Wedding #2 - Jane & Kevin at the Clarendon Ballroom in Arlington (I'm partial to this venue since I had my own reception there.)
I LOVE the Clarendon Ballroom and don't think I've ever turned down an opportunity to eat their food :) and to work with Sandra, the catering manager and her new assistant, Amanda. Not to mention that it is just a few miles from my house - how could I say no?
Jane and Kevin met doing theatre work. Jane, lawyer by day, musical lover by night; and Kevin, pool owner by day, actor by night. Double trouble! They are another couple that have been together for something like 13 years!! Crazy!
To continue on my quest to do things extra, extra early, I made my husband get up early before Jennifer and Daniel's wedding to pick up and drop of Jane's stuff at the ballroom. A whole day before!
On the wedding day, I visited Jane at the hotel, who was cool as a cucumber. I got to the ballroom extra early and was completely done with setup by the time families arrived for photos. We had a beautiful, although long, Jewish ceremony, complete with a song from the best man and 7 readings. When we were done flipping the room, it was transformed into a fabulous dining room.
There were so many great moments at this wedding: Kevin & Jane's cheeky first dance (choreographed to include all sorts of theatrical moments) to The Best is Yet to Come; the best man serenading the couple to a Beatles tune; to all their theatre friends standing together for a rousing rendition of an Irish song in a capella and harmony.
Flowers were provided Flowers Unique by Marchand in Alexandria, the band Starfire kept the dance floor completely packed all night, photography by Tony Brown of Imijination Photography (can't wait to see the photos - I previewed some great shots), the beautiful cake and chocolate lollipop favors (with theatre masks imprinted) by their friend Keith Ryder.
8.31.2006
8.30.2006
Double Happiness! Part 1 of 2
Congratulations to Jennifer & Daniel and to Jane & Kevin !
My first time doing back to back weddings! Crazy, right? Outside of not having feelings in my feet (minor issue), they both went extremely well and made me so happy to have this job.
It was ironic that these were the weddings that were back to back. Both Jenn and Daniel and Jane and Kevin were both really into each other. You could tell they just were so in love ... I know - a bit mushy, sorry.
First, Jennifer and Daniel. These two are just so cute :) and I will never forget their wedding because it was on my birthday. My favorite memory thus far this season has to be Daniel at the tasting. I have NEVER witnessed someone eat (that's right, eat) with such passion! Just the funniest thing.
One of my process improvements is to get an even earlier start than normal so that I have plenty of time to get things perfect and not leave any room to chance. My first stop of the day was at Woodend Sanctuary in Chevy Chase, where the reception was held. Luckily, I did a wedding there last year so I'm pretty familiar with the location. The cocktail hour would be held in the grove area of Woodend and we were putting mason jars with tealights along the path to the grove. I got there hours before the ceremony, setup all the mason jars (unlit), and dropped off the box of reception stuff. I got to the church extra, extra early to tidy up a bit. Because I had all this extra time, I got to spend some quality time with and helping our florist, Barbara von Elm of Growing Wild. I LOVE Barbara. I LOVE her floral arrangements - they were just so colorful, vibrant - the perfect summer feel. Jennifer was the picture of calm and Daniel was the nervous one! DC traffic delayed several people, including the minister, as there was an accident on I-95 and I-495 interchange. Figures.
Because of the accident, we started about 15 minutes late to wait for guests. If there were ever a reason to hire competent professionals, this would be a good reason. Because of this, it delayed me getting over to Woodend from the church. Lauren from Festive Foods saved the day! She went ahead and laid out all the placecards, toasting flutes, etc. so that all I had to do was check everything and light all the mason jar candles. THANK YOU Lauren! Even Barbara stayed around to help out. I would recommend Festive Foods again in a heartbeat. Lauren and Marat, the banquet captain, were awesome. Because they were doing another event at Woodend the following day, Lauren got the chivari chairs for Sunday to arrive an extra day early so that Jenn and Daniel could use them too! Talk about going above and beyond the call of duty.
