation.

The event was absolutely perfect! – and in no small measure due to the attention to detail and determination of Rebecca. She was everywhere – but most importantly she was exactly where the action was before something could go wrong – and made sure nothing was allowed to go wrong.

Her recommendations covered the gamut from decorations to organization – and the kudos I received from family and friends from all over the U.S. and several foreign countries really belong to her.

I’ll recommend Rebecca to anyone as a wedding coordinator!  That recommendation also extends to your whole staff.

My sincere thanks for a job done extremely well – with courtesy and a professional attitude.

Jerry Kelly

FOTB”

Did you know we had a monthly e-newsletter?  We do!

We’d love to add you to the list so you can get great planning advice, direct links to our best Real Weddings, and upcoming bridal events.  We promise we won’t use your email address for anything else or sell it to another company.

Click here to sign up!

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

Toot toot!  We don’t often blow our own horn but I just had to share some exciting news.  We’re featured in the most recent Engaged! Magazine’s “Who’s Who of Wedding Planners” list!

Engaged! is a wonderful publication which focuses on local DC-area weddings and vendors.  Although it’s only been around for a few years, it’s grown by leaps and bounds and is quickly becoming a top authority on the DC wedding scene.  Being featured on their list of recommended wedding planners is quite the honor!

Here’s the beautiful cover, so you’ll recognize it on the stands:

Here’s the little blurb about Wish:

I feel like such a proud momma when I read nice things about my team.  It’s always such a heartwarming feeling when our efforts are recognized and celebrated.  I hope you take a minute to check out this gorgeous magazine and see it for yourself!

Nearly two years ago, I got an intriguing email from a guy named Ken York.

I’d never heard of him but promptly checked out his Father of the Bride Wedding Guidance blog.  Could it be that there was actually a dad out there who cared about the wedding further than the typical ‘how much will this cost me?’  Yes!  Ken is that kind of superdad and even went as far as sharing his trials and tribulations on a blog from the perspective of a bride’s father.

So back to the email.  Ken was planning to turn his blog into a wonderful asset for fathers of the bride — a book just for the guys!  Even better?  He wanted to use me as a resource and see if I’d write a small portion of the book.  WHAT?!?!  Me?  An author?  Well, I’d never thought about it before but was really fascinated by the prospect.

It took me quite a few weeks and I must have gone through dozens of edits.  Ken was a rockstar and helped me put the finishing touches on my submission.  I loved where it was going and was thrilled to see what portions would make the editor’s cut.

Well, days turned into weeks and I hadn’t heard from Ken.  Things got busy with weddings and weeks turned into months.  I thought about it from time to time and never really got around to checking in.  I was sure he was working on it and that he’d let me know if he had any news.

Flash forward to a couple weeks ago, when I got another out-of-the-blue email from Ken.  He wanted my address.  Oh and by the way, he was sending a few copies of the book my way.

I must have torn the package open in less than a second.  Here’s the beauty I found inside:

I stood outside by my mailbox for at least a few minutes and just stared.  Was that really my name on the cover of a book?  Granted my chapter didn’t cover more than five pages but Ken credited me on the cover.  What a cool thing to see!  I was shocked and thrilled and excited all at the same time.

Since I obviously can’t scan the whole book, I thought I’d at least give you a teaser of my chapter:

What do you think?!  Pretty awesome, eh?  I’m still pretty smitten if you can’t tell.

If you’re interested in buying a copy, check out the Amazon link to the right.  Or you can click here.  What better way to get dad involved than to help him understand the wedding world?  Obviously I’m a little partial but I think this would be a great gift for any dad whose daughter (or son!) is planning a wedding.

Remember Kara & Art’s wedding at Collingwood last month?  The mother of the bride, Helena, wrote us a very sweet note after the wedding.  Here’s what she said:

“Laura,

Once more my warmest thanks for all you did to make Kara’s wedding such a success. I know you do this all the time, but for us this was once in a lifetime event. You jumped in without hesitation and did a wonderful job. I’ll be happy to recommed you to anybody who is looking for a wedding planner. You were not only efficient but also warm and kind. We all, but especially Kara and Art, will treasure that day as a very beautiful day when everything worked just right. Would you please let Ryan know that the event was a total success.

Please send my your bill for the luch!

Warmest,

Helena”