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Now, to continue this week’s start, on to today’s Real Wedding…

Kyle and John were married last spring at Longview Gallery. Their wedding is really their own and I am thrilled that Garrett Hubbard has shared the pictures of the day with us!

The fabulous vendor team:

Photographer: Garrett Hubbard

Caterer: Occasions Caterers

Makeup: Makeup by Brooke 

Event Coordinator: RSVP Event Planning

Venue: Longview Gallery

Lisa and Dan wanted a traditional and classic art gallery wedding, but one that also incorporated important personal details.  Lisa absolutely loves the color pink and for her wedding paired it with a deep navy blue.  Her French style hand tied bridal bouquet featured dark pink garden roses, and  the walls of the gallery featured brilliant pink canvases — a perfect backdrop for pictures!

The fabulous vendor team:

Photography: Michael Connor and Andrew Harnik, Connor Studios

Flowers: Jack Lucky

Event Planning: Pineapple Productions

Catering: Occasions Caterers

Ceremony Location: St. Columba’s Episcopal Church, Washington, D.C.

Reception Location: Corcoran Gallery of Art

Invitations: Just Paper and Tea

Dress: Priscilla of Boston

Graphic Design (bookmarks and table numbers): Empress Stationery

Calligraphy: Arney Walker Calligraphy

Photo Credit: Kelsey Thompson

Kindly RSVP to rsvpdc@elanartists.com!

I hope that you all had a fabulous holiday and are hitting the new year with energy and excitement for what is to come — I know that I certainly am! Do we have any new engagements out there?

Today, I am psyched to kick off the new year with this beautiful wedding planned by A. Dominick Events – elegant, whimsical, and custom, all wrapped up in one marvelous day!

Monique and Graham were married at Christ Church in Georgetown and then headed over to historic Evermay for their reception.  All of the custom paper was designed by Cheree Berry Paper and the lovely decor by Multiflor.

Despite the rain, guests stayed dry and warm in the tent  on the patio – which felt like an extension of the historic home.  The night really heated up when Nation and Sin Miedo played with Latin flair.

The fabulous vendor team:

Planner: A. Dominick Events

Stationery: Cheree Berry Paper

Venue: Evermay

Ceremony: Christ Church

Catering: Occasions

Valet: Atlantic Valet

Band: Nation and Sin Miedo

Photographer: Greg Gibson

Floral: Multiflor

Cake: Patisserie Poupon

Vintage Car: RMA Transportation

Tent: HDO Tents

Lighting: Frost Lighting

Ceremony Music: Celebrated Strings

Hair: Meg Ford

Video: Blue Sky Films

Favor: Baked and Wired

Credits: Martha Stewart Weddings; Martha Stewart Weddings

For all of you fall brides out there who are finalizing the last minute details of your wedding, here are a few signature drink ideas. Cheers!

Credits: Drink by Occasions Caterers; Apply Ginger Sangaree by Occasions Caterers; Mulled Wine by Celenas Cocina; Drink by Occasions Caterers; Food and Wine

I absolutely adore the classic black and white decor, the polished attire, and the beautiful courtyard ceremony at the Decatur House.

Thanks to The Observatory and Documentary Associates and Elegance & Simplicity Wedding & Event Designers, Inc. for sharing the images!

The cake by Cakes by Design and the delicious food by one of my Favorites, Occasion Catering looks to die for — and you just cannot beat the festive colors of Izze and Jones Soda. Love!

Congrats Virdina, Kevin and the entire vendor team!

The fabulous vendor team:

Planner, Flowers, Photo Wall, and Guest Book Wall:  Elegance & Simplicity Wedding & Event Designers, Inc.

Catering: Occasion Catering

Décor, Furniture, and Lighting: Ampa Events

Linens: Table Manners

DJ: Disc Jockeys on Call

Officiant: Jim Burch

Photography: The Observatory and Documentary Associates

Venue: Decatur House

Color Analysis, Bride, Groom, and Bridesmaid Styling: Polished Image and Style

Videography: Jessica Pi

Hair: Elegant Hair by Giselle

Make-up: Carola Myers

Live Streaming Video Marry Me Live

Wedding Cake: Cakes by Design

Do you think being an industry insider made certain aspects of your wedding planning process more effortless or more difficult?

Some aspects of the planning process are certainly easier because I am an industry insider.  Of course I know who my caterer will be!    Usually when couples start planning their wedding, one of the first things they do is book a caterer and decide on a menu.  For me, that is the least of my worries- I can always worry about the food later.  I also have the advantage of being familiar with the rental companies and their equipment inventories.  Often brides are overwhelmed by all of the choices available to them when it comes to linens, china, glassware etc. but I am very familiar with what is available and I think I have a pretty clear idea of what I would like to do for my wedding.  The flip side to this is that I sometimes feel like I have seen it all, and the tricky part is to use my resources to pull together an event that feels unique and special.

