I thought I knew from the get-go what my wedding colors would be.    A whimsical wedding at Glen Echo Park calls for an equally fun color palette.   I initially thought our colors would be light blue, red and white.  But we switched it from light blue to more of an aqua/teal and I’m really happy with the choice!    I’ve always loved aqua.  It’s calming yet bright and reminds me of water, which I love.  My little VW convertible bug is even aqua blue!  I joke that when I’m working with a couple, I automatically arrive with “something blue.”

The choice of red came from one of my not-so-secret indulgences:  red shoes.   I have a somewhat embarrassing number of red shoes.   I love them.  I can’t say no to them.  And I feel my prettiest in them.   Since every bride should feel her prettiest on her wedding day, I decided long ago that my wedding day shoes would be red.    Even if it does make my mother raise her eyebrows a bit… OK, a lot.  And since I want my bridesmaids to be just as sassy and gorgeous, they will each be wearing red shoes as well!  I picked a candy-apple red to match the vibrant reds found all over Glen Echo Park.

So there you have it…..  aqua (more of a blue-ish teal), bright red and a neutral white… maybe with some light blush pink as an accent where necessary.   I’m in love with the scheme and am having a blast building off of it.   Here’s a look at the combination.

This one’s from The Budget Savvy Bride

A fellow Knottie wedding with teal dresses and red shoes (sorry, don’t have a credit!):

Another collection of red and aqua: Couple photo by Jonathan Canlas, Invitation from Bella Bliss Design, Bride and Bridal Party photo by Art of Light, Candy Cones from Brides.com, Tablescape from Gentlandhyers, Cake and candy and centerpiece photo by Jonathan Canlas, Escort card by Rebecca Thuss, Ceremony Program by Martha Stewart, Shoes photo by White Box Wedding

My neice (who will only be 17 months old for our wedding) will actually be carrying a big teal and white lollipop just like this (instead of flowers).   Seeing as she likes to eat everything in sight these days, we figure this will be yummier than flowers…and it fits our theme perfectly!  Photo by Jamie Hammond.

This Indian wedding in California was shot by Lisa Lefkowitz.

This cherry blossom stationery set is by RSVP Stationary. Red and teal is perfectly whimsical for my vintage amusement park wedding… but this would also be a great option for any of you brides using DC’s cherry blossoms as inspiration!  It puts a contemporary spin on a very traditional (and common) inspiration for weddings in the DC area.

This adorable clutch by knitty bitties on Etsy would be a great bridesmaid gift!

These poppy escort cards are by Etsy seller Michelle Brusegaard, who has a lot of red and teal items with both poppies and tulips.

This Mexico destination wedding was shot by DC’s Lara Swanson.  The red and aqua colors were inspired by the colored spaces on a Scrabble board, which played a big part in their engagement!

This table setting is by Martha Stewart, who did a whole feature on this color combo a while back.  While I’m not usually a fan of carnations, I must admit that I L-O-V-E this look.   Since carnations are budget-friendly and will fit perfectly with my 1950’s vintage wedding theme, I have a feeling I’ll be using them.  If done right (such as these tightly-packed red carnations), they can be really gorgeous.  And, after consulting my gramma and grampa’s wedding photos over break, I discovered that their 1956 wedding used only one flower… carnations.   Perfect!

Speaking of red carnations, check out the tightly packed red carnations on the pomanders for this red and teal wedding, Pure7Studios.  Bee-yoo-ti-ful!

While red and aqua/teal are a great spring or summer combo, the weather outside is frigid so I thought I’d leave you with an inspiration board for a winter wedding.   The icy blues are reminiscent of snowflakes, but are warmed up by holiday reds.   The ladies at Masterpiece Weddings in Florida put this inspiration board together and I couldn’t have done it better myself!

So… what do you think?  It’s a vibrant and bold color combination for sure.   And while it can work with a lot of different wedding themes, it’s not for everyone.  With the holidays over and lots of couples newly engaged, we are officially in “Engagement Season!”  Would any of you newly-engaged couples out there consider this color combo? Do you have any color palettes of your own that you’d like to share?

If you’re mailing save the dates, wedding invitations or even your holiday cards any time soon, I just thought I’d share this  bit of information I learned the hard way from the United States Postal Service.

