The first time I met Kate and Brian in the fall of 2009 I knew working with them would be a real treat – they certainly did not disappoint! Married June 12th, working with Kate and Brian was such an absolute pleasure. Cassidy DuHon did an amazing job capturing the day.

Aren’t the bridesmaids bouquets gorgeous? Kudos to Linda from Heaven on Earth who was such a joy to work with!

Here is a shot inside the limo heading to St. Thomas Apostle Catholic Church for the ceremony:

Brian and his best man – his dad Tom! Don’t they look dapper:

Kate and Brian’s attendants were so much fun! Here they are getting ready for the processional:

The ceremony, officiated by Father John Kartje was beautiful and included many special personal touches. Father John flew in from Chicago to be a part of Brian and Kate’s special day!

Husband and Wife! I love this shot:

In the limo heading downtown to take some formal photographs at the monuments:

Kate and her bridesmaids:

A shot of the groom and his groomsmen:

Cassidy DuHon really captures great moments and this is one of my favorites:

The Omni Shoreham was such a  beautiful backdrop for some of the portraits. I love with one of all the girls!

The hammocks on the property made for some great, playful shots:

The patio behind the ballroom served as the site for the cocktail hour and luckily for us, the rain held off just long enough for the guests to enjoy some time outside before heading in to eat.

Atmosphere Lighting did a great job setting the mood with the lighting and the centerpieces Linda put together made the room look absolutely stunning!

I love the green and black color scheme!

Fluffy Thoughts provided this gorgeous (and delicious) three tiered cake complete with a custom damask middle tier.

The couple used Washington landmarks as their table names along with some of their engagements shots. I love the touch of personality it added to each table:

Kate and Brian had one of the best choreographed first dances I have ever seen!

The couples sweetheart table gave them a great vantage point of the room. I loved the green linens and black chiavari chairs!

Brennan Sullivan with Bialek’s Music kept everyone dancing long into the night:

I’ve never seen a dance floor so packed!

Kate and Brian had a great group of friends surrounding them on their special day.

Here is Kate, her matron of honor and the rest of the girls getting down on the dance floor:

The guys did their fair share of dancing as well!

Here are the bride and groom, once again demonstrating their awesome dance moves!

It was such a pleasure to work with Kate and Brian over the last few months. Thank you so much for letting me be a part of such a special day!

The first weekend in October was a fabulous time for a wedding!  Stacey & Todd had a gorgeous fall day with warm sunlight and a cool breeze.  We started the day off in Georgetown, at Holy Trinity’s Chapel of St. Ignatius Loyola.  I always love weddings in historic Georgetown:

Here’s the front of the chapel.  35 years older than the main church, this pretty building dates to 1794!  I loved the white hydrangea wreaths that DaVinci’s Florist hung on the doors:

After the intimate and touching ceremony, Stacey, Todd, and their families took photographs outside in the chapel’s pretty courtyard.  I thought Stacey looked just stunning in her elegant gown and long veil:

After the family photos, the newlyweds and their bridal party went on a photo safari around the DC monuments.  The advantage of having an afternoon ceremony and evening reception is that you have plenty of time for photos like these!  The next two images were taken by photographer Armin DeFiesta:

The steps of the US Capitol are so utterly ‘DC’ in every way.  I really like this photo because it shows Todd’s “groomswoman” on the right.  His friend Jody stood on Todd’s side during the ceremony and wore black to match the tuxedos.  She carried a bouquet and had a similar style gown like the bridesmaids.  I thought it was a perfect way to match her to the rest of the bridal party:

Armin somehow convinced the US Capitol Police to get them closer to the building!  Here they are coming down from the photo shoot, escorted by the police.  Want to see the images he captured?  Check out Armin’s Blog to see more!