Another favorite moment - after the guests got seated for dinner, Jenn and Daniel sneaked out to the grove area by themselves for a quiet moment. It was just the two of them - a nice sweet moment.
The night included the Korean wedding tradition of p'ye-baek and a slideshow of Jenn and Daniel's childhood, dating and engagement photos provided by Leo Zhang, our videographer. Another fun element was provided by Jennifer Domenick, our photographer, who set up a snapshots studio in one of the rooms where guests can take photos of themselves. There were some pretty funny shots :) and I can't wait to see her pictures. To finish out the vendor team, we had a beautiful cake by Fiona's Cakes and great live music from the band Essence.
What a fun wedding! I am so glad that I was invited to be a part of it. Happily ever after to the Captain and the Mrs. :)
My first time doing back to back weddings! Crazy, right? Outside of not having feelings in my feet (minor issue), they both went extremely well and made me so happy to have this job.
It was ironic that these were the weddings that were back to back. Both Jenn and Daniel and Jane and Kevin were both really into each other. You could tell they just were so in love ... I know - a bit mushy, sorry.
First, Jennifer and Daniel. These two are just so cute :) and I will never forget their wedding because it was on my birthday. My favorite memory thus far this season has to be Daniel at the tasting. I have NEVER witnessed someone eat (that's right, eat) with such passion! Just the funniest thing.
One of my process improvements is to get an even earlier start than normal so that I have plenty of time to get things perfect and not leave any room to chance. My first stop of the day was at Woodend Sanctuary in Chevy Chase, where the reception was held. Luckily, I did a wedding there last year so I'm pretty familiar with the location. The cocktail hour would be held in the grove area of Woodend and we were putting mason jars with tealights along the path to the grove. I got there hours before the ceremony, setup all the mason jars (unlit), and dropped off the box of reception stuff. I got to the church extra, extra early to tidy up a bit. Because I had all this extra time, I got to spend some quality time with and helping our florist, Barbara von Elm of Growing Wild. I LOVE Barbara. I LOVE her floral arrangements - they were just so colorful, vibrant - the perfect summer feel. Jennifer was the picture of calm and Daniel was the nervous one! DC traffic delayed several people, including the minister, as there was an accident on I-95 and I-495 interchange. Figures.
Because of the accident, we started about 15 minutes late to wait for guests. If there were ever a reason to hire competent professionals, this would be a good reason. Because of this, it delayed me getting over to Woodend from the church. Lauren from Festive Foods saved the day! She went ahead and laid out all the placecards, toasting flutes, etc. so that all I had to do was check everything and light all the mason jar candles. THANK YOU Lauren! Even Barbara stayed around to help out. I would recommend Festive Foods again in a heartbeat. Lauren and Marat, the banquet captain, were awesome. Because they were doing another event at Woodend the following day, Lauren got the chivari chairs for Sunday to arrive an extra day early so that Jenn and Daniel could use them too! Talk about going above and beyond the call of duty.
Another favorite moment - after the guests got seated for dinner, Jenn and Daniel sneaked out to the grove area by themselves for a quiet moment. It was just the two of them - a nice sweet moment.
The night included the Korean wedding tradition of p'ye-baek and a slideshow of Jenn and Daniel's childhood, dating and engagement photos provided by Leo Zhang, our videographer. Another fun element was provided by Jennifer Domenick, our photographer, who set up a snapshots studio in one of the rooms where guests can take photos of themselves. There were some pretty funny shots :) and I can't wait to see her pictures. To finish out the vendor team, we had a beautiful cake by Fiona's Cakes and great live music from the band Essence.
What a fun wedding! I am so glad that I was invited to be a part of it. Happily ever after to the Captain and the Mrs. :)
8.29.2006
Congratulations Anna & JL
Anna & JL have been dating for 10 years! Can you believe it?! What's up with so many of my clients having dated for sooooooo long?! I thought my husband and I dating for 6 years was long.
