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!

We’ve been planning weddings for five years and have helped over 250 couples tie the knot!  Luckily for you, that means we know the ‘ins and outs’ of nearly every wedding venue in Washington, DC, Northern Virginia, and Maryland (beltway & eastern shore).

For an inside look at some weddings at our favorite venues, take a peek at the links below:

Historic/Garden:
The Carnegie Institute – and here – (Washington, DC)
The Atrium at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens (Vienna, 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)
Old Ebbitt Grill (Washington, DC)

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 Carnegie Institute (Washington, DC)
Newton White Mansion – and here – and here – and here – (Mitchellville, MD)
Mount Airy Mansion (Upper Marlboro, MD)
Oxon Hill Manor (Oxon Hill, 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 – and here – and here -  (Alexandria, VA)
River Farm (Alexandria, VA)
Hollin Hall (Alexandria, VA)
Old Town Hall (Fairfax, VA)
The Atrium at Meadowlark Botanical Gardens – and here – and here – and here – (Vienna, VA)
Oatlands Historic House & Gardens (Leesburg, VA)
The Thomas Birkby House – and here – (Leesburg, VA)
Raspberry Plain – and here – (Leesburg, VA)
Rose Hill Manor (Leesburg, VA)
Long Branch Historic House (Millwood, VA)
Whitehall Manor – and here – (Bluemont, VA)

Hotels/Clubs/Ballrooms:
The Fairmont Hotel – and the Colonnade here – (Washington, DC)
The Mandarin Oriental (Washington, DC)
The Omni Shoreham – and here – (Washington, DC)
The St. Regis Hotel (Washington, DC)
The Ronald Reagan Building – and here – (Washington, DC)
The Westin Grand – and here – (Washington, DC)
Hotel Monaco – and here – (Washington, DC)
The Washington Club (Washington, DC)
The National Press Club (Washington, DC)
Fort Myer Officer’s Club (Arlington, VA)
The Army Navy Country 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)
Fairfax Marriott (Fairfax, 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 – (Manassas, VA)

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

Non-traditional:
Glen Echo Park – (Glen Echo, MD)
The Barns at Wolf Trap (Vienna, VA)
The Torpedo Factory (Old Town Alexandria, VA)

Have you already picked your venue?  Where will you be tying the knot?  Which venues did we miss?

Alfred Angelo is opening a store in Springfield, VA!  See below for information on their Grand Opening celebration this weekend and coupons for dresses:

I believe this store is going into the old Circuit City space across from Springfield Mall near Barnes & Noble, Bed Bath & Beyond, and DSW.  Can anyone confirm?

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!

Alison & Jeremy chose Rose Hill Manor in scenic Leesburg, VA for their wedding — I wanted to share some photos of their big day!  Special thanks goes to Julia MacInnis, wedding photographer extraordinaire. First, Rose Hill:

While R&R Catering & Wish were setting up downstairs, the girls were getting ready upstairs.  Check out the vibrant bouquets that Linda from Heaven on Earth Wedding Flowers brought:

Doesn’t Alison look like a princess?  Her big dreamy dress fit the wedding perfectly:

::le sigh::  Julia really creates some stunning photos:

This is the “OK, let’s get married!” look:

Rose Hill has a magnificent brick terrace that’s perfect for an outdoor ceremony.  This is also a great site for a tent if you have a really large wedding:

Aren’t these two adorable?

Big bridal parties are always a logistical challenge but they sure are a lot of fun:

Rose Hill keeps their grounds pretty manicured.  See what I mean about how pretty Leesburg is for a wedding?

Back inside, R&R Catering’s chivari chairs, gold chargers, and white pintuck linens await the reception:

If you’re going to have a favor, it might as well be chocolate.  Edible favors are definitely the way to go, especially cute personalized ones like these:

Here’s another view of Rose Hill Manor, looking down from their second-floor balcony:

Look who caught the bouquet!

Congratulations, Alison & Jeremy!  For some more photos of this wedding, be sure to visit Julia MacInnis’ blog!

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:

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!

Early last month, I had the opportunity to attend the open house event celebrating the new studio space of one of my favorite photographers, Joylyn Hannahs!!

Joylyn has a great new space right in Leesburg, located at 214 South King Street.  The event was a great opportunity to not only make some new friends and see the space (which is super cute), but Joylyn had a makeup artist on hand to make all the ladies feel super glamorous for their head shots.  Check out the shot she took of me:

There were also some very yummy treats on hand as well!  The space was complete with some cool features showcasing Joylyn’s work and a great spot to meet with potential couples:

I even managed to snag a photo of Joylyn on the other side of the camera:

Check out Joylyn’s website and blog for more amazing samples of her work.  Congratulations Joylyn on the new studio!

*~~*~~*Felicia*~~*~~*

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!!

Sarah and Adam were married at one of our favorite venues, Meadowlark Gardens in Vienna.   Sadly, their wedding ended my streak of good weather karma, but they were still able to have a beautiful, candlelit ceremony followed by a rockin reception!

Hope Reynolds took some great shots outside before the rain came!

Sarah has SUCH a great smile, and I absolutely love her dress from David’s Bridal. I love how the straps are all twisty (I know…I’m really good with the fashion terms, huh?)

The flowers were provided by the sweetest ladies from Village Flowers in Warrenton.  In fact, Sarah’s dad works there part time, helping to deliver flowers.  He was a little busy this day, though!

The fans were supposed to be for the hot ceremony outside.  Instead, I handed them out for guests to fan themselves during the reception!  Next to the fans are recipe cards, which were placed at each place setting as a gift from the bride and groom.

Sarah and Adam had not one, but two amazing cakes!  The delicious bride’s cake was provided by Cakes by Marida, who also did the cake for Rama and Neel’s wedding last year.

The Groom’s cake was made by the bride’s brother in law!  I wish I had a brother in law that was this talented!

Hmm, let’s see…Orange and Burgundy ribbons on the fans? VT cake?  Do you think Sarah and Adam might be Hokies? Sarah even incorporated her Hokie pride into her outfit for the day.

LOVE the orange shoes!!!

A few more details of the day…

Congratulations, Sarah and Adam!  I hope we can meet at the VI soon for some chili dogs!