Our last wedding of 2009 was Jen & Brent’s bash at The Barns at Wolf Trap.  Although we’ve been planning weddings for over four years and even employ a former Wolf Trap employee, we’ve never had the opportunity to coordinate an event in this beautiful space.  Jen & Brent certainly had a fabulous wedding to wrap up the end of the year!

I’ll share professional images from Amir at Photo Fanatic when I get them.  For now, here’s my take on the day!

Jen & Brent wanted a candlelit ceremony so that’s what they got!  Aside from some twinkle lights on the trees rented from DaVinci’s Florist, the only other light was from dozens of floating candles down the aisle:

Unfortunately my camera’s not that great in the dark but you get the idea.  It was gorgeous!

The ceremony and reception happened in the same room so once the ceremony concluded we sent all the guests to a cocktail /bar area down the hall.  I didn’t get a photo of the built-in bar at Wolf Trap but here’s the big foyer area:

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Jen & Brent had a kelly green & gray color scheme.  Isn’t that fabulous!?  I was so excited to see how the colors came together.  Here’s her escort card table.  I loved the whole limes in the vase underneath that big hydrangea arrangement:

Meanwhile inside, we were busy setting up the reception!  Keep in mind that we had NOTHING set up for the reception during the ceremony, not even staged tables waiting in the back.  We re-used the chairs to save on the cost and flipped the room entirely:

We had three different centerpieces on the tables to break up the room and show some creativity!  DaVinci’s Florist was really flexible and rolled with all the ideas.  Here’s the tall arrangements:

See how we re-used the ceremony floating candles on the tables?  This arrangement was on the table where the bride & groom sat:

The final table arrangements, featuring submerged orchids and floating candles:

Hold on, did you see that?  The adorable table number?  Jen made these all herself!

Another cute detail was the favors, Hershey’s Kisses in tiny customized glass jars:

For such a late fall wedding, Jen and Brent wanted the room to be DARK!  I thought it was a gorgeous candlelit reception, perfectly romantic for the occasion:

I wish I had a better photo of Jen’s dress but believe me, it was stunning!  She offset the asymmetrical gown with a birdcage veil that was so perfectly vintage-inspired.  Her flowing hair was kept down and had finger waves.  How many brides do we see anymore who keep their hair down?  This girl’s got style!  Here she is dancing with her dad:

Guests enjoying their meal, catered by R&R Catering:

I have to mention the cupcake tree, which was made by Jen herself!  The cupcakes came from Hello Cupcake and fit perfectly on the kelly green stand.  Check out the way they stack up:

OK, I just wanted to rub in how delicious these things were.  Are you jealous yet?

Another lame attempt at getting a photo of Jen’s gown!  Here you can actually see Brent too (sorry for the lack of representation, Brent — we love you!):

…and they danced the night away, thanks to David from MyDeejay:

That’s all for now, folks!  Jen & Brent, I hope you had a fabulous honeymoon and are enjoying the new year together as newlyweds!

This weekend I had the pleasure of working at Cara & Dave’s wedding!  These two exchanged vows and celebrated at the Galleria at Lafayette Centre in downtown Washington, DC.  We had an all-star team of vendors who pulled of a beautiful event.  Check it out for yourself!

Guests arrive for the wedding ceremony, set in the main space at the Galleria.  I thought DaVinci’s Florist did a great job decorating the perimeter of the room with drape and uplighting it.  They also provided the chuppah and altar pillars:

This is a view of the aisle from the ground floor on the opposite side of the room.  Cara & Dave are getting married!

I really love the tall ceilings and glass atrium feel at the Galleria.  It’s so airy and spacious there!  In this photo you can see photographer Genevieve Leiper, doing her thing.  I can’t wait to see her images!

Since the ceremony and reception took place in the same spot, R&R Catering got creative and staged the tables behind the draped area.  Here’s the dinner tables off in the wings, waiting for their moment to shine:

I couldn’t believe how quickly the room was flipped!  Within 20 minutes, R&R Catering had brought out 18 tables, the DJ moved to a new spot, and DaVinci’s set all the centerpieces and adjusted the drape:

There was a mix of tall and short centerpieces to create some interest in the room and also fit the spacious feel of the room.  Here’s one of the tall ones:

Here’s the other tall arrangement.  It’s decidedly different and very modern, but still fits in with the decor of the party.  Granny Smith apples are stacked and submerged then one sprig of deep purple orchids crown the top:

I especially loved the low centerpieces.  Look at the vibrant colors!  There was a lush mix of hot pink, tangerine, lime green, and deep plum all in one arrangement:

The cocktail table arrangements complimented the dinner table pieces:

