Hoo-rah-ray, hoo-rah-ray, ray, ray–U-VA!

That’s right, today we’re featuring the blue and orange of the University of Virginia.  And we don’t have to look too far — remember Meredith and Howard’s wedding?  It was full of blue and orange goodness, shot by Jake Holt:

I also wanted to make sure you saw the gorgeous tent decoration, but the picture is not Jake’s, it’s from my lousy camera (I need a new camera…any recommendations?)

I love everything about this, from the way we set up the tables to the navy pintuck linens to the orange napkins to the orange and blue lanterns!

You know who else loves these colors?  A Wahoo Wedding, a blogger in Virginia planning a Richmond wedding with UVA colors!  Look at her awesome logo!

And look at their cute story, all UVA-themed!

She’s FULL of the UVAspiration

OMG!  How cute are those shoes?!??!!  Speaking of cute shoes…

Julia MacInnis:

The Knot

What, girls get to have all the fun?!

Rachel Clare

(I can’t tell if his shoes are orange or brown, but let’s say orange, okay?)

These are definitely orange, though, right?

And these? (Joe Elario Photography)

(Yes, that was back to the girls again, but guys can wear orange (or blue) Chucks too!)

More for the guys…

E.C. Campbell Photography via Mitten Smitten

A Suit That Fits

Love this bout…

Paper is a great way to use your colors, like this cute invitation:

Or these adorable touches from the Wedding Wire Blog:

Of course, there are TONS of gorgeous orange flowers out there for bouquets — just use some navy ribbon, and you’re all set!

Becker:

Elegance and Simplicity:

Flora Fauna Weddings:

One Thousand Words Photography:

Rachel Clare:

Bridesmaids get to have all the fun when it comes to colors!

E.C. Campbell Photography:

One Thousand Words Photography:

The Preppy Wedding

What Junebug Loves

Of course, the kiddies get some cute duds and accessories too…

Studio Diana

Michelle Lindsay (one of our favorite photographers!)

E Photography:

How awesome is this little man bow tie from Etsy seller Chick and Bud?!

You can highlight the orange and blue in your ceremony decor…

Julia Newman Photography:

Millie Holloman Photography:

Or at your reception:

Heather Saunders Photography:

Etsy Seller Pom Flair:

Renee Broughton:

Vibrant Bride:

Are you having a Wahoo Wedding?  How will you incorporate Blue and Orange?

No, NOT DUKE!!!  (BOO!!!)  In honor of our beloved Laura Auer, owner of Wish and JMU grad, today’s post features the purple and gold of the James Madison University Dukes!

OMG, I want to run out of a giant bulldog tunnel too!!!

JMU’s colors are Purple and Gold, but a brighter yellow can also be used.  This is a great color combination and works well if you’re looking for either a deep eggplant color, like this After Six bridesmaids dress:

or a brighter purple, like this adorable Watters dress.

Of course, if you can find dresses like these amazing ones, photographed by Meg Smith, then you’re all set!  But I’m guessing things like that are a little hard to find!

And how gorgeous are those flowers?!  And the ribbons!!!  PERFECTION!

Speaking of flowers, purple and yellow flowers abound, no matter what the season!  (Are these first ones photographed by Amy Carroll mums?  I LOVE them!)

More from Amy Carroll:

LOVE Billy Balls (or craspedia, or billy buttons)

How great would big bunches of them be in these vases from Jamali Garden Supply?  (One of my go-to recommendations for wedding supplies!)

Yellow flowers can really pop against a purple dress, like in this photo by Jessica Claire

And, of course, the reverse is also true!  How great would these dresses, featured on Green Wedding Shoes, look with the purple bouquets that follow?!

The Wiebners:

Blink DC Photography (who I get to work with this weekend — SO excited!)

Eclectic Images:

Punam Bean:

And, of course, we can’t forget the bride’s shoes, right?!

So, Manolo…we meet again…

K. Thompson Photography:

Katie Stoops Photography:

Millie Holloman Photography is based in Wilmington, NC, one of my absolute FAVORITE cities.  She and her staff do AMAZING work, including the following series of photos with inspiration for a JMU wedding day!

