Matt + Lindsay :: Wedding Preview

I had the pleasure of planning Matt and Lindsay's wedding in Fredericksburg, VA over the Labor Day holiday weekend. It was a perfect day filled with sunshine and they were two of the easiest people to work with. The wedding took place at Kinloch Farms where there was tons of large oaks and green grass for miles. I was also their florist for the wedding and was able to create amazing centerpieces with a myriad of different kinds and colors of flowers in mason jars. Lindsay was able to have the relaxed wedding she desired with a sparkler send off to boot. I myself cannot wait to see all the other amazing photos from the day,  but take a sneak peek at Marvelous Things Photographys gorgeous photos.

Matt + Lindsay Wedding Preview


Kinloch Farms looking out from the house (picture courtesy of http://farms-land.com/kinloch_farm.htm)

One For The History Books

As the new year begins and I start thinking about my past year and the year to come, I cannot stop thinking about how far America has come since its inception. In the events world so many people use historical places for receptions and parties. Being in Washington DC there are so many historical places with great stories and beautiful views. I want to share some of my favorite historical places for events in DC... please let me know some of your favorite historical places from your town!

George Washington's Mount Vernon: I used to love to go to Mount Vernon as a child and see the amazing rooms and run through the green grass. Located 16 miles from Washington DC, Mount Vernon is a popular location all year. The east lawn can be rented for events, as well as the educational center. I love the amazing view of the Potomac River from the lawn and the great history of the location. You can also have private tours for events or outings. Unfortunately, you can not have an event for political, fund-raising or personal (weddings), but you can for an organizational  get together. Also take a picnic and some friends and family and enjoy the day! visit http://www.mountvernon.org/ for more information and to speak with someone at the estate.

Thomas Birkby House: I have been to a couple of events at this location and I absolutely love it. This quaint house in Leesburg, VA has an amazing outdoor patio for all sorts of events. "The Carriage House, built in 1814, is a two-story brick building. It is where Thomas Birkby and his family, perhaps one of the last coach makers on the East Coast, practiced their trade until 1903. The Birkby's manufactured carriages, coaches and buggies on the second floor and kept their horses on the ground level." What great history that is quite uncommon in the DC area. There are so many different places on the property that you can host an event, from an inside business meeting to an outdoor garden wedding. Visit http://www.birkbyhouse.com/ for more information!  

Raspberry Plains: Although farther out in Leesburg, VA Raspberry Plains has a great location with a great view, great gardens and a great reception site. I am in love with their Grand conservatory and their gardens. The house was built in the colonial era and has stood the test of time. The location has picturesque views of rolling hills and brings the outdoors in. Definitely one of my favorite places just for the view. Visit http://www.raspberryplain.com/ for more information and pictures. 

I hope you enjoy the history lesson and some great ideas for an event or just a day out! Let me know some of your favorite historical places! 

An Artsy Wedding

I recently had the honor to work a wedding at the Corcoran Art Gallery in Washington, DC. The Corcoran is a gallery and an art school featuring both classical and modern art. The gallery itself was fantastic, but the wedding was amazing, with many touches that brought the art theme throughout the wedding. An art gallery is an amazing place to hold a wedding and reception since they normally have great architecture and layout, plus have great visuals for all the guests. The Corcoran has then great burnt orange/red walls, which the couple utilized when thinking of their colors, flowers and lighting. With great red and orange flowers, sliver linens and gold lighting, the place looked amazing. Sometimes adding lighting can change the coloring of a venue and allow you to use the colors you really want. Think about adding some under lighting to the event to create a new angle on a venue. The couple also had great escort card and table numbers. To continue the art theme, each table was labeled by an artist with a picture the artist had done. The escort cards were postcards, in a multitude of paintings, all done by one of the artists on a table. The guests then had to match their artist postcard to the artist table. How creative and different, I really loved this idea! The ceremony was my favorite part of the event since it was done on the grand staircase of the Corcoran gallery framed by statues. It brought great attention to the couple and made for a truly unique ceremony.

If you are thinking about doing your wedding or event in an art gallery, make sure you talk to the venue first. Some places do not allow guests to walk around, and if that was your whole plan, then you may need to look else ware. Make sure that your wedding colors and the colors within the building do not clash and will work well together. Some gallery’s may have multiple rooms or great outdoor areas so you can tailor your event or wedding. There are so many different kinds of art galleries that you can be really creative and let your inter artist shine!

