Over the past couple years we’ve featured many wedding venues in Washington, DC and surrounding Northern Virginia and Maryland.  These are all venues that we’ve worked weddings at.  Typically whenever there is a place we’re unfamiliar with we’ll scope it out well in advance of the bride’s big day.  We take notes of the details and photos of the spaces and share them with our readers on the blog.

Photo by Greg Gibson

Since Christmas is a popular time to pop the question, we figured it would make sense to compile a list of popular area venues for newly engaged brides-to-be.  Each list is organized by type then by location.  Hopefully this will help narrow down some of the wedding venue options out there.  Here are the Venue Spotlights that we’ve compiled thus far:

Historic/Garden:
The Carnegie Institute (Washington, DC)
The Atrium at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens (Vienna, VA)
The Manor House at Linden Springs (Reston, VA)
The Wilson-Farr House (Fairfax, VA)
The Lee-Fendall House (Old Town Alexandria, VA)
Woodend Sanctuary (Chevy Chase, MD)
The Newton White Mansion (Mitchellville, MD)

Hotels/Clubs/Ballrooms:
The Willard Intercontinental (Washington, DC)
The National Press Club (Washington, DC)
The Hay-Adams Hotel (Washington, DC)
Tyson’s Corner Marriott (Tyson’s Corner, VA)
The Sheraton Reston (Reston, VA)

Restaurants:
Sequoia Restaurant (Georgetown, DC)
2941 Restaurant (Falls Church, VA)
Famoso Restaurant & M Cafe (Bethesda, MD)

Museums:
The International Spy Museum / Zola (Washington, DC)
The Newseum (Washington, DC)

Eastern Shore/Bay:
The Chesapeake Bay Beach Club (Stevensville, MD)
Queenstown Harbor River House (Queenstown, MD)

Non-traditional:
Glen Echo Park (Glen Echo, MD)
Signature Theater (Shirlington, VA)

Here’s a list of the venues we’ve featured as part of our Real Weddings:

Historic/Garden:
The Decatur House (Washington, DC)
The Red Cross Headquarters (Washington, DC)
Newton White Mansion – and here – and here – and here – (Mitchellville, MD)
Mount Airy Mansion (Upper Marlboro, MD)
Woodend Sanctuary – and here – (Chevy Chase, MD)
The Mansion at Strathmore – and here – (Bethesda, MD)
Brookside Gardens (Wheaton, MD)
Stronghold Mansion (Sugarloaf Mountain, MD)
Collingwood Library (Alexandria, VA)
River Farm (Alexandria, VA)
Old Town Hall (Fairfax, VA)
The Atrium at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens – and here – (Vienna, VA)
Oatlands Historic House & Gardens (Leesburg, VA)
The Thomas Birkby House (Leesburg, VA)
Raspberry Plain (Leesburg, VA)
Whitehall Manor – and here – (Bluemont, VA)

Hotels/Clubs/Ballrooms:
The Fairmont Hotel (Washington, DC)
The Galleria at Lafayette Square (Washington, DC)
The St. Regis Hotel (Washington, DC)
The Ronald Reagan Building – and here – (Washington, DC)
The Westin Grand (Washington, DC)
Hotel Monaco (Washington, DC)
Fort Myer Officer’s Club (Arlington, VA)
The Westin Arlington Gateway (Arlington, VA)
Top of the Town (Arlington, VA)
The Sheraton National (Arlington, VA)
The Hyatt Regency Bethesda (Bethesda, MD)
The Hyatt Fair Lakes (Fair Lakes, VA)
Old Hickory Golf Club (Woodbridge, VA)
Hidden Creek Country Club – and here – (Reston, VA)
River Creek Club (Leesburg, VA)
The Hilton Washington Dulles (Dulles, VA)
Foxchase Manor – and here – and here – (Manassas, VA)
La Fontaine Bleu (Glen Burnie, MD)

Restaurants:
Old Ebbitt Grill (Washington, DC)

Museums:
The Torpedo Factory (Old Town Alexandria, VA)

Eastern Shore/Bay:
Queenstown Harbor River House (Queenstown, MD)
The Chesapeake Bay Beach Club (Stevensville, MD)
Kent Manor Inn (Stevensville, MD)

Outside of DC:
Tavern on the Green (New York, NY)

If you didn’t see your venue on our list or want some more options, Vicky at Event Accomplished compiled a similar list a couple weeks ago.  Some overlap but there are a bunch of different places.  Check it out for more ideas.