And finally, I just had to show you this amazing picture from Sara France photography.  I am IN LOVE with these dresses!!

Did you or your fiance go to JMU?  How are you showing your Dukes pride?!

Continuing our College Football series, we move now to my hometown of Pittsburgh, and the Pitt Panthers!  Although Pitt’s new logo looks like this:

which is more Navy and Gold, I’m going to focus on the logo I grew up with:

Oh, that’s right…the straight 70’s Royal Blue and Yellow!  Both are beautiful, but the bright yellow and royal blue make for a fun wedding color combo, don’t you think?!  Wedding Wire sure thought so

(p.s. How much are you loving those chairs in blue and yellow?!)

Here’s another great blue and yellow inspiration board, from Style Me Pretty:

Mrs. Lemon from Wedding Bee got in on the blue and yellow action too!

Blue and Yellow are easy to use, especially in your wedding party.  I LOVE a blue dress with yellow accents:

Decisive Moment Photojournalists

Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bridezilla (That’s the name of the blog, not a commentary…)

How about this cute yellow J. Crew dress with one of the necklaces below, from Etsy sellers Londons Gate and Night Owl Crafts

There’s also this bib statement necklace, which is great, although I’m not sure that the bib necklace trend is for everyone (Etsy seller Lily White Pad)

Or how about a great blue dress with some adorable yellow sandals?! (Coren Moore dress, shoes by Kelsi Dagger at Zappos)

Of course, you need to get the guys involved too!

Next two photos by Millie Holloman Photography

Style Me Pretty

Decisive Moment Photojournalists

And, of course, you can’t forget the little ones!

(Above and below pictures, Millie Holloman)

Union Photography

Actually, that adorable flower girl was in an AWESOME blue and yellow wedding, featured on Project Wedding.

Linens and tableware such as china and glassware are a lovely way to bring your color palette out at your wedding, as shown here by Style Me Pretty.  Of course, a gorgeous centerpiece doesn’t hurt either!

And again here, photographed by Geoff White Photographers:

Speaking of beautiful centerpieces, look at these beauties, photographed by Millie Holloman photography:

Although there aren’t really any royal blue flowers, you can come awfully close with Hydrangea, and mix them with fun yellow flowers to create some gorgeous arrangements.

Theresa Choi Photography:

Style Me Pretty (next two photos)

How about using blue and yellow in your programs like these photographed by Millie Holloman:

Or these from Union Photography:

And, finally, how about some fun lawn games for your guests, like bocce at this Salt Harbor Designs wedding:

Are you a Pitt Panthers fan?  How are you showing them the love in your wedding?

I. Love. Football.  LOVE it.

My father and brother both played college football and coached high school football.  We are a football family.  We used to go outside during halftime of Steelers games when I was little and play touch football.  My dad and me on one side, my brother and sister on the other.  I missed one home football game in my four years of college.  Get it?  Love football.

SO, in honor of football season starting, I’m doing a series of team color weddings.  This week we’ll start with college football, since it kicks off first (September 4th) and next week we’ll do some NFL teams.

Since I’m the one writing, we get to start with MY team, my beloved Demon Deacons of Wake Forest University!  GO DEACS!

Wake Forest’s colors are Old Gold and Black (the Old Gold distinction will be important next week when you see Steelers gold, which is really more of a yellow).  Old Gold, for you Pantone geeks out there, is PMS8640

So, you know…gold.

Gold and black actually make for gorgeous wedding colors.  They give off an elegant vibe, and would be perfect, say, for a New Year’s Eve or winter wedding.

(Photo collage from Ritzy Bee)

Gorgeous, right?!  There are SO many elements that you can use for a Demon Deacon wedding.  You can add special touches to the cake, whether it’s the wedding cake:

(About The Cake)

(Michael Caswell Photography)

The Groom’s cake

Or even cupcakes (I am in LOVE with these cupcakes, from English bakery Frosted Cupcakes.  I might start putting glitter on all of the cupcakes I bake from now on.)

