Hmmm, so where do I begin on this one?  The bride is Mary Kate McKenna (of Mary Kate McKenna Photography) and has been a friend of mine since we worked on a wedding way back in 2007.  She and her husband Joe have one of those fantastic love stories that Nicholas Sparks bases his novels on.  He’s in the Army and she’s a world-traveling creative who deserves every little crumb of joy in her life.

To give you a taste of how cute these guys are, here’s what MK posted on her blog just before the wedding:

“I’m going to marry the guy who told me in high school we’d end up together.

The guy who pursued me for 12+ years,

while I traveled the globe and did my own thing.

He waited. He waited a long, long time.

Well, on Saturday, he finally gets his way.

It’s hard to describe how I’m feeling right now.

Excited I guess is the only word that kind of describes it.

I’ve been to so many beautiful weddings,

and I’ve always loved watching the day unfold.

And now it’s our turn. Surreal.”

Being a wedding photographer, naturally MK has been to nearly every wedding in the DC/MD/VA area.  When it came time to pick a venue for her own shindig, ThorpeWood was an easy choice.  This 155-acre retreat in the Catoctin Mountains has multiple buildings and also serves as a camp for at-risk youth.  They’re eco-friendly and proud of it which gave her more than enough reasons to get married there.

Here’s the main building on the grounds:

While being a photographer made it easy to pick a venue, it made picking a photographer really really really hard.  MK and Joe finally decided to work with Christobal & Kathleen Perez of Azul Photography out of Raleigh, NC.   Check out their eye for stunning detail:

While MK got ready inside the main barn, I was busy setting up the ceremony spot.  With 155 acres, you can imagine that there are plenty of places to pick from for an outdoor ceremony!  They chose this little wooded area with a small stone footbridge that goes over a babbling brook.  It was all quite lovely:

Here comes the bride!

The other advantage about being a wedding photographer is that all your friends are photographers too.  MK’s friend Jaime Windon (aka The Blonde Photographer) snapped a few here and there.  I really liked seeing how two photographers can see the same moment differently!  See Christobal’s version above and Jaime’s below:

The happy couple, getting hitched!  Check out their custom-made wooden canopy structure.  Although this was not a Jewish wedding and that’s not a chuppah, it’s a gorgeous piece that framed the ceremony just beautifully.  A big special thanks to Katie Martin at Elegance and Simplicity (and her master-carpenter-husband) who built it:

Married!

After the ceremony, MK & Joe took a few minutes with Christobal to get some portraits:

Then it was time to PAR-TAY!

Look at the size of those peonies in the bouquet!  That thing weighed like 30lbs.  Katie did a really spectacular job on the bridal bouquet and it ranks right up there as of my favorites of all time.

Can you believe that MK made this sign?  Yeah, she really MADE it!  Cut out the wood and everything!

Inside the barn building, the reception’s ready to go:

My favorite detail were these fun poms from Etsy seller Prost to the Host!

MK spent months and months scouring flea markets, garage sales, and antique stores to find all the Mason jars and antique glass for the floral arrangements:

Here’s the first dance.  MK & Joe are cute and all, but the real focus of this picture is the adorable centerpiece box!!!  MK made a white wooden box for each table and those glass jars went inside.  I wish I had a better picture to show you the detail but these guys were really quite adorable!

MK wrote one of those toasts that made everyone, including Joe, need a tissue.  I’ve heard hundreds of wedding toasts and am definitely jaded enough that I usually don’t even listen to them anymore.  MK’s even got me too!

Cheers!  The day was filled with all kinds of emotions but this was a more lighthearted moment:

(This photo was taken by Jaime)

Some more images by Jaime that give you an idea of how fun this party was:

I can’t get over how cute this one is.  Christobal really has an eye for this stuff.  Again with the touching moments!

ThorpeWood just happens to have a ping pong table outside.  And MK just happened to be sure to bring balls for it.  And she also just happened to win:

It was a lovely evening to enjoy the patio and lawn:

Happily ever after!

(this one is Jaime’s too)

Congratulations again, MK & Joe!  You two make quite the perfect new family.  I wish you both all the very best and look forward to watching your love story continue.

I had the wonderful opportunity to work with Melanie & Adam on their gorgeous wedding at the Fairmont Hotel in Washington, DC.  I met Melanie in the spring of 2009 and it was a pleasure every step of the way.  I wish I could take credit for this girl’s fabulous details but all the cute touches are her own!

I was really thrilled to be working with a phenomenal team of vendors.  A big special thanks goes to Mark Medrick at the Fairmont, who really made sure the service was top-notch.  I wish I could steal him from the Fairmont to work weddings for Wish –he’s a true gem!  Another big thanks goes to Regeti’s Photography.  Amy & Srinu Regeti are, well, amazing.  Take a look for yourself!

