Planner, Terri Eaves of Bash shares a bit of insight on the wedding inspiration,

“Ally and Josh wanted their wedding to be a reflection of their life together. Fun, untraditional and a party!  They love specialty brews, concerts and music. They are also night owls-their ceremony did not start until 8:00pm!  Initially, Ally’s ideas scared me!  However, once I met Ally and saw the inspiration boards she had created on her Mac, I knew this wedding would be one to remember. The first and only venue that came to mind was Long View Gallery. Ally and Josh love art and an urban space was the only one that would fit the bill.  There were a few things that Ally had to have on her wedding day: a short, vintage inspired dress, skulls, Baccara roses, leopard print and aubergine.  The mis-matched look wasn’t too hard to pull together at all!

As guests arrived, they entered thru the front of the gallery. High and low cocktail tables with sheer leopard print linens were topped with low arrangements of red flowers.  The bar had clear chandeliers hanging overhead, and across from the bar was Four Star Combo, a rockabilly and classic honky tonk band.  Guests moved up the ramp towards the back half of the gallery where the ceremony took place. Seating was arranged on three sides and pipe and drape separated the ceremony area from what would later become the dinner area and dance floor.

The wedding party (guys dressed in all black, with red print ties and Converse, ladies in all black with a single Baccara rose), walked down the aisle to Four Star Combo’s version of “All Shook Up”. Ally entered with her father, wearing a Vineyard Collection dress with hint of tulle peaking out underneath, and red patent heels, to “Sexy and 17″. Ally’s mom officiated the ceremony.”

After the ceremony, guests walked back down the ramp to cocktails, taking place in the front of the gallery. Four Star Combo continued to play hits from “Daddy-O” to “Linda Lu”. Main Event Caterers passed a signature Mangorita (the groom loves fruit and frozen drinks), macaroni and cheese topped with bbq chicken, beef empanadas, peach gazpacho and watermelon cubes filled with balsamic oil and rosemary salt. During cocktails, Nour Kazoun, Makeup By Nour Kazoun for Madeupart, transformed Ally’s vintage glam look, to a bit more punk rock. She applied more eye shadow, softened her lips and Ally took off her veil and changed into black heels.

After cocktails, guests moved into the back part of the gallery for dinner and dancing. Four food stations were set up: Tuscan Hillside, Harajuku Love (Tokyo), Savannah and Summer Salads.  Each station had multiple menu items, from sushi and wild mushroom gigante ravioli to fried chicken and grilled peach and avocado salad.  The decor was a mix of urban and pretty – steel dining tables with black chivaris, tall florals with hanging amaranthus and taper candles, a half circle, steel corrugated bar and purple leopard gobo on the floor.

The cake, provided by Fluffy Thoughts, was a mix of some of the couple’s loves: tattoos, skulls and leopard print.  Each panel had a skull or tattoo inspired print, alternating with the leopard gobo used on the dance floor.  Sugar skulls adorned the corners of the cake.

The highlight of the evening was the bride’s father teaching guests “The Time Warp”, from The Rocky Horror Picture Show.  (This was his only request for the entire wedding.) DJ Lil’e played this tune for him, as he took center stage.  After, DJ Lil’e spun the rest of the night, appropriately clad in all black with many tattoos.

The fabulous vendor team:

Alcohol: Ace Beverage

Planner: Bash

Hair: Bridal Hair by Remona

Decor/Flowers: Capital Decor and Events

DJ: DJ Lil’e

Photographer: Documentary Associates

Lighting: EventEQ

Cake: Fluffy Thoughts

Band: Four Star Combo, MSE Productions

Venue: Long View Gallery

Make Up: Makeup By Nour Kazoun for Madeupart

Caterer: Main Event Caterers

Dress: Priscilla of Boston

Tyler tells us, “We picked Lansdowne as our ceremony and reception location for its ability to hold the rehearsal dinner, the ceremony, and the reception as well as provide rooms for our guests at a reasonable rate.  We liked to call it our “wedding compound”.  It was also a great location for its proximity to Dulles airport for the large number of out of town guests and for the beautiful grounds which included three pools, 2 golf courses, and a huge spa.  At the end of the day we wanted everything to be easy – for us and our guests.  Lansdowne followed through, their staff was friendly and efficient and provided us with the wedding of our dreams.”

