::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::

Red and Black is one of the easiest color combinations there is.  There are TONS of red flowers out there, as well as red accessories and red dresses, but there’s tons of black too — ribbon on your bouquet, black bridesmaids dresses, a simple black tux — this one’s a no brainer!

Amy Martin Photography:

Want some red flowers?  You don’t have to go with roses (although you certainly can!)  But how about tulips?

Or anemones…

or carnations? (Photo by Jennifer Domenick)

Gerberas?

Emilie Inc.

Or, one of my favorite flowers, dahlias!

This gorgeous bouquet was created by DC’s own Petal’s Edge Floral Design.  (Photo from Studio Diana via Project Wedding)

Pair a red bouquet with a black bridesmaids dress, and you have a chic color combination that works well throughout the year.  Here are some great black dresses (including quite a few you don’t have to go to a bridal shop to find!)

Amsale:

After Six:

Anna Elyse:

Banana Republic:

DKNY:

Kay Unger (via Saks):

Lane Bryant:

Pair any of those dresses with a red bouquet and you’ve got a gorgeous bridesmaid!  Of course, pair her with some hot red shoes too, and watch out, groomsmen!!!

Fiore Fresco:

Becker:

Our Labor of Love:

Vision Photographs:

What, bridesmaids get to have all the fun??

Kimberly Reed Photography:

100 Layer Cake:

Emilie Inc.:

Olivia Leigh Photographie:

Black and red are pretty easy for your decor, too!

Flights of Fancy:

Sarah Rhoads:

Style Me Pretty:

Wedding Aces:

And a few more red and black beauties to finish it out…

Amy Martin Photography:

Bellissima Vita Weddings:

Brooklyn Bride:

Emilie Inc.

Love these hair pins from Etsy seller Foundling:

One of my absolute FAVORITE photographers, Kelsey Thompson, photographed a gorgeous black and red bridal party!

Millie Holloman:

Olivia Leigh Weddings:

Are you going for a red and black color palette?

::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::

Pink for October continues, this time with the fun color combo of Pink and Black!  Pink and black can take on all personalities.  It can be sweet, like this cameo inspiration board from Tastefully Entertaining:

Or it can be totally bad ass rockabilly, like Jessica and Nik’s wedding featured on Ruffled:

Either way, it’s a fun combo!

Jennifer Brooks Photography:

Let’s see, how can we dress the ladies?

District Weddings:

Hilton Pittman Photography:

Union Photography:

LOVE these dresses from White House/Black Market

Speaking of White House/Black Market, which is one of my favorite stores, I went on their web site to get the link for those dresses above, and they’re offering a special collection this month in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month!  They’re featuring moving stories of women living with breast cancer and a portion of the sales of the line will be donated to Living Beyond Breast Cancer.  Check out this cute stuff!

Give Hope Tee:

And how GORGEOUS would this necklace be with your wedding dress?!

LOVE IT!  Speaking of accessories, let’s see what we have here…

Maria Elena Jewelry:

Dolce and Gabbana

Reflections by DS on Etsy

Expecting a little rain on your wedding day?  How about these boots from Marc Jacobs?

Speaking of boots, from the world’s GREATEST Cowboy Boot Store, how great are these boots from Allens Boots in Austin?

But the girls don’t get to have all the fun…we need to dress the boys too, I suppose…

Amelia Lyon:

Laura Ivanova

Martha Stewart Weddings:

Jessica Claire:

And we can’t forget the kiddos, right?

Brenda’s Wedding Blog:

Paired Images:

How AWESOME are these flower girls from DC photographer Justine Ungaro’s own wedding?!  Must…have…tutus…

And what will your ladies (and you) be carrying down the aisle?  There are SO many options!

Fuschia gerber daisies with black ribbon? (Craig Photography)

Gorgeous pale pink anemones with various types of pale pink roses?  (Ariella Chezar Floral Design)

Fragrant pink and white peonies with a black and white ribbon?

How about a pair of black opera gloves to set off a bouquet of pink cabbage roses? (Style Me Pretty)

Or how about a mix of fuschia and pale pink flowers (Jang Photography)

Let’s see where else we can use flowers, shall we?  How about on the cake table?

Laura Novak

In your hair?  (Weddingbee Pro)

In the pool?! (Project Wedding)

Oh, and sure, on the tables too…

Ariella Chezar Floral Design

Martha Stewart Weddings:

Nancy Liu Chin Flowers:

The Wiebners:

Wait…let’s go back to that cake table, shall we?  Let’s see what else we can put on there…

Crumbs and Doilies:

Ritzy Bee:

Are you doing fuschia and black?  Pale pink?  Something in between?

::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::

We are the PITTSBURGH STEELERS!!!!!!!!!!!

