We got some fantastic images of Anna & Mike’s wedding from photographer Elaine Studley.  I thought Elaine’s images turned out great!

It wouldn’t be a Hokie’s wedding without a Virginia Tech garter, now would it?

They exchanged vows at the Church of the Holy Rosary on 3rd Street in Washington, DC:

Isn’t this church amazing!?  I thought the grand aisle made for a fantastic entrance:

Look how sweet these guys are!

After the ceremony, Anna & Mike took their bridal party around the mall for some quintessential DC monument shots:

Elise Alexander provided this beautiful bouquet and all the flowers for the wedding:

I think the Jefferson Memorial is one of my favorite spots for wedding portraits:

The US Capitol is just about as “DC” as it gets!  This is also a good photo to point out Anna’s gorgeous wedding-day look from Elegant Hair by Giselle and BeautyMark:

The reception took place at the Carnegie Institute in Washington, DC.  There are two large rooms in this venue, connected by a large sliding door.  Here’s the bigger space of the two:

Martin’s Caterers did a beautiful job on the yummy cake:

Complete with orange & maroon icing flowers!  How fitting!

The big entrance:

I really love this shot…aren’t Anna & Mike cute together?  I also loved the whimsical polka dot lighting:

Musica Entertainment kept the party going all night:

Mmmm….this cake display was the perfect end to the evening.  Look how many different types there were!

….and they danced and danced and danced.

Congratulations, Anna & Mike!  I’m glad I could be a part of your day and hope you enjoyed every second of it.

Jen & Adam are one of my favorite couples.  These guys definitely fit into the ‘offbeat’ category while still mixing in a relative amount of tradition.  They chose a late afternoon in April to tie the knot at the Carnegie Institution in Washington, DC.

I regret that I didn’t have a chance to get more photographs but hopefully their talented photographer, Matt Mendelsohn, will loan me a few professional images that I can share.  For now, you’ll have to make do with whatever I got with my BlackBerry and point-and-shoot.

Jen & Adam exchange vows in a Jewish ceremony in the Rotunda at the Carnegie Institute.  We had 140 guests to CRAM into the space and somehow everyone got a chair!  It was pleasantly ‘cozy’ but the short ceremony was so touching that I don’t think anyone minded the tight quarters.

This is one of the few Jewish weddings where we’ve seen the chuppah be carried by close friends instead of being stationary the whole time.  I liked the simplicity and the symbolism of it being a non-permanent structure:

While the ceremony took place, we finished up the details in the reception room next door.  Since we decided to recycle the chairs from the ceremony to the reception, this room looks a bit naked before the chairs are in place.  Petal’s Edge did a gorgeous job with the green and white centerpieces, as usual:

Splendid Fare Catering was on top of their game and it was a pleasure working with them.  The bride and some of her family are celiac which means they can’t eat gluten.  Well, if you don’t know anyone with celiac disease, try thinking of ALL the things that are off-limits!  This caterer came up with a great menu for Jen & Adam so all their guests could eat everything without asking about the ingredients.

Just like the chairs, the Rotunda was recycled!  We used the space twice during the night.  Here’s the ceremony spot converted into a dance floor:

King Soul isn’t really a wedding band but they kept people dancing the whole night.  The band leader looks eerily like Steve Martin and they were really high-energy.  They were certainly a perfect fit for this rockin’ couple:

Will you believe that a personal friend of the newlyweds made this wedding cake?  They covered the sides in lady finger cookies and tied it all up with a sweet green ribbon.  Rose heads poked out of the top.  What’s more, the entire top layer was gluten-free so the bride and her family could eat it!

To top things off, Splendid Fare rented a cotton candy machine and passed pink and blue cotton candy before the last dance was played!  All the guests were shocked and giddy — when’s the last time you went to a wedding that had cotton candy?  It was the first time I’d seen it and I’m hoping I have another couple who wants to do this too!  Here’s the father of the groom enjoying his treat:

Congratulations again, Jen & Adam!  I hope you had a GREAT time in St. Lucia and really loved being a part of your wedding.  Thanks for choosing Wish!

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!