I’ve been doing save the dates, shower invites, bachelorette invites and wedding invites for friends, family and clients for years.  Often times, these include some sort of knotted ribbon.   This is particularly popular on Save the Dates (tying the KNOT).   I did a variation on this for my own holiday cards/Save the Date, which I’ll share more on in a later post.   My STD is a simple cardstock-weight folded card with a ribbon in it.  I’ve sent similar designs out many times before without paying extra postage, so I didn’t worry about getting a sample STD weighed at the post office first.  Here’s a shot of our Holiday/Save the Date cards to give you a general idea of what they looked like before going into envelopes:

After stamping all of my envelopes with a festive Christmas stamp, I waited in line at the Georgetown post office to ask them to hand cancel my box of envelopes so they had a nice DC postmark on them.   Apparently, USPS folks don’t like to hand cancel very much because I was immediately given a hard time.   Then she informed me that it would cost $.20 extra to mail each envelope because of the “bump” (the bump being the knot on the ribbon).  She told me if I mailed them, either my guests would receive an envelope asking for the additional $.20 in order to deliver… or they would be returned to me a full two weeks later with a stamp that says “insufficient postage.”    Since this was the first time I’d ever been told this, I left – WITH all of my Save the Dates in hand.

I returned to my local Virginia post office the next morning and decided to mail a few, make sure they arrived, and then would return to mail the rest.   A gentleman working at the post office stopped me as I was putting the envelopes into the mail slot (I had given up on hand canceling for these) and asked to see one.  I handed one over and to my surprise (and dismay), he also told me that it would cost an extra $.20 to mail each envelope due to the bump.   He repeated the info about the addressee having to pay the difference or that they would be returned to me two weeks later.

!?!?!?!?!?!?!

I asked if this was new and the gentleman informed me that they started enforcing it with the last rate increase in the spring.    Since I don’t want my guests to be charged to save the date, I proceeded to the counter to purchase $.20 stamps.  Of course, they only had $.10 stamps, so my cute STDs looked like this by the time the USPS got done with them:

I returned home, and did some research on the internet.  It is very hard to come by, but I did find this info on the USPS site:

“Letters that meet one or more of the nonmachinable characteristics… are subject to the $.20 nonmachinable surcharge.”

As it turns out, non-machinable characteristics include ribbons, bows, buttons, embellishments (that are common on holiday cards!) and even things like STD magnets inside the card.

Here’s my best advice on how to avoid getting caught off-guard:

1.) Check with your stationary designer on whether your design will require extra postage.   If it’s heavier than 1 ounce, is a square shape, is addressed vertically (instead of horizontally) or has the aforementioned embellishments that cause a “bump” in the envelope, you might have to pay more.

2.) Double-check with the post office by bringing a sample in BEFORE purchasing stamps, or possibly before purchasing the STD, invite, etc…

3.) If you do require extra postage and want to avoid having 2 or 3 stamps on your envelope, be sure to purchase stamps in the right amount.  You may find that sites like Stamps.com or Zazzle.com are very useful in that you can design your own stamp with the exact value required for your envelopes.

4.) Skip the embellishments if you want to save money.    There are ways to “tie” ribbons without a bump.  I’ve already mentally changed my DIY invitation design to include a bump-less ribbon!

I know this isn’t the usual post filled with swoon-worthy inspiration that most of our blog reader enjoy the most, but since ’tis the season for snail mail, I thought some of you out there might find it helpful since the USPS doesn’t promote awareness of this new charge.   Have any of you experienced similar problems with the USPS?   Please share to help your fellow readers avoid the same situation!

Until next time… happy mailing!

Hi all!   I know it’s been a while since I first announced my big news, but we’ve been busy with tastings, meetings and contracts so that we can relax over the holidays.  Now I’ll have to catch you up on my plans!

When it came to picking a location, I have to say that it was an easy choice for us.  As a wedding planner, I’m pretty familiar with most of the DC area’s venues, and there are some amazing options.  But our choice was just PERFECT for us.

A few months ago, I went to go see a children’s theater production at Glen Echo Park with a friend.   I fell in love with both the park and the carefree feeling I got as I walked around.  What surprised me the most is that I’ve somehow lived in the DC area for seven years before visiting this hidden gem that’s INSIDE the beltway!   My fiancé and I try not to take anything too seriously and love being outdoors.  So when I brought him back to this old art-deco amusement park with a running carousel, he was sold as quickly as I was.   It’s the perfect backdrop for a chic and whimsical wedding with some very personal vintage flair.  We’re confident that our guests will be comfortable just being themselves (no tuxes or sequins required!) and will remember the day long after the last dance.   Some of our longtime blog followers might remember that we did a venue spotlight on Glen Echo Park way back when Wish Special Events was Soiree Special Events!  Here is the sign at the front entrance to the park, which overlooks an old trolley that is parked there, seemingly freezing a moment in time.