Our bride, Melanie, gets finishing touches by the very talented makeup artist Carl Ray:

She’s looking pretty fabulous, eh?  All ready for a wedding!

I love the ‘Regeti’s-style‘ portraits.  They come up with such lovely, natural, and elegant poses:

Melanie & Adam are Jewish so they saw each other before the ceremony.  In Jewish tradition, the signing of the Ketubah (marriage contract) is the real wedding ceremony.  They get married before the bride walks down the aisle!  Luckily this event also means that we can do some cute ‘first look’ and formal portraits before the events begin:

I have a pretty lucky history with weather and this wedding was no exception.  Big gray storm clouds threatened some rain but it held off long enough to get some stunning photos in the Fairmont’s garden courtyard.  These portraits go perfectly with the garden theme of the wedding:

I would be remiss if I didn’t give credit to our wonderful florist, Alison de Wit at Distinctive Floral Design.  Check out Melanie’s bouquet!  Just wait until you see the centerpieces.

Don’t Melanie & Adam have a handsome group of friends?

After the portraits were done, the bridal party and family headed up to sign the Ketubah in a private ceremony.  An hour later, it was time for the second (public) ceremony.  Rabbi White did an excellent job in keeping the service lighthearted but also endearing.

Obviously this photo was not taken by the Regeti’s:

A special shout-out goes to the Cherry Blossom String Quartet.  I love working with these guys since they’re always on time, play beautifully, are professional, and are very easy to work with.  Plus, we did Julia’s wedding a few months ago 

I especially loved this photo of Adam reading his vows:

After these two lovebirds tied the knot for a second time, guests celebrated with some cocktails and hors d’oeuvres.  Even though it wasn’t raining, the heat outside prohibited us from using the courtyard like Melanie had hoped.  Luckily the Fairmont’s lobby is quite large and we had a private area with plenty of sofas and mingling space.

The ‘English garden’ theme was really played up with her adorable vintage-esque birdcages and fresh English roses:

I especially liked the little pewter chairs that held the escort cards:

Back in the Colonnade, the ceremony room was being ‘flipped’ for the reception!  If you’re having your wedding ceremony and reception at the same venue, this is a wonderful way to make the best use of the most beautiful space.  The Fairmont’s ballroom is particularly beautiful since there is so much natural light from the pretty garden courtyard.  I bet you couldn’t even tell that these tables were waiting ‘in the wings’  the whole time:

Vintage postcards marked tables instead of numbers:

Check out these lush centerpieces!  Doesn’t this just scream ‘romantic English garden tea party‘?

As cute details and wonderful conversation pieces, Melanie & Adam displayed vintage wedding cake toppers from several family weddings:

Another detail that can’t be overlooked is the stationery set.  These wedding invitations and programs were HAND-PAINTED by Kristy Rice’s fabulous team at Momental Designs.  The floral motif is based on Melanie & Adam’s china pattern!  I think this is a wonderful piece of art that really sets the tone for a fabulous event:

The wedding cake by Cherry Blossom Cakes was truly yummy:

Yet another photo not taken by the Regeti’s:

I couldn’t get over this photo of our newlyweds cracking up during one of their toasts.  I wish I could remember what the joke was!

Instead of a traditional guest book, Melanie & Adam chose a photo booth and photo guest book by Posh Booth:

Of course it wouldn’t be a Jewish wedding without the Hora!  DJ Chris Laich kept everyone on the dance floor all night:

Cutting the cake:

Here’s our lovely couple with Mark Medrick, the wonderful host at the Fairmont.  He was excellent every step of the way.  If you’re interested in having your wedding at the Fairmont, definitely get in touch with him!

Melanie & Adam wanted an extra surprise for her guests before they left for the evening.  She chose a macaron display with several flavors of macarons.  Boy were the guests surprised when they walked out of the ballroom and spotted this spread of treats!  These scrumptious macarons were provided by Michel Patisserie:

Of course the Regeti’s did a much better job with the photos than I did:

It will be a few more weeks until we have some video of this event, but it was filmed with a regular HD camera and also Super 8 film (!) by Blue Sky Films.  I can’t wait to see what Colin shot & how it’s edited together.  Those guys always come up with some wonderful films.

…and they lived happily ever after:

Congratulations again, Melanie & Adam!  It was really a joy to work with you both and I wish you many successes and much happiness over the years.

PS – want more photos of this wedding?  Check out the Regeti’s Photography blog!

Last spring we posted about Kelly & Jason’s wedding at Hollin Hall in Alexandria, VA.  I can’t believe I never shared their professional photographs, shot by Heather Z Photography!  Without further ado, here’s the day through Heather’s lens.

Here’s Hollin Hall, looking regal:

On the wedding day, it rained and poured all morning.  Kelly had wanted an outdoor ceremony in Hollin Hall’s beautiful boxwood garden but the forecast was looking grim.  We were watching the radar and trying to play weatherman, keeping hope out for what looked like could be a break in the clouds.  Meanwhile, there was nothing for Kelly to do but get ready:

Barbara at Growing Wild always makes the most stunning arrangements:

Kelly had the sweetest bridesmaids — don’t they look like fun friends?