Jewelry is another way to bring in the Old Gold and Black.  Of course, you would go with gold jewelry with this theme, but I loved these earrings with the added black touch:

or this necklace from Nordstrom

Or even this simple picture of a couple’s rings, tied with gold ribbon (photographed by Ben Crisman)

It’s easy to get the bridal party into the color scheme as well…

Jung Lee Fete

Rebecca with Millie Holloman Photography

What Junebug Loves

The parents can get involved too (especially if they’re Wake alumni!) (What Junebug Loves)

Gold is easy to incorporate into the bride’s dress as well, whether it’s as a sash, like in this L’ezu Atelier dress:

A golden dress with a black sash

Or just a knockout gold dress, like this stunner as featured on  Style Me Pretty:

And, of course, we can’t forget the shoes! (Oh Manolo…how I love thee…)

What do you think?  Will you be incorporating your school pride into your wedding day?

One of Rebecca’s couples made it in to The Knot Magazine!  Check out this great feature on Erika & Jamie’s wedding:

A big special thanks to photographer Kate Headley who submitted these photos to The Knot.  You rock!

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!!!

Hey, gang!  I’ll have some AMAZING pro photos taken by Michelle Lindsay for you soon from Diane and Allen’s gorgeous wedding at the Clarendon Ballroom, but to tide you over, I have some pictures their guests took and posted to a web site Diane and Allen set up to see the pics!  I LOVE that so many couples are doing this — it’s SO much better than the disposable cameras on the tables, since everyone’s cameras are digital now, and you get to see so many candid shots you might have missed!

First up are some shots of the GORGEOUS flowers provided by Yellow Door Floral Design:

I loved the girls bouquets…I can’t wait to post some close ups of them!

The kids in this wedding (an adorable set of triplets!) were AWESOME!

I need to remember to ask Sandra at the Clarendon Ballroom who did this GORGEOUS cake!  The Clarendon Ballroom does in house catering, but outsources its cakes.  SO pretty!

I LOVE an involved groom, and Allen was a great one!  He designed a lot of the couple’s stationery items, including their programs and escort cards (check out the cute icons for dinner choices on the escort cards

Allen also purchased some great props for their photo booth — I can’t wait to see more pictures from this!

Stay tuned for pro pics in the next few weeks!

Memorial Day weekend arrived VERY early for me this year, as I woke up at 6 am to trek to the Old Town Alexandria Farmer’s Market to buy flowers for Jen and Nate’s casual BBQ wedding.

See, Jen knew she needed help with the bouquets and personal flowers but thought she could handle the centerpieces on her own, and boy was she right!

The peonies and lilacs I bought that morning were SO gorgeous and fragrant, it made me start to consider actually getting married in the summer!  (Until I remembered that I hate being hot…and it’s hot in the summer.)

All photos from fellow Demon Deacon, Christine Meulemans.  Go Deacs!

Jen and Nate met learning to sail on the Potomac, so it was only natural for them to have their wedding on the river at the beautiful Collingwood Library:

The ceremony was held where Christine is standing while taking this picture, down on the waterfront, with the cocktail hour on the patio at the side of the house (which you can see guests enjoying here), and the reception inside the Conference Center.  (I’ll be honest…I miss the days when you could have your reception outside on the patio at Collingwood.  You still can, but you can’t have amplified music, so if anyone knows a good jazz trio or Dixieland Jazz Band, this is your place!!)

Jen and Nate wanted to make lots of use of the water, so Nate arrived via a groomsman’s sailboat!

He then took a little zodiac-dinghy thing to the property, where he ran up to get changed into his custom-made suit!

Meanwhile, Jen and the girls were getting ready in the beautiful bride’s room inside the house:

I am SO in love with her Grecian-inspired dress, which she got OFF THE RACK at Bloomingdale’s!  And she didn’t even need to have it altered — it fit her PERFECTLY!  So jealous!

The fun, summery bouquets were provided by one of our favorite florists, Maryam’s Flowers.  I had just worked with Maryam on another wedding a few weeks earlier, which you’ll get to see shortly!