Let us know if you have questions about any of these venues!  Our goal is that you’re happy with the wedding decisions you make.  If we can assist you in any way, shoot us an email and let us know how we can help.

Remember the 2007 DC ISES expo?  Check out part one, part two, and part three if you want to see what you missed last year.

Last week, Ryan and I ventured to the Bethesda North Marriott where the DC chapter of the International Special Events Society was hosting it’s 2008 expo.  This is a spectacular trade show for event professionals that shows us what’s new in the industry and what the latest trends are.

What a beautiful hotel!  If you’re planning a larger wedding (400+ guests), this is a really nice new venue that would be ideal for a lot of people.  There are plenty of hotel rooms on-site, the ballroom is nearly new and is appointed tastefully, and the staff is used to acommodating a lot of people at once.  Here’s what we saw when we entered:

The ISES committee that put together the expo decided to go all out with a theme.  Last year’s James Bond theme was only tied into the event a little bit.  This year it was Cirque du Soleil!  You can really tell by all the beautiful lighting, swagged fabric on the ceiling, and crazy bright colors.  I liked this iridescent dance floor although it would hardly be appropriate for a wedding:

The center of the room held a huge circle of lounge furniture from Cort Event Furnishings.  Standing on the tables were Cirque-inspired performers who juggled, danced, and generally provided eye candy.  Cast of Thousands provided these characters.  There’s one in the center there wearing all black and another one off to the right with blue skin:

On the opposite side of the room, Arachne Aerial Arts did a fantastic Cirque-style performance:

One of the booths I was intriqued by was set up by Capitol Decor.  Remember when we visited their warehouse in January?  Apparently black and white damask is the hot new trend!  If you haven’t seen enough of this scheme on Weddingbee (here and here) or Junebug, you certainly will at weddings across the DC metro area over the next two years:

I liked the whole thing, really, but what really got me was the table.  Do you see how it’s a clear acrylic or lucite material?  There’s space to put stuff in between.  They used yellow roses and a layer of water:

Another little detail that struck my fancy was the damask votive holders.  Look how cute:

Another furniture rental company, Room Service, caught on to the damask trend too.  This company is new to the DC area and we’re glad to have another lounge furniture option:

Sadly I don’t remember whose booth this was and I already tossed the program (eek!).  Does anyone remember who had this cool display?  Again with the damask…those are actually removable vinyl stickers that can be applied to any surface:

The lights behind the panels subtlety changed colors!  Here it is in pink and purple:

Select Event Rentals had this beautiful mini tent set up with a tabletop display inside.  I love the ribbon inside the centerpiece vase instead of traditional clear water.  I also like the aqua-colored plates on top of the white square chargers:

American Furniture Rental set up this arrangement with funky blue suede furniture pieces:

As always, we saw a few of our vendor friends out and about at the expo.  Here’s Tonya from Blue Sky Films:

We also ran into the DaVinci’s Florist crew!  The owner Sharone is there on the left, his sister Sivan in the white coat, and Diana on the far right.  Jennifer from Syzygy Events is there in the middle.  Even when blurry they make a handsome group, don’t you think?

This proper lady was walking around, displaying brochures and candy on her tabletop skirt:

Party Rental had a beautiful table set up with all different combinations of place setting pieces:

Here are a few of my favorites:

If that weren’t enough sensory overload for you, they even had an Obama impersonator complete with a secret service agent (see his earpiece on the right?).  Obama got it right down to the American flag lapel pin.  Here he is posing with Ryan:

If you missed yesterday’s post on Lindsay & Sam’s wedding ceremony, scroll down or click here!  You can also see my non-pro photos from this event right here.  Again, a big special thanks to photographer Greg Gibson for his hard work at the event, fantastic followup, and of course, amazing images:

Ray at Party Perfect hooked us up with this beautiful tent and even a tent attendant for the day:

Inside the tent:

Capitol Catering really did a phenomenal job with the food and service.  Notice the tables have alternating linens of orange and yellow!  Here’s what the whole setting looks like:

Lindsay designed all the paper products herself, including these menus.  Isn’t their monogram to die for?

