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!

Earlier this week I attended an industry party co-hosted by Martin Andrews at Blue Sky Films and Chris Laich, owner of a top-notch DJ/music company.  These two guys threw a fun party last year but set the bar quite a few notches higher this time around.  Check out the beautiful National Museum of Women in the Arts:

Room Service event furniture rentals provided all the fun lounge seating:

Avalon Caterers poured blue martinis and dished up some yummy munchies:

Me with wedding planner Sara Bauleke and photographer Kurstin Roe:

I especially love how the NMWA looked once the sun went down and Frost Lighting’s handiwork started to show:

The images are stolen from Rodney Bailey Photography’s slideshow of the event.  Click here to see all 174 images!  Rodney and his team of photographers never miss a beat.

A special kudos goes to Marc Park valet services.  When I pulled up to the museum there was a line of at least 7 or 8 guys standing at attention.  They were quick to get my car and brought it back in just a few minutes.  The Marc Park staff really knows their stuff.

For a great wedding DJ in the DC area, check out Chris Laich.  He and his crew are always utmost professionals and I enjoy working with them.  For phenomenal wedding video, Blue Sky Films is the one to book.  (Remember Blue Sky is the one that can do Super 8 film?)  Tell them I sent you!

Thinking about a funky lounge area for your wedding reception?  Room Service Event Rentals is the company to make it happen!  They have an extensive collection of furniture specifically for events and are one of the most affordable companies in the area.  Here’s some photos from my recent trip to their showroom in Landover, MD:

Inside they have a few areas set up with furniture combinations.  I love the black & white polka dot photos in the second photo:

Here are some examples of the work they do at events:

Check out their full catalog online.  If you’re interested in getting a quote, be sure to ask for Heidi in the DC office!

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: