Hitched Maids - Grand Opening!

Hitched Bridal Salon has just hatched Hitched Maids, a fresh bridesmaid dress shop located on the 2nd floor of 1523 Wisconsin Avenue, right above their bridal boutique in Georgetown.  Hitched Maids provides an inviting space to look at fabulous dresses from Amsale, Anna Elyse, Lela Rose, Simple Silhouettes,Thread, and my favorite, Jenny Yoo. I wore a Jenny Yoo dress for my wedding and adore her.   

To celebrate, Hitched Maids is offering 10% off any bridesmaid dress purchased during the month of June!   

     Image: Kate Headley Photography

Inspired Creations Contest - 80's School Love

I've been keeping these images under wraps for a week now and I'm so excited to share them today. The Inspired Creation Contest held by Ami at Elizabeth Anne Designs and Cyd at The Sweetest Occasion challenged wedding vendors to team up and create a unique wedding concept to inspire couples as they plan their event.  I couldn't resist and rushed to create a star-studded team of local DC vendors which included, Kate Triano Photography, Holly Chapple Flowers, and Paperzest. Other amazing vendors that contributed to the design included Unveiled Bridal Designs for the veil, Vintage Mama, a new dress designer on etsy, and  Julia Juliette who created the letterpresses coasters. 

My absolute favorite part of the shoot was the "Boombox Love" guests book, where guests can leave message for the couple on their big day.  

Here are some of the fabulous immages, but head over to The Sweetest Occasions Blog to see more, and post your love for the 80's.  We would love to win! 

  

Kerry & Josh's Wedding Details - Aqua and Red

I promised that I would post the images, by Mary Kate McKenna, of all the details that went into Kerry and Josh's wedding at Hotel Monaco in Alexandria and here they are.  

With Kerry's Mom and Step Dad living in France, Josh growing up in England,  his parents and many of the couples friends living abroad, traveling was a big part of this wedding. Kerry purchased cute mini suite cases from Paper Source to use as the card box.  They ended up being the perfect props for her red shoes as she was getting ready.  The maids bouquets from Barbara at Growing Wild were delicate and I loved the slight hint of red in the white blooms. All the paper products were handmade by Kerry, including an amazing city map of Alexandria. 

Edible favors were boxed and carefully tied with red and white ribbon.  Each favor had custom name tags attached.  For the escort card table, the favors were lined up in front of custom tent cards that included a picture and the name of a DC neighborhood in which the guests table was named. Kerry also made custom runners for the guest and cake tables, and individual red paper poms that were tied around each napkin with red and white stripped twine.  Lara at Fluffy Thoughts Cakes made their 3 tier cake which was decorated to match Kerry's custom invitations. In addition the cake was displayed on a cake stand with red ribbon woven through the edge detail. The various little love birds were purchased on etsy along with Kerry's custom birdcage veil shown  here. 

Kerry & Josh Married - Hotel Monaco April 10, 2010

Kerry and Josh were married on a beautiful April day at the Hotel Monaco in Old Town Alexandria. The colors she selected for her big day were aqua and red and they fit in perfectly at the eclectic hotel.  Mary Kate McKenna captured the big day and snapped some great photos of the couple around old town after the ceremony. Barbara at Growing Wild, who I adore,  styled all the flowers and used custom vases which Kerry had made though a designer on etsy for all the table arrangements.  


Kerry did a ton of DIY projects for her wedding, including all the paper products, custom runners, paper pom napkin rings, which many of the girls repurposed as broaches during the reception, and the edible favors/escort cards. The details shots of these are coming up soon. 


I also have to comment on Josh's mom's amazing hairpiece and outfit. I absolutely loved it!  

Kristie & Willy - Bali May 2010

I posted a sneak peak a few weeks ago of Kristie and Willy's May 11, 2010 wedding in Bali, but here are more amazing images to make you dream of far away places. My Simple Details assisted Kristie in almost all aspects of her wedding planning and secured a day of coordinator through Bali Weddings International to be there to make sure everything went smoothly.  Even though it rained during the ceremony, it was still a magical day. My favorite weddings are the ones that are very intimate with only close friends and family.  The Photo Factory did an amazing job capturing this intimate event, the stunning couple, and the spirit of Bali.  

