The beautiful bride has shared a little bit about her day with us…first up, her inspiration and favorite wedding detail…

I always knew that I wanted a traditional, classic black tie wedding but I also wanted it to be a reflection of both Branden and I. We instantly feel in love with the St. Regis in Washington DC, it is known for its timeless elegance and that is how we wanted out wedding to feel. The ballroom is not overwhelmingly big which allowed us to capture that feeling of being at an intimate dinner party with the people we love the most in the world. The beautiful terrace outside allowed us to be a little whimsical and unexpected with tables covered in a beautiful black and white flower toile which created the illusion of being at a romantic garden party. We didn’t want our wedding to feel stuffy so we took inspiration from one of my favorite designers, Kate Spade. We wanted to use color in an unexpected way which she does often, so I chose rich Kelly Green Bridesmaid Dresses by LulaKate to bring in a pop of color and bright and light pink flowers for my bridesmaids flowers and centerpieces which added a sweet preppy feel.

My dress, Christos by Amsale, really captured the feeling we wanted for our wedding which was timeless and classic. The lace lent itself to the traditional black tie affair, but by adding a black sash that tied into a large double black bow in the back not only subtly reinforced the theme of our wedding but was a true reflection of me, for anyone that knows me, knows how much I love bows and that I can almost always be found in black.

For our wedding stationary we incorporated the pop of color with the front of the card in Kelly Green with the phrase “Debby and Branden are getting Married…” in gold and then on the back of the card in black and white we had fun including our wedding date which is my favorite detail of our wedding 09.10.11. Our invitations were simple and classic in black and white but we incorporated small details such as a black and white striped liner for both our save the dates and our wedding invitations which we carried over into black and white striped linen for our bars.  The phrase “The Best is Yet to Come” which was printed in gold on the shoulder of our invitations and on our napkins is from the lyrics from our wedding song “Someone like you” I loved that these little details were unexpected and added an element of surprise.

Since the St. Regis in only about 2 blocks away from The White House you can’t not feel like you are a part of history as Presidents both past and present have walked the hallways of the St. Regis, this lead to us using Presidents names for our table numbers which is one of my favorite details from our wedding day as this was Branden’s idea.

It is hard to pick a favorite moment of your wedding day…but Debby did have a few that stood out to her!

1. Riding in a vintage 1964 Bentley that I surprised my father with. I remember just feeling so calm as we drove to the church together, I will always cherish those few minutes we had alone just laughing and talking and taking it all in. The best part of our drive together was how calm and relaxed I felt as we road through Georgetown.

2. There was a moment during the night that Branden and I took a moment to ourselves and stepped outside on to the terrace, we looked around and there were people outside drinking and laughing and then we looked inside at the ballroom and the dance floor was packed, it was a great moment to be surrounded by the people we love the most in our lives and see that they were having just as much fun as we were.

3. But, my absolute favorite memory is when the doors of the church opened and I saw Branden for the first time, as I walked down the aisle he was the only person I could see and when I got close enough he said “You Look Beautiful”, it was as if time stopped and it was just the two of us standing there.

And, as for any DIY projects…

I didn’t have too many DIY elements other than often creating Powerpoint presentations for my vendors so that they could really see my vision. My favorite presentation that I created was for our wedding website. I couldn’t find a template that I liked and that I felt that went with our theme and since this was an out of town wedding for everyone, Branden’s family is form Cincinnati, my family is from Connecticut and we live in New York it was important that our website be a tool that our guests could refer to and use to make their travel plans as easy as possible. I hired graphic designer Damian Barchowsky to make our wedding website and it still is one of my favorite elements of our wedding, especially the map that Daley Ann made. Our wedding website is http://debbyandbranden.com/

The fabulous vendor team:

Venue: St. Regis

Ceremony: St John’s Episcopal Church Georgetown Parish

Cocktail Music: Celebrated Strings

Planning: A. Dominick Events

Photography: Rob Garland Photographers

Stationery: Cheree Berry Paper

Cake: St. Regis with flowers by K. Rose Cakes

Floral and Design: Multiflor

Band: Class Act Band

Lighting: Frost Lighting

Dance Floor: Perkins Productions

Candy Bar: Georgetown Candy

Rentals: Party Rental, DC Rental, La Tavola

Transportation: Atlantic

Vintage Car: Regal Limousine

Hair: George Salon

Make Up: Lindsay Steffens Montgomery

Credit: Martha Stewart Weddings; Haute Papier

Credit: Cheree Berry Paper

For this wedding by A. Dominick Events, Frost Lighting used a modern monogram designed by Cheree Berry Paper to create a custom gobo projection for the dance floor at the Ritz-Carlton…when it was time to dance, guests hit the d-floor hard!

How beautiful is this?!

Photo: Paul Morse

Also, I want to mention the new book by Grace Ormonde, Editor-in-Chief of Wedding Style magazine, “Being in Love Never Goes Out Of Style.”  D.C. Vendors such as Amaryllis, Andre Wells, and Design Cuisine have been featured. Check it out here. Fun!

