We all know that Wish Special Events gets some pretty freakin’ awesome reviews on WeddingWire.com.  Did you know that our colleagues, other wedding vendors, review us too?  Here are some endorsements we’ve received on WeddingWire:

“Rebecca, and I know Ryan as well, go that extra bit to make what needs to happen happen, and more importantly they do it smoothly, no histrionics, no drama, just smooth and efficient, it makes what I do a dream”
– Photographer Daniel McGarrity

“Laura and her staff are an absolute pleasure to work with and have a perfect “bedside manner” when helping stressed-out brides. She’s ALWAYS on top of the schedule for the evening and does a great job of keeping everyone informed and focused.”
–Evan at MyDeejay.com

“All of the team is very hospitable along with soothing, they bring peace of mind to any event or affair. We have had the opportunity to meet with each one of the Wish Special Event Coordinators and they all are simply delightful and well worth the investment of not having to stress about anything but saying your vows on the wedding day!”
– Amy at Regeti’s Photography

“She was one of the most relaxed and stress-free brides I’ve ever worked with, and I know it was because she had the peace of mind knowing that everything was taken care of.”
– Suzanne at Faces by SAM

Wish events are always beautiful, always memorable, and designed in amazingly thoughtful and charming detail. In addition to designing and coordinating amazing events, the Wish team are just plain old wonderful people, and we look forward to the next time we’ll work with them. Highly, highly, recommend!
–Tom & Ashlee at Documentary Associates Photography

It’s really wonderful that we have such happy clients.  In reality, though, these wedding vendors are the ones who see other wedding professionals every weekend.  They have the distinct opportunity to compare us to the rest of the coordinators in the area.  We’re so delighted that they rank us pretty high in their books too.

GORGEOUS!  That is the best way for me to describe this wedding.  Gorgeous bride, gorgeous ceremony and reception locations, gorgeous bridesmaids dresses…just GORGEOUS!!!

The day started out with the ladies getting ready at the Metropolitan Club, where the reception was to be held later.  Maddy and Dana are young members of the Met Club, which offers great events like wine and beer dinners, which the couple regularly attends!

After the ladies finished primping, Alexander Morozov, the amazing and HILARIOUS photographer, arrived to take photos of the girls before they left for the ceremony.

LOVE this picture of Maddy coming down the main staircase at the Met Club.

The ladies then hopped into the limo provided by ING Limo company.  These guys were GREAT.  One of the shuttle buses was in a very minor fender bender, and the company immediately sent out another bus.  Luckily, the first bus was relatively unharmed, and showed up a few minutes later — meaning we had two buses for the price of one!  Not only that, but the drivers were WONDERFUL, and one of them ran to the store and picked up a bottle of champagne for Maddy and Dana to enjoy on the ride back to the club after the ceremony!  Talk about customer service!!!

As guests arrived at the ceremony, they were greeted by bagpipes, played by one of Dana’s fraternity brothers.  (How handy is it to have a fraternity brother who plays the bagpipes?!  Also, do you think they would get drunk in college and make him play the bagpipes at parties?  I need to know this information)

The ceremony was held at the absolutely adorable Little Sanctuary at St. Albans.  (Photo from the St. Albans School web site)

HOW CUTE IS THAT??!?!  Dana went to school here at St. Albans, so he and his family have known the minister and the organist for years!

After the ceremony, we walked over to the AMAZING Bishop’s Garden behind the National Cathedral for photos.  St. Albans, in case you didn’t know, is on the grounds of the National Cathedral…very handy for awesome wedding photos, but you don’t have to get married on the grounds to use this stunning space!

This is maybe my favorite mother/daughter picture ever.  I teased Maddy all day, saying she had been practicing her Tyra…little did I know, she had been learning those poses for a LONG time…like mother, like daughter

After the photos, Maddy and Dana rode in the limo to enjoy their champagne and head back to the Met Club to start the party!

The flowers were provided with one of my FAVORITE florists, Growing Wild.  I think I recommended Barbara to Maddy and Dana at our very first meeting, before they had even booked me!

The peonies are from her farm!  She told Maddy she had used pretty much every last peony she had available on the farm, and the result was AMAZING!

After being treated to a wonderful dinner, the bride danced with her dad while the groom danced with his mom — I love this cute image Alexander took.

This was the least crowded the dance floor was the rest of the night, though!  Hang the DJ ROCKED the dance floor!