Meanwhile, the set-up at The Washington Club on Dupont Circle was going smoothly!  Here’s the stunning white face of the building:

Just inside, we displayed the guest book and family photographs on an existing marble table:

The guest book was a coffee table photo book of DC!  Guests could use a black or silver marker to write notes to the couple.  What a great way to incorporate DC into the festivities:

Upstairs inside the club, Ridgewells, DaVinci’s Florist, and the band were hastily setting the final touches on the reception:

Here’s a view from the back of the room.  Did you know that The Washington Club has it’s own in-house uplighting?  Stacey & Todd chose an amber color to match the gold & ivory colors of the wedding as well as the warm wood tones in the room.  The band, Doctor’s Orders, somehow all fit on the little stage:

This was one of my favorite floral pieces of the day.  DaVinci’s Florist created this solid rectangular cube out of hydrangea and nestled votive candles inside.  It sat on the sweetheart table and provided just enough romantic candlelight for the newlyweds.  Gorgeous!

My second-favorite piece was the bridal bouquet.  Stacey carried this all-white collection of roses, calla lilies, and poppies:

The wedding cake is a little tricky to see here but really was beautiful!  It mimicked a photograph that Stacey gave the baker, Lara Stuckey of Fluffy Thoughts.  I especially loved the little twigs sticking out of the flowers to match the centerpieces:

Doctor’s Orders rocked the party the whole night!  We should have had a bigger dance area but we moved some dinner tables out of the way once people were done eating.  What a fun time everyone had!

The night was full of culinary surprises.  Towards the end of the evening, Ridgewell’s came out with mini sliders and hash browns, perfect for anyone with the late-night munchies.  It was so much fun to see the shock and delight on the faces of their guests when they realized what they were being offered!  I always love little surprises like that.

Then, as guests headed back down towards the staircase at the end of the evening, they were encouraged to take a little bag of sweets from the candy table.  Some of the chocolates were hand-made by Stacey!  Isn’t this display adorable?

Congratulations again, Stacey & Todd!  I hope you had a fantastic time on your honeymoon in South America!

If you want to see more images from this wedding, be sure you go to Armin DeFiesta’s Blog and watch the slideshow!

Kara & Art were our international couple of the year!  These two have lived all over the world, from Austria to Argentina to South Africa.  They chose Collingwood Library for their wedding this past weekend and their international guests enjoyed the gorgeous setting there.

It’ll be a while until we get professional images from photographer Rob Holley but I thought I’d share mine in the meantime.  We got very lucky that another couple left this cute sign behind:

Barbara at Growing Wild did a marvelous job on the ceremony decoration.  We had shepherd’s hooks lining the aisle, a huge arch at the front of the aisle, and two more altar pieces to mark each end.  She also decorated the gazebo with a big beautiful garland…I wish I had a photo of it but it was all really pretty!  We always enjoy working with Barbara and you can see why brides like her too:

If you’re not familiar with Collingwood (you should be!  It’s open to the public most of the time!), you must know that the best ceremony spot is ALL the way down the hill and far, far away.  I would estimate it’s at least 150 yards?  Luckily they have a golf cart to help elderly guests and the bride also gets a ride down the hill:

If you’re into long aisles, this is probably the LONGEST aisle in town!  It makes for tricky processionals since we have to time the music for different groups of people.  But, that’s why you hire a wedding day coordinator, right?  Here’s the bride and her uncle, on their way:

It’s all worth it in the end, though, when you have a picture-perfect riverfront ceremony.  Bialek’s Music provided a wonderful guitar/violin duo that was just the right touch.  Rev. John Hoffmann created a customized ceremony that included a fun reading from a Dr. Seuss book.  The big beautiful Potomac River makes this wedding spot simply unbeatable:

While guests gathered back on the porch after the reception, we put the finishing touches on the reception room.  Collingwood built this venue about a year ago and we’re glad to finally have it open.  The room doesn’t have much character on it’s own but with a little lighting and some fun colors, it really comes to life!