The Simple Details:

For Kristie's wedding we worked with a simple white and green color palette with orchids playing a starring role. Kristie wore a stunning, yet simple and affordable, Nicole miller dress.  For the ceremony a four post bamboo alter with white curtains and orchid floral tie-backs invited the guests down towards the ocean. Guest were seated on wooden benches with white cushions and wooden bowls were placed out full of white orchid blooms to throw at Krisite and Willy as the walked down the aisle as newlyweds.  The table centerpieces were a mix of cube vases filled with bamboo shoots and white lilies, and rounded bottle vases with white orchids. Carved wooden place cards were secured to sarongs for the girls and beach mats for the guys and tied with raffia for a natural look.  The guests indulged in a tradition Balinese buffet with suckling pig followed by a Gamelan Orchestra performance lit by glass hurricanes vases lining the pool area.  The cake though small made a big impact with an off center second tier with orchids and branches spilling down one side. 

Worldwide Wednesdays - Curacao

I thought I'd post a few images of a new resort I adore in Curacao.  Baoase has a very Indonesian/Asian flair and offers pure luxury with only a handful of suites and villas. The island's location results in great weather year round with little chance of rain and therefore it makes a perfect location for a destination wedding.  What do you think? 

Kristie & Willy - Bali May 2010 - Sneak Peek

I'm still waiting for all the amazing images from Windi at The Photo Factory, but here is a sneak peek of Kristie and Willy's Wedding in Bali at Villa Semarapura on May 11, 2010.  The relaxed spirit of the whole wedding day just oozes from the images. 

In the details: The wooden place cards were made by  Oslo Press and tied to either white sarongs for the female guests or straw beach mats for the guys.   

Worldwide Wednesdays - Bali - My Love!

I have Bali on my mind and it's getting hard to shake.  With one of our bride getting married there next week, and my anniversary coming up in June, I have a craving to take off and head for that magical island.  Everyone I've ever met that's been to Bali has fallen head over heals for the little gem of an island and I must admit I am in love with it too. 

As I've worked with destination brides I've always stumbled upon villas in many places of the world that were designed and built in the balinese style as their owners were smitten with the island, it's people, and it's relaxed style.  The Ohana villa in Tobago is one of these villas. With 4 bedrooms, 6 baths, and room for up to 100 inside for a reception, it's not surprising that it hosts about 10 weddings a year and was voted amongst the top twenty villas in the Caribbean by Conde Nast Traveler.   

I think I'm planning my next vacation there! 

Worldwide Wednesdays - Bermuda

We're working with a fantastic couple on their Bermuda wedding for 2011 and I recently stumbled upon Gavin Howarth, a photographer located in Bermuda who does some amazing work, and who's website puts you in a very island mood. After going to his site today I want to leave on a flight right now. 


Ok, I'll stop day dreaming, but on Gavin's blog I found the stunning and simple beach wedding of  Charlotte & Alexander who flew in from Germany with a few close friends and their son to say their vows.  I can just feel the love through Gavin's images.      

Fluffy Thoughts Cakes - New Home!

Lara at Fluffy Thoughts Cakes has made a number of my brides stunning and delicious cakes over the years and I was ecstatic to hear that she was opening a retail space that offers freshly baked goods including my favorite treat French macaroons. Lara actually made some amazing green tea macaroons for Kim and Kwang's wedding favors that were to die for.   


Lara's new bakery features a stunning private tasting room for brides and grooms to taste custom wedding cakes and you can even reserve the room for private events such as tea parties and bridal showers. I must say this space is just my style and I'm loving those light fixtures!  

The new location of Fluffy Thoughts Cakes is 1320 Old Chain Bridge Road, McLean, VA 22101 and the bakery will be open 9am to 6pm, Monday – Saturday with the private tastings available by appointment.  


So here are some images from their grand opening shot by Susan Hornyak Photography. 

Worldwide Wednesdays - St. Lucia

Today I'm writing about a wedding I fell in love with a few years ago that features a local DC area couple that were were married on Pigeon Island in St. Lucia. Sota Dzine, a Fairfax based  photographer team joined the couple on the trip to capture all the wedding events.   Though this couple was originally planning a winter DC wedding, they scraped all their plans 4 months before the date and began planning a more intimate destination wedding on the beach. Looking at the images it was a great choice and the couple truly enjoyed time celebrating with their closest friends and family.   Vicki

Worldwide Wednesdays - Casa Chic Tulum Mexico

Lately, we've been working with a few brides to find the perfect location for their destination wedding and as a result we stumbled upon the Casa Chic a five bedroom luxury beach villa located on the southern end of Tulum beach in Mexico.  The casa's unique features like its use of natural materials, rope swing bar stools, and the jungle feel in the back of the property that leads to a stunning beach drew me in. They also have great wooden steps that look like bleachers and would be great as casual seating for a ceremony under the trees.  
 