So 9 out of 10 times when there is a church coordinator, I get worried because most of them don't like wedding coordinators for some reason. There seems to be a stigma that wedding coordinators waltz into a church and 'take over.' I LOVED Jane Connelly from St. Jane Frances de Chantal of Bethesda. She was awesome, especially for a huge bridal party. She was in charge, and I helped get all the flowers out to the right people and assisted her wherever necessary. The arrangement worked out just great!
I had the pleasure of working with some great vendors. Linda Merritt from Heaven on Earth made some gorgeous bouquets with the sparkliest butterfly pin in Anna's bouquet; soon-to-be-bride Erica Erickson and her assistant Ben from Innova Photography had some beautiful shots (check out her blog - Anna looks like a model!); Eric Nicholas shot the video and was great at moral support :); and great jazz sounds was provided by The George Turner Trio and Lori Derr (good luck to George in grad school and I've got to find out when Lori is singing next.)
I have to be honest - the reception was not my finest moment. I probably had the worst day ever and am extremely disappointed in myself for not bringing my A-game. Thank goodness the rest of the vendor team was such great professionals. You live and learn. I learned a lot about myself at this wedding and have come up with new ways to make sure that you get what you paid for and deliver as promised.
So 9 out of 10 times when there is a church coordinator, I get worried because most of them don't like wedding coordinators for some reason. There seems to be a stigma that wedding coordinators waltz into a church and 'take over.' I LOVED Jane Connelly from St. Jane Frances de Chantal of Bethesda. She was awesome, especially for a huge bridal party. She was in charge, and I helped get all the flowers out to the right people and assisted her wherever necessary. The arrangement worked out just great!
I had the pleasure of working with some great vendors. Linda Merritt from Heaven on Earth made some gorgeous bouquets with the sparkliest butterfly pin in Anna's bouquet; soon-to-be-bride Erica Erickson and her assistant Ben from Innova Photography had some beautiful shots (check out her blog - Anna looks like a model!); Eric Nicholas shot the video and was great at moral support :); and great jazz sounds was provided by The George Turner Trio and Lori Derr (good luck to George in grad school and I've got to find out when Lori is singing next.)
I have to be honest - the reception was not my finest moment. I probably had the worst day ever and am extremely disappointed in myself for not bringing my A-game. Thank goodness the rest of the vendor team was such great professionals. You live and learn. I learned a lot about myself at this wedding and have come up with new ways to make sure that you get what you paid for and deliver as promised.
8.17.2006
Congratulations Kristin & Tuong!!
This event made me smile and made me so proud to be included in such a unique life event.
Kristin and Tuong had met in high school. Can you believe it? I had worked mostly with Kristin and her Mom during the planning process and discovered how talented and crafty they were. I also learned that they both had a large family but I had no idea how large until the day of the wedding.
On Sunday, I was so happy to hear Kristin & Tuong had a wonderful Chinese celebration at Tuong's sister's house the day before. I had seen Kristin trying on her Chinese gown earlier in the week during our final meeting. I would love to see the photos from that.
As usual, I checked on Kristin at Le Salon in Tysons I early on the day of the wedding and couldn't get over how much her sister Caitlin looked like her. It wasn't until Caitlin put her on bridesmaid's dress that it was easier to tell them apart. Le Salon did a great job with the girls' hair, especially after the nightmare Kristin had at another salon that shall remain nameless in Tysons I which caused a last minute change of salon.
My assistant Brittany (whom I met at GW) and I headed over to the Harris Teeter to pick up the bouquets and boutonnieres. I was AMAZED at how nice they came out and for a totally reasonable price!! Onward to Meadowlark Botanical Gardens.
What a glorious day to get married. The flowers were in full bloom at Meadowlark, which provided such great backdrop for the whole event.
So those who knows me know that I'm good with kids but they scare me. So the processional started with 15 kids all under the age of 5 walking with bells and petals. What a scene! Thank God for Kristin's older sisters (the Moms) helping out or I would have probably ran the other way :) It was a bit hot during ceremony as the sun had not set yet. When the sun set, all the trees inside the Atrium and on the terrace lit up. It was just magical! We also put some candles along the ledge of the glass wall and the effect was awesome!