The Galleria is such a pretty place for a wedding!  Here’s the whole space as seen from the second floor balcony (where we hosted cocktails):

Did you see that?  The cupcake tree?  YES!  Cara & Dave ordered an acrylic stand which imitated a wedding cake design and displayed the cupcakes perfectly.  I really loved the big momma cupcake on the top.  Tim at Baked & Wired hooked us up with the yummy cupcakes:

Cara & Dave used the topper for the cake cutting ceremony then guests took their cupcakes directly from the stand:

One little detail I liked was that the tables were named after important places in the couple’s history together.  DC locals will appreciate this one:

Check out their adorable wedding flavors!  One of their friends handmade candy apples for all the guests.  She even used green candy coloring to match the wedding colors:

Another cute detail was the guest book.  The pages were illustrated!  Each illustration told a part of Cara & Dave’s story.  Guests then signed in the blank spaces around the illustrations.  Check it out:

I also really liked how she tied the guest book pens with colorful ribbon:

Another view of the party from above.  Cara & Dave are the first couple I’ve met who danced to a Chicago song for their first dance!  DJ Derek Romanoff from Bialek’s Music kept guests on the dance floor the whole night long (literally!):

A big special thank you goes to my assistants Kenlinishia and Megan, who were wedding day rock stars.  All those candy apples weren’t going to put themselves out.  Thanks guys!

Congratulations Cara & Dave!  I really had a wonderful time at your wedding and was glad to be a part of it.  I hope you have a FABULOUS time in Thailand later this week!

Vic & Mike tied the knot!  I was so excited when I met Vic and Mike for the first time.  They truly are sweet people and were very organized with all their wedding details.  A wedding planner’s dream!  Plus they pulled together a great team of wedding day vendors so I knew we’d have a well-oiled machine working to our advantage.

I’ll post photos from Joseph Allen when I get them.  For now, here are the ones I took with my iPhone!

The ceremony was held outside in the Westin Grand’s courtyard.  This space is in the very center of the building, surrounded by guest rooms above.  While you can hear the noise of busy M Street, it still feels very private.  What a great oasis inside the city!

DaVinci’s Florist did a phenomenal job with the ‘altar’ arrangements.  These glass vases are about 4′ tall!  There’s a wreath of hydrangea around the top then the calla lilies bursting out of the top make a dramatic statement.  I loved these pieces.  Victoria also bought red Asian-inspired lanterns that I hung from the trees:

Here’s a view of the ceremony:

The courtyard is also a perfect place for outdoor photos.  I thought Victoria’s stunning gown was suited perfectly to her and the wedding:

This is the opposite view of the courtyard.  Through the windows you can see the ballroom.  Photographer Joseph Allen and videographer Katherine from Blue Sky Films were hard at work here:

After the ceremony and some family photographs, Joseph took Vic & Mike to the street!  I’m super excited to see what he captured…I always love when couples incorporate DC flavor in their photos:

Back at the hotel, cocktails were getting underway.  Of particular note was the escort card table, which featured this fun floral design piece.  The pomander balls are hanging from a branch and there are strands of crystals hanging down too.  Talk about glamour!

I also thought the escort cards themselves were pretty adorable.  Look at the cute damask print along the edge of each card:

Over in the reception room, things are ready to go!  We re-used the chairs from the ceremony so the hotel set up as much as they could beforehand.  Here, tables are waiting for a few final chairs to be placed before we can open the doors.  This is a great view of the room at the Westin Grand, though, to give you an idea of what it looks like.  It’s not your typical hotel ballroom!

Here’s one of the tables, close-up.  Can you believe that centerpiece?!  It’s mostly roses with some deep red calla lilies stuck in.   Diana at DaVinci’s Florist told me how phenomenal they were but I didn’t believe it until I saw it.  Look at how tightly those flowers are packed!  They were simply amazing:

The Westin followed a photograph that Victoria sent them of a particular napkin fold.  I thought they did a great job replicating her idea!  You can also see the bases of their champagne toasting flutes…check out the bling on the bottom of the glasses!

One of my favorite details was the hanging crystals, dripping from the flowers.  It gave the whole table a certain sense of bling!

Lara Stuckey at Fluffy Thoughts brought this stunning cake.  The design mimics the damask theme and was so intricate and precise.  I wish I asked Lara how she did this — it really was a beautiful piece of art!

Here they are, cutting the gorgeous thing.  Look how tall it is!

(Can I let you in on a little secret?  Lara made a dummy layer.  That bottom tier is styrofoam!)