So, after finishing college football week last week, this week we are featuring NFL teams in the lead up to Thursday night’s game kicking off the NFL season.  Naturally, we’ll be starting with the team that’s won more Super Bowls than any other NFL franchise (also because they’re my team, and I’m writing the blog posts), the PITTSBURGH STEELERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Whenever you write PITTSBURGH STEELERS it must be in all caps, that is how great my love for them is

What?  Oh, this is supposed to be about weddings?  Right, sorry…I got distracted   (But how about Troy’s hair as your wedding hairstyle inspiration?  And you wouldn’t even have to insure yours for $1 million!!!)

The Steelers colors are technically black and gold, but their gold is really more yellow (unlike the gold of Wake Forest or the New Orleans Saints).  Black and yellow make for SUCH fun wedding colors, so putting together this post was a blast!

Let’s start with the bride (as weddings usually do!)

Jihan Abdalla Photography:

A white dress with a simple black sash and a bright yellow bouquet is PERFECT for a Steelers wedding!

Luna Photography

I love a short haired bride!

O.M.G.  How AMAZING is this dress with gold sash from Etsy Seller Chabri?!

Seriously…where was my life before Etsy?  This gold shrug from seller Elitewear is PERFECT!

Speaking of wraps…this one photographed by James Christianson is perfect for a fall wedding

And shoes…glorious shoes…

Perfect Bound

Victoria Souza Photography:

Black and yellow are SO easy to use for your wedding — your bridesmaids can wear black dresses, yellow dresses…SO many options!

Ann Wade Parrish Photography:

Rob and Maya’s wedding photographed by Pablo at Freed:

How great are these black cardigans for your bridesmaids?  Talk about something you’ll wear again…I’m wearing a black cardi right now!

When you talk bridesmaids (and the bride, of course) you talk bouquets.  Nearly every flower comes in yellow!!  (Well, not every flower, but a heck of a lot of them!)

Billy Balls…

Sunflowers…

Roses…

Ranunculus….

Eleise Theuer Photography:

Of course, if the bride wants to carry a white bouquet, there are lots of gorgeous options too, like using an amazing gold ribbon, like this bouquet photographed by John and Joseph Photography:

As always, I guess we have to let the guys share in the fun…how about this adorable bout from Etsy seller EcoLectic Events:

Or perhaps a lovely wedding gift?

Jenn Link Photography:

How about these ties for the groomsmen?

Or these cufflinks as their gifts?

And we can’t forget the kids, right?!  Jessie Cho Photography:

Confession time…this is my adorable niece   I told you we’re a family of Steelers fans!

Etsy Seller Y & E Bridal:

You can use your stationery to set the yellow and black tone

Doilies and Daisies Etsy Seller:

Mr. Boddington’s Studio:

Kate Webber Photography:

As the cheery sunflowers escort you into the reception, let’s see what black and gold wonders we can find there!

A Modern Proposal:

Jessie Cho Photography:

JM Visuals:

What else is in the reception?  CAKE!

Wedding Bee

And, of course, it wouldn’t be a Pittsburgh wedding without a cookie table!

And finally, speaking of Pittsburgh traditions, here’s something that every Steelers wedding must have (from Melissa and Jeff’s wedding with Wish!)

Are you having a Steelers wedding?  (If not, you should!!!)  GO STEELERS!  (Don’t worry, Skins and Ravens fans, I’m getting to you later this week…)

::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::

We’re finishing up college football week here at Wish with a local school near and dear to many hearts in the DC area, the Maryland Terps!

I always thought Maryland’s colors were black and red, but according to the “Maryland Victory Song” it’s black and gold?  Then what’s with the red?  I’m so confused.

Still, most people associate black and red (with some touches of yellow) with Maryland, thanks to the flag, so that’s what inspired me for today’s post!

These two pictures from Kimberly Brooke Photography PERFECTLY show the inspiration for a UMD themed wedding.

Of course, having some beautiful black eyed Susans, the Maryland state flower, to stand in front of doesn’t hurt either!

Speaking of flowers, there are lots of great ways to feature the Terps colors in your bouquet:

Stephanie Klein Davis Photography:

Emilie Inc. Photography

There are SO many red and yellow flowers that with some black ribbon, a Maryland bouquet is easy!  The trick with red and yellow is that you want to be sure that you get this:

One Thousand Words Photography

and not this:

The trick?  Highlight two of the colors (red and black or yellow and black) and use the third for an accent!

Blonde Photo:

Jihan Abdalla Photography

Since we’ll focus more on the yellow and black in our Steelers post next week, though, we’ll mainly have red and black (with a few yellow touches thrown in) for the Terps!

How about using your colors in your paper items?

