Washington, D.C. Wedding Blog – Real Weddings, Inspiring Ideas, Planning Tools, & Top Vendors in D.C., Maryland, and Virginia
Broquet 
Fortique
Simply Stunning Collection by Sarah's Stands
Wye River Wedding
Petite Social at Urban Chic
Jodi Miller Photography 
Bride Blogger Update: Paper
National Cathedral Wedding
Watercolor Guest Book
District Weddings Workshop 
Sample Sale at Carine's 
Princess for a Night Dress Drive 
Love Life Images New Look
Bride Blogger Update: The Shower
101 Constitution Wedding
Lettering by Lynne Round Up
EventShareBride Blogger Update: Videography
Four Seasons Romantic Wedding
Sugarplum at the Newseum
Almost one year ago I had the absolute pleasure of working with Tiffany and John on their wedding celebration! They met at UVA so it made sense to have their wedding in Charlottesville…and what a wedding it was!
Style Me Pretty recently ran this feature - and to continue our fun series with my local favorite videographers, enjoy Tiffany and John’s film by Blue Sky Films! It definitely made me a little teary-eyed!
Tiffany and John’s Director’s Cut Highlight from Blue Sky Films on Vimeo.
Hi everyone! I hope that you all had a nice long weekend! Did anyone get to somewhere warm? Well, if not, today’s Real Wedding wedding will just almost make you feel like you are basking in the sun.
We are a bit of schedule this week with the Monday holiday but I do want to share a few announcements with you first…
First, remember to get your tickets for the Washingtonian Bride & Groom Unveiled Wedding Showcase for this SUNDAY!
Next, the Monique Lhuillier Trunk Show appointments are filling up fast at Carine’s so make your appointments for this Thursday, Friday and Saturday ASAP!
Also, the Lela Rose (love!) Sample Sale at Hitched is this weekend, too — another place you need to visit!
Finally, we announced our new District Favorites over the weekend – an amazing list of vendors that I hope serves as a resource for all of you brides beginning (and continuing) your planning.
Now, onto the sunny pictures and story of Caitlin and Ben, a D.C. couple, whose wedding took place on the “18th on the 18th”: September 18, 2010 at the Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina on the 18th Lawn at Harbour Town Golf Links overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
The brides dress by Rivini was purchased at Carine’s in Georgetown, and the groom wore his Navy “choker white” uniform.
Caitlin tells us, “Marrying into the military, I wanted my “something borrowed” to carry that same military pride and significance, and my friend Lieutenant Kristen Murdock had just the piece. She had just returned from a 7 month deployment in Afghanistan three weeks before the wedding, and lent me a 2-carat sapphire ring that she purchased from a woman selling jewelry in Afghanistan. Having 7 siblings between the two of us, our bridal party was destined to be larger than normal. Our (12!) bridesmaids were outfitted in Lula Kate of Charleston, South Carolina, and the (10!) groomsmen in J. Crew. The two Maids of Honor, my sisters Kelsey and Caroline, wore different Lula Kate dress styles than the bridesmaids. The bridesmaids’ clutches were by Emerson Made.”
Today, our cherry blossom tribute week continues as we visit The Can’na Boutique Hotel and Spa as Suzanne Somersall Allis tells us more about her wedding venue…
The Can’na Boutique Hotel and Spa is right across the bay from our seaside apartment, about a 15 minute walk through the japanese village we live in: Kanna, Ginoza-son.
Can’na is right on the water, so we were able to have an outdoor wedding, with a cocktail hour on their terrace. The reception was held in the dining room, which had gorgeous carved wood interiors with a japanese-polynesian aesthetic. Ornate carved flowers and elaborate dragons became a beautiful, dramatic backdrop for the reception.
The guests stayed in the 10 or so villas that are scattered across the resort. The small scale of Can’na was perfect for our intimate wedding. These rooms had beautiful views of the lush tropical landscape and pacific ocean. Each had its own hibiscus covered terrace and draped white canopy beds. The villas were very private, exotic and romantic.
The restaurants and bars at the resort serve amazing sushi and tempura, as well as western-japanese dishes. Can’na’s spa is also amazing and I treated the mothers, bridesmaids and girls at the wedding to a seaside massage.
Here is a picture with me and Nozomi, Can’na’s wedding planner!
Thanks again to Suzanne for continuing to tell her story to us and to photographer Kimberly Mitchell for sharing her incredible photographs!
I hope that you all had a happy and relaxing Thanksgiving weekend. Is everyone still as full from turkey and pie as I am?
Today, we are heating things up with a destination wedding that took place last month by Amber Karson Events at a seaside villa in the Dominican Republic. The couple, Sandie and Alan, live in DC but travel a a great deal for their jobs so a destination wedding was the perfect option for them.
And, I just LOVE their story…
A summer internship during graduate school took Sandie to Brussels, Belgium in 2003 where she first met her future husband. As fate had it, Sandie did not meet Alan, the handsome U.S. Marine, until her last night in Belgium. Trusting a gut feeling, Alan asked Sandie to return to Brussels that fall for his Marine Ball. Feeling spontaneous (and a little like Cinderella), Sandie accepted and returned to Belgium to attend the event (in a historic castle.) They had a wonderful time together, but their paths (and long distance) led them different ways soon after the ball. However, Sandie always kept a picture of Alan on her dresser and no guy she dated afterwards ever compared. Four years passed, and on the eve of yet another deployment, the two reconnected by chance- this time, for good.
For a destination wedding, it is crucial to embrace the local culture and let your guests experience everything your locale has to offer. This wedding took place in Cabrera, a small town at the eastern end of the Dominican’s north coast. Cabrera has little tourism infrastructure – far from the resort towns most people are familiar with – and the quaint, remote atmosphere added to the tropical mood.
The Rehearsal Dinner took place at Playa Grande Beach (once rated as one of the top ten most beautiful beaches by Conde Nast Travel) the day before the wedding.
Two weeks ago, I experienced three of the most heavenly days of my life at the Ritz Carlton on Amelia Island, Florida. There are no words that can do this trip justice but I have come away so certain that if you are planning a destination wedding, this is the place to go!
Amelia Island felt worlds away from reality but was just a hop over from the Jacksonville airport. Easily accesible from Boston, New York, Washington, and the entire South, you and your guests may experience a destination wedding without any hassle.
Anastasia Stone, the oh-so-fabulous Catering Sales Manager on property, welcomed planners and wedding industry professionals from up and down the East Coast to experience how incredible a wedding weekend would be at this property – and let me tell you, the Ritz at Amelia Island makes a next-to-none destination wedding spot.
Here are some visuals that I hope will warm you up on this rainy, cold day -
A ceremony set to be held by the sea…
Cocktails or lunch by the spa pool…
District Weddings Editors Danielle & Kristin