Weddings for all Seasons

Summer Garden Soirees

Other than weddings, I love planning smaller soirees for friends and family. Whether it’s a bridal shower, baby shower or birthday party, I find joy in the little details of an event! Below are some pictures from a garden party that I find so feminine and inspiring… hope you become inspired too!

Country Living

Summer Inspiration

Summer is finally here! Below are some wonderful pictures that will hopefully inspire you when planning your summer soirée!

Hostess with the mostess

Pat a Cake of Wimborne

Zephyr Tents

Ashley & Justin - A Spring Wedding

Ashley & Justin were married this past spring at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in D.C. Following the beautiful ceremony, the guests were invited to attend an equally beautiful reception at Congressional Country Club in Potomac, MD. It was such a pleasure working with Ashley on her wedding! As you can see from the pictures, she was a stunning bride! Ashley was on top of all the details from the first time we met and was so appreciative to all those who made her wedding day wonderful. Isacson Studios did a wonderful job of capturing how elegant and “spring-like” the ballroom of Congressional looked that day, mainly thanks to floral designer, Philippa Tarrant. Ashley and Justin had a fantastic time at their wedding – they danced the night away and couldn’t stop smiling! What a lovely couple and I wish them all the best!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures! X's & O's to the following team:

Church~ St. Matthew's Cathedral

Venue~ Congressional Country Club

Florist~ Philippa Tarrant Floral Design

Band~ Free Spirit Photographer~ Isacson Studios

Photographer ~ Isacson Studios

Transportation~ Atlantic Services

Hair ~ Irwin Gomez Salon

Makeup ~ George Salon

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Summer wedding season is finally here!!! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend! xoxo Kelly

Amy Atlas Candy Bar

Windows Catering Bridal Open House

Several weeks back, I had the pleasure of attending a Spring Wedding Open House at Windows Catering Company.Windows Catering Company never ceases to impress me.The food always tastes great, their creativity is endless and the staff is wonderful to work with, always bending over backwards for clients.Windows was nice enough to send me some pics from their event.As usual, Amaryllis did a wonderful job designing the floral arrangements, Ampa Events did a terrific job with the lighting and draping and Tony Brown Imijination Photography captured the event beautifully. Enjoy!

Happy Spring!

Finally the weather is warmer, the cherry blossoms are blooming and I’m busy, busy, busy with Spring Weddings. Below are some fabulous pictures that have given me inspiration when working with clients on their spring-time wedding. Spring resembles re-birth, growth and life which is why I love vibrant colors during this time of year. It puts a smile on my face seeing greens, yellows, oranges, blues and pinks all mixed together. Hope you love these pictures as much as I do!

Martha Stewart, Get Married, Style Me Pretty, Martha Stewart, My Dream Cake

Happy Valentine's Day!

**<3 Hope you all had a wonderful day <3 **

Bridal Tasting... Attention brides to be!

Please note that the bridal tasting at RSVP Catering has been moved from tonight to next Tuesday, February 9th at 6pm.

Please visit RSVP Catering to learn more and sign up. Hope to see you all next Tuesday!

Top 3 Picks for a Honeymoon Destination

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, I thought it would be neat to do some research on romantic honeymoon spots. After talking to many brides, some whose weddings I helped plan and others whose weddings I attended, I came up with a list of 3 destinations. World traveler and globetrotting expert, Elise Luthi weighed in on the 3 destinations. Luthi recently returned from pursuing a masters in Cultural Tourism at Leeds University in England. Read what she has to say about each destination!

Paris

When honeymooning in Paris, you get the best of both worlds! While there is a romantic atmosphere, Paris also provides a unique urban experience packed with old world history. The City of Light offers plenty to the honeymooner, including seeing priceless works of art in the Louvre, high fashion on the Champs Elysees, and not too far away from the city is the scenic Versailles. With charming cafes, 5-star restaurants, and romantic hotels Paris is surely a romantic place to spend your honeymoon all the while allowing you and your “mari” (or “femme”) to take in some of the most popular attractions in all of Europe. Take a look at http://en.parisinfo.com/ for more details on this exciting and historical city.

Bettmeralp, Switzerland

If what you are envisioning for your honeymoon is a city break of sorts, then skiing in the Alps of Switzerland may be the answer. After doing some research I stumbled across Bettmeralp, a village in the Alps that is car free and all in all a picturesque village nestled in the Alps. It is also part of the UNESCO World Heritage Swiss Alps Jungfrau-Aletsch Site. Please visit www.bettmeralp.ch for more information and to see pictures of this breathtaking and secluded ski village!

The Seychelles

The Republic of the Seychelles, which is located in the western part of the Indian Ocean, is a collection of beautiful islands that can provide a romantic getaway in a beautiful and sunny location. With resorts and other luxurious accommodations, this collection of islands not only provides visitors with a relaxing atmosphere but also offers plenty to do and see. Visit http://www.seychelles.travel/en/home/index.php for more information about this relaxing and romantic honeymoon spot.

