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!

Remember Lindsay & Josh from their wedding back in September?  I just HAD to share some of the professional images I got back from Freed Photography.  Here’s our stunning bride:

These two make such a lovely couple:

Lindsay & Josh had a HUGE bridal party!  TWELVE bridesmaids.  Count ‘em!

Somehow Lindsay found twelve absolutely gorgeous friends:

Here are some beautiful images of the reception at the Omni Shoreham hotel in Washington, DC:

….and of course our beautiful lace-covered cake!  You could smell the sugar from three feet away:

Menus by The Dandelion Patch:

Congratulations again, Lindsay & Josh!

For more information on this wedding and the vendors who pulled it together, check out our original blog post on Lindsay & Josh’s wedding.

We recently blogged about Nicole & Matt’s wedding but didn’t have the professional photos to share.  Well, their photographer, Jimmy Ryan, came through and sent me some images from the event!  I thought he did a great job capturing the day and wanted to share.  Without further ado, here’s Nicole & Matt’s big day:

I loved Nicole’s gold flats.  The flowers on top matched the garden theme perfectly!

Didn’t Nicole make a beautiful bride??  I loved how she had her hair only half up instead of a super-hairsprayed ‘do.  She was beaming but still looked like herself:

I loved this shot of the processional:

The adorable flower girl basket.  Can you believe they got the flowers from Wegman’s grocery store??

Our happy couple:

Meadowlark makes the perfect backdrop for portraits:

Nicole & her sister Amy, one of our 2007 brides:

The flower girl, looking over the edge of the balcony at Meadowlark:

Meanwhile inside, the reception gets under way!

To fit with the garden theme, Nicole named her dinner tables after flowers.  She framed seed packets to help guests find their tables.  Here’s the head table with a mini wedding cake as the centerpiece:

More Wegman’s bouquets:

I really loved the mini cake centerpieces.  Check out how adorable these little guys are!

The wedding guests really loved cutting their own mini cakes.  What a perfect conversation piece!

Congratulations again, Nicole & Matt!!

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!

Last weekend I had the pleasure of coordinating Sarah & Abs’ wedding at the Torpedo Factory Arts Center.  What a gorgeous day!  We’ve worked at the Torpedo Factory several times over the years and it’s one of our favorite spots.  Sarah & Abs were really one of the most fun couples we’ve had this year.  I broke into a smile countless times just being around them and their friends.  What a great crew!

Let’s kick off with some pictures!  The professional images you see are from the very talented Kristen Leigh Photography.  Kristen is such a doll to work with.  Check her out if you’re looking for a photographer!  Images without her cute “K” watermark are ones I took with my iPhone.

Barbara at Growing Wild did a phenomenal job with Sarah’s bouquet:

Sarah’s green shoes pretty much sum up her personality.  Fun, vibrant, energetic, elegant, and unique!

Sarah and her ladies took some time before the ceremony to take portraits.  I loved this one:

Inside, the ceremony’s all set to go.  If you’re been in the Torpedo Factory during the daytime it looks totally different!  John Farr Lighting Design does an incredible job in making this building transform for events:

Sarah and her dad make it down the aisle:

A gorgeous wedding ceremony at the Torpedo Factory.  Sarah & Abs had a friend, Pastor Dave Saville, perform the service.  He was really wonderful!  It was light, touching, and heartfelt.  I really enjoyed working with Pastor Dave and happily recommend him to anyone who’s looking for a young and modern officiant.  It was a nice departure from the typical wedding officiants I see:

During cocktails, Kristen took photographs of the bridal party in Alexandria.  This cute spot is just around the corner from the Torpedo Factory:

Here’s what Kristen saw:

Kristen got some great shots of our newlyweds along the Old Town Alexandria waterfront.  This is near and dear to me since my husband and I took similar photos over three years ago!  I thought this particular one was so elegant….just a beautiful moment frozen in time while the rest of the world buzzes around them:

Couldn’t this easily be the front cover of a magazine?

