Washington, D.C. Wedding Blog – Real Weddings, Inspiring Ideas, Planning Tools, & Top Vendors in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia
As I get ready to kick off “wedding season” this weekend (stay tuned to see the pictures later this spring!), I cannot stop thinking about how the small, thoughtful details really set an event apart from the rest.
These escort card ideas are unique, stylish and inspiring. What are you doing for your wedding? Has anyone seen a display that they loved?
I think the easiest way to create an inspiration board is to first find one or two pictures that you LOVE. It could be a picture of your ceremony or reception venue, a bouquet, a centerpiece, an invitation, or even just a single flower.
Then, start to look for other pictures that complement your favorite photo. The best places to look are often bridal sites such as Martha Stewart Weddings, Modern Bride, and The Knot. These sites feature loads of ideas and most always allow you to download the pictures directly from the site.
Note: If you right-click on a photo and are given an option called “Save As…,” this usually means you can download that picture. Select the “Save As…” command and save the photo as something you’ll remember in a folder with other wedding photos. Ideally, you want to save photos as jpgs if you can. You can then insert your pictures into any photo program, such as Photoshop, or even use Microsoft Word and insert the pictures as images into a table.
You want to be sure you are varying the types of pictures you select. Choose one of a centerpiece that you like, one of a wedding favor, one of an invitation, maybe one of a bridesmaid dress in a particular color or style, one of a groom’s attire, the list goes on and on. The point is to create inspiration, not something that you will copy exactly.
Let’s start with one picture of a landscape. If your wedding is going to be held in the rolling hills of Virginia (like mine), this is a good starting point.
Photo: Martha Stewart Weddings
Now, picturing a wedding held in this landscape, envision how the guests would arrive. Maybe in a trolley? What would the tables look like? If it was an autumn event, the tables could be decorated with gourds, pumpkins, and fall foliage. The event would likely be held in the evening, so candlelight could be beautiful….
Photos: Martha Stewart Weddings
If I was planning this event, this is what I see…A trolley, dusk, vineyards, fall foliage, candlelight…
This board now becomes a source of inspiration — for me, for the florist, for the caterer, for everyone working to pull together an amazing wedding with a common vision.
Give it a try! You’ll see that you will start to obsess over inspiration boards! If you need any help, let me know!
If you’re just joining us, today is our One Month Anniversary! We are celebrating by discussing a little about how District Weddings came to be…
After Cheree designed the District Weddings logo, I then created this idea board from the cherry blossom picture. I thought about the most beautiful, most elegant, most perfectly “D.C.” wedding — one that incorporated the color of the gorgeous cherry blossom in little ways, without being too over-the-top.
Here’s the picture…
And here’s the idea board that came from it…
Photos: A Bryan Photo (Jenny Yoo bridesmaid dresses in Paige, Lucy, and Kayla styles…available at Hannelore’s and Promise…for the savvy bride); Invitation by Dauphine Press available at Hitched Salon in Georgetown; Bridal gown seen on A Bryan Photo; Bouquet and Ice Sculpture from Martha Stewart Weddings; Bride and Groom from brides.com
While we’re on the topic of D.C., my absolute favorite D.C. hotel is The Hay-Adams Hotel. I love many others for their service and quality, but The Hay-Adams is my most favorite because of its beauty. Located right across the street from the White House, this hotel is drop-dead gorgeous. From the front drive, to the ornate lobby, to the plush bedding, to the view from the rooftop, The Hay-Adams, in my mind, is one of the best hotels D.C. has to offer.
After creating the cherry blossom board, I used this picture of The Hay-Adams…
…to create this board of ideas…
Photos: Groom from brides.com; Christian Louboutin “Satin d’Orsays” in Ivory…available at Saks Fifth Avenue in Chevy Chase; Bouquet by Martha Stewart Weddings; Table setting on brides.com; Invitation by Dauphine Press…available at Hitched; Champagne glasses on brides.com; Bridal bouquet on Martha Stewart Weddings
From this board I see an April wedding at The Hay-Adams Hotel!
Still to come…a fun giveaway in honor of our one month anniversary!
Punk Rock Bride is launching their 2010 collection! All of Stephanie’s new dresses will be shown at her launch party on March 4 from 7-9 pm in Washington, DC.
Stephanie has offered to give away 10 tickets to attend and be the first to see the new collection. Winners will also receive 20% off any Punk Rock Bride dress, have a few cocktails, get to meet Stephanie and some of Washington DC’s best wedding vendors. To enter, leave a comment at Foxy.
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