John at Spot Floral Design really went above and beyond with these beautiful and unique centerpieces.  Each one had three small vases of flowers and three pillars of floating gold candles.  They were gorgeous!

Mike at Blondell’s Accents on Events hung all those Chinese lanterns and also provided uplighting on the tent and trees:

Kendall did a phenomenal job on their wedding cake:

David from MyDeejay.com kept people on the dance floor all night long!  He really did a great job at balancing American and Indian music to keep everyone happy:

And they partied all night long!  I love this image of the tent and the beautiful Chesapeake Bay:

reception-tent-chesapeake-bay

Usually I only post once about any given wedding.  This time I have too many photos!  Today we have images from Lindsay & Sam’s ceremony and tomorrow we’ll feature their reception.  Special thanks to photographer Greg Gibson who got these to me lightning-fast!

Rebecca and I started the day off at 11am.  Here’s the River House at Queenstown Golf Club, all ready for an event:

Since we had a lot of setting up to do I chose to wear some more comfortable clothes then change into my ‘wedding outfit’ later in the day.  Here I am confirming some of the last-minute changes with Lindsay while she gets beautified:

I think all that time in the director’s chair was worth it!  Here’s our star of the show.  Isn’t she gorgeous?

I couldn’t resist this one of Lindsay peeking out the window at her future husband:

Lindsay and Sam chose to see each other before the ceremony, which I am a big proponent of.  It gives couples the opportunity to share a private moment of bliss before the mayhem begins.  Here’s a glimpse at how special it can be:

They even had some time for photos with the bridal party.  This one has to be my favorite.  If you’ve followed us since the beginning, you may recognize one of the bridesmaids.  The gal standing closest to the Sam (our groom) is Mariah!  Mariah was one of our very first brides, then turned into one of our best planners, then started her family off with twins and moved to Minnesota.  It was great to see her even just for a couple minutes here and there:

On to the ceremony!  John at Spot Floral Design set up this beautiful canopy with orange fabric and bamboo poles.  The one problem was that the fabric acted like a sail and kept blowing the whole thing over!  Even after we pieced it together it still provided a perfect spot for their altar.  ::note to self…no canopies when you’re on the waterfront::

Reverend Amanda Tate performed a fantastic ceremony that incorporated Sam’s Indian culture.  Lindsay’s sister and Sam’s brother served as matron of honor and best man:

We passed out small bags of flower petals so guests could toss them at the newlyweds.  Don’t you just love their expression of sheer joy?

I’ll leave you with a few breathtaking images of Lindsay and Sam.  After the ceremony they were able to take these photos because they had done the family portraits earlier.  Greg and his assistant Rebecca were so wonderful to work with and I love what they captured:

Check back tomorrow for the photos of the par-tay!

Recently we had the honor of coordinating Kinley & Drew’s big day!  We enjoyed our walkthrough at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club back in August and were excited for the real deal.  This Annapolis couple chose to get married on the eastern shore of Maryland, a beautiful part of the state.  While the talented Amy Raab will have some professional photos to drool over in a couple weeks, my photos will have to do for now.

A special shout-out goes to my associate Rebecca, who has served as a rockstar assistant at a few of our most recent weddings.  If you’re planning a wedding in Annapolis or the Eastern Shore (okay, or DC or Leesburg for that matter!), Rebecca really knows her stuff.

Kinley & Drew chose to see each other before the ceremony and get some of their bridal party photos out of the way.  Here’s the groomsmen hanging out by the shuttle bus from Chariots for Hire:

A bridesmaid shows of her bouquet, provided by DaVinci’s Florist:

Here’s the bride’s bouquet!  All white tulips, this gorgeous arrangement stayed surprisingly perky all day:

Getting a chance at some outdoor photos in front of the church with Amy Raab:

Historic Christ Church in downtown Stevensville, Maryland provided the perfect venue for their intimate ceremony.  This gorgeous building was built in 1880 and holds a large significance to the town and their local parish.  Here are the church doors sporting some hydrangea wreaths:

Inside, the church’s altar:

The pews sported these adorable galvanized pails brimming with white hydrangea and accented with a nautical-inspired navy ribbon:

The altar flowers were simple calla lilies set atop a cylindrical vase.  Gorgeous!