After the cake cutting, Victoria, her mother, and her two sisters each changed into a Qi Pao, a traditional Chinese gown.  You can just barely see Victoria kneeling in her red Qi Pao but she looked amazing!  Mike swapped his tie so they’d match each other.  I thought everyone looked great.

Here you see Victoria & Mike performing a Chinese Tea Ceremony.  While they didn’t follow all the formal Chinese rules and customs, we did a shortened Americanized version.  The same values are upheld, though, and the ceremony represents the joining of both families into one.  The parents give the newlyweds valuable gifts and the couple serves them tea as a sign of respect: 

A special shout-out goes to Carolyn Horton, the director of catering at the Westin Grand in DC.  Carolyn was one step ahead of me the entire night and was 110% attentive, responsive, and proactive.  She was a fantastic team-mate and was very instrumental in the success of the wedding.  Maurice, the banquet captain, was a godsend as well.  I highly recommend them crew if you’re considering the Westin Grand for your event.

Congratulations, Vic & Mike!  I hope you both had a really fabulous time on your honeymoon (Fiji, right?) and enjoyed every moment of your wedding day.  Talk to you soon!

Do you like sunflowers?  Then you’re going to LOVE Rob and Maya’s wedding — it was sunflowerriffic!

You may remember Rob and Maya from their super fun crab feast, but that was nothing compared to what they had planned for the following night!

The day started with Maya getting ready in one of the fluffy animal print robes that the Hotel Monaco is famous for.  Rob and Maya’s suite was UNBELIEVABLE — remember the scene in Pretty Woman where Julia Roberts says “Mind if I take a swim in your tub?”  Yeah, that’s the tub in the suite in the Hotel Monaco.  lf I had sat in it, it was probably taller than I am.  Anyway, Maya was pampered in the suite by Hanna from Salon Cielo and Jan Scott, Makeup Artist.  Both ladies did an AMAZING job, and Maya was GLOWING!

As I waited downstairs to pin boutonnieres and hand out bouquets, Rob and Maya had their “First Look” upstairs in the AMAZING hallway outside their suite.  You may think it’s just a hallway, but these hallways are pretty much bigger than my entire house!  Not to mention the gorgeous artwork and chandeliers that are displayed there.  Beautiful!

I know…is that staircase insane or what?!  One of the best things about their suite is that you just had to go up the stairs right next to the suite, which led right to their reception room.  Unlike most hotels, whose ballrooms are in the basement, Hotel Monaco’s are on the top floor so you can get a pretty cool view:

Before the wedding kicked off, though, Pablo from Freed Photography scouted out some cool locations for the wedding party to take pictures.  Rob and Maya’s wedding party was a little different than most.  Because they each have a ton of friends, both men and women, they decided that, rather than have bridesmaids and groomsmen, all of their bridal party would be called ushers.  The girls wore black dresses, the boys wore black suits or tuxes, and they all looked great!  To fit in with the color scheme, the guys were given gold ties, while the ladies were given beautiful gold shawls.

While the bride and groom got to ride over in a limo, courtesy of Fleet Transportation, the ushers walked the few short blocks to the AMAZING 6th and I Synagogue.  If you haven’t been to this gem of a building, do not pass Go, proceed immediately.  This building is GORGEOUS.  I’m not Jewish, and even I wanted to get married here!  The architecture is so completely breathtaking, you almost don’t need any decoration.  In fact, Rob and Maya had a very simple chuppah, highlighted only by, you guessed it, a few sunflowers:

There are so many great photos of 6th and I on their website, as well as interesting information about their history and restoration, but I just wanted to share one photo with you of my absolute favorite part of the synagogue, the ceiling:

Isn’t it AWESOME?!  I don’t know of a more gorgeous ceiling in the DC area.

After the ceremony, all of the guests walked back to the Hotel Monaco, guided by the ushers.  Although it’s a simple walk, if you’re not from the area, it’s easy to make a wrong turn.  Maya, who was prepared for EVERYTHING, had beautiful sunflower umbrellas for her ushers to hold to guide guests along the way.  Turns out they served a two-fold purpose, as they also kept them dry from the slight rain that began to fall!

When guests arrived at the hotel, they were led to the cocktail hour, while Rob and Maya ran off with Pablo to take pictures in Senate Park.  Once the bride and groom returned, the guests were led around the concourse to my favorite part of the entire planning — the escort cards.  Maya had a very specific vision of what she wanted for the escort cards, and the girl gets what she wants!  A co-worker found the mini vases on Lillian Vernon, of all places!  It just goes to show you, you never can tell where wedding inspiration might strike, or where you can find a great deal on decor!

