Jenn & Rob are hitched!

Congratulations to Rob & Jenn, who were married this past Saturday!

The rain was on and off all day, but it didn't dampen the spirits of the guests or the bride and groom, which is the important thing. Everyone was there to celebrate the marriage of two great people, and I'm so glad to have been a part of their day.

I had never been to Wakefield Chapel before, so Friday's rehearsal was the first chance I got to see it. How CUTE is this little church! Fairfax County's park system owns it, and man this little place is adorable. I wasn't expecting it to be in the middle of a neighborhood, but apparently the community had a big part in restoring the site so kudos goes to them for keeping such a little piece of history alive. The church holds a maximum of 99 people, which I would guess to be really tight. Jenn & Rob had about 80 guests, which filled it up pretty well.

Their reception was held at the Stone Mansion, another one of Fairfax County's historic properties. It's a rather large, simple, old house, but is really ideal for hosting small weddings. They added a tent on the back to allow for a DJ and dancing, so the reception was split between the house and the tent. The bar was set on a the covered porch between the tent and the house which was perfect.

I really enjoyed this wedding because my lovely associate, Mariah, was there to assist me throughout the day. We also brought Allison in for a few hours, who helped set up the reception and eased the time crunch. Mariah is finished with her training and up to speed, so I know she'll be great at coordinating weddings for her own clients. I'm so happy to have her on my team! Other people that made the day great were Cheryl at No. VA Executive Towncars and Limousine Service, DJ Tom L. with Black Tie DJs, April M. with the Cherry Blossom String Quartet, Officiant Ken Knapp, Creative Cakes, the Flower Gallery of Chantilly, and of course the fabulous Rich Dutchman!

A special recognition goes to the caterer, Marco Polo, for working out in the rain. They are also the caterer for my own wedding, so it was great to meet the captain and see how their staff worked together. They served a station buffet which included spring rolls, chicken satay, carved beef and turkey, roasted potatoes, green beans, stuffed shrimp, and even a mashed potato bar with regular AND sweet potatoes! I've never seen so many potato toppings in my life - they had butter, sour cream, chives, bacon pieces, gravy, cheese, brown sugar, cranberries, and just about anything you could ever think to put on top of a potato. As always, the food was amazing. I'm so excited to see them again in June!

Unfortunately I left my little camera at home, so I'll post some of Rich's photos as soon as I can!

Congratulations to Jennie & Joe!

A special congratulations goes out to our most recent couple, Jennie & Joe. They became husband and wife on Saturday, April 8th. Jennie hired us over a year ago, and we are glad to finally see her a Mrs.!!

They exchanged vows at Concord-St. Andrews United Methodist Church in Bethesda, then had an evening cocktail hour and dinner reception at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda. Their 325 closest family and friends joined them in their celebration, including a bridal party of 10. Jennie rivaled a magazine model in her beautiful gown, perfect hair, and flawless makeup, and she looked fabulous the whole night. Vendors included Marilynn Spindler of Sandi Foraci Photography, Cherry Blossom Strings, Creative Cakes, and Jeff Hulbert of Bialek's Music. A special kudos goes to Marilynn, who celebrated her birthday by shooting the wedding!

Some unique highlights of the wedding included a ceremony spoken only in Korean, a candy buffet, and the mothers of the bride and groom wearing traditional Korean hanboks. Everything was gorgeous! We truly are glad we were able to be a part of their celebration.

Here are some photos, although I didn't get many of my dad's "photography genes." Look out for more photos from Marilynn soon!

The church is ready to go!

Traditional receiving line

Beautiful (and tasty) cake
Fun candy buffet. It was a HUGE hit!
One tired groom!

Hitched Salon's Event, 4/30/06

The new high-end bridal salon in Georgetown named Hitched is having a cool event! They are collecting gently used bridesmaids dresses for a local charity, "Princess for a Night." This charity provides prom dresses for young ladies that are not able to purchase their own gown. Here's what they have to say about it:

"The Bridesmaids Brunch & Buy at the private garden at Hitched with a delicious brunch by Windows Catering Company
Sunday, April 30th from 11:00 am ~ 2:00 pm (open house)

RSVP by April 25th to info@hitchedsalon.com or call us at 202-333-6162.

Dresses can be dropped off throughout the month of April at Hitched during normal store hours (Tues. - Thurs. 12~8, Fri. 11~6, Sat. 9~5)."

See more info at their website!

Laura's an Aunt!

I have a nephew!!

Well, sort of...by almost-marriage! Chris' oldest sister, Kelly, and her husband, Nick, had their baby this past Friday! Conner Drew was born on April 7th at 5:25pm. He weighs in at 7 lbs 15 oz, and measured 21 inches! He was a week overdue, so I guess he had a few days to get extra big!! He's got 10 fingers, 10 toes, is very healthy, and is Super cute (with a capital S).

Kelly & Nick are doing great -- they're anxious for tomorrow when they can bring Connor home from the hospital. We're all so happy and excited for them as they begin the next chapter of their lives.

Congratulations, Kelly, Nick, & Capers ('older sister'/family dog)

Melissa, Matt, and the Cherry Blossoms

This weekend, one of our couples took engagement photographs downtown at the Tidal Basin. The Cherry Blossoms were in full bloom and the photos turned out BEAUTIFULLY! Kate Triano did a great job and it shows in the photos. See their slideshow here!

Melissa and Matt are planning their wedding to be held in November in Fairfax.

Kate's website has more photos, if you're still looking for a photographer.

Now we're getting somewhere...

After a 3.5-year engagement, Chris and I finally mailed our invitations out yesterday! It's SO amazing to have that weight lifted off our shoulders, and we're so excited to start getting responses.

My graphic-designer-aunt Susan was incredible during our planning stages, and did all the design work and printing for us as a wedding gift. Talk about luck!! I'm really pleased with how they came out, and will try to post some photos of one in the next day or two. My favorite parts are the embossed pineapple graphic, song lyric watermarks, and personal note on the back. Her company is Dobemark, although she primarily does graphic work for companies. I'm trying to convince her to do wedding invites as part of her business, but then she'd have to deal with crazy brides like me all the time!

If you're still in the planning stages of your wedding and haven't gotten to mail your invitations yet, just wait for it! The assembly days leading up to "the mailing" aren't so hot, but they really pay off in the end after you drop the last one in the mailbox.

Highlight of the day: my grandma got hers already and called to tell me how great they look. ::blush::

Other Coordinators

This weekend I had the neat opportunity to meet other wedding coordinators in the DC area! We all got together in Old Town for a few hours and shared ideas, business practices, and resources.

I'm so glad to have finally met these other people I've heard so much about on the Knot DC message boards and through other vendors. Kim and Angel with Serendipity Special Events, Lauren with Breathe Events, Deb with The Raspberry Carousel, Meredith with Elegant Engagements, Kim with A Timeless Affair, Lynn and Priscilla with The Finer Points, Vicky with Event Accomplished, Linda with Sparkle Event Planning, and Shana with Designs by Epiphany were all present! They helped reconfirm why I love my job and also provided some inspiration to know I'm not the only one who struggles with certain aspects of owning a business. I hope, too, that the other planners felt the same way!

We're hoping to make it a quarterly event, which I'm very very excited about. Hopefully this will not only make us better business people, but also spur better service in the wedding industry and for our clients.

Some of DC's finest wedding coordinators!
Photo taken by Brandon, compliments of Vicky Choy's camera
(and thanks, Lauren, for bringing the photographer!)