I especially loved her light blue flats — perfect for their intimate, elegant, yet casual wedding:

The rain did indeed break just before the ceremony but the ground was too muddy to hold a ceremony in the spot we had wanted.  So – Kelly opted for Plan B and we moved the ceremony into the main house.  Here she is, getting ready to go down the steps and straight down the aisle:

I thought the indoor ceremony was just perfect.  We used pillar candles on the mantle and the altar floral arrangements on the floor.  Rev. Wesley Peyton performed a touching wedding ceremony like he always does:

And they’re married!  This is always my favorite moment at every wedding:

While their guests were enjoying cocktails, Kelly and Jason made use of some clear skies and headed into the garden for some portraits.  I’m so glad they were able to get some pictures outside:

Don’t these guys make a handsome pair?

Another cute detail — Jason’s white rananculus boutonniere:

Back inside, the cute escort cards are held up by wine bottle corks:

I love when couples display family photos to share with their guests — I think it helps the two joining families connect:

Outside, the rain was still drizzling but the dinner tent was nice and dry.  Check out these gorgeous tables:

We thought long and hard about the color of these chairs.  I think the natural wood color really makes the blue pop out, don’t you agree?

I couldn’t resist showing you their wedding cakes!  Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe is one of the couple’s favorite spots so it was only fitting to have cakes from there.  While Heidelberg does make some amazing traditional wedding cakes, Kelly & Jason wanted to share their favorite flavors with their guests.  This way, everyone got a flavor they loved!

Of course the cake aftermath isn’t pretty — but it sure is tasty!

Kelly & Jason — I know you guys have already passed your first anniversary so I hope you had a lovely first year of marriage!  I fondly remember your wedding day and hope you both are doing well.  Congratulations again!

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!

A big Happy Birthday to Wish, who is celebrating five years today.  We started out as Soiree Special Events in 2005 and have never looked back!  Over the years we’ve served over 200 couples in Washington, DC, Northern Virginia, and Maryland.  We’re so thrilled to have such wonderful supporters who have kept us in business through this economic craziness.  Thank you to all our past and future clients — we love you all!

xoxo,

Photo via The Washington Post

We’re so very excited that same-sex couples in the District of Columbia can FINALLY apply for marriage licenses, starting today. Of course they still need to wait until May 9th to actually tie the knot but today is a big day for the LGBT community! Click here to see some photos from the Washington Post on the activities at the DC Superior Court today.

Here at Wish we love to help all kinds of couples with their wedding celebrations. If you’re not quite ready to hire a planner but are looking for some advice, here are some wonderful same-sex-friendly wedding resources:

SoYoureEngayged.com
GayWeddings.com
GayRites.com
TheKnot.com’s Real Weddings
Rainbow Wedding Network

If you participate on Twitter, here are some great folks to follow:

SoYoureEngayged, resource
Bernadette Smith, wedding planner
Rainbow Wedding Network, resource

Of course don’t forget to follow me on Twitter too!

Congratulations again!

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!!

A few months ago, Nicole & Matt tied the knot!  Sorry I didn’t post photos sooner — while I don’t have a lot of pictures from the day I just came across these and thought I’d share them.  I believe their pictures are online somewhere so I’ll try to get the pro ones to share too!

Nicole is the younger sister of Amy, one of our 2007 brides.  It’s always so lovely when families know we’ll do a great job on the wedding day and call us again for younger siblings.  It was really a pleasure to work with these ladies again.

While I don’t have photos of the ceremony, Nicole & Matt exchanged vows at St. John Neumann’s in Reston.  St. John’s is a very big, modern, and airy church that lets in plenty of sunlight.  It was really a beautiful and touching ceremony.

Once at Meadowlark, Nicole & Matt wanted to use the beautiful natural scenery for their bridal party photos.  Here’s photographer Jimmy Ryan doing his thing:

I really thought these bridesmaids dresses were fabulous!  When’s the last time you’ve seen a patterned gown like these?  They were perfectly summery and looked great on the girls.  Nicole’s sister, Amy, is the second one from the right:

Inside, the reception’s in full swing!  The Reston Hyatt’s Regency Caterers did a wonderful job with the food & service.  I really liked the gold linens in the room — it looked really elegant and understated:

One of my favorite details of this wedding were the mini cakes!  Each table had a glass cake plate with a small cake instead of a centerpiece.  They went perfectly with the wedding’s garden theme.  Pastries by Randolph did a great job on these:

After Nicole & Matt cut their own little wedding cake, they invited guests to slice & serve each cake at their table.  Everyone had a blast with that!

The first dance:

Congratulations again, Nicole & Matt!  Talk to you soon!