After booking Lansdowne Resort, Tyler’s parents (John and Amy) and Luke started in on the details.  They chose fuschia and charcoal as their wedding colors with black as an accent.  After meeting with a family friend who was starting her own invitation business, they decided to use a charcoal and black paisley background with bold fuschia coloring.  The paisley would become a theme throughout the wedding from the save the dates and invitations to the cake and linens.

As Tyler’s parents are from Atlanta, GA, Tyler purchased her Amsale Serena wedding gown at Bridal’s by Lori salon in Dunwoody, GA (the salon is now featured on Say Yes To The Dress Atlanta).  Monte Durham, the salon’s fashion director, was from the DC area and recommended Remona Soleimani of Bridal Hair by Remona as a top hair stylist in the area and Remona was able to recommend Nour Kazoun of Made Up Art Makeup as the best make-up artist.  Tyler exclaims that “Remona and Nour could not have done a better job and I felt like the most beautiful bride for my wedding day.” Of course, at District Weddings, we agree about these two Favorites!

Tyler’s friend and bridesmaid, Kim, suggested that she check out the headpiece Alyssa Milano wore for her wedding which was featured on the cover of People Magazine.  After investigating the designer, Tyler fell in love with the headpieces from Maria Elena.  She chose a very romantic piece that complimented her dress and her wedding day hair style.

As June 26^th, 2010 turned out to be an incredibly hot day, Tyler and Luke provided guests at the ceremony with sandlewood fans with their names and wedding date.  They proved to be incredibly useful for them men in suits and a good way to entertain the children.

At the ceremony, bells Tyler’s great grandmother had collected on her travels throughout the world were placed on the front two rows for family to ring as Tyler and Luke were introduced as man and wife.  Tyler’s parents, John and Amy, also had these same bells rung at their wedding 36 years ago.

The happy bride shares, “At the end of the day we wanted our wedding to be fun and enjoyable for people.  The day was not just about us, but it was about all the people coming to the event who had loved and supported us along the way.  A chance for them to celebrate our love and to imbibe on some good food and drink, while dancing the night away.”

The fabulous vendor team:

Ceremony and Reception Site: Lansdowne Resort

Floral and Decor: Divine Designs & Events

Photography: Paired Images

Officiant: Say “I do” Your Way, Jim Campbell

Ceremony Music: Cherry Blossom String Quartet

Hair: Bridal Hair by Remona

Make Up: Made Up Art Makeup

Bridesmaid Dresses: Betsy Robinson’s Bridal, Priscilla of Boston

Linens: Select Event Rentals

Lighting: Frost Lighting

With unique jewelry from Charles Schwartz and Sons, stunning make up by Nour Kazoun of MadeUp Art Makeup and sleek hair by Bridal Hair by Remona, sister models Shirin and Shaudi Malakooti looked absoletly charming.

Guests enjoyed delicious cupcakes from Fancy Cakes by Leslie and gift bags from the Four Seasons.  Thanks to Julia MacInnis for sharing the photographs! What an all-start team!

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

So, let’s talk hair trials.

I had mine three weeks ago with Remona Soleimani, one of the best wedding hair stylists in the DC area (she’s a District Favorite).  And boy, she really is fantastic.

I had a pretty good idea of what I wanted.  I had ripped out pictures from magazines, so I brought them with me.  Okay, here is where Remona blew me away.

I brought these pictures…

And Remona nailed it on the first try.  At least I thought she did.  I loved it.  It was exactly what I was looking for.  However, she wasn’t so satisfied with her work.  So she took it down and started again.

