Jill and Brian Wedding - Captured by Holland Photo Arts

Jill and Brian's September wedding was captured by Bill and Anne of Holland Photos Arts. Although it started to rain right before the ceremony, the weather failed to put a damper on the mood of the ceremony of the party to follow. As you can see in the photo's Jill and Brian danced the night away with close friends and family and had a blast. I love the photo of Jill in her dress and the one of Jill and Brian dancing. The flowers were done by the amazing Barbara at Growing Wild.

Day After Wedding Farm Shoot with Kate Triano

About a month ago I was honored to style a day after shoot for Kate Triano and one of her amazing couples, Maria and Michael. After Kate told me a little about the direction that the couple was going for I immediately new the perfect place and the perfect florist to help. I called Barbara at Growing Wild asked for her help to create a cool wild flower bouquet and a few arrangements for the shoot. I also asked if we could use her farm for the location. Of course Barbara was up for it and a few weeks later my husband and I took our old 66 chevy, a ton of props, and even my fathers old RC Cola machine out to the farm. Barbara was waiting for us with the flowers ready to go, and the super cute couple arrived a few minutes later with Kate. I love a great vest and that is exactly what the Michael had, and the chucks just made his outfit perfect. I can't say enough about how stunning Maria was, so I'll just let you see the photo's.

Kelly and Scott - A Magical Candle Lit Wedding at the Ritz

Kelly and Scott were married at Falls Church Presbyterian followed by a magical reception at the Ritz Carlton in McLean Virginia. Candles were strung from the entire ceiling with pin-spots highlighting the beautiful orchid filled arrangements provided by Yellow Door Floral Designs. I absolutely love orchids so I must say I loved the tall arrangements.

Images below were captured by my staff, but the professional images by Visual Sketch Photo and Video will be ready in a few weeks.

Allison and Matt - Married at the Historic Cabell's Mill in Northern Virginia

Allison and Matt planned for a unique afternoon wedding at the Historic Cabell's Mill. The ceremony took place under a huge tree with a 4 piece bluegrass band playing nearby. The Furnace Mountain Band was amazing and I would recommend them to any couple looking to create a fun relaxed atmosphere for their guests. The band continued to play during cocktail hour on the patio of the Mill overlooking the nearby stream. The weather was again perfect, sunny and 75 and all the guest enjoyed the view of the turning leaves.

I also loved Allison's purple shoes! Zoya Photo captured the below images from the day.

Ashely and Michael Married - Fort Belvoir and the Potomac

Today I have a few post of real weddings that we were proud to be a part of over the last few months.

Ashley and Michael were married on August 1st at Fort Bevloir in Northern Virginia. They had originally planned for the wedding at the Fort Belvoir chapel, but do to an unexpected ac problem, we changed it the day before the rehearsal to be outside the officer club under a beautiful pergola. Ashley had always wanted an outside wedding, so it was meant to be and the weather was perfect.

Rachel Naft did a great job of capturing the big day and below are some of the images.

Cap Juluca - Anguilla Wedding Destination

So my husband and I finally went on vacation. It's been a long year and I had a break between weddings so we set off for a recuperative vacation on the soft white sands of Anguilla. We stayed at Cap Juluca, which I spoke about in a previous post about a stunning wedding captured by Elysium. Cap Juluca was amazing and it is the perfect location for an intimate and unique destination wedding.

Here are some pictures my husband captured during the trip. I love the combination of orange, turquoise, and white washed fabrics.

St Raymond of Penafort & The Westin Alexandria VA

I've been away on a much needed vacation and I will post some great resort photos shortly, but before I do, here are some shots from Jill & Brian's September wedding at St Raymond of Penafort followed by a fuchsia and orange reception at the Westin in Alexandria VA.

Bill and Anne of Holland Photo Arts, one of my favorite photographer teams, was there to capture the entire day, and I can't wait to see the spectacular images they were able to take.

Sound Connection, one of the top bands in the area and one of Modern Bride Magazine's Top 25 Trendsetters of 2009, rocked the house and kept everyone dancing all night long. Jill even had them play "I Gotta Feelin” by the Black Eyed Peas as a surprise for her mom. It is one of her mom's favorite songs. What a cool mom!


Images by: My Simple Details & Ashley Finco

Virginia Vineyard Wedding

Felice and Brandon were married a few weekends ago at Sunset Hills Vineyard in Purcellville Virginia. The weather was a little questionable, but just as the processional started the clouds parted and Felice made her way down the aisle looking out over the grape vines. The details were simple and clean with lots of candle light, floating candle, green dupioni runners, a multitude of cakes layered on handmade stands, and super cute tissue poms that Felice handmade.

Here are some of the images my staff snapped after set up.