Do they look familiar?  You might also know them as Juniper Lane, a popular DC/MD/VA (and Dewey Beach!) band.  LOVE these guys, and the guests did too!

Dana and Maddy had a LOT of college friends at the wedding, so we had to be sure to take a big group photo of the Hamilton crew!

(I told you there were a lot of them!)

Alexander also got some great photos of Dana with his fraternity brothers:

Even with all of these group photos, Dana and Maddy were able to sneak away to the beautiful library of the Met Club for some bride and groom photos:

This next one was my idea…I call it the naughty librarian

I LOVE it when photographers get a picture of me with my couples!

Of course, Alexander had to get in on the action too!

And he also got a cute picture of me with Linsey, the Event Coordinator at the Met Club:

Not only did the Met Club provide a beautiful and delicious cake:

But they provided these amazing truffles, along with this gorgeous sugar sculpture for the bride and groom.  Look at the look on Maddy’s face — this might be my favorite photo of the night!

Congratulations, Maddy and Dana!  We need to hang out in Arlington sometime!!!

Oh. My. God.  I must have said that 20 times Sunday night when Felicia and I overdosed on DELICIOUS cupcakes from Sticky Fingers Bakery in Columbia Heights.  We joined them at their open house and are so glad we did!

If you don’t know about Sticky Fingers, they’re the only all-vegan bakery in the Washington, DC area.  That means no animal products at all…no eggs, no dairy…they’re all “cruelty free” all the time!  So not only is it great for vegans and vegetarians, but with all of the folks with allergies these days, it’s also great for people (like poor Felicia’s niece!) who are allergic to those same products.

So you’re probably thinking “Great, no eggs, no dairy…no taste” right?  Um, no.  These cupcakes were AMAZING.  And you’re not going to believe which one was my absolute favorite:

See that sign?  In addition to being vegan, my absolute favorite cupcake of the bunch was the chocolate GLUTEN FREE cupcake!!!  So it was also without wheat flour — great for those with Celiac disease who are unable to eat wheat products.  In fact, all of Sticky Fingers’ icings and fillings are gluten free (but be sure to ask which cakes and cupcakes are gluten free, since they are all vegan, but not all gluten free).

Actually, my favorite wasn’t the chocolate gluten free with chocolate icing — they also make the most AMAZING peanut butter icing — put that on a gluten free chocolate cupcake and you are in HEAVEN!  I won’t tell you what I said when I ate it…it’s not appropriate for a family friendly blog.  Let’s just say I was very happy in my tummy

Let’s take a look at some of the other goodies we had that night!

The cupcake above, on the left, is the vanilla cupcake with almond buttercream.  It tasted JUST like a wedding!  That sounds silly to say, but the adorable cake decorator, Kamber, put it perfectly — it really does taste like a wedding!

The chocolate ganache was the PERFECT texture…shiny, creamy (accomplished with the highest fat content soy milk they can find) and, by using the perfect dark chocolate, it’s SO SO GOOD!

Speaking of Kamber, this girl is AMAZING!  Not only did she decorate all of the cupcakes, but the table was decorated with all of these gorgeous flowers.  It took an eagle eyed Felicia to realize they were all SUGAR FLOWERS!

Is that not amazing?! There were all kinds of flowers — tulips, calla lilies, magnolias…you name it, she can do it!

Not only can she do cupcakes, she does GORGEOUS cakes!  From their web site, here are some great photos of weddings cakes she’s done:

LOVE the flowers on this next one:

What a perfect time of year for these cherry blossom cakes!

And does this cake look familiar?

It’s from Stephanie and Chris’ wedding in 2008 with Allison!

Not only can Sticky Fingers do wedding cakes, they can do great groom’s cakes too!

Lost fans (like me!) will love this one (hmm…maybe I can get a remake for the finale?!):

How cute is this cake, for a couple who met on a plane?

These berry cakes could be great for any occasion!

And, from a personal experience at Crafty Bastards a couple of years ago, your dessert table is not complete unless you have the following two desserts:

Cowvin Cookies, the greatest Oatmeal Cream Pie EVER –

And Little Devils –

Like an iced Devil Dog.  But SO MUCH BETTER.  Seriously — go to the store.  Eat them.  Email me and thank me.  You’re welcome

I feel the need to point out that this is NOT a sponsored post.  Believe me, if the cupcakes weren’t good, we would tell you (or, more likely, just not do a blog post about it, but would certainly tell you the truth if you asked about it).  But I was FLOORED at how good everything was at Sticky Fingers.  The staff there was SUPER nice, the cafe is adorable, filled with 50’s hot pink diner chairs and walls painted like dripping chocolate, and a case full of delicious treats!