As some of you may remember, Devon was married this past September.  And, her wedding most certainly showcased her incredible taste, organization and attention to detail – not to mention that Devon was one of the most poised and gorgeous brides I have ever seen!  Here is a peak at the incredible photos by Patricia Lyons of Devon’s Friday night Rehearsal Dinner…

So you ask, what now?  Well, leave it to Devon to find the next perfect step in life.  Moving to Chicago, Devon has merged her passion for weddings and her love affair with beautiful paper design to embark on her new chapter in life, representing Cheree Berry Paper in the Windy City.

So, get excited, because Devon will be back in the District for the rescheduled Engaged! in Washington event on Sunday, March 28th from 4:00 pm – 9:00 pm at the Ritz-Carlton, representing Cheree Berry Paper.

We wish her the best of luck and look forward to her updates as she continues to take our fabulous wedding industry by storm!  In the meantime, here is more eye candy for your enjoyment!  oxox.

Breathtaking, right?!

The fabulous vendor team behind Devon’s Friday night celebration:

Venue: King Family Vineyard

Catering: A Pimento Catering

Floral and Decor: Beehive Events

Cake: Kendall’s Cakes

Paper: Cheree Berry Paper

Calligraphy: Elizabeth Porcher Jones

Photography: Patricia Lyons Photography

Lighting and A/V: Blue Ridge Lightforms

Videography: Blue Sky Films

Make Up: Lindsay Steffens Montgomery

Hair: Bridal Hair by Remona

Remember to book your appointment with the oh-so-talented designer Cheree Berry for next week!

Lucky for DC Brides, Cheree will be in DC from January 6th – January 8th and taking appointments.  Email me at danielle@districtweddings.com to set up time to meet Cheree!

If you’ve picked up the most recent issue of Martha Stewart Weddings (Summer 2009), you will have likely seen the gorgeous photos of Cheree’s wedding, held last September in St. Louis, Missouri.  Cheree Berry is one of my all-time favorite wedding vendors.  (She’s the one behind the fabulous logo of this blog!)

Cheree redefines creativity.  She mixes a fun sparkle with a hint of elegance and a taste for flair.  Check out her wedding cake…perfectly decorated with her own paper design…

Photo: Martha Stewart Weddings

So, isn’t that garland SO FUN?  I love it!  It makes the most picture-perfect backdrop against which you could display any wedding cake, or even use it as a backdrop for a Polaroid guest book station!

Here’s the How-To, straight from Cheree…

Tools and Materials
To prepare the Styrofoam balls:
Four 1 1/2-inch Styrofoam balls (Baisch & Skinner)
Two 2 1/2-inch Styrofoam balls
Two 3 1/2-inch Styrofoam balls
One 4 1/2-inch Styrofoam balls
Floral spray paint in red

To string each garland:
Soft-flex beading wire (a little less than 1 yard per strand)
Needle-nose pliers with wire cutters
2 O rings
4 crimp beads
2 1/4-inch red beads
6-inch straight upholstery needle
Fishing line and hooks for hanging

1. Spray paint the Styrofoam balls with the floral spray paint, and let dry.

2. Cut 30 inches of the beading wire. Secure an O ring at one end: Thread the end of the wire through 2 crimp beads, and then loop it through the O ring. Thread the end back through the 2 crimp beads, and pinch them with pliers to grip the wire. (This is the same process you’d use to attach a jump ring to the end of a necklace in jewelry-making.)

3. Slip a 1/4 inch bead onto the wire from the other end, and slide it next to the crimp beads; this will keep the O-ring from cutting into the Styrofoam ball.

4. Thread the free end of the wire through the eye of the upholstery needle, and begin stringing the balls, piercing the balls through the middle with the upholstery needle. Once all balls have been strung, finish off the end of the garland by adding a red bead and slipping the wire through the 2 remaining crimp beads, and then loop it through the remaining O ring and back through the crimp beads, shortening wire so crimp beads are close to the red bead. Then pinch the crimp beads to grip the wire.

5. Use fishing line to tie multiple strands together end to end. To hang, attach removable self-adhesive picture hooks to the wall, and slip O rings over the hooks.

Photos & Source: Martha Stewart Weddings

I’ll be back soon with a new batch of amazing Real Wedding photos!  In the  meantime, thanks for your patience as I slowly answer your emails.  I promise to respond very soon!

When I set out to create a site dedicated to the loveliness of D.C. weddings, I was inspired by this picture…

My admiration of cherry blossoms was complemented by my awe of our magnificent Capitol Building. I think it is unbelievably majestic and so stunning.  Whenever I see a picture of this building, no matter where I am, I am always reminded of D.C. and the beauty of this city.

These two pictures were the inspiration behind the District Weddings logo!  Cheree Berry did an amazing job of translating this vision into exactly what I was looking for.  She’s truly the best at what she does.  I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for that extra-special wedding invitation suite.

More to come later today…including D.C.-inspired idea boards and a fun giveaway!

Whether you are in love with letterpress, or you prefer flat printing, Cheree will guide you through the invitation process with a helping hand and a lot of laughter.  For invitation eye candy that will keep you busy all day, check out her oh-so-cute website…