Veronica & Daniel's Wedding captured by the Fabulous Laura Kay

I just received some of the stunning photos that Laura Kay took of Veronica and Daniel’s wedding in August. The ceremony took place at the Historic old Manassas Court House with a jazz styled reception at the Old Candy Factory. As Laura Kay stated in her blog the performance that Daniel’s brothers put on during the reception, as a tribute to the newly married couple, was unbelievable, and the best performance I have ever seen at a wedding. I hope to post it soon so stay tuned.

Oh and if you were wondering, the stunning flowers were done by Barbara at Growing Wild. I just love Barbara!

Pink and Blue Caribbean Bride

One of our stunning brides for 2010 is working with us to plan an intimate and relaxed Caribbean destination wedding. We have been working hard to pinpoint the perfect venue and location that includes lush grasses, palm trees, and great views overlooking pristine blue water. I’m sure many of my brides already know and love Abby at Style Me Pretty and her new Style Circle where you can create stunning inspiration boards like a pro. Below is one that our Caribbean bride created, and it was so perfect that I had to post it for everyone to see. I’m in love with the color combination of navy blue and bright pink, and the canopy over the long table is so romantic.

What are your favorite Caribbean destination?

Photography by John Michael Cooper, Photography by Jessica Strickland, Jessica Strickland Fine Art, Dress by Justin AlexanderDress by Justin AlexanderDress by Justin Alexander, cake photo by Matthew Tennison Photography, aisle photo by Angie Silvy Photography, shoes via Photography by The KnotPhotography by The Knot The Knot, table décor photo by Tana Photography, bouquet photo by Generation Photography, canopy and table photo by Angie Silvy Photography

Bali Bride Inspiration - 2010

Lately, I've had the pleasure of working with a wonderful bride in California who is planning an intimate Bali wedding after my own heart. I've been coordinating with some of the best vendors on the island, who I adore, to bring to life the brides vision. To help plan destination weddings, the language and cultural expectations for weddings can be very different, so no matter the location, it makes it much easier if you provide images of exactly what you want to each of your vendors. The below inspiration board is helping all of our Balinese vendors understand the vision for our brides big day.

In working on the timeline for this event it was critical to plan around the sunset time and understand how quickly we will loose the natural light. In Bali once the sun sets it gets dark almost immediately, while in other destinations the sun may set, but the sky remains light for a significant amount of time. With this in mind, most of the important events will be planned prior to, during, or immediately after sunset, such as cake cutting and any special dances. But once it gets dark there will be a traditional 20 member Balinese Gamelan orchestra and dance performance to get the party going. So if you are planning your own destination wedding, make sure to take into account not only the sunset time, but how fast you lose light.




First Row: White cattleya orchids, DJones Photo, Villa Semarapura/Second Row: Photo by Jasmin Star, Asgeir Fotographica/Third Row: Richard Photos, Asgeir Fotographica,Villa Nicole Miller Dress/Fourth Row: DJones Photo, Asgeir Fotographica /Fifth Row: Amy Squires, Amy and Stuart Photography/Sixth Row: Chair photo by Photo Factory/Seventh Row: Style Me Pretty /Photo by Valeria and Juan/Eighth Row:/Ninth Row: Marni Rothschild Pictures

Veronica and Daniel Married with an Amazing and Fun, Jazz Club Reception

On Friday, I was in awe after Veronica and Daniel's friends and family preformed for the couple. The pieces ranged from a touching solo of “Here and Now” accompanied by a baby grand, and a hysterical medley of meaningful songs, including the theme song for Ducktales, in which the whole crowd joined in the chorus with “DuckTales (oooh ooooh)”. So funny!! This was such a fun loving couple and I just can’t wait to post the video of the performances and the photo’s by the fabulous Laura Kay. The amazing flowers were from Barbara at Growing Wild.



Photos by Vicki Grafton and Phong Nguyen of My Simple Details

Aqua and Red - Inspiration for a Very Sweet Bride

I met with an amazing bride the other night who is having her wedding at the vibrant Hotel Monaco in DC next year. She is planning a red and aqua event that fits perfectly with the venue. I designed the below inspiration board to give her some ideas. What do you think about aqua and red?

She's also working with some of my favorite vendors, including Barbara from Growing Wild and Chris Dunn for ceremony music to list a few. You know it going to be a great event!

Row 1: Brides or Martha Stewart, blue vases photographed by Courtney of Flush Designs, Lisa Lefkowitz via Style Me Pretty/ Row 2: Simply Blooms, Brides or Martha Stewart, Tie photo via The Budget Savey Bride/ Row 3: Jenny Yoo dress, bags for out-of-town guests from VegasBride, Brides or Martha Stewart/ Row 4: Heather and Andrae's wedding from The Knot, Table 6 Productions via Style Me Pretty, Candy buffet photo by Jonathan Canlas Photography/ Row 5: yarn-wrapped vase from Sweet Paul, cherry soda from Wedding Style Guide/ Row 6: Elizabeth Messina Photography, Leo Patrone Photography, red and blue balloons from Snippet and Ink, / Row 7: cake photo by Allison Garrett, Sonia Davis invitation via Style Me Pretty.