Sticky Fingers also does catering with things like vegan “egg” salad and “chicken” salad sandwiches, breakfast pastries, and savory side dishes.  We were so full from cupcakes we didn’t try anything, but if you’re a vegan couple, it’s a great option for lunch while the girls are getting their hair done before the wedding or a casual rehearsal picnic.

Sticky Fingers delivers weddings cakes throughout the DC area.  You can email Kamber to talk about their wedding options.  Let us know if you’re a fan too!

Do you remember Victoria & Michael’s wedding at the Westin Grand in Georgetown?  I just got some of the professional photos from Joseph Allen and wanted to share them with you.

First, how stunning is this portrait of Vic, taken in their awesome honeymoon suite at the Westin Grand DC?  Mike’s a lucky guy!

We lucked out on the weather and were able to hold the wedding ceremony outside in the hotel’s courtyard.  I really loved the patterned parasols that Vic found:

Gettin’ hitched:

They’re married!  After the ceremony, our newlyweds took a stroll around Georgetown:

How cute are these two?

I really thought that Vic’s long veil suited her and her gown just perfectly.  Plus it made for some fun portraits:

Woo woo!  They even got a little sexy!  Didn’t Joseph do an amazing job on these photos?

Another cute Georgetown street shot:

Meanwhile back at the Westin, guests were enjoying cocktails in the courtyard and we were putting the finishing touches on the reception room.  If you want the convenience of a hotel wedding but not a typical hotel ballroom, check out the Westin Grand!  It has big beautiful wooden columns, a wooden floor, two steps down to create an elevated dance floor area (or head table area or cocktail area or ceremony area or whatever you want it to be), and a funky little nook that’s perfect for the bar and a seating lounge area.

I would be amiss if I didn’t point out the GORGEOUS centerpieces provided by DaVinci’s Florist.  The black vases were topped with rose and calla lily domes and also featured dripping crystals.  The candles on the tables made the crystals sparkle and the whole piece made the room look very dramatic:

Another stunning feature was the black and white damask wedding cake made by Lara Stuckey at Fluffy Thoughts.  Isn’t this thing beautiful?  I liked how the tiers alternated square and round.  You can also see Vic’s bouquet which we displayed next to the cake:

Well, that’s the party, folks!  Vic & Mike also had a traditional Chinese tea ceremony which was an intimate moment for both families.  She also changed into a traditional Qi Pao for the second half of the reception:

For some more detail shots and my perspective on the day, be sure to check out the original post about Vic & Mike’s wedding at the Westin Grand DC.  I really loved this wedding and hope you do too!

Early last month, I had the opportunity to attend the open house event celebrating the new studio space of one of my favorite photographers, Joylyn Hannahs!!

Joylyn has a great new space right in Leesburg, located at 214 South King Street.  The event was a great opportunity to not only make some new friends and see the space (which is super cute), but Joylyn had a makeup artist on hand to make all the ladies feel super glamorous for their head shots.  Check out the shot she took of me:

There were also some very yummy treats on hand as well!  The space was complete with some cool features showcasing Joylyn’s work and a great spot to meet with potential couples:

I even managed to snag a photo of Joylyn on the other side of the camera:

Check out Joylyn’s website and blog for more amazing samples of her work.  Congratulations Joylyn on the new studio!

*~~*~~*Felicia*~~*~~*

A few weeks ago, we were invited to an open house at a new venue, 1777 F Street, NW. This gorgeous venue houses the Council on Foreign Relations, but also serves as a venue for meetings, receptions, and all kinds of events.

When you walk into the venue, less than a block from the Old Executive Office Building, you are greeted by the welcoming lobby.

(Sorry, my photographs don’t do it justice!)

Here’s a picture from the venue’s web site of the reception space outside of the larger reception room.

You can certainly bring in your own lounge furniture for the space and create a great lounge, but the furniture that’s already there is SO comfortable!

The first floor boardroom can be used in a number of ways.  There were cocktail tables set up throughout the room, as well as a few appetizer stations and bars.

Different caterers were set up on the various floors of the venue — unfortunately, I can’t remember the name of the caterer on the first floor!

When you go back into the lobby, there’s a grand staircase that leads to the second floor.  At the bottom of this staircase were the adorable ladies from Sweet Ladies Bakery.