There are so many creative things that you can do at an art gallery or at other places:

• Serve drinks named after artists or paintings
• As a guest book have people paint on canvases to say congrats. It will be interesting to see what people come up with.
• Have a treasure hunt using clues about the gallery/paintings and have people be able to go through during cocktail hour
• Instead of doing the event their have pictures at a gallery

Also depending on the type of art gallery you are working with it is important to ask some questions:

• How many guests can be accommodated?
• Are tables and chairs supplied?
• What caterers can be used, if any?
• Can guests tour the gallery?
• What kind of music can be at the wedding/event?
• Can alcohol be served?
• Are there limitations on decorating the venue?
• How much is a rental and for how many hours… some galleries can be expensive.

http://corcoran.org/

Free (Or Fairly Cheap) Parking

Although winter is right around the corner and outdoor weddings are not the best choice... it is a good idea to set dates for 2011 spring, summer and fall weddings (or 2012). There are so many national and city parks in every state! These parks are gorgeous for ceremonies and even can have a reception space. In DC there are some great places where you can see the sites and still have a beautiful park view! Depending on you location the park may be free or very cheap to rent out for the ceremony and/or reception. Although there are some parks that may not be suitable for a wedding, some parks are perfect.

Of course everyone knows about central park in NYC, but it is truly beautiful and has many great places for a wedding ceremony! Central park does run some fees for using it, but if you live in NY or Jersey this may be the perfect choice for your wedding. In Washington, DC you have the National Mall, Constitution Gardens, George Washington Memorial, and other memorial parks (http://www.nps.gov/nacc). This places are also amazing for engagement photos! Also... a wedding on the tidal basin near the Jefferson memorial in late March or early April would be amazing with the cherry blossoms! When you think of parks you may not think of the beach, but there are some great beaches that are covered by the National Parks or may just be a public beach. Like I have said a million times it is always important to look into all your venue options, you may just be surprised at what you find!

There are so many options around your area so look at different parks and memorial parks. There are also some great national houses and places that are frequently used for weddings! I love the idea of having more than one engagement picture shoot. In DC why not go to the memorials, a park, and a local location you love? With a good planner and vision you can make any place a beautiful wedding location.

Photos Courtesy of:  

www.hollandphotoarts.wordpress.com

www.Dayofdreams.com

www.paulrutherford.net

 www.elizabethsolaka.com

www.valdorama.com

www.wengphotography.com

www.walkinnewyork.blogspot.com

Robgreer Photography

www.visitingdc.com

www.ultimatebeachweddings.com

A Room With a View

On Tuesday, I worked an event at 101 Constitution Ave. in Washington, D.C. I have worked at this venue before and am just amazed by the view the rooftop terrace has. In D.C., and probably many other large cities, there are rooftop spaces for rent. I love being able to see a town from above and see sites you normally would not see anywhere else. Most place that have a rooftop view allow outside vendors and usually just rent the space out without dealing with tons of specifics. Depending on the place this may not be true, so always double check with a place. Washington, D.C. has a great skyline and great monuments to see from above. Places like Chicago, New York, Philly, San Diego, L.A., Miami, etc. would be great to have a rooftop corporate party or wedding.

I especially love using the rooftop terrace and view when having a corporate event. I believe it allows people who work in the area and live around the area to see a skyline not typically seen on a commute home. A corporate party with international or non-residence guests allows you to show off your city with pride and give them a view they will never forget. It is also great for a wedding, especially if it is a city you have lived in forever or grown up in. You will see the city in a whole new light, and a great skyline makes for great pictures.

If you are scared of heights, a rooftop terrace might not be for you, but otherwise it is a great way to still have a more formal reception or party while being outside and enjoying a sunset. A word of warning... these rooftop parties can become a little hectic if there is a large storm or if it is super super hot. The heat can be solved with lots of fans, but a storm will push everything inside. Talk to the venue and see if there is an area that the party can be moved if a storm hits.

There are so many options when it comes to choosing a venue. Make sure the venue has all the element you want in your event/wedding and that you can choose certain aspects yourself. Always visit a venue to see it in person if you like what it looks like in pictures (some pictures can make a place look really great when it is not). And always love whatever you choose to do...

