What is Trend and Tradition? How did you get your start?

Trend and Tradition is an event company that specializes in favors and accessories for weddings, showers, christenings and other special events.  We initially started our business to offer these services to the Greek community.  After years of incorporating our traditions into our own events, we realized that there was a shortage of local vendors that offered timeless, yet stylish products with a personal touch.

Everything else on the market either felt mass produced, not very personal or too old fashioned.  We decided to form Trend & Tradition to preserve these rich traditions, while creating a fresh and modern look to them, so they would become an enhancement to any event.  We quickly realized that brides of all backgrounds want to incorporate traditions, whether family or cultural, into their weddings, and we’ve enjoyed helping brides achieve this.

What products do you create for weddings?

We create sophisticated and unique wedding favors to coordinate with a wedding’s color palette or theme.  We pride ourselves in providing custom favors, most of which are handmade and personalized for each event.  This personal touch separates Trend & Tradition from the many other favor vendors available online.

We work individually with brides to find the perfect item or memento that expresses their appreciation while exhibiting exceptional style and elegance…leaving a lasting impression on their guests.

We also offer high-quality bridal accessories, bridal party gifts and Orthodox ceremonial items to make it easier for brides to get everything they need in one place!

What is your inspiration for new products?

We get a lot of ideas by checking out the latest bridal fashions and party trends – we are always trying to provide our clients with current and creative ideas to make their events unforgettable. We also follow the hot colors of the season and love to incorporate them into our products for a fresh look.

Although we have to admit – some of our favorite products are the result of collaborative efforts with our brides – we take the journey together and come out with an amazing end product!

Do you have any advice for couples who, much like you, hope to incorporate both traditional and modern elements into their wedding?

If there are traditions that you hold dear and want to preserve, there is no reason to sacrifice them for style.  As our name suggests, Trend & Tradition can work with you to incorporate traditional elements into your events, so you can share your favorite traditions with your wedding guests in an elegant and stylish way.

The flavors look divine and with Kara’s philosophy that the “little things in life make all the difference”, they are infused with love and joy and are just downright delicious.

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I am already getting excited for St. Patrick’s Day next week!  Have I mentioned that I love holidays?!

This weekend, I have my first spring wedding of the season and I cannot wait! The darling bride is Irish and we are excited to bring in her heritage to the celebration by having an “Irish Coffee Bar” and giving away “Soda Bread” as the favor. Cute, right?

Photo Credit: Martha Stewart

Does anyone else have a fun, festive favor in mind?

As your cookbook, DamGoodSweet, is inspired by all things from New Orleans, what are a handful of the most staple ingredients or flavors that really represent the region and culture?

There are just so many ingredients; it’s hard to list them all.  In no particular order, I would say rice, cane, bananas, coffee, Ponchatoula strawberries, citrus, and of course, alcohol.  From Bourbon to rum to different flavored liqueurs such as Pernod and Herbsaint, I love to use these rich flavors in a lot of my desserts and dishes.

How have you incorporated your personal culinary style into your recipes?

My a la carte background has allowed me to revisit classic desserts that I grew up around, and manipulate them to bring out more intensity, more flavor, and mainly, more balance.  I add a pinch more salt to this, and extract a bit more sugar from that, and I try to learn the science behind these dishes that have been made for centuries.

I love to take existing desserts and adjust them without losing what it is that makes them so special.  Also, one of the most common things I hear from folks when they try my desserts is they love how there’s a saltiness that really makes the dessert more enjoyable. I love how people always say, “It’s not overly sweet.”

What are a few DIY wedding cakes that you would recommend to brides? What can they do to put special touches into their cakes?

First, start with recipes that you love.  What do you love to eat?  Think outside the box, as your DIY wedding cake or dessert does not have to be a standard wedding cake.

For me, I absolutely love the Lemon and Chocolate Doberge Cake and the Brown Butter Shortcake with Ponchatoula Strawberries from my book.  These are not your average wedding cakes, yet I know anyone attending a wedding will love the flavors.  For me, a wedding cake is just a cake on your wedding day.

I’m a big advocate of simplicity, so fresh flowers and nice satin ribbon for the layers, border or just top, go a long way.  You should aim to be as stress-free as possible, so stick with things that are store-bought and avoid those complicated gum paste decorations and sponge sugars.

What advice do you have for brides who have a budget, but still want amazing flavor and presentation for their wedding cake?

My biggest piece of advice when it comes to budgeting?  Spend more time to prepare and coordinate your wedding cake and approach it the same as all your other pre-wedding plans.  Get two prices for everything, and leverage online sources that have great prices for decorations or ingredients for your cake.  Go into stores and explore.

The reason why I emphasize giving yourself time is because when you find yourself rushing and doing things at the last minute, you end up throwing in the towel and just paying whatever.