Can I just say, YUM!?!?!  Here’s a guest, enjoying one of their delicious cupcakes:

And a display of a few of their mini cupcakes:

They also had a display of these adorable “lollipops,” including a brownie lollipop, a chocolate truffle rolled in coconut, and cheesecake lollipops!  I’ve already referred one of my brides to them — they have great prices, and are the nicest girls to boot!

On the 2nd floor, there are a number of areas that couples can use in a variety of ways.  I think if it were me, I would do my cocktail hour on the rooftop terrace (which you’ll see soon), and dinner and dancing in the second floor “ballroom.”

The room holds about 175 for dinner, so probably around 140 for dinner and dancing.  Or you could have dinner in the ballroom, and have dancing just outside the ballroom in the reception space (photo from 1777 F Street web site)

All of the furniture can be moved out, and this would also be a great area for a little lounge (all of the furniture you see is yours to use however you’d like!)

On this floor, delicious food was offered by Susan Gage Caterers.

You then take the elevator up to the 7th floor, where the spaces are more designed for meetings, but I had to mention the wonderful ladies from Ridgewells Catering.  I ate the MOST DELICIOUS chocolate peanut butter bonbon…with pop rocks on the bottom.  I LOVE POP ROCKS!!!  They also had these delicious little poached apples with a brie mousse, and look at these adorable little “ice cream cones”!

They were filled with various fillings, and were AMAZING!  The folks at Ridgewells are just so creative, I love it!

After visiting and snacking on the 7th floor, I headed up to my favorite part of the venue, the 8th floor terrace.  (Again, I apologize for my less than stellar photography skills!)

As with the other floors, these benches and tables can be used however you like, plus, of course, you can supplement with cocktail tables and bars.  The terrace also has a great view of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building:

If it rains, though, the space inside is still really pretty, and also has a great built in bar:

One of the best things about the venue is that, if you’re renting it for a weekend, you get THE ENTIRE BUILDING!  What other venue do you know where you get four floors of space to do whatever you want with?!  Their prices are really affordable, so if you’re looking for a new, unique venue near the White House with an outdoor terrace, check out 1777 F Street, NW. You can call them at 202.509.8465 or email them at dcrentals@cfr.org.

Thanks for inviting us to your open house, gang — we had lots of fun!

Last week I visited Capitol Hill in DC to check out a wonderful wedding vendor.  Volanni is a fantastic 5-year-old floral decor company and I was shocked that I hadn’t met with them earlier!  Michael Lanni and Lisa Abdou create some phenomenally gorgeous pieces of floral art for events.  I especially liked their philosophy on honesty and integrity within the wedding industry.  They source eco-friendly and organic flowers whenever possible and are maintaining responsible business practices.  It’s a company you can feel good about working with!

Here’s my visit to the shop.  The big wooden doors fit perfectly with the urban vibe:

Stepping inside, a totally different feel!  Michael’s there in the center, Lisa off to the left, and one of their floral designers hiding off to the right.  I had to point him out since he was shy about having his picture taken.  Do you see him?

Volanni has an extensive collection of unique vases and vessels:

I could rave and rave all day but the pictures really speak for themselves.  Check out some of their designs:

Check out the size of these peonies!

They have a rather extensive collection of vases and props, like this gorgeous chuppah.  Even if you’re not Jewish I think this piece is a great focal point for a ceremony:

I was particularly head over heels for this arrangement, which I saw in their shop.  It’s so vibrant, textural and simply lush.  I love how the color combination is unexpected but cohesive.  It looks like it popped out of an Anthropologie store.  I keep seeing something new every time I look at it:

Gorgeous, no?  Check out their website for more inspiration!  I like how their style is edgy and modern in some cases but can also lean on the romantic/eclectic side.  If you’re looking for a florist, please tell them I sent you.  You can email Michael or Lisa or give them a call at 202-547-1603.

Looking at caterers?  Windows Catering is hosting an open house!

Email Brianna or call 703-752-9452 to RSVP.  See you there!

We were recently invited to a small event at the St. Regis hotel in downtown Washington DC.  The hotel unveiled their new wedding packages (which are quite spectacular) and wanted to share the news with some select wedding planners.  We were delighted to attend and see what the buzz was about!

The St. Regis completed an extensive renovation in 2008 after about a year of being closed.  The beautiful Presidential Suite was the venue for our gathering and it blew us all away.  This suite is gorgeous!  I was so impressed with the amazing decor and sheer size of it….this room has it all.  At 2500+ square feet, it’s definitely the largest and most decadent hotel suite I’ve ever been in.  Check out the St. Regis website to see more photos of the suite!