Some parts of the planning process are just as new to me as they probably are to all the other girls getting married.  I did not realize how complicated dress shopping would be!  I certainly thought I would be able to find a dress after only visiting one or two boutiques, but what I quickly learned is that most of the stores only carry a small sample of the designer’s full collections.  In order to compare and contrast, I feel like I really needed to visit as many shops as possible!

What sorts of information were you privy to while planning your wedding that many of our readers would not be?

I definitely feel like my existing relationships with vendors in the industry have made this experience much more manageable.  For example, most brides wouldn’t know who to call if they wanted to hire busses to transport their guests from the hotel to the reception, or if they wanted to hire a valet company to park cars upon guests’ arrival, but I knew exactly who to contact.  All it took was one quick email and that part was taken care of!

I also think I had a better idea for how much everything would cost.  Most brides have no idea what a wedding costs, but because I plan other people’s weddings all the time I feel like I have the upper hand in knowing what things should cost.  I don’t need to spend all of my time bidding each part of the wedding out to three different vendors because I know what the price is going to be before they even tell me!

One tip that I always tell my brides is that a little lighting goes a long way.  Regardless of the venue, lighting always enhances the environment and gives the event a look that flowers alone cannot accomplish.

Did you find inspiration for your wedding from the events you have planned, or do you think being involved in so many weddings made you more clear of what you did not want for your own special day?

Planning other people’s weddings definitely has given me a more clear vision for what I would like in my own event.  I get so many unique and creative ideas from brides, and I am so excited to pull some of those ideas into my own event.  I am constantly making personal notes of all of the ideas that I have gathered from my own experiences so that when it comes time to pull all of the details for my own wedding together I will have a good source of inspiration.

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Thank you to Jayne for sharing her planning experience with us and I certainly hope that she tells us when she does create her menu – I can only imagine how divine it will be!

The bride and her ladies look like they are right out of a photo shoot, simply gorgeous.  The fabulous Carine’s Bridal Atelier designed custom bridesmaid dresses for each lady, gowns that you could actually wear again after the wedding – crazy, right?!

I love this moment with Bridget and her father on the way to the church – again, this is such a great shot that it looks like a pre-designged photo shoot.  The American flag in the background is so fantastically DC inspired.  Jennifer Lust Portrait Design makes me feel like I am actually with them on their big day.

After pronounced husband and wife, Bridget and Ryan are so happy that they look they are going to skip down the aisle.

Here are the elegant rooms shots with the gold chivari chairs, the mix of tall and low neutral arrangements by DaVinci Florist, Laura Hooper Calligraphy on the menus…yes, I am gushing.

How cool is the Notre Dame ice sculpture?!  A personal detail that is playful and unique.  Then, don’t you just want to get on the dance floor with the bride and groom?  Sound Connection by Andy Kushner Entertainment rocked it.

The fabulous vendor team:

Church: St. Aloysius Catholic Church

Reception: Andrew Mellon Auditorium

Photography: Jennifer Lust Portrait Design

Dress: Christian LaCroix – Carine’s Bridal Atelier

Bridesmaid Dresses: Custom made by Carine’s Bridal Atelier

Floral,  Lighting, Linens: DaVinci Florist

Band: Sound Connection – Andy Kushner Entertainment

Invitations, Menus, Place Cards: Laura Hooper Calligraphy

Video: Suburban Video

Caterer: Occasions Caterers

Hair: Jean Bay – Salon Jean

Make-up: Stacy Ferguson

Event Coordinator and Designer: SoCo Events

Aimee Dominick, planner extraordinaire and owner of A. Dominick Events,  pulled together this gorgeous fête.

The picture perfect couple is not only one of the most handsome I have seen, but also are two of the kindest and thoughtful individuals of all time.  They truly deserve each other.

Alex and her sister, Isabella, have such a special relationship….

Can’t you just feel Alex and Taylor’s happiness from these beautiful photographs?!

I love the sweet cake-topper that Alex made and painted herself out of wooden clothes pins – how cute?! And, why not share a beer after the ceremony? Yum.

The Fabulous Vendor Team:

Planner: A. Dominick Events

Photography: Jay Premack Photography

Flowers: Sidra Forman

DJ: Evan Reitmeyer – MyDeeJay

Video: humanstory films

Catering: Occasions Caterers

Classical Guitarist: Said Tinat

Hair: Elegant Hair by Giselle – Giselle Chreky

Makeup: Kim Reyes