Second time around — she nailed it again.  It looked so good.  It was slightly different than the first time, but I loved it nonetheless.  I figured I was good to go, and started to get up from her chair.

“Do you have more time?” she asked.  Wait.  She just asked me if I had more time?  Um, yes.  I have lots of time.  ”Great,” she said, “Let’s try it again.”

And so we did.  We tried it four more times.  She started from the top, then she started from the bottom, then she curled my hair with a curling iron, and THEN she plucked an orchid from the potted plant at the salon as a finishing touch.

It was beautiful.

Bottom line…she wanted it to be perfect.  She wanted to know exactly what she was doing.  She wanted to keep my pictures, so she could practice more at home.  How amazing is that?!?

And then, after all of that, she asked me to send her pictures of my bridesmaids (she’s doing their hair too), so she could have an idea of what their hair is like before she arrives on the wedding day.

Ladies, if you’re looking for someone who will do an incredible job with your hair, someone who will practice until its perfect, and someone who’s just as fun to be around — go with Remona.

Remona, you’re the best.  I couldn’t feel more comfortable, or more excited.  Maybe I won’t look like Jessica or Charlize, but at least I’ll love my hair.

Oh yeah.  Advice on Hair Trials.  Here’s what I’ve learned…

1 – Bring pictures and your camera.

2 – Bring your veil and any hair clips or accessories

3 – Be flexible and open to trying things you may not have considered.  I loved my first hair style, but that’s not always the case.

4 – When you have a finished product, take lots of pictures.

5 – Be sure to put your veil in while you’re at the salon (you’d be surprised how many people bring them and then never put them in)

6 – If you color/highlight your hair, ask your stylist about highlights for your wedding.  I’m having mine done three days before the big day, as any roots would be pretty obvious with the way I’m wearing my hair.

7 – Go with your gut (not the way your fiance likes your hair best).  This is, of course, ultimately up to you.  I’ll just say I’ve met quite a few girls who wished they had worn their hair differently on their wedding day, but at the time, they just went with what their fiance wanted.

8 – Enjoy it!  Bring your mom or maid of honor (you only need one other opinion, so don’t bring a whole slew of people).

Finally!!  After days and days and days of rain, the sun is shining and I am happy.  I’ll be back later today to announce our BRIDE WARS giveaway winner, but for now, Lyndsay, our fabulous Bridal Contributor, is here to share a few ideas for finding the perfect wedding hair style…

From Lyndsay…

When it comes to your wedding hairstyle, it is not a simple hair-up, hair-down or some combination in-between decision…if only it were that easy! 

Today, stylists can create countless hairstyles so it is a necessity to take time to think about how you want your hair to look on your special day.  Do you want a classic and beautiful, glamorous and striking or simple and relaxed look?  Do you want picture stunning curls, romantic waves or straight locks?  Do you want to incorporate a flower or a hair piece into your style? 

Photos: Chris Bickford (top left); Elisa Cicinelli (bottom left); Abigail Seymour (right)

There are so many fantastic resources waiting to inspire you!  Bridal magazines, wedding blogs and wedding websites are a great starting point.  If you don’t see what you’re looking for, entertainment magazines and entertainment websites are other great resources.  The hairstyles adorned on red carpets and in celebrity articles are always gorgeous and in style! 

Once you have determined your perfect look, you need to convey what you want to your hair stylist.  For every bride, a hair trial is critical!  While we can leave much in our lives up to chance, your wedding hairstyle should not be one of them.   It is essential to prepare for your hair trial as words can be too vague, so make sure to bring pictures to your appointment to convey what you truly want!

 Photos: A Bryan Photo (top left and bottom); Beckers Blog (top right) 

As a bride, you want every detail of your wedding attire to be picture perfect!  Taking the time to get your hairstyle right will top off your look on your special day!

Looking for a hair stylist who will come to you on your wedding day?  Remona and Gisele are two of our favorite local bridal stylists.  They are two of the best!