Soon, it was time for the ceremony to start — guests had made their way down the hill and just as the ceremony was about to start, the clouds parted and created the beautiful sunny setting for Jen and Nate’s vows.

Jen had her girls choose whatever dresses they wanted, as long as they were seersucker.  They did SUCH a great job, including her sister, who had hers custom-made.  I LOVE the lace peeking out from underneath!

The flower girl and ring bearer did a great job…

And then it was time for Jen and her dad to walk down the aisle.  The problem?  Remember that gorgeous dress?  Well, the grass was a little wet, and naturally Jen didn’t want the dress to be ruined.  So she did what any sensible bride wearing Havaianas would do…

She hitched up that dress and walked right down the aisle!  And she looked GORGEOUS doing it, with hair and makeup from one of our favorite day spas, Sugar House.

LOVE this shot of Nate nervously waiting for his bride, while her sister excitedly looks down the aisle

After a beautiful ceremony, Nate and Jen were pronounced husband and wife, and they set off down the aisle…until breaking into the most adorable run I’ve ever seen.

After the ceremony, Christine was able to take some time to get some AMAZING shots of the bride and groom:

This last one is probably my favorite…it just shows Jen’s playfulness perfectly…

Afterward, Jen and Nate got to sample some of the appetizers:

The guests made their way inside to the Conference Center, which our awesome team of Wish assistants helped me decorate.  Christine did a fantastic job of getting pictures of the details — we love it when our photographers do this!

Jen ordered these adorable stickers to go on Hershey’s kisses, which we put a bowl of on each table.

When Nate proposed, he wrote a message on a sail and flew it off the boat for Jen to see.  Jen brought that sail to the wedding for all to appreciate (thanks to Jen’s VERY tall brother for helping me hang this up!)

Jen wasn’t sure if their guests were a big dancing crowd, but she wanted to make sure they were entertained (as well as take advantage of the gorgeous grounds at Collingwood). She brought along a croquet set and a couple of bocce sets, which Jamie, one of our super assistants, made adorable signs for!

As you can see, the guests (especially the kids) definitely took advantage of it!

Before she cut the cake, Jen changed into a traditional Vietnamese outfit, which Nate’s family had brought her.  Unfortunately, no one told her how to put the hat on, so it ended up upside down!  Nate straightened her out, though…

Then it was time for the newlyweds to cut the DELICIOUS cake, provided by Balducci’s in Alexandria.

Don’t you LOVE the sailing rope coiled around the cake as a nod to their shared love?  Too cute

After the cake was cut, one of Nate’s groomsmen (and owner of the boat that delivered him to the ceremony!) offered a toast and dedicated the perfect song to Jen and Nate, the Zac Brown Band’s “Toes in the Water.”

Jen and Nate, thanks for letting me be part of your special day.  Congratulations!

I have known this bride for a LONG time.  I began my career years ago at Wolf Trap and one summer, had a WONDERFUL intern named Julia.  Fast forward over 10 years later, and I see on Facebook Julia’s getting married!  I email her to congratulate her, and she says “oh, and by the way, I need a planner…”  Of course I signed right up!

Julia planned every last detail but Chris, a graphic designer, designed all of the paper pieces, including the menus, invitations, and programs!

I absolutely LOVE this photo of the couple, just after they were married, at the church’s entrance.  How gorgeous is that vintage fur stole, compliments of the bride’s grandmother?

After the ceremony, everyone headed to the Fairfax Marriott at Fair Oaks to start the party.  This Marriott has a GORGEOUS cocktail area, made even more beautiful by the lighting from Swank Audio Visuals:

Throughout the planning, Julia kept talking about the “wow” factor in the ballroom.  Well, she definitely got it!  With a combination of the already beautiful ballroom:

Linens from DC Rental:

More lighting from Swank:

…and my favorite part, the centerpieces!  Chris and Julia had three different centerpieces.  Two of them were provided by a Wish favorite, Barbara Von Elm at Growing Wild:

And the third was designed by Julia and put together by my beautiful assistants and me! (and which you’ve seen before, as they’re for sale!)

(The small bride’s cake was based on Chris’ design from the invitations!)