Here’s the ‘before:’

And after!  Andrew Cissna Lighting Design did a fabulous job for us, including stringing the bulb lights, providing a ceiling wash with a fun pattern, and also doing a monogram on the dance floor to define the space.  I couldn’t have been more pleased with how things turned out:

A close-up of the custom monogram that Andrew designed:

Susan at Federal City Caterers was a rockstar to work with through the entire process.  She was flexible, accomodating, friendly, welcoming, and all-around a joy to work with.  She even worked with their chef to recreate a Finnish recipe for the bride’s family!  I will be recommending them a lot more in the future.  I thought the way they set the tables was really pretty:

Another cool thing to note was their wedding cake!  Stephanie the Baker provided this fun international-themed cake.  She’s a former White House pastry chef and really knows her stuff.  What’s even cooler?  The fondant ’stickers’ all feature a place the bride or groom have lived:

The room looked even better when guests came in for dinner:

Kara’s mom lives here in Arlington and was our liasion for most of the wedding decisions.  Kara dedicated a special song to her mom and it was really a touching moment.  I’ve become so jaded that I rarely cry at weddings anymore…this one brought a tear to my eye:

Cutting the wedding cake.  It was tasty!

Andrew even lit the outside of the building to give it some pop.  I thought the Tiffany blue color looked really great:

Congratulations again, Art & Kara!  I hope you both enjoyed every minute of your day and are traveling safely to Mexico today.  Best of luck with your future lives in South Africa and wherever else your international travel bug takes you!

A few weeks ago we were invited to join Splendid Fare Catering at one of their open tastings.  They hold these events every few months and display their work at a different venue each time.  I had never been to the Carnegie Institute before so I was delighted to finally see the space.  Here are some photos I took at the event:

The impressive Carnegie Institute.  The building was completed in 1909 and just screams “DC”:

At the top of the steps you enter through these MASSIVE bronze doors:

Once inside you are greeted by the gorgeous Rotunda:

Just to your right there are two smiling faces!  These are some of the ladies from Splendid Fare.  Brittany is on the right and I feel terrible but I can’t remember who the gal on the right is.  I do remember they were both super-friendly:

Directly above there is a glass skylight and a beautifully detailed domed ceiling:

Off to the right we have a beautiful spiral staircase.  I am working with a bride who plans to use this for her processional.  Perfect!

Splendid Fare displayed a handful of tabletop designs.  All were centered around a pink and purple theme but were quite different from one another:

If you were to move straight through the Rotunda from the front door, you’d arrive in The Ballroom.  This is the largest space in the building and can seat up to 175 guests.  Here’s the view from the Rotunda:

It’s much larger when you look at it across the entire length.  Here’s how Splendid Fare set up for the tasting:

There was SO MUCH FOOD at this tasting.  I wish I had enough time to take photos of it all!  I did get to sample quite a few of the menu items and they were all fantastic.  Here’s a quick photo of a Mediterranean-themed table. It featured hummus, sun-dried tomato tapenade, roasted eggplant dip, grilled asparagus spears, honey mint couscous salad, artichocke cheesecake, and herb-crusted baby lamb chops with tzatziki sauce:

And the hummus/tapenade display closer up:

Other food included Basil Parmesan Popcorn in Mini Cones, Seared Diver Scallops, Roast Duck Crepes, Jerk Chicken on Plantain Chips, Mini Potato Samosas, Mini Hamburgers, Chesapeake Crab Cakes, Pad Thai Noodles with Chicken, Gingered Beef Satay with peanut sauce, Coconut Chicken Skewers with honey curry dip, Virginia baked ham biscuits with pepper jelly, Chicken Roulade stuffed with Cornbread, Roasted Garlic Smashed Potatoes, and Fried Green Tomatoes with herbed creme fraiche.  Hungry yet??

All the flowers at the event were provided by Petal’s Edge Floral Design.  Gerry and Rebecca did a wonderful job incorporating the pink, purple, and brown theme.  Here are a handful of their creations:

Here’s our little table set up with brochures and some accolades:

We weren’t the only vendors!  Obviously the ladies from Petal’s Edge were there.  PJ from Prime Transportation brought her beautiful new 1941 Cadillac sedan to show off.  Jennifer and Mary from Love Life Images wandered the crowd and took professional photos.  Here’s some cakes on display from The Swiss Bakery:

Did you know they make cookies too?  I thought these were adorable and perfect for favors:

Entertainment was provided by DJ Brennan Sullivan from Bialek’s Music:

Headed back through the Rotunda, there is an extra room that can be rented for events.  The Board Room can also easily be closed off if you don’t need or want it for your wedding.  I think it’s a perfect place to display desserts and that’s exactly what Splendid Fare did.

