On Monday, February 6th, Elan Artists brings top bands in our area, including two of my favorites, the Source and Raggs and The All Stars, to a showcase at the Willard.

In the meantime, I caught up with my friends at Elan to ask a little bit about the bands and working with them…

How do you describe the Source and Raggs & The All Star’s individual sounds? To what type of couple would you recommend each?

The Source is a refined, high energy variety dance band with DC’s creme de la creme musicians.  Playing music from Gershwin to Gaga.  With diverse vocalists they cover every genre with incredibly unique level of capturing the original sound and feel.

Raggs has a classic 1940′s Sinatra orchestra feel and look playing your favorite Jazz, Swing dance music from Ella, Louie, Big Band and more. What separates them from other “Jazz” bands is there ability to also cross over and play variety music as well from Soul and Motown to Funk, Disco, Contemporary hits and more. They recently played a magical dance party for the Clinton Party.

How far out to you recommend that a couple book a band for their wedding?

Minimum of 6 to 12 months.  Our groups are boutique and specialized – so people often book further in advance.

Leading up to a wedding, how do your bands and Elan work with a couple to plan the logistics behind the big day? What types of things does a couple need to consider when planning the music for their wedding reception?

Personal customization is key.  We work with clients to learn music that is totally specific to their tastes so the overall feel directly connect with their personalities.

How did you get your start in floral design?

I grew up surrounded by flowers, as I am a third generation floral designer. I was raised working in my grandmothers, and eventually my mother’s flower shop. Having worked with flowers my whole life, I can’t imagine doing anything else.

Photo Credit: Eric Oberg

Where do you draw inspiration from?

My sources of inspiration vary widely. Not only do I look at emerging designs within the industry, but I also get ideas from a variety of different magazines. I like to see what trend are out there, and how they might influence my floral design.

Photo Credit: Eric Oberg

What advice do you have for brides who do not have much knowledge about flowers and are not sure what they want?

My best advice for brides who are unsure of what they are looking for is to look through magazines and blogs to draw inspiration.  Once you have a color or a style in mind, it is easy for us to help tease out your vision and make it a reality.  As with all wedding décor, it is important for brides to choose flowers that they love, and not just what is trendy.

Photo Credit: Edge; Eric Oberg

What are your favorite seasonal spring flowers?

My favorite seasonal spring flower is a sweet pea.

Photo Credit: Edge

For more information about Edge Flowers please visit their website here.

How did you get your start?

I was a psychologist and artist before getting into this field. I worked at CakeLove while doing my Masters at Marymount and fell in love with baking. I went to L’Academie de Cuisine and did their pastry program. As I worked during the day, I made cakes at night for friends and family.

A friend asked one day if I could make her wedding cake and I agreed, it was not the best cake, structure wise, but everyone loved the flavors and design. I worked out of my home for 6 years and then opened my shop in McLean about 2 years ago!

Photo Credits: Anna Muhhina Photography; Astrid Photography

What is your most popular cake flavor?

Our most popular cake flavor is Red Velvet cake filled with a dark ganache, raspberry preserves and cream cheese. Our Red Velvet is made the traditional southern way with cocoa, buttermilk and vinegar! It is chocolaty and tangy.

What is your most unusual flavor?

We make Apple and Bacon cupcakes that we top with a Maple Cream Cheese Frosting and Maple Crispy Bacon.

Photo Credits: Rodney Bailey; Porter Watkins Photography

Tell us a little about your tastings.

We have our tastings on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Our tastings are private, complimentary tastings for the bride and groom that last about an hour. During the tasting we discuss the brides vision for her cake as well as taste an assortment of cakes and fillings.

Photo Credit: K. Thompson Photography

Other than wedding cakes, what treats can you make for events?

Other than wedding cakes we also make cupcakes, mini cupcakes, French macarons, cookies, lemon bars, Mexican wedding cookies, cake pops, brownies, blondies and black and white cookies.

Brides can use them as a dessert bar or as favors to hand out to their guests. We also specialize in grooms cakes which are sculpted whimsical cakes that brides usually offer their groom at the rehearsal dinner or at the wedding.

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Things are really moving along with our wedding planning and I cannot wait to head back to D.C. in March for more big meetings and decisions.  Over the holidays I headed to Fluffy Thoughts with my mom and wedding planner to tackle the cake.

There are so many decisions to be made for the cake including flavors, filling, buttercream, fondant and the design.  Luckily with the help of the team at Fluffy Thoughts I was able to determine the flavor and the look in under an hour – hooray!

James and I both wanted to keep the cake on the simple side and while searching on Pinterest and Lover.ly I found great inspiration.  Below are two of the photos I found, where the cake has actual ribbon wrapped around it to create a simple, elegant design.   The team at Fluffy Thoughts suggested a monogramed cake topper similar to the one below and I was sold.  The letter with the ribbon created just the look I wanted.