As if that wasn’t enough sugar, Julia’s mom baked mini breads for guests to take home, sealed with the couple’s custom monogram (again, created by the groom) and gave them the recipe for the bread to bake at home!

A few more gorgeous pictures of the day:

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

Okay, so we’ve covered First Dance Songs (and here, way back when), Father/Daughter songs (and part II)…now we’ll look at songs to cut the cake. This is the one thing, when I ask my couples what song they’re using, where they look at each other and go “Um…” Yeah, forgot about that one, didn’t you? Now really, you can use any song here. And if you forget, your DJ or band can pick something good. But if you’re as picky about the music as I am, you’ll want to make sure you have the perfect song for this photo op. Here are some ideas.

Happy, fun songs are a great way to go. It’s a happy moment, everyone is smiling at you, so pick something upbeat and happy!

“When I’m 64″ The Beatles. This is one of my go to recommendations — it’s fun, and it says “Will you still feed me when I’m 64″ while you’re feeding each other

I love this new song by Uncle Kracker called “Smile” — I think it’s perfect for a cake cutting moment (or even your first dance song!)

How about “1,2,3,4″ by the Plain White T’s?

This will make people chuckle — “Grow Old With You” by Adam Sandler from The Wedding Singer. How cute is this song?!

How about “Happy Together,” an oldie by The Turtles?

“That’s Amore” by Dean Martin is a classic:

“The Way I Am” by Ingrid Michaelson (this is another one that would also be great as a first dance song)

In fact, a lot of songs that are more on the upbeat side that work well for first dances would also work well for cake cutting, like Ray LaMontagne’s “You Are The Best Thing”

“You’re My Best Friend” by Queen:

Or “Love and Marriage” by Frank Sinatra

Many people choose songs that relate to the cake. There are songs with “Sugar” in the title:

“Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch” The Four Tops

“Pour Some Sugar on Me” Def Leppard (Okay, the lyrics are slightly…racy…but if you just sort of ignore them, it has sugar in it, and everyone knows it!)

“Sugar, Sugar” The Archies:

“Sugar Magnolia” by the Grateful Dead

Songs about Candy:

“Candyman” by Christina Aguilerra (How cute is this video? LOVE it!)

“Candy Man” by the late, great Roy Orbison

“Candy Shop” by Madonna

Songs with other desserts in them:

“Ice Cream” Sarah McLaughlin

“Marshmallow World” is generally considered a Christmas Song, but it actually doesn’t say anything about Christmas, so it’s great for a winter wedding

Love this song “RC Cola and a Moon Pie” (great for a Southern wedding!)

This song makes me laugh “Ice Cream and Cake” by the Buckwheat Boyz

What if you’re having a cookie table instead of cake?

Songs with “Sweet” in the title:

“How Sweet It Is” (I like the Marvin Gaye version, but the James Taylor cover is amazing as well)

“Sweetest Thing” by U2:

“Sweet Caroline” Originally by Neil Diamond, although I love this version from one of my favorite shows, Glee! Great if the bride’s name is Caroline…or if the groom is a Red Sox fan!

“Sweet Child ‘O Mine” Guns and Roses

Another one for 80’s fans, “Sweet Dreams (are made of this)” by The Eurythmics

A few other good ones…

“Melt With You” by Modern English (good if you guys are big 80’s music fans!)

One of my absolute favorites, “Recipe for Love,” by Harry Connick, Jr. (Man, is he YOUNG in that video!)

“Kiss The Girl” from The Little Mermaid (I confess…this is my favorite movie. Yes, I’m in my 30’s). This one is particularly cute if you have a band that can play a good version.

Continuing on the Disney theme, how about “Be Our Guest” from Beauty and the Beast? (I’ll be recommending this to one of my brides who LOVES this movie!)

You know I love songs for the bride with a good sense of humor, so how about “Fat Bottomed Girls” for cake eating time?! (Who knew Queen would have so many good wedding songs?!)

And, of course, the definitive cake cutting song, aptly titled “Cut the Cake” by Average White Band

Do you have a song picked out for your cake cutting? Tell us what it is!