The St. Regis hotel (image via their website):

All the following photos are compliments of Michael Kress at MBK Photo.

Walking into the Presidential Suite, this beautiful table (with a HUGE orchid) displayed some of the in-house linens the St. Regis offers for weddings.  This is just the foyer.  The bedroom is through that door in the corner and the living area is towards the left.  I love the Orient-inspired wallpaper:

Now we’re in the living area!  The coffee table had a wonderful display of dried fruits.  I love the way they’re placed — very casually but still formal enough for the St. Regis.  Check out that floral centerpiece!  Nick at Multiflor creates all the in-house designs at the hotel and does a phenomenal job:

I’ve never seen champagne displayed this way but thought it was rather elegant.  The disadvantage was that you could never put your drink down!  At least the staff was 110% attentive and didn’t let you hold an empty glass for very long:

Just a small example of the amazing food they were passing.  These are lamb chops on the bone.  MMM!  They were delicious but made it quite impossible to look dainty while eating:

It turns out that the St. Regis is surprisingly trendy in their food presentation!  Look at these whimsical ice cream pops they brought out:

They were so tasty!  It was something really unexpected and totally fun.  Everyone had to have one and it was the perfect end to a wonderfully creative event.

Interested in more on the St. Regis hotel in Washington, DC?  Check out this wonderful article about the hotel’s recent renovation!

Thanks for hosting us at your hotel!  Hopefully we’ll see you soon for another wedding!

Last week I was invited to visit Morven Park, a beautiful historic manor in Leesburg, Virginia that’s just recently been opened for weddings and private events.  This beautiful home has housed two governors: Thomas Swann of Maryland and Virginia’s reform governor, Westmoreland Davis.

Under the direction of it’s managing group, the Westmoreland Davis Memorial Foundation, the mansion itself is currently in the middle of a HUGE renovation.  They’ve restored four of the 22 rooms, installed a geothermal HVAC system, stablized the foundation and restored the exterior so far, with plans to do much more.  This is in efforts to maintain the building as a museum and tours resumed May 1, 2009.  Unfortunately the interior spaces are not available for rent.  However, the 1,000+ acres of expansive grounds are perfect for tenting and secluded enough that you feel worlds away from civilization.

Pulling into the grounds, the first thing you notice is the stunning Morven Park mansion:

Anthony Cavallo from Vintage 50 is the person who’s handling the booking of all private events held at Morven Park.  He gave us a tour of the grounds and took us to the front drive of the mansion:

The porch is one spot where you can host an event.  The Mansion Portico holds about 50 standing guests and would be perfect for a cocktail hour.

Looking out from the Portico, you’re treated to a breathtaking view of the Leesburg countryside.  Morven Park often uses the Mansion Lawn for equestrian events and large festivals:

On either side of the mansion, the grounds feature several stunning spots that can easily be tented.  After venturing through the manicured gardens…..

….we stumbled upon the Croquet Court!  I can only assume that people used to play croquet here, hence the name.  It’s the prettiest spot in the whole place, I think.  Big, beautiful trees line either side to make a large rectangular space.  This site holds up to 800 guests although a wedding with 300-400 guests would fit perfectly:

Here’s another view of the Croquet Court, showing the character of the trees:

Morven Park is filled with little beautiful gardens strewn here and there.  I thought this one was particularly pretty since the daffodils were in bloom:

Near the Croquet Field, a pleasant surprise awaits below a short flight of tucked away stone steps:

The Reflection Pool is hidden away but a true gem.  There is less than a foot of water in the pond and the fountain in the center gives some background noise to the peaceful spot.  I envision the lawn to either side acting as the aisle for a wedding ceremony.

Just past the two trees in the above photo, there is another lawn that can be tented.  The Reflection Pool Lawn can seat up to about 120 guests and is perfect for smaller weddings:

I really enjoyed my afternoon at Morven Park (and my yummy brunch at Vintage 50). If you’re looking for an elegant outdoor spot for your wedding, please consider this historic gem.  The fees are relatively reasonable ($1500-3500 before the tent) and well worth the natural beauty of the venue.  Since they just opened for private events, most dates in 2010 are still available as well as some select dates for this fall.  Be sure to contact Anthony if you’d like to see it for yourself!

To see video of the inside of the mansion, see FoxDC’s newscast about this beautiful property.