HOW AMAZING is that centerpiece?!  Barbara Von Elm from Growing Wild, one of my absolute favorite florists, did an outstanding job with every single element of the day.  You should have seen the little ring bearer’s boutonniere.  Sunflowers were too big, so she found these tiny black eyed susans for them — adorable!

Here’s a close up of the escort cards:

Barbara, along with one of our assistants, Casie (thanks, Casie!) got the flowers EXACTLY how Maya wanted them — you can’t even see the mini vase, and the flower is peeking up over the escort card, with beautiful calligraphy by Calligraphy by Jennifer.

Once the guests had their escort cards, the doors were opened to reveal the beautiful ballroom:

Barbara did a beautiful job mixing the short and tall centerpieces.  Here’s a shot of the Sweetheart Table:

The cake was provided by Lara at Fluffy Thoughts, and it was topped with the cake topper from Rob’s parents’ wedding!  There was even a picture of them cutting their cake next to it:

After dinner, DJ Dan Goldman of Bialek’s kept the dance floor hopping all night, including a VERY rousing version of the Hora!

As guests departed, they were treated to a favor of, what else, sunflower seeds!

Maya and Rob left the next day on what I’m sure was an AMAZING honeymoon to Africa!  I hope you guys had a great time and said hi to the zebras for me.  Congratulations again!

This is part of a series on The Special Event show 2009.  See this post for more information.

The second day of the conference held a special treat for us wedding planners.  The Wedding Luncheon was held at the Hard Rock Hotel in the gaslamp quarter, almost directly across from the convention center.  This beautiful hotel was built in 2007 and is sparkling clean both inside and out.  The luncheon ticket included a walk-through exhibit of wedding ideas called the Designer Wedding Gallery.  I’ll have those photos up sometime this week.  For now, let’s check out the main event.

The Hard Rock Hotel, San Diego:

Ladies in beautiful wedding gowns walked around the lobby area of the function space:

Stepping inside the ballroom took everyone’s breath away.  There must have been somewhere between 40-50 tables.  At front there was a large stage flanked by two huge screens.  When everyone was finding their seats they played popular music videos.  Then when the speakers took the stage they were projected for guests in the back:

Here’s a video of the room in all it’s pink and blue glory:

Of course I have photos of all the different table setups.  Rumor has it that there were thirteen different table settings in the room!  These are just a few of the ones I particularly liked:

A couple with flash so you can see the detail and actual colors:

The stage with funky swagged drape and larger-than-life crystals strung across the back:

Carley Roney was the guest speaker and described the ‘millennium bride.’  Nothing we didn’t already know but it’s good to see The Knot is keeping up with the trends:

So what does a $195 ticket get you for lunch?  We started with a light salad and California cheese plate.  Executive Chef Jeff Walter explained that nearly everything on the menu was locally sourced:

The main entree was lamb and some sort of locally-caught fish.  I’m not really a lamb or fish person but both were pretty good.  My favorite was the layered sweet potato gratin in the center:

Cyndi Lauper, Cher, and Madonna (lookalikes).  I wish I had photos of the front of these ladies!  I spoke with Cher for a few brief moments.  She was surprisingly realistic and knew just about everything about the actual Cher.  They were all really talented and roamed the party to keep people entertained:

I think the most impressive part of the whole thing was the amount of work that went into it.  This amazing party was planned by Rachel Peniche of Plan It San Diego and Kathy Wright of Kathy Wright & Co.  Here’s a time-lapse video showing how it all came together:

Seeing as how there were 400+ wedding planners in the room, I figured there MUST be more blog posts about this amazing party.  You can see a few more perspectives and photos here, here, and here.

I have more great stories from The Special Event!  Stay tuned the rest of this week for my recap.

A black and white color scheme has become popular lately, especially with a yellow accent, but think of it as a starting point…

{ row 1: table | lounge | guest basket }
{ row 2: food | monogram | invite | bride }
{ row 3: cake | bridesmaid | flowers | chandelier | invite | bouquet }

It isn’t just the color you select, but the way you use it. Black can be a heavy color for a wedding, but when used as the base of a color pallet, it can enhance the other colors you have selected.

Here, a black and white pattern is the backdrop for sprinkling yellow (or the color of your choice) and a dramatic statement. Incorporating subtle patterns in the table linens, invitations, favors, and even the bridesmaid’s dresses will bring a balance to your decor without drowning the reception in bold or vibrant solid colors.

These colors were also used to create a more modern twist on a slightly retro feel – from the lounge furniture to the centerpiece vases, this wedding incorporates vintage items in a sleek way. Event the all white cake has a textured feel that mirrors the “bubbles” on the vases, flowers, and bouquet.

And for the bride who has her own special statement, try the knee length dress with a touch of crinoline.