Flavor-wise, stick with fresh ingredients. Their costs are not nearly as high as extracts, gels, pastes, and the clean and simple tastes really shine through.  If you do not bake and are attempting this for the first time, definitely involve experienced baker friends or family.  It’ll be more fun, plus you can have someone on hand to help you with certain steps you are not familiar with.

As many brides are branching out from the traditional wedding cake, what other sweet and scrumptious ideas could they offer their guests at the wedding?

There are so many great send-off gifts that you can offer your guests either as a favor or as a parting gift after the reception.  I love anything DIY, so think about making your own hot chocolate mix and putting all the dry ingredients in a metal tin with the recipe and direction on a sticker.

Or say do a brownie mix and follow the same steps you would with the hot chocolate.  Depending on where you’re getting married or where you’re from, use those as points of direction and inspiration. The great thing about weddings today, especially during this recession, is that people are realizing you don’t have to follow tradition anymore.

Weddings are now smarter and more efficient, allowing you to get back to what’s more important.  You definitely want to uphold the ceremonial cutting or feeding as that is an important tradition to keep, however everyone is getting something sweet, it’s not just about the cake.  I’d love to see a giant beignet cake sooner or later.

Luckily for us, David is soon opening the Bayou Bakery in Northern Virginia. Don’t you worry- District Weddings will keep you posted! But, if you are already in the kitchen ready to bake, see one of David’s original recipes below for Ponchatoula Strawberry Shortcake…

DamGoodSweet by David Guas

Ponchatoula Strawberry Shortcake

2 pounds (6 cups) strawberries, hulled and quartered if large

Zest of 1 orange

1 1⁄4 cups sugar

1 1⁄2 sticks plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

1⁄4 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 cup buttermilk

Chantilly cream for serving

Bring a large pot with 1 inch of water to a simmer over medium-high heat. Stir the strawberries, orange zest, and 1/4 cup of the sugar in a large stainless steel mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place on top of the pot (the bottom of the bowl shouldn’t touch the water). Reduce the heat to low and let the strawberries macerate over the simmering water for 20 minutes. Remove the bowl from the pot (leave the pot and water on the stove but turn off the heat) and refrigerate until chilled (the strawberry sauce can be made up to 1 day in advance).

Heat the oven to 350°F. Place a 10-inch cake pan on parchment; trace and cut out a circle. Grease the pan’s bottom and sides with the tablespoon of butter, press the parchment into the pan, and flip the parchment over, buttered side up. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and tap to coat the bottom and sides; discard the excess.

Cut the remaining 11/2 sticks of butter into small pieces and melt in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer, whisking often to incorporate any solids that sink to the bottom, until the butter is a golden-amber color and smells nutty, 4 to 6 minutes. If it sputters or spatters, reduce the heat. Set the butter aside to cool.

Bring the pot with water back to a simmer over medium-high heat. Whisk the eggs and remaining sugar together in a large heatproof bowl and place over the pot of water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water). Reduce the heat to low and whisk the mixture until it has tripled in volume, 4 to 5 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer (or into a large bowl if using a hand mixer) and whip on high speed until it is thick, and pale, 2 to 3 minutes. Meanwhile, sift the remaining 1 cup of flour, the baking powder, and salt together. Reduce the speed of the mixer to low and slowly drizzle in the warm butter (adding it too quickly will cause the batter to separate), using a rubber spatula to scrape the browned bits into the batter. Turn off the mixer. Using a whisk, gently fold in one-third of the dry ingredients, fold in half of the buttermilk, and then repeat, ending with the last third of the dry mixture, gently folding in until just combined.

Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan, tilting the pan to make sure the batter spreads evenly. Bake until the cake sides pull away from the pan and the center resists light pressure, 22 to 26 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes before running a paring knife around the edges of the pan to release the shortbread and inverting it onto a cooling rack to cool completely.

Transfer the cake to a plate and slice into wedges. Serve topped with strawberries, sauce, and a dollop of chantilly cream, or slice each wedge in half horizontally and sandwich the halves with strawberries and sauce, then top with cream.

Serves 8

Chantilly Cream

2 cups heavy cream

1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1⁄4 cup confectioners’ sugar

Photography: Meg Runion

Photo Credits: The Knot; Martha Stewart Weddings; kojo designs

Founded in 2007, Apres Peau (“after skin”) is the vision of prominent Washington dermatologist, Dr. Tina Alster, to create the ultimate gift gallery of modern and tasteful luxury gifting.  The gallery features architecturally-based gifts from housewares to stationary to accessories, created both by specialty designers and for the exclusive Apres Peau private label.