With This Ring Weddings:

District Weddings:

Blonde Photo:

Bridesmaids are the easiest way to add color to your day:

Brian Tropiano Photography:

How cute would these Antrhopologie dresses, photographed by Stacey Kane, be with bright yellow bouquets (I’m thinking sunflowers?)

Of course, we can’t let the girls have all the fun…(Jake Holt photo)

And the little ones want to get in on the action too!

Amy Squires Photography (now Lane Dittoe Photography)

LOVE the wagon!!!  The aisle looks great too — here are some more ways to liven up the ceremony area with your colors:

Brooke Schwab Photography

Emilie Inc.

And I LOVE this look from the book “New Looks from the Old South” from Southern Weddings:

On to the reception!

In Style Weddings

Stacey Kane Photography:

Of course, you have to have Maryland themed favors, right?

And, for the true Maryland fan…

Will you have the Maryland Terrapin at your wedding?

::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. Love. Football.  LOVE it.

My father and brother both played college football and coached high school football.  We are a football family.  We used to go outside during halftime of Steelers games when I was little and play touch football.  My dad and me on one side, my brother and sister on the other.  I missed one home football game in my four years of college.  Get it?  Love football.

SO, in honor of football season starting, I’m doing a series of team color weddings.  This week we’ll start with college football, since it kicks off first (September 4th) and next week we’ll do some NFL teams.

Since I’m the one writing, we get to start with MY team, my beloved Demon Deacons of Wake Forest University!  GO DEACS!

Wake Forest’s colors are Old Gold and Black (the Old Gold distinction will be important next week when you see Steelers gold, which is really more of a yellow).  Old Gold, for you Pantone geeks out there, is PMS8640

So, you know…gold.

Gold and black actually make for gorgeous wedding colors.  They give off an elegant vibe, and would be perfect, say, for a New Year’s Eve or winter wedding.

(Photo collage from Ritzy Bee)

Gorgeous, right?!  There are SO many elements that you can use for a Demon Deacon wedding.  You can add special touches to the cake, whether it’s the wedding cake:

(About The Cake)

(Michael Caswell Photography)

The Groom’s cake

Or even cupcakes (I am in LOVE with these cupcakes, from English bakery Frosted Cupcakes.  I might start putting glitter on all of the cupcakes I bake from now on.)

Jewelry is another way to bring in the Old Gold and Black.  Of course, you would go with gold jewelry with this theme, but I loved these earrings with the added black touch:

or this necklace from Nordstrom

Or even this simple picture of a couple’s rings, tied with gold ribbon (photographed by Ben Crisman)

It’s easy to get the bridal party into the color scheme as well…

Jung Lee Fete

Rebecca with Millie Holloman Photography

What Junebug Loves

The parents can get involved too (especially if they’re Wake alumni!) (What Junebug Loves)

Gold is easy to incorporate into the bride’s dress as well, whether it’s as a sash, like in this L’ezu Atelier dress:

A golden dress with a black sash

Or just a knockout gold dress, like this stunner as featured on  Style Me Pretty:

And, of course, we can’t forget the shoes! (Oh Manolo…how I love thee…)

What do you think?  Will you be incorporating your school pride into your wedding day?

I have known this bride for a LONG time.  I began my career years ago at Wolf Trap and one summer, had a WONDERFUL intern named Julia.  Fast forward over 10 years later, and I see on Facebook Julia’s getting married!  I email her to congratulate her, and she says “oh, and by the way, I need a planner…”  Of course I signed right up!

Julia planned every last detail but Chris, a graphic designer, designed all of the paper pieces, including the menus, invitations, and programs!

I absolutely LOVE this photo of the couple, just after they were married, at the church’s entrance.  How gorgeous is that vintage fur stole, compliments of the bride’s grandmother?

After the ceremony, everyone headed to the Fairfax Marriott at Fair Oaks to start the party.  This Marriott has a GORGEOUS cocktail area, made even more beautiful by the lighting from Swank Audio Visuals:

Throughout the planning, Julia kept talking about the “wow” factor in the ballroom.  Well, she definitely got it!  With a combination of the already beautiful ballroom:

Linens from DC Rental:

More lighting from Swank:

…and my favorite part, the centerpieces!  Chris and Julia had three different centerpieces.  Two of them were provided by a Wish favorite, Barbara Von Elm at Growing Wild:

And the third was designed by Julia and put together by my beautiful assistants and me! (and which you’ve seen before, as they’re for sale!)

(The small bride’s cake was based on Chris’ design from the invitations!)

As if that wasn’t enough sugar, Julia’s mom baked mini breads for guests to take home, sealed with the couple’s custom monogram (again, created by the groom) and gave them the recipe for the bread to bake at home!

A few more gorgeous pictures of the day:

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!