Back inside, the party was in full swing!  To start, guests found their escort cards in these cute wheat grass boxes (provided by Growing Wild):

The other half of the Torpedo Factory (opposite from the ceremony) was set up for dinner even before guests arrived.  All we needed were chairs!  Once the ceremony ended and guests moved upstairs for cocktails, Windows Catering set the chairs in place around the tables.  I love this image because it shows a little bit of the wonderful lighting and centerpiece pinspots:

A few more shots of the reception area.  Nicole at Windows Catering is a doll to work with and her staff was phenomenal:

Look familiar?  Once the chairs were out of the way we used the ceremony spot as the dance floor!  Ray from Chris Laich Music Services did a great job keeping folks on the dance floor the entire night.  Doesn’t the space look totally transformed with funky lighting?

Windows’ accomplished pastry chef made the gorgeous and tasty cake.  Sarah & Abs chose to forgo the traditional cake cutting ceremony so this baby was just dislayed then sliced up by the caterer:

On a final note, I wanted to share a video of their incredible first dance!  Sarah and Abs must have practiced this for MONTHS.  Their guests were totally shocked at the last move…watch it and see what I mean!

Thanks, Melissa & TJ, for referring this wedding to me!  I’m honored you thought of me for your friends and am glad I got to see you at the wedding.

For more photos from this wedding, check out Kristen Leigh’s Blog.

Congratulations again, Sarah & Abs!

Remember Kristan and Steve, one of our recent Meadowlark couples?  I just got professional images from Justine Ungaro and think they’re amazing!  I wanted to share since Kristan and Steve had such a beautiful day.

They chose to see each other before the ceremony.  I love the ‘reveal’ moment when the bride and groom see each other for the first time:

Seeing each other beforehand also allows plenty of time for formal photographs.  I think this portrait is really classic but edgy in it’s own way:

Off to the ceremony!  Daddy’s face is just priceless here.  Justine captured a lot of different emotions in this image:

Ceremonies at Meadowlark are always so idyllic:

This really, truly, sums up Kristan’s personality in one photo.  She was like this the whole day:

Maryam Flowers made these pretty bouquets for the bridesmaids.  Since the girls were wearing different colors, they had alternating bouquets to complement the dresses:

In my last post you can see the ‘behind the scenes’ view.  Here’s what Justine was getting:

The girls had so much fun with these paper parasols:

Great Blue Heron, the in-house caterer at Meadowlark, did a great job setting the tables.  I love these tall martini glasses that Maryam uses for centerpieces:

Norm at The Sweet Life brought this phenomenal suitcase cake.  Don’t you love it!?

I mentioned that Steve is a member of the great local band Gonzo’s Nose.  Hence, a lot of their friends are musicians!  Kristan and Steve were treated to a number of amazing acoustic live performances during the reception:

They had a DJ on hand, too, to really get the party going:

Once the sun went down the party moved outside!  The patio was the perfect place to mix and mingle under the stars:

I love this final shot that Justine took:

Congrats again, Kristan & Steve!

Kristan and Steve got hitched last weekend at Meadowlark!  It rained ALL week and then on Saturday the skies broke, the sun came out, and we had a beautifully perfect day for a wedding.  I’ll share photos from Justine Ungaro when I get them but for now here’s the few that I took (thanks Felicia!):

The backside of the Atrium at Meadowlark Gardens.  You can sort of see the porch area where they hold wedding ceremonies and cocktail hours:

Looking through the reception area you can see the ceremony taking place on the other side of the windows.  This was the first time I’d worked with Meadowlark’s in-house caterers, Great Blue Heron Catering.  Scott Boger is the sales manager and did a fantastic job on this wedding:

Maryam Flowers brought these pretty purple arrangements:

We are such STICKLERS about making sure the escort cards are set in straight lines.  This is a simple detail that often goes overlooked but can be very obvious if it looks messy:

Kristan & Steve displayed portraits of their parents and grandparents (check out that vintage wedding photo in the back!):

Room Service set up this beautiful lounge for us.  Heidi is so easy to work with and this combination only came to about $1,000!  I love the rattan pieces in this room….it was just the right style for the Atrium:

Kristan and her bridesmaids used paper parasols as props for photographs.  I especially loved that her ladies wore two different colors and different style dresses:

Justine Ungaro and the guys from Monachetti working hard to get a group photo:

One of the coolest features of this wedding was their wedding cake!  They chose a fun suitcase-themed cake instead of a traditional stacked white cake.  Norman from The Sweet Life came up with this beautiful piece of art:

I’m really excited to see Kristan and Steve’s wedding video since they had a lot of live music performances from their friends!  Steve is the drummer for Gonzo’s Nose, a local favorite cover band, and several of the couple’s friends are very talented.  It made for a wonderful personalized touch to the day!