The “Washington DC Chocolate Tour” chocolate bars are exclusively designed for Après Peau, and pays tribute to a Washington DC landmark, and with witty flavors like Washington Monumint, Georgetown Toffee, Smithsonian Salty Pretzel, and Key Bridge Key Lime, they make for a superb favor for any Washington wedding.  In addition, they are happy to customize the bars to fit customer needs as well as individually package them in a variety of ways.

Here at District Weddings, we just LOVE Après Peau – their classy yet one-of-a-kind items are right up our ally!  Be sure to contact Jessica at jessica@aprespeau.com for more information! Après Peau is located at 1430 K Street, NW.

Snapshot Studio by Love Life Images – A photobooth-type setup that includes a frame housing a camera and flash with umbrella and white backdrop. The camera is operated by remote control, so the guests can take their own pictures.  On-site printing available.  Two-hour and Five-hour rental options.

A few of the great pics captured by the Snapshot Studio (look at the fun props!)…

Booth-o-Rama – A 4-ft wide photobooth with capacity for up to 12 people.  Push button operation.  Four sequential snapshots. High-res immediate 4″x6″ print-out.  On-site photobooth attendant.  Four-hour rental with option to purchase additional hours.

Photos: Booth-o-Rama (left); Martha Stewart Weddings (right)

Classic Polaroid Cameras – Set up your own photobooth by hanging a backdrop and putting out polaroid cameras.  Guests will gladly take their own pictures!  Affix photo corners to your guest book in advance, so guests can easily slip in their photos and leave you a sweet message…

Photos: Martha Stewart Weddings

So many fun photobooth options available right here in the D.C. area!

New York-based Event Planner Amy Atlas is the QUEEN of dessert bars.  I’m sure you’ve seen her work before.  Somehow she finds a way to hand-pick the most perfect, most coordinated, and most delicious candies and confections.

Designing a lovely dessert bar is harder than it looks.  First, pick a simple color palette, then design the bar around one or two points of inspiration.  

Look at this oh-so-chic dessert bar by Amy Atlas….

It is important to vary the heights of the elements on your table, while keeping the vessels and colors consistent.

Amy designed this Lavender Snowflake dessert bar for the Elegant Bride  and the Wedding Library’s Wedding Event at the New York Palace.  Take a break from work today and escape to Amy’s fabulous website and blog….she is the BEST at what she does!

If you are creating a dessert bar for your wedding, here are a few local places to look for beautiful candies, amazing chocolates, and other sweet novelties.

Chocolate Moose – Washington, DC

Artfully Chocolate Kingsbury Confections – Alexandria, VA and Washington, DC

Chocolate Chocolate – Washington, DC

My personal favorite… Candy Kitchen – Ocean City, MD; Fenwick, DE; Bethany Beach, DE; Rehoboth Beach, DE; Virginia Beach, VA

Looking forward to receiving that one special item off your registry?  Tell us what it is and you’ll be entered to win a $100 gift certificate to JC Penney!  Thanks, JCPenney, for sponsoring this great District Weddings giveaway!

Only $14.99 at Bliss Weddings Market, there are tons of cities to choose from!  LOVE them!

Photos: The Knot

As I was browsing the Michael’s Arts & Crafts website, I came upon this fun project.  What if you used these pots as place cards, then guests could take them home as favors?  A wonderful two-for-one eco-lovely DIY project (DIY = “Do-It-Yourself”)!  I love it!

Photos: Michael’s Arts & Crafts; Pottery Barn

The pots on the right used to be sold at Pottery Barn.  I just checked their website and it doesn’t look like they are currently carrying them.  The ones on the left are a DIY project — much more affordable and twice as fun!  

Here are the instructions for creating these Chalkboard Pots (courtesy of Michael’s):

Materials – Valspar Chalkboard Spray Paint; Terracotta Pots; Newspaper; Chalk Sticks; Masking Tape; Potting Soil; Something to plant in the pots (herbs, flowers, etc.)

Step 1 – Start by masking off the rims of the pot, as this area will be left unsprayed.  (Another option – You can choose to spray the entire pot like the ones featured in the right picture above.)  Lay down newspaper to protect the surrounding area.

Step 2 – Take the Chalkboard Black paint and spray over the unmasked area of the pots.  Leave for 15 minutes, then apply a second coat.

Step 3 – Leave to dry thoroughly for at least 60 minutes.  (While you are waiting, you can finalize your guest list and practice writing your guests’ names on a scrap piece of paper.  Alternatively, you could contact a local calligrapher to see if he/she could write the names in chalk.  I’ll work on getting you the name of a local calligrapher who can do this.)

Step 4 – Once the paint is dry, write the name of each guest on each pot using the chalk.

Michael’s Locations in the D.C. area – Falls Church, Vienna, Fairfax, Alexandria, Rockville, Springfield, Wheaton, & Reston 

Love, Love, LOVE Michael’s!