A quick look at the program cover, complete with nautical motif:

My BlackBerry took this one of the ceremony in action:

Over at the Chesapeake Bay Beach Club, Rebecca was setting up the reception.  Unfortunately due to the weather we weren’t able to use the rooftop deck.  The view from the deck looks out over this gorgeous marina on one side:

And this amazing view of the Chesapeake Bay on the other side:

Since the pouring rain was imminent, we opted to have the bar open in the covered cocktail area.  The rooftop area was open but most guests enjoyed the climate-controlled space.  The Garden Room has this great fireplace that we decorated with hydrangea flower boxes and galvanized lanterns:

Here’s a better view of the Garden Room.  Check out that nautical detail with the rope around the cocktail table:

The beautiful wedding cake was provided by Annapolis’ own Main Ingredient.  Check out the nautical rope accent coiled on the table:

Check out the detail on the top!  Can you believe the pastry chef did this freestyle on-site?

During cocktail hour, the Polaroid Guestbook was a hit!  If you plan to do this, don’t forget that Polaroid cameras will soon be extinct:

Seriously — people loved this thing:

I love these adorable escort cards!  Each name comes with a flag which guests match to the appropriate table.  The galvanized tray holds a sheet of foam which we covered with white rocks:

Here’s how Kinley displayed the table flags for guests to match up:

The reception room, all ready to go:

Centerpieces with simple hydrangea were provided by DaVinci’s Florist:

An awful photo of a beautiful moment.  Kinley and Drew enjoy their first dance:

Congraulations again, you two!  It was a pleasure working with you through the planning process and also spending time with you on your wedding day.  Our first experience at the Beach Club was a phenomenal one.  I hope you had a great honeymoon in the Outer Banks!

I just got a wonderful present in the mail!  Photographer MK McKenna sent me some DVDs of my friend Sarah’s wedding back in May.  She had a few posted on her blog (which I promptly stole) but now I have the full set.  Thanks MK!

Here are some of the images that really tell the story of Sarah’s wedding day.  I think MK did a phenomenal job of capturing everything.

Sarah is a UVA Hoo through and through and Ross is a Hokie.  They are truly a house divided and she had the garter to match:

There is a Turkish tradition that says whoever’s signature rubs off the least will be the next to be married.  All of Sarah’s single female friends are taking their shot here:

I think this is one of MK’s most touching images.  Sarah’s looking at a photograph of her grandfather:

I’m getting everyone ready for the ceremony!

Mr. & Mrs. S!

A quick round of portraits after the ceremony:

The escort cards were placed in wooden trays lined with sand:

Inside each escort card was a story about one of Sarah’s patients, Trevor. This little boy has neuroblastoma and as a pediatric nurse, Sarah oversaw his chemotherapy treatments.  He started a foundation called Trevor’s Treasures to help other kids with the same type of cancer.  In lieu of favors, Sarah and Ross chose to donate money towards his cause: 

During their engagement, Sarah and Ross took up the hobby of brewing their own beer!  There is a local brewery that will help you mix, brew, and bottle your own beer.  Here’s their beer table showing photos of the process, the framed original recipe, and plenty of bottles of brew!

The labels even had this cute engagement photo that MK took:

The first dance:

All the floral decor was provided by Ross’ sister!  Sadly she has moved to Vermont and isn’t available for DC weddings anymore.  They sure were gorgeous:

Sarah is definitely a daddy’s girl and they mean the world to each other.  Here they are during their father/daughter dance:

Sarah’s dad made key lime pies!  They chose to skip the cake altogether and serve up mini pies on their dessert buffet:

Here’s me and my own husband, married at the same venue nearly two years before:

The newlyweds leaving their afternoon reception for a portrait photo safari.  I love this photo in so many ways:

Like me, Sarah chose to have an afternoon reception so she and her new husband could spend the majority of the day together by themselves.  They took photographer MK on a photo shoot around the Capitol, Brookside Gardens, and the new National Harbor hotel.  Here they are downtown:

And inside National Harbor:

Sarah will likely kill me for posting this but I found it too funny not to share.  She’s such a goofball:

And somehow is still just as gorgeous!  She was beaming like this the entire day and you could just feel the radiant energy coming off of her:

It’s been a couple months but congratulations again, you guys!  I’ve enjoyed watching your relationship grow these past couple years and am looking forward to double dates, future play dates, and going to our kids’ weddings together.  See you soon