Kristan and Steve, it was wonderful working with you guys!  I loved every minute of your big day and was glad to be a part of it.  I hope you’re enjoying your romantic Parisian honeymoon!

When I first met with Amy and Alex, the first thing I noticed was Amy’s quiet personality and Alex’s robust sense of humor.  Amy explained that she wanted a ‘French Countryside with an English Garden’ feel for the wedding.  Alex and I joked about having a helicopter transport them from the reception James Bond-style.  While we didn’t quite end up with a helicopter, I think we certainly achieved the European aura that Amy was looking for.

The pair chose Trinity Episcopal Church mostly based on it’s European feel.  While this building was built in the 1950s, it’s style is based on 12th and 13th century churches in France.  Trinity’s campus boasts a number of other buildings including an antique greenhouse and the nation’s smallest lending library.  Here’s the main church building:

Inside the church, the touching ceremony takes place.  Unfortunately Trinity doesn’t allow photographers or videographers to get closer than the front doors but our vendors made the best of it.  I’ll be interested to see how Colin from Blue Sky Films and Mark from Rodney Bailey Photography captured the ceremony!  Here’s what I got from my angle:

As a quick note, did you know that Blue Sky Films offers Super 8 film instead of traditional video?  They can mix it in with traditional video, too, so your whole wedding isn’t shot just on film.  Amy chose to have some segments of the wedding captured on Super 8.  Check out a sample here.

Meanwhile at the reception, my assistants Julie and Felicia were busy setting up the tent at Historic Long Branch.  This venue was new to me although they’ve been doing weddings for years.  Located in Millwood, Virginia, it has a robust history and some of the most serene views of the rolling Blue Ridge Moutains I’ve seen at any wedding venue.  The house is open to docent-led tours during cocktail hour and the reception must be under a tent.  Although it was a bit hot this past weekend, the Sheila Macqueen-designed gardens were blooming beautifully and the view simply cannot be beat.

Amy chose purple and ivory as her wedding colors.  We used a lavender cotton on the cocktail and service tables and a plum pintuck on the guest tables.  Select Event Rentals provided the tent and Party Rental, Ltd. brought the chairs, linens, and china:

The escort cards even had a French flair to them.  Each card was held by a pewter fluer-de-lis holder.  Unfortunately they kept blowing over since the event was outdoors.  We ended up having to lay them down on the table but I think they still looked cute:

:::WishTip::: Color-code your place cards if you are offering your guests a meal choice.  At this wedding, purple, white, and green signaled Pork, Chicken, or Fish to the wait staff.

Unfortunately the cake table sat empty most of the night.  It was too hot to display the wedding cake inside the tent.  The buttercream icing starts melting and doesn’t keep the cake layers sturdy.  At 92 degrees, there was no chance this cake would’ve made it three hours outdoors!  While dinner got underway, the cake remained in a semi-air conditioned corner of the basement.  We moved it out right before the cake cutting ceremony but even by then the layers were starting to wobble a bit.  I decided to alter the schedule a little bit before the cake smushed into itself.  Yet one more reason why having a wedding day coordinator is a good investment.

Carolyn at Taylor Made Cakes did a beautiful job on this cake.  I’m impressed that it lasted as long as it did which means she’s had experience at building structurally sound cakes.  It’s hard to see but there is a lace detail all around the bottom of each layer.  It was gorgeous!