Here is so venues with Terraces:

NYC: http://hudsonterracenyc.com/events/ ; http://www.abigailkirsch.com/Locations.htm

Chicago: http://www.millenniumpark.org/privaterentals/rooftop/index.html ; http://www.starwoodhotels.com/whotels/property/meetings/index.html?propertyID=2005

Philly: http://topofthetower.com/

Washington DC: http://www.hayadams.com/rooftop-terrace-meetings.php ; http://topofthetown.net/ ; http://www.101constitution.com/About.aspx

L.A: http://www.chamberlainwesthollywood.com/meetings-events/rooftop.html ; http://www.hiltoncheckers.com/meetings_roof.php

Wine-Zilla

This weekend I worked a wine festival near where I live and it is amazing to see how many people LOVE LOVE LOVE wine. It got me to thinking about how beautiful winery's are, and how great they would be for a wedding. I am not a huge fan of the hotel weddings, but this is a great alternative to a traditional wedding venue. You can easily have both the ceremony and reception at the location, especially an outdoor ceremony! Most winery's even ones closer to a city still have a countryside backdrop. Here where I live in Northern VA, there are a ton of winery's all within an hour of the district. a Winery may not be as readily available in all areas of the country, but do some research you never know when you may find one.

The great part about having your wedding at a winery is then drinking their wine! I love white wine and could drink it for days so any place where wine is that abundant would send me to heaven. Most places have a reception area already (if they are a bigger winery) and have wedding day plans already set. Smaller winery's may have not done as many events, but still worth a shot. Like any other venue, make sure you ask all the appropriate questions and see if you can bring in outside vendors such as catering and wedding coordination. Some winery's have great restaurants there, and may be able to provide great food and drinks. Most places have great bed and breakfast's around, while some still have a larger hotel. Look for the area and type that is best for you. If you are looking for that countryside feel with a little more to it, a winery may be the best fit.

Winerys are great from spring all the way until the fall, and maybe even in the winter depending on the location. Any colors will go with a winery backdrop, since wines themselves are multi-toned in many ways. Find a wine you love drinking and check out their winery... try and find a local winery to make it easier. Go to local wine festivals and get brochurs about the different winerys. This way you can taste their wine and get information about them without visiting the winery.

Even if you are not the wine fanatic, a winery wedding may be perfect still. There are many pros and cons to any venue, and again like I say every time do what you want to do and love your choice. A winery allows for an amazing backdrop and fun activities if you go a day early/day later such as wine tasting and grape stomping (again, depending on winery). Most winery's have skilled event/wedding planners and know how to work with a wedding party. Just don't become a WINE-ZILLA and drink too much wine before, during or after the wedding... OK after is perfectly fine!

Check out these sites for more information:

http://wineryweddingguide.com/

Thanks to: My Simple Details, Boston Avenue Photo Co. and Chateau Morrisette for pictures

Riding the Waves

Here in Washington, D.C. the weather was beautiful and it was the perfect Labor Day weekend for a wedding. Sunny with a few fluffy white clouds, but still in the high 70's. I myself enjoyed the weekend on a boat and walking around National Harbor in Maryland. While there, I realized how amazing a wedding on a boat (or at least really close to the water) would be. Although a boat wedding seems expensive it could still be reasonably priced and you could still have your reception on land or vice verse (ceremony on land, reception on a boat). if you don't want to have the ceremony or wedding on a boat, think about having the rehearsal dinner on a boat cruise or taking your engagement photos on a boat where you can share those amazing views with everyone.

I have personally never been to a wedding on a boat, but I know that they do have them in many cities where there is a river or lake surrounding the city or skyline. You do have to look into what the company offers in terms of allowing outside vendors, food, entertainment and price. Most places provide many things for the wedding so that you do not have to worry about it and also allow you to still make important decisions. Research does need to be done, like with any wedding or event.

If you have an aversion to water... please do not have a wedding on a boat! If you love being outside and on the water like I do, it is a great option to look at when choosing venues. You normally get to see some great sites and skylines and still pay around the same price. You do need to have a back-up plan in case of really bad weather, like any outdoor wedding, but most boats have dining etc. indoors so it can still work out.

There are so many options if you do not want to be on a boat like doing something at a hotel on a harbor or right on the beach. Do what you like and where you feel most comfortable. Take into consideration all your options and definitely look at pricing and other options that company's give you.

I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend!

Pictures from: odysseycruises.com and elizamagazine.com/blog/?cat=1417 (Love on a Boat Post)