Moving on to flavor, I quickly determined white cake was the flavor for us.  It was light and fluffy and would nor overwhelm the fillings or be too sweet.  James and I both love Raspberry so I was drawn to the raspberry jam and buttercream fillings.

At the suggestion of our consultant I tried the raspberry fillings paired with a little lemon curd.  It was fantastic!  Since the cake would have three layers of filling we decided to go with two layers of raspberry jam and buttercream and one layer of raspberry with lemon curd.  The acidity of the lemon helped balance the tart sweetness of the raspberry, keeping the cake from being overly sweet.

I cannot wait see the final product on our wedding day, it may be too pretty to cut into!

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What: Lela Rose Bridal Trunk Show at Hitched

When: Friday, January 20^th & Saturday, January 21^st

RSVP: 202.333.6162 or appointments@hitchedsalon.com

Details & Perks: At the trunk show, you’ll have the opportunity to try on the latest Lela Rose gowns [hot off the runway!], as well as the chance to chat with a representative from the company about options for customization. As a special treat, they’ll be offering a 10% discount on all gowns purchased during the trunk show!

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Last week our wedding seemed far off and had yet to come together.  Fast forward a few days and it is only 5 months until the big day.  I am finally starting to picture what the day will look like, thanks in part to our flower and décor meeting with Da Vinci Florists over the holidays.

Early on James and I decided we wanted to keep the flowers simple and focus instead on showcasing the amazing view at 101 Constitution.  We both agreed that candles, lighting and smaller centerpieces would create a romantic yet modern and elegant look.

Photo Credit: Bouquet Bridal

While looking through photos of previous weddings, Jen suggested choosing a flower that was in-season during May, explaining that it would be less expensive to use an in-season flower.  James and I both love tulips and are in luck, because they are in-season in May.

Photo Credit: Silk Wedding Designs

With the flower choice selected we started on the smaller floral arrangements – the bouquets.  From then on we were on a roll.  Since our colors are navy blue and pink, our tulips will be white, light pink and a deeper pink.  Bridesmaids will have bouquets of light and deep pink, my bouquet will be white and light pink.  Our centerpieces will feature all three colors.  In this post are photo examples of different tulip bouquets and centerpieces that were our inspiration.  In March I will get to see samples of the actual pieces and I will make sure to take photos to share with you.

Photo Credit: Perfect Wedding Day

Photo Credits: Kristen Marie; Levi Max Stolove Photography; Beehive Events; Beehive Events; Red Shoes Photography; Red Shoes Photography; Beehive Events; Beehive Events;Beehive Events;

For a quick history of Pantone, check out this great Apartment Therapy article.  Happy weekend!

How long have Raggs and the All-Stars been playing together?

About 20 years.  We started as a small band in the early 90′s playing for dinner and dancing at Herrington Harbor restaurant in southern Anne Arundel county.  The success of that early band set the stage for the weddings and corporate parties we do today.

Describe your sound. What makes your band unique? 

Rooted in the big band sound, our horn arrangements, vocals led by the wonderful Sheila Ford and tight rhythm section gives Raggs it’s signature sound.  We also offer a string section that is really something unique.  I call it the “icing on the cake” for clients who want something really classy and old-school.  And of course there’s our fantastic Andrews Sisters group, the “Ragg Dolls.”  With their period costumes, they look and sound like a million dollars.

All of that makes us unique, but most of all it’s the variety of styles we play that sets Raggs apart.  Whether it’s big band, Sinatra, Motown, disco, Latin, contemporary or whatever, we take pride in representing that style accurately.  The comment we hear most from people is, “you guys played something that everyone could to dance to, from the youngest kids to the grandparents and everyone in-between.”

About how many songs can you already play?  Do you take song requests?

We carry about 300 arrangements in our book, so there’s plenty to choose from on any given occasion.  There are probably that many more on file in my personal library, ready to use as people send me their requests during our planning sessions.   As a professional arranger, I am always adding new charts as people request their favorite songs.

What do you think the advantages are to having a live band instead of a DJ? 

Oh, my!  People interacting with live musicians is the fuel that makes it all happen.  There’s no substitute for the energy between a band and a floor full of dancers!

Do you have any advice for couples creating a song list? 

We suggest to couples to look over our song list, mark what they like and don’t like, then leave it to us to create a personalized set list for the event.  That way we can tailor the music to their taste, but in a way that also represents the best of the band as only we know how.  It works every time!

For more information please visit www.raggsandtheallstars.com. 

How pretty are these photos by Freed Photography  of this super stunning ceremony setup in the Columbus Club at Union Station?!

Syzygy, Edge Flowers, Plan It Parties and Showcall came together to create this winter wonderland this past November. Love it!