Weather permitting, our ceremony will be held outside on a grassy tree-lined grove in the center of the park.  But in the event that it’s raining or too sunny, we will be married underneath this Cuddle Up Pavilion, which is the structure that used to house the Tilt a Whirl! 

Guests will be able to explore the park and take a ride on the carousel in between the ceremony and reception.  I’m not a carousel expert or anything, but I have to say that this carousel is beautifully restored and is sure to make any rider feel as happy as John and I will be on that day.  This gorgeous night shot of the indoor carousel is courtesy of Michelle Lindsay Photography.   

When the fun begins, we will be in the Bumper Car Pavilion… a covered structure with fantastic hard wood floors that used to house the… you guessed it… bumper cars!     That’s a coincidental nod to my fiance’s love of all things with wheels.    He’s more in to the motorcycle, truck and racecar variety… but since we couldn’t (read: wouldn’t) get married at a racetrack, this is a pretty good compromise.  This photo is courtesy of Documentary Associates, who were the photographers that worked with Rebecca on Hailey & Matt’s Glen Echo wedding in July 2009.

This park has a LOT of history to it and the friendly park rangers are more than happy to give tours and share this history with anyone that’s interested.   Here’s a picture of the Bumper Car Pavilion when it housed the Dodgem Scooters:

A few other points about this park that makes it perfect for us:

1.)     At one point, this was considered a branch of the Chautauqua Institution.  The original Chautauqua Institution still exists, is one of my favorite places to visit and served as my home for two summers that I worked at its theater company.   Since I’m hugely into the arts (studied voice in college) and Glen Echo  still serves as a home to many artists, I feel a particular connection to the park.

2.)    The park only allows wine, beer and champagne… no liquor.  While some might see this as a downfall, I embraced it as a budget-friendly way to offer adult beverages all night.  Plus, our quick mental review of our guest list proved that most are beer or wine drinkers anyways.

3.)    We chose August 2010… both because of availability and because we’ll receive off-season rates.   I know what you’re thinking:  an outdoor August wedding in DC?   Are you crazy?  Well, maybe a little bit, but we’re also smart.   We’ve having the wedding later in the day after the sun goes down so it won’t be unbearable.  And if it’s a little warm, guests will dress accordingly and we’ll still celebrate just the same.   Let’s face it:  it doesn’t matter what time of year you choose, if you’re having an outdoor wedding in DC, you’re at the mercy of some of the most unpredictable weather I’ve ever experienced.   So you might as well do it at a lower rate when possible!

That’s all for today.   I’ll be back soon with posts on building a wedding website and our DIY Save the Dates!   I’ll leave you with one more shot from Blink Photography of a couple dancing in the Bumper Car Pavilion.  I L-O-V-E the hard wood floors, the geometric patterns in the ceiling and the natural light shining through!

Be back soon!

Hello friends!  I have some exciting news to share.

After years of happily attending weddings as a guest, wedding singer, bridesmaid, maid of honor or wedding planner, I will now attend my first wedding…. as a BRIDE!   My wonderful fiancé John proposed at sunset on the beach in Naples, Florida a few weeks ago while we were in town for  – you guessed it – a wedding!  I said yes…well, I’m told I squealed a bit but we’re pretty sure there was a yes in there.  Either way, the ring is on my finger and although the “happily-staring-at-my-own-ring-phase” isn’t quite over yet, I promise that I keep it to a minimum…well, at least in public.

So that means I’m planning my own wedding.  Although I can’t invite you all to join me on the big day, I can invite you along in the planning process.  You’ll get a unique look into planning a wedding from the perspective of a wedding planner-bride!   I won’t be able to share everything, but I’ll gladly let you in where I can.  Here’s some info on me that should give you a better idea of what’s to come:

1.)  I’m a hugely creative person with a big DIY side: expect lots of hand-made touches and plenty of attention to detail.

2.)  I’m very family-oriented: Yes, it’s my day (and John’s day) first and foremost, but since friends and family are so important to us, it’s really important to me that they be comfortable and have a lot of fun.

3.)   I don’t believe that “wedding” should be synonymous with “bankruptcy.”  It’s not about how much money you spend, but about how you spend it.  I hope to throw a wedding that’s chic, fabulous and memorable, without spending a small fortune.   Difficult?  Maybe.  Impossible?  Definitely Not.

I plan to have a lot of fun on this journey and will definitely still be planning weddings for others as well.  Wedding planning (especially as a bride) should be a fun and stress-free.    I plan to keep it that way!  So if you don’t get a regular post from me, assume that I’m busy planning my wedding or someone else’s and will post as soon as I find a few free seconds.

See you back here soon!