Happy Anniversary Minh-Thu & Rith!

Last year at this time we were headed from Minh-Thu and Rith's traditional Vietnamese ceremony at Minh-Thu's parents house to Lansdowne Resort to set up their western ceremony and reception for 300 guests. The previous day they had a traditional Cambodian ceremony at Rith's Father's house, and all the events of the weekend were truly joy filled as their families joined.  We just wanted to take a moment to congratulate them on their 1 year anniversary!

All of the images below are from Kate Triano Photography.  

Barrel Oak Winery

Last weekend my husband and I, and 2 of our dogs (the lucky ones), got to go with us to Barrel Oak Winery. Barrel oaks' slogan "We're an Hour from Downtown and a World Away", is really a true statement!  I love this winery's setup. It's kid & dog friendly, has fire-pits, picnic tables, and umbrellas spread out all over their hillside so you can relax and enjoy the scenery with a glass of wine. You can bring our own picnic food, buy a chilled bottle of wine, and use their complementary glasses.  They also rent their facilities and offer various vineyard locations where you can hold an outdoor or tented event.  I will definitely be going back soon! 

Kathryn and Andy - Married! - Whitehall Manor

In late October Kathryn and Andy were married at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Gainesville followed by a beautiful reception at Whitehall Manor in Bluemont,Virginia.  Because of the distance between the two locations, Kathryn knew hiring a coordinator would help make their day stress-free and take care of all the little details such as her DIY centerpieces consisting of tree trunk slivers, cylinder vases wrapped with raffia and leaf details with floating candles, and birch wrapped votives.   

It was a picture perfect fall day as they said I do, and I personally loved the dresses and suits that Kathryn and Andy picked out for their entire bridal party. The long chocolate dresses with ruffle back detail and the navy suits with striped ties looked perfect. All the girls got ready at Carlos Salon & Spa and the salon did an amazing job with Kathryn's hair. Connie's Cake Creations created a lovely lace detailed cake and Evan from MyDeejay kept everyone on the dance floor all night long.  Mark Kent Photography captured these images from the day. 

Summer Backyard Wedding - Warming thing up!

It's getting cold in DC, so I have a fun backyard wedding to share with you from this past August. 

Dan and Shaina were married in late August at Shaina's Dad's house in Haymarket, Virginia. With 200+ guests, a tight budget, and a desire to create a personal, fun, and casual backyard event, we were up to the challenge.  The ceremony was held on the beautiful red roofed porch with a few chairs for the parents and grandparents and blankets for others to lounge on as they enjoyed a drink and waited for the ceremony to begin. It was really like a rock concert when the bride and groom made their way to the front.  A close friend of the couple, officiated the ceremony, with his notes written on a paper towel roll that included jokes and stories about when the Dan and Shaina first met.  Another close friend to the couple, Cliff Owen, was there to capture all the moments and details of the day. 

Fans were provided as favors to keep guests cool, and both the bride and bridesmaids carried silk fans instead of traditional flower bouquets.  Since both the bride and groom share a love for motorcycles and riding, Dan's vintage Honda was displayed and instead of a simple bride and groom signs on their chairs, their signs included logos for their bike of choice, Honda and Ducati.  Red and white plastic TV trays were used as place setting for the sweetheart table and tall candlesticks and pillar candles added to the look. The other guests tables were decorated with vintage glass bottles, candles, candlesticks, shot glasses, cards, and red dice for the guests to use for games throughout the night.  In addition to traditional backyard barbecue food, such as hotdogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob, and a multitude of salads, guests has a choice of red velvet or double chocolate cupcakes from none other than Georgetown Cupcakes.  Capital Party Rentals supplied the tent, table, and chairs, while Shaina's Dad built and painted the red dance floor. Bar Tender 2 Go supplied bartenders to keep the drinks flowing, and DJ Jeff Mercer provided the beats.  

Unique Guest Books

When many brides think about their guest book, it's a last minute thought, if at all, but your guest book can make a statement and be something cherished and displayed in or around your house for years to come.  Here are some unique ideas that couples have used in the past. What will you be using for a guest book? I'm personally in love with the old Chevy guest book, so cool!

First Row: Olive Juice Photography/Second Row: Adeline & Grace Weddings/Third Row: Adeline & Grace Weddings,The Beautiful Mess/ Fourth Row: Jessica Watson/ Fifth Row: Joshua Caine

Featured on United With Love - New DC Wedding Blog

I'm so excited to share with you the amazing new wedding inspiration blog, United with Love. 

United with Love features fresh ideas and inspiration for weddings in the greater Washington, DC area. To read more about the super cute editors, Juli and Noel, and the goals of United With Love, jump on over to the new site here.  I promise it's full of great ideas and eye candy to inspire.  I'm particularly in love with their recent post about food trucks for weddings and events. Can you imagine the cool Red Hook Lobster Pound truck pulling up to your engagement party to provide yummy lobster rolls to your guests after a few drinks? Such a fun idea.    

One of our upcoming destination weddings couples, Astrid and Fred, were also recently featured on United with Love for their cute DC e-session with Kate Triano Photography.

Scouting Trip

I often go on scouting trips with my husband and one or more of our pups. Yesterday we headed out to a local park with a boat ramp which I think is perfect for an upcoming photo shoot with one of our couples. The changing leaves look perfect and even though it was a little cold, Bali stayed warm with a vest that one of our neighbor's kids donated.  

Meg & Matt Married - Old Town and Key Bridge Marriott

This September we were honored to witness Meg and Matt say "I do" at Blessed Sacrament in Alexandria and then celebrate their marriage in style with a gorgeous view over the city. We had been working with Meg and her Mom for months planning all the details from the beautiful invitation and paper products by Baumbirdy on Etsy, to the chocolate monument favors, to the flowers by J. Morris, including the most wonderfully fragrant gardenias.  The all low table arrangements were created to ensure an unobstructed view out of the wrap around floor to ceiling windows at the Key Bridge Marriott. Antiqued pottery vases were filled with blue, green, and white hydrangea, blue thistle, limes, pears, apples, and green spider mums to bring in the vibrant green color to contrast the deep navy linens.  White chivari chairs with navy cushions from Party Rental Ltd. completed the look.  We also lined the windows with floating candles in cylinder vases and votives to add to the atmosphere.  Cassidy DuHon captured all the great details and even took Meg, Matt and the Bridal party around Old Town near the water before cocktail hour began.

Here are some of the the details from Meg and Matt's wedding day.  I hope you enjoy!