Here are also some of the great etsy finds that could add a cool touch. The bear would be the cutest gift for the flower girl.

First Row: Poster by Sparkle Power , Shopcloverbelle/Second Row: MackensleyDesigns, Littleellie/ Third Row: BombusCraft, Tiddlywinks

Brew at the National Zoo

Every year near my birthday, which is swiftly approaching on Monday, my (twin brother) and our friends go to Brew at the Zoo, a fund raising event where FONZ Young Professionals raise our commemorative mugs to conservation. This is such a fun event and I recomend everyone check it out. This year we sampled beer from more than 35 microbreweries, enjoyed live music by Gonzo's Nose and Batala, an all women percussion band. All the proceeds support the care for the animals, conservation and sustainability of the National Zoo.

Vibrant, Fun, Cultural Inspiration Board

I recently created this inspiration board around a Vera Wang dress and beautiful Bella Figura Invitation. I am also in love with Anna Maria Horner fabric and it was a perfect fit.

First Row: Sedona Bride via Style Me Pretty, Meg Smith Photography/ Second Row: D. Jones Photography, Elizabeth Messina Photography via Kiss the Groom/ Third Row: Vera Wang dress via SMP’s Look Book , Meg Smith Photography via Kiss the Groom, earrings by Amrita Singh/ Fourth Row: Sakura Photography, Meg Smith Photography, Elizabeth Messina Photography via Kiss the Groom/ Fifth Row: Invitation by Bella Figura, Photo via Kiss the Groom/ Sixth Row: J. Crew Dress, Anna Maria Horner fabric via fabricworm in etsy/ Seventh Row: Photo via Kiss the Groom, Birch Design Studio.

Wedding on The Potomac

Here are some of my quick shots from the gorgeous August 1st wedding of Ashley and Michael at the Fort Belvoir's officer club on the Potomac. I was in love with Ashley’s dress. She looked like a goddess, and you could tell that Michael was truly head over heels for his bride.

Pie on a Stick

I was just sent a link to an amazing idea for pies on sticks. This would be perfect for a fun country shabby chic wedding, and it fits in perfectly with my love for fun foods. I also think they would be great favors at the drop dead gorgeous Vintage, Shabby Chic Wedding Shoot that Abby is blessing us with today. Just add some cute ribbon and place them on an antique plate, and they would be perfect.


Photo By : Lisa Lefkowitz via Style me Pretty

Here are some images of the fabulous pies, but for instructions on how to do it yourself, click here.

Videographer and Cap Juluca

I haven't come across many wedding videographer that make me swoon, but when Abby at Style Me Pretty posted a video of a Anguilla wedding shot and edited by Elysium, I was in speechless. Not to mention one of my husband and my first vacations while dating was to Cap Juluca, and it is a stunning and magical resort.

Recently :
Cap Juluca was voted “Wedding Destination of the Year” by NBC Today Show.
Brides Magazine listed Cap Juluca as one of the “50 Sexiest Hotels.”
The Travel Channel featured Cap Juluca as one of the “World's Sexiest Beaches.”
Frommer's listed Cap Juluca as one of the “Best Places to Honeymoon.”
Travel Age West selected Cap Juluca as the best resort for a “Romance Vacation.”

So here is the amazing video, and if I did it again I would, without hesitation, hire Elysium to capture my wedding day.

Ashley & Jamie's Same Day Edit from Anguilla from Julie Hill on Vimeo.

Tutu cute!

Lately I've seen a bunch of super cute tutu's on flower girls. They are untraditional, fun, vibrant, and just too cute!

Here are some of my favorite pictures from real flower girls and tutu's found on etsy.




First Row: Diana M. Lott Photography, missmyapapaya tutu on etsy, FairyWonderful on etsy/ Second Row: D. Jones Photo, Photo via IDoYouDoWeDo, ILuvUTutuMuch tutu on etsy.

Woodland Bride

I helped a bride this past Saturday find a gorgeous couture gown at the Brides for Breast Cancer dress sale, and I was inspired by both the bride, her dress, and the venue. She's planning a wedding at Woodend Sanctuary, one of the few remaining grand historic estates in Chevy Chase, Maryland. This venue is set on 40 acres including a wildflower meadow and trails thru thick tree filled areas, perfect for stunning photos of the her and her new husband. I decided to create a quick inspiration board for her that included some items found on etsy, a dress in a similar style to hers, and a stunning lounge space.



First Row: Letterpress Invitation via floraandfauna, Hairpiece via bethanylorelle/ Second Row: Dress J. crew, Photo by Jenna Walker, lounge/Third Row: Jose Villa Photography, Jose Villa Photography, Matthew Morgan Photo.