Washingtonian Bride and Groom Presents:

Click here to register!

The perfect Valentine's Wedding dessert!

Valentine’s Day is less than 1 month away and this year the special day falls on a weekend. In “wedding world”, this translates to many, many Valentine’s Day themed weddings! While scouring the internet for a fun V-Day dessert, I came across these adorable and delicious Chocolate Strawberry Heart-Shaped Ice-Cream Sandwiches. While many of you are probably questioning my choice in serving ice cream during winter just hear me out! By the time dessert is served at your wedding, your guests have most likely been dancing and mingling for the majority of the night. They’ll be in the mood for something sweet and refreshing. I can’t think of a more perfect dessert than a heart shaped ice-cream sandwich. After-all, who doesn’t love chocolate cookies with ice cream in the middle?

Click here for the recipe from Martha Stewart!

Happy New Year!!!

Personalized wedding postage from zazzle.com

Candle Centerpiece Workshop

Since my last posting on winter centerpieces, I heard about a great workshop that anyone can attend this upcoming Saturday. Behnke's Nursery is offering a candle centerpiece workshop for people to learn from the pros on how to create a holiday centerpiece that you can then bring home to share with your family. There is only a small charge to attend. Check out the website if you're interested: http://behnkes.com/website/

Centerpieces with a Winter Twist

Creating festive table decorations for a wedding is something that can be great fun and imaginative. Gorgeous centerpieces don’t always have to break the bank, especially when you can incorporate a theme into your centerpiece. Let’s run the winter wonderland theme… think vases filled with berries, tree ornaments in glass jars, branches with hanging votives, and my favorite… lanterns! You can find most of these items at very affordable costs and create a wonderful winter table top yourself. I found some great pictures of winter themed centerpieces that are easy to make and very unique!

From top left to bottom right: a holiday wreath with a nautical theme (great if you plan a destination wedding somewhere warm during the winter months), 3 miniature gold candles dressed up with some green and red floral pieces; white and light green candles of different heights set on an antique plate filled with nuts and red mini ornament; a glass container filled with water, a floating candle, holly and red berries that is garnished with greenery around the base. Courtesy of DigsDigs.

An apothecary glass jar, filled with Christmas tree shaped meringues. Three colorful tree ornaments rest at the bottom of the jar to complete the pastel winter theme. Courtesy of Country Living.

A traditional table setting with red candles, votives and lanterns used as the décor. Greenery is placed around the candles to add additional color and the low lighting creates a warm and soothing atmosphere for guests. Courtesy of cooksquarters.

Winter Weddings

I thought that it would be very appropriate for my first blog entry to be about WINTER WEDDINGS given that the first day of winter is soon approaching us!

Winter is one of my favorite times of year in Washington, D.C. I love everything from Christmas trees to holiday parties, from snow and icicles to Starbucks Gingerbread Lattes! Another reason I love winter so much is because Winter Weddings can be some of the prettiest and most unique weddings that a planner can help a bride & groom create! There are so many ways to transform your average winter wedding into a winter wonderland that will take your guests breath away… take a look at the pictures below for some inspiration!

Winter Wedding Favors

As a planner, my job the day of a wedding is to make sure that all the I’s are dotted and the T’s are crossed. From the time guests arrive for the ceremony to the time they leave the reception, it’s important to think of every little detail that will leave your friends and family WOWED at the end of your special day! Wedding favors are a great way to end a great event! There are some super cute wedding favors with a winter theme that will surely leave your guests celebrating at the end of the night. Some of my favorites include hot chocolate and marshmallows to go or miniature Christmas stockings filled with cookie mixture and other goodies. Check out some of the pictures below for ideas! Remember ~ the possibilities are endless!

Thanks to beau-coup.com and twigandthistle.com

Winter Dessert Buffets

In the culinary world, using food as décor is nothing new. One of the hottest trends as of late at wedding receptions is the dessert buffet. Not only do the desserts taste delicious, they also add an element of drama to the overall wedding theme making them take on a life of their own. I personally love the minimalist look of choosing one color in a palette and sticking to it. If I had my choice of a winter desert buffet I would have mini cupcakes with white frosting, sugar snowflakes & pearls on top, truffles that take the form of snowballs, white chocolate covered pretzels, marshmallows with a milk chocolate dipping sauce and white petit fours ~ combine all of that with some beautiful white flowers and candles, and voila… your dessert buffet will be the icing on the cake for all your guests!

Check out some of the ultra chic winter dessert buffets below that I came across…

The Inspired Bride & Bake it Pretty

Brown Turtleneck Sweater

The Party Dress

Martha Stewart Images