Back inside the tent, a closeup of one of the taller centerpieces.  Maryam at Maryam Flowers was a rockstar for this wedding.  We’ve worked with her several times and she never misses a beat.  I especially liked the old-style European stands she brought instead of the typical glass trumpet vases:

These cute lanterns served as the short centerpieces.  Maryam made three small tulip arrangements for each table.  It’s hard to see but each tulip bunch is wrapped in purple wire.  It was such a small touch but shows Maryam’s attention to detail.  This image shows the true colors of the table linen and the chivari chair cushions.  Amy printed these pretty table cards, named after chateaus in France:

Tom at Pineapple Alley Catering provided the fabulous food and attentive wait staff.  I snuck a leftover hors d’oeuvre from the kitchen and was really blown away.  I had no idea an onion tart could be so sweet and savory!  Tom even worked with Amy and Alex to get European beer and wine for the wedding.  If you’re looking for a caterer, working with Pineapple Alley was truly a pleasure all the way around.

Here’s one last shot of the wedding taking place.  I apologize for the cruddy BlackBerry camera quality.  I like this image because it shows the beautiful purple tent swagging that Eric at Frost Lighting did.  I don’t have any photos from the rest of the night but the whole tent glowed purple through the evening and really came alive once the sun went down.  You can just barely start to see the effect of the pinspots on those tall centerpieces towards the back.  It was gorgeous!

Although the weather was a bit on the toasty side (I came home with a sunburn), the ceremony was heartfelt, the scenery was gorgeous, and the newlyweds were smitten with each other.  Just how a wedding should be!

Special thanks to Jodi, Julie, and Felicia who helped me out at this gorgeous wedding.  More kudos go to Aaron from Chris Laich Music Services who kept the dance floor packed all night long and rolled with the schedule changes I threw at him!  It’s always wonderful to have an attentive and professional emcee on the microphone.  One last shout out to Dan at Reston Limousine who arranged for two limos, three shuttles, and one sedan with no hiccups or delays whatsoever.

Amy & Alex, it was truly a pleasure working with you over the better part of this past year.  I really enjoyed being a part of your wedding day and wish you both the best of luck in your lives.  I’m sure we’ll see each other soon.  Congratutulations!

::Disclaimer!  The photos in this post are purely inspirational and not from events that Wish Special Events has planned or coordinated (except where noted).  We can re-create what you see below for your event but these are not a part of our portfolio::

For years, I’ve been saving pictures from web sites of wedding things I love.  Whether it’s a pretty hairstyle, a beautiful bouquet, a unique centerpiece, I’ll save it.  Why?  I honestly have no idea.  Maybe for my imaginary wedding someday (George Clooney, I’m waiting for you to call!), maybe to give brides ideas, I’m not really sure.  My confusion is your bloggy goodness!

Starting today you’ll see a series called “WishCandy.”  I’ll post sets of things that I love (that are wedding related, unless you really want a post of TV shows I love, because really, I could go on and on…)  Unfortunately, I didn’t realize when I began saving images that I should probably note where the picture came from, so many of these are not credited because I simply forgot to note either who the florist was or who took the photograph or from what magazine it came.  So, if you see a photo you know, PLEASE let me know who took it!  We want to give credit where it’s due, either to the amazing floral designers out there or the photographer!

Today, in honor of my best friend’s wedding (my actual best friend, not the movie) I am posting green bouquets.  A lot of brides think there aren’t that many green flowers, or that a green bouquet will be all, well, greenery, and few flowers.  But just look and see what wonderfulness exists in the world of green flowers!  You will note that for most of these, I haven’t said the names of the types of flowers.  That’s because I am a flower moron.  I know, like, 5 flowers.  I have learned a LOT since I’ve become a wedding planner, but really, if you like a picture, just print it out and take it to your floral designer.  He or she will know what they’re looking at a lot better than I do!  I just look and say “Ooh, pretty” – which is what your guests will do too!

Florist: Simply Blooms:

I love the purple and green together:

More purple and green, this time with a more eggplant shade.  I can’t decide which I like more!

Photographer: Eleise Theuer:

Photography by Chris Baltazar & bouquets by one of our local favorites, Petal’s Edge:

Source: Martha Stewart Weddings:

I hope you’ve enjoyed our first “WishCandy”!  Where do you find your inspiration?