We’re a little late on this one but there’s still time to take advantage of this great deal at The Dandelion Patch!

This past weekend we helped Lindsay & Josh celebrate their nuptials!  Since Lindsay and Josh live in Atlanta, I worked almost exclusively with Linday’s mom Sue.  Since the church had their own wedding coordinators, Sue asked me to just coordinate the reception at the Omni Shoreham hotel in Washington, DC.    I think we put together a pretty great shindig!

The Diplomat Room at the Omni hosted our cocktail hour.  Alison at Distinctive Floral provided all the gorgeous floral arrangements for the event:

I have to admit that I was really proud of the escort card table!  The escort cards, ceremony programs, table names, and menu cards were all printed by The Dandelion Patch.  It’s very difficult to get all the cards evenly spaced on a round table but I think I did a good job:

Cocktail hour had to be moved inside because it was raining so hard on the outdoor patio.  Luckily the hotel plans for such things and it turned out great anyway.  The real gem is the Palladian Ballroom, though!  Check out our amazing reception:

Atmosphere Lighting did all the uplighting around the perimeter of the room and also pinspotted the centerpieces.  Lindsay & Josh named all their tables after DC-area landmarks and monuments.  This table was called “The Pentagon.”  I thought the table settings looked very elegant with Distinctive Floral’s silver footed pedestals:

Linda at Cakes by Linda created this gorgeous show-stopper of a cake!  The lace pattern mimicked Lindsay’s wedding gown and you could smell the sweet buttercream icing just by standing nearby:

The lace is just too pretty to not show up close:

Lindsay & Josh chose Marquise, a band booked through Andy Kushner Entertainment.  I always like working with Andy’s company because the bands they represent are phenomenal and their staff is very responsive. Marquise was wonderfully professional, energetic, and sounded great!  They kept guests on the dance floor the whole night.  You can see the band set up there to the left in this photo:

Later in the evening, the Omni staff brought the wedding cake to the dance floor for the cake cutting ceremony.  I thought this was a great photo because it shows you lindsay’s gorgeous gown.  It was satin with lace detail and had a beautifully elegant satin bow around the waist.  I wish I had a photo from the front but you’ll have to wait until I get the professional images from Freed Photography (Chris Newkumet was great!):

Sue, I had a wonderful time working with you on the wedding and am thrilled to have been a part of your family’s special event.  Lindsay & Josh, I hope you enjoyed every minute of the day and are having a fabulous time in Italy this week!

Thinking about ordering your wedding invitations?  Now’s the time to act!  The Dandelion Patch is offering 10% off wedding ensembles.  This is a very rare sale!

**The fine print: Valid on wedding ensembles only.  Discount not applicable on shipping/handling and proof fees.  Cannot be combined with any other promotions or discounts.  No cash value.

Visit their two locations in Vienna (111 Church Street) and Reston (11923 Market Street).  To get the most attentive service, set an appointment!  Call or Vienna at 703-391-9099 or send them an email.  For Reston, call 703-689-2240 or send them an email.

Just engaged and wondering how to budget for the wedding?  Already booked some vendors and just now realizing that you should have a financial plan of attack?

Join me as I talk about event budgets and how to stretch your wedding dollar!  From decor to flowers to catering and every detail in between, there are always opportunities to cut corners and save in unexpected places.  Here’s the info on this casual event:

When: Tuesday, April 21st, 7-8pm
Where: The Dandelion Patch, 111 Church Street, Vienna, VA
Why: Because everyone likes to save money!
RSVP: Email The Dandelion Patch

See you there!

Ms. Post will talk with brides, members of the bridal party, and family members about how to handle difficult moments during wedding planning.  From invitation wording to thank-you note tips, Anna offers insights that will keep brides sane and their mothers nodding in approval.  And, whether it’s the future mother-in-law who insists on hosting a rehearsal dinner that’s more formal than the wedding reception, a maid of honor who won’t return the bride’s calls, or perhaps a bride with a wee bit of a control problem, Anna offers helpful advice about how to handle emotional interactions with those around you leading up to the big day.

Bazin’s on Church
111 Church Street NW
Vienna, VA

Sunday, March 22, 2009
3:00-5:00pm

For more information or to make your reservation, email Lindsay at the Dandelion Patch or visit one of their stores in person.  The $60 ticket includes an autographed book from Ms. Post!

Last weekend we had the honor of coordinating Lauren & Jake’s big day.  Their wedding ceremony and reception were both held at the Fairmont hotel in the west end of Georgetown.  What a beautiful hotel!  They chose the lower ballroom to accommodate all of their guests.  Using one half of the ballroom for the ceremony, we ‘flipped’ the room during cocktail hour and used the whole space for the reception.

Special thanks to Bob, Chack, and Lonnie at the Fairmont.  Their amazing staff took care of nearly every detail and really provided 5-star service.  I highly recommend this hotel to any bride looking for an elegant, easy, and top-notch wedding venue.

Lauren’s dress hanging in a window of the bridal suite, ready to go:

Petal’s Edge Floral Design did a fantastic job on all the floral decor.  Everything was fresh, fragrant, and most importantly delivered on time!  Here’s the bouquets:

Our couple decided to see each other beforehand.  Like many Jewish couples, they planned to meet before the ceremony to sign the Ketubah (marriage contract) anyway.  That meant we had plenty of time for formal photographs before the ceremony.  Here’s our bride and groom in the Fairmont’s beautiful garden:

A photo of the Ketubah after the signing ceremony:

A closeup:

The wedding programs from The Dandelion Patch:

The ceremony was just stunning.  Chairs were provided by Party Rental, Ltd.  Lighting was in-house at the Fairmont by SWANK.  Check out the beautiful chuppah by Petal’s Edge:

The escort card table, ready to go for cocktail hour:

The escort cards up close.  All the paper goods were provided by our family at The Dandelion Patch:

Lauren & Jake chose to have an Asian food station during cocktail hour.  They served all types of Asian-style hors d’oeuvres.  YUM!  I love how the Fairmont decorated the table with props:

The HUGE ovular bar in the center of the cocktail space.  This was taken before the event began.  I swear they moved those racks before guests showed up:

Here’s the ‘ballroom-in-waiting.’  This is how all the tables were lined up while the ceremony was taking place:

The wedding cake provided by the Fairmont:

At this point my camera’s battery promptly died.  Here’s what I captured from my Blackberry of the reception:

Escapade provided awesome entertainment all night long.  This wedding band was the BEST band I’ve seen in four years of planning weddings:

The candy bar was a SMASH hit!  I love how the centerpiece has Hershey’s Kisses below the flowers:

I hope to have photos from photographer Robert Isacson soon.  Hopefully I’ll be able to share those with you when I have them.
Congratulations again, Lauren & Jake!