First Row: Image via Gypsy Girl Guide, Casa Chic/ Second Row: Casa Chic, Victor C. Sizemore Photography/ Third Row: Sabine Scherer via Green Wedding Shoes,  Abi Q Photography , Mulberry Photography

Mimi & Harry Engaged! Theresa Choi Photography

I already told you how much I love this couple and the anticipation is growing for their May 1st wedding.  The photographer for their big day is the talented Theresa Choi and here are some of her shots from an engagement session with Mimi and Harry in Old Town Alexandria.

Meg and Matthew Engaged - Cassidy Duhon Photography

We just got the images from Meg and Matthew's engagement shoot around Georgetown with Cassidy Duhon. We've been working hard with Meg to plan the couples September wedding and it's coming together beautifully with a very classic yet relaxed feel. I think Cassidy's image of the white blooms behind Meg and Matthew really fits the tone.   

Worldwide Wednesdays - From Russia with Color

I came across images from Nelly Suleymanova, a Russian photographer,  a few weeks ago via Rock 'n Roll Bride, and loved the colors from one of her shoots. As spring is in the air with the flowers in bloom, I thought it was the perfect time for a colorful Russian inspired board. Doesn't it make you smile? 

First Row: Nelly Suleymanova,  Erin HeartsCourt/ Second Row:  Elizabeth Messina, Nelly Suleymanova / Third Row: shoe image by Hannah Bergman, Abby Jiu Photography via The Bride's Cafe, Russian Kefir yoghurt via Fine Little Day

Kerry and Josh Engaged! Mary Kate McKenna Photography

We work with some amazingly creative couples every day, and Kerry and Josh really raise the bar. We've been working with this cute pair to plan their wedding at the eclectic Hotel Monaco in Old Town, Alexandria. Kerry handmade all the invitations, runners, and even ordered custom made pottery for the centerpieces. The couple selected Mary Kate McKenna Photography to capture every little detail of their wedding day and it's easy to see why.  Here are some of the fun images from their engagement shoot. I'm always a sucker for dogs.   

Mimi and Harry Engaged! Julie Lim Photography

I love when I'm inspired by my clients and today was one of those days.  This morning I received images in my inbox from one of my favorite clients this year, Mimi and Harry, who are getting married right around the corner, on May 1st.  My jaw dropped when I saw the gorgeousness of their engagement shoot with Julie Lim Photography, a friend of Mimi's who is a relatively new photographer in the DC area. The styling and makeup was done by Janet and Michelle Kim and they did an amazing job. I can't tell you how excited I am for their wedding.  Love is in the air! 

Worldwide Wednesdays - A Day in Mexico City

Below are some images from a day I spent in Mexico City. I started with a tour of The Bellas Artes Palace and then Chapultepec Castle with amazing outdoor marbled terraces and gardens perfect for a jaw dropping event. Then it was refreshments at the Four Seasons Mexico in their outdoor courtyard. They had simple but dramatic arrangements of deep red rose bouquets throughout the hotel. I loved the berry ice tea with a personal serving of simple syrup to sweeten the drink to my liking and the girls couldn't resist a selection of desserts for our late afternoon sugar kick. I'm definitely going to use the individual simple syrup idea in the future.  At night, as we walked back to our hotel the architecture of many of the central districts buildings were illuminated to enhance their grandeur. I always say how important lighting is, it really sets a wonderful mood.  The red, white, and green of Mexico's flag seemed to pop up everywhere with hints of gold. A very traditional and elegant color combination. 

Worldwide Wednesdays - Las Mananitas - Cuernavaca Mexico

I just returned from an amazing trip tip Mexico City, Cuernavaca, and the cutest town of Taxco. If you love culture, friendly people, and great food, I recommend all of the above, but personally would have loved to spend a little more time in Cuernavaca and Taxco. 


During my time in Cuernavaca I had the pleasure if enjoying a few cocktails and dinner at Las Mananitas Hotel Garden & Spa.  This place is amazing with peacocks strolling the grounds and lush private gardens. It would be perfect for an outdoor cultural inspired destination wedding. I also fell in love with their  tortilla soup and can't wait until I return in the future.  Below are some images from the hotel and my own images of the striking birds that call Las Mananitas home. 

Worldwide Wednesdays - Ruby and Willow - New Zealand

Sorry for the late post, but this weeks been super busy before my trip. 


I personally am always inspired by Amy Butler fabrics and rugs.  Since her rugs are made from 100% New Zealand wool I thought it was perfect to pair some of the amazing rugs with invitations from the New Zealand invitation designer Kate Holland at Ruby & Willow that have the same feel.   I came across Ruby & Willow Invitations a while ago, and loved their designs. They are located in New Zealand, but work with brides worldwide, and even have an etsy store right here. 


For my brides who are having trouble finding a color pallet that speaks to them, I always recommend looking for pillows, rugs, decor, art, and personal objects that they love and pulling their inspiration from there.