Drum roll for wedding moment ....
Kristin and Tuong danced the whole night and you can see in their faces how happy they were and how much fun they were having. DJ Bob Artman was a master at keeping the dance floor packed. Better Events provided a wonderful buffet dinner and their staff was great to work with, especially Vivian and Roberto. And my new favorite, Hans Ericsson, the photographer was the epitome of what a real photojournalist should do. He was laid back but was always in the right spot, getting into the middle of the action. I sometimes would lose him in the crowd of dancing guests! He also brought along his laptop and downloaded some of the images into a slideshow that allowed the guests to preview the shots of the day. What a great idea! And I know the photos are awesome so I can't wait to see the whole set.
This wedding was all about family and I was so privileged to be there to witness it.
Kristin and Tuong had met in high school. Can you believe it? I had worked mostly with Kristin and her Mom during the planning process and discovered how talented and crafty they were. I also learned that they both had a large family but I had no idea how large until the day of the wedding.
On Sunday, I was so happy to hear Kristin & Tuong had a wonderful Chinese celebration at Tuong's sister's house the day before. I had seen Kristin trying on her Chinese gown earlier in the week during our final meeting. I would love to see the photos from that.
As usual, I checked on Kristin at Le Salon in Tysons I early on the day of the wedding and couldn't get over how much her sister Caitlin looked like her. It wasn't until Caitlin put her on bridesmaid's dress that it was easier to tell them apart. Le Salon did a great job with the girls' hair, especially after the nightmare Kristin had at another salon that shall remain nameless in Tysons I which caused a last minute change of salon.
My assistant Brittany (whom I met at GW) and I headed over to the Harris Teeter to pick up the bouquets and boutonnieres. I was AMAZED at how nice they came out and for a totally reasonable price!! Onward to Meadowlark Botanical Gardens.
What a glorious day to get married. The flowers were in full bloom at Meadowlark, which provided such great backdrop for the whole event.
So those who knows me know that I'm good with kids but they scare me. So the processional started with 15 kids all under the age of 5 walking with bells and petals. What a scene! Thank God for Kristin's older sisters (the Moms) helping out or I would have probably ran the other way :) It was a bit hot during ceremony as the sun had not set yet. When the sun set, all the trees inside the Atrium and on the terrace lit up. It was just magical! We also put some candles along the ledge of the glass wall and the effect was awesome!
Drum roll for wedding moment ....
Kristin is just finishing getting dress in the bridal room, which would later become the kids room during the reception. The room was already chaotic with kids, toys, people visiting Kristin, etc. Amidst all this, Kristin's Mom comes into the room. Kristin asked if she had seen what she and Tuong had written in the back of the program to thank their families and friends for all their assistance. Her Mom holds Kristin's face in her hands and gave her a kiss. It was just the sweetest and most touching little moment ...
Kristin and Tuong danced the whole night and you can see in their faces how happy they were and how much fun they were having. DJ Bob Artman was a master at keeping the dance floor packed. Better Events provided a wonderful buffet dinner and their staff was great to work with, especially Vivian and Roberto. And my new favorite, Hans Ericsson, the photographer was the epitome of what a real photojournalist should do. He was laid back but was always in the right spot, getting into the middle of the action. I sometimes would lose him in the crowd of dancing guests! He also brought along his laptop and downloaded some of the images into a slideshow that allowed the guests to preview the shots of the day. What a great idea! And I know the photos are awesome so I can't wait to see the whole set.
This wedding was all about family and I was so privileged to be there to witness it.
8.01.2006
You like us! You really, really like us!
We have been nominated for the 2006 WUSA9.com A-List for Best Wedding Planner category!
What an honor! Please vote for us! Vote many times (use different email addresses though) by 9/8/06.
What an honor! Please vote for us! Vote many times (use different email addresses though) by 9/8/06.
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