I wish I took more photos of the room itself but I was entranced by the spread of sugar before me.  Capitol Chocolate Fountains provided this beauty:

Mini bittersweet chocolate mousses and berry shortcakes:

Mini German chocolate cupcakes:

Truffles & fruit:

Mini mixed berry shortcakes:

Mini red velvet cupcakes:

Mini ginger and mocha creme brulees:

Even the coffee was delectable.  Here’s a small sampling of the ‘enhancements’ offered:

I had a wonderful time at this tasting and can’t thank Sandra, Brittany, and the rest of the folks at Splendid Fare enough.  They put on a wonderful show!  Just imagine how well they’d do for your wedding.

I also really loved seeing the Carnegie Institute because it’s a wonderful venue in a wonderful location.  It’s at 15th & P Streets NW and is really convenient to a lot of local churches and hotels…ideal for a wedding venue.  The historic feel is rather timeless and it’s got that quintessential ‘DC’ look.  I think the best part is the reasonable pricing….all three of these large rooms can be rented together for under $5k.  That’s unheard of for any other rental space of similar size smack dab in the middle of the city.  I love it!

Remember Dora & Kaisorn’s sneak peek back in June?  I’ve had images from Cassidy DuHon for a while now and am so excited to share them with you.
The ceremony and reception were both held at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland.  Much like Meadowlark in Vienna, this is a public botanical garden.  Due to the size of the wedding we weren’t able to use their on-site events facility.  It’s not as nice or new as Meadowlark’s but it’s functional.  Instead we chose to tent a random flat space within the gardens.  Here’s a shot of the tent provided by Grand Rental Station:

Across the path we set up a small tent for Dora to dress in.  She didn’t want to walk an eigth of a mile from the visitor’s center’s public restrooms for the processional so we hooked her up with her own digs.  Here’s an image captured while she was getting ready.  Isn’t she gorgeous?

The rings are ready to go in a bowl from Palomas’ Nest:

Right next door we set up the chairs for the ceremony.  The chairs and decor are all provided by DaVinci’s Florist.  Did you know they have the cheapest gold chivari chairs in town?

The ceremony.  Rev. Bill Cochran performed the service.  Check out that ribboned gate DaVinci’s created:

My favorite image from the ceremony:

This photo might look familiar from the sneak peek!  I love the all-orchid bouquets:

Keep in mind that bouquets don’t have to match!  Here’s Dora’s all-calla bouquet:

After the ceremony we got lucky with the weather and were able to do some outdoor portraits.  I liked this one:

Meanwhile inside the tent the party was getting started!  DJ Brennan Sullivan from Bialek’s Music provided the entertainment.  I loved all the DIY projects Dora provided.  Here are some flowers we tied on her and Kaisorn’s chairs:

The all-orchid bouquets were matched by all-orchid centerpieces.  Check out the bamboo set inside the vase:

Instead of a guest book, guests wrote words of advice to the newlyweds:

OK so this isn’t a DIY detail but I thought the image was cool anyway.  This is how caterer Basikneads stacks their glasses at the bar!

All the kids at the wedding got their very own goodie bag:

The first dance:

The wedding cake was provided by Margie at Artistic Cake Creations:

If wedding cake weren’t sweet enough, check out this color-coordinated candy bar!  I really love how she used takeout boxes instead of the traditional cellophane bags:

Dora & Kaisorn — it’s been a couple months but I hope you both are doing well!  Looking at these images brings me right back to your special rainy day.  Even though we had a couple hiccups along the way I really enjoyed working with you both.  Congratulations again!