Last week I had the great pleasure of introducing you to our first District Weddings Bride Blogger…Sarah Christine! Currently living in New Jersey, Sarah is planning an October D.C. wedding at the Meridian House. She is unbelievably adorable — filled with joy about being engaged and excited to share her wedding planning experience with us.
I LOVE getting updates from her, and this latest one may just be my favorite. She has ridiculously amazing ideas, and, well, I’ll let her take it from here…
From Sarah…
Last week, Devon posted about something that has caught my attention ever since deciding on a destination wedding – Welcome Baskets! I forgot to mention in my last post that I am an ultimate foodie: I live and breathe food, I even write about food for a living. So stuffing these baskets with local goodies became the ultimate hunt. Supporting local purveyors and introducing the flavors of this city to our guests is important to me. As someone who lives in New Jersey though, where do I turn to first?
Several months back, I was lucky enough to meet a fantastic contact from Cultural Tourism DC at a “Taste of D.C.” event. I figured if any organization could help me, this would be the one. Strengthening the image and economy of Washington — neighborhood by neighborhood — is something the organization strives for. They quickly pointed me to the Eastern Market in Capitol Hill.
Whether you’re getting married in D.C. or outside the area, walking around the local market or e-mailing the tourism office will quickly give you a good idea of what the area is known for (Old Bay anyone)? Devon gave us some fantastic ideas last week. From the help of some trusty folks, I wanted to add onto that great list:
Berger Cookies (Baltimore)
Rock Creek Soda (Call 202-543-7515)
Murky Coffee Beans
Salty Oat Cookies from Teaism
After counting up all the great finds, I realized that this could easily add up in price fast. So I thought of an additional alternative…
My fiancée and I are obsessed with the crab cakes from The Oceanaire Seafood Room. A quick search on the internet and several seconds later I found the recipe for them. Take a plain index card, find a funky crab graphic, type up the recipe and print them out! You may not be able to afford to put food in your welcome baskets, but it doesn’t mean your guests can’t take home a little part of the city!
Thank you, Sarah, for these wonderful ideas! I can’t stop thinking about those Berger cookies — they look amazing! I think I’m going to order a few to “sample” so I can give you “honest feedback” about how unbelievably delicious they are. If you have any other welcome bag ideas, send them my way! I’d love to continue to share your fabulous finds!
Photo: Martha Stewart Weddings; white “apple bag” and clear cello bag are both available at the Container Store
Today is the last day to enter our Garter Giveaway! Don’t miss this great opportunity to win a ridiculously adorable (and very stylish) garter to flaunt (or not) on your wedding day!
the Welcome bag can be sooo personal and done so differently. I love how she incorporates a lot of different ideas for her own and uses local stores/restaurants to make it more “dc”! Great Great Post!
We had a fall wedding, so in addition to the usual welcome bag items, we also loaded the bag with all kinds of fall fruits like apples and pears. Surprisingly, I had a bunch of people tell me that they really appreciated the “healthy” snacks in their bag. It was a nice treat since everyone was away from home in a hotel.