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.  

Worldwide Wednesdays - Mexico

I'm leaving for Mexico City in a few days for a week long trip and I did a little search around the wedding blogosphere to see what amazing Mexico inspired weddings I could find.  I pulled my favorites together with a color palette of deep green & coral with accents of turquoise. I think this board is scrumptious and I must say that I'm absolutely smitten with the bride and her amazing green dress shot by Q Weddings. Love, Love, Love! 



First Row: Twin Lens Images!, Sedona Bride/ Second Row: Emma Smallbone Photography, Q Weddings/ Third Row: Q Weddings, Amanda Kraft Photography,  Aga Images,  Jose Villa 

Worldwide Wednesdays - Canada

With the Olympics in full swing, I thought I would create a board around two Canadian photographers. I really like the romantic feel of this board and the lighting in the images by E/A Photography and Tara McMullenPhotography is amazing. 







First Row: E/A Photography/ Second Row: Tara McMullenPhotography, Michelle Moore Photography Photography, Holly Chapple Flowers/ Third Row: Jill Thomas Photography via Style Me Pretty, Bonnie Tsang Photography  via Once Wed

San Francisco Dream Wedding Giveaway! Vanessa and Mike are the Winners!

Happy Valentines Day everyone! 

On Friday I had the honor of surprising an amazing couple (Vanessa and Mike) with great news! They were selected as the winning couple for the 2010 San Francisco Dream Wedding Giveaway and they truly deserve it. I was there with Kate Triano and Silk and Silver Productions to capture everything on film. Holly Chapple also donated a sunny uplifting bouquet for Vanessa!  

The San Francisco Dream Wedding Giveaway is valued at $100,000, and a combined effort of over 40 amazing vendors from California. Some of the vendors include Lilia Photography, Nancy Liu Chin Designs, Hello!Lucky , Hotel Vitale, wedding planning service by the very giving Liz Guthrie of San Jose Wedding Consultants, the producer of the contest, and so many more.

Here is a little about the winning couple: Vanessa and Michael are both graduates from the Air Force Academy, Michael just returned from deployment, and Vanessa is fighting stage 4 cancer in Northern Virginia.  Luckily Vanessa was out of the hospital on Friday and staying at Mike's parents home, and Mike flew in for Valentines Day. 

Vanessa and Mike are such a sweet and fun loving couple and it was pure joy to surprise them with the amazing news! Here are some great images Kate Triano captured.   How cute are Vanessa and Mike!   We wish them all the best. 

Happy Valentines Day! 

Worldwide Wednesdays - South Africa

I came across a lovely image of an outdoor space on Elle Decoration South Africa and shot by Justin Patrick, a self-trained photographer out of Cape Town. The striking blue tile against the stark white wall, and the contrast with the yellow foliage, just perfect. A relaxed, modern and inspiring space.   


A second Cape Town, South African, photographer Jean-Pierre Uys was then recently featured on What Junebug Loves for an gorgeous South African wedding. I think some elements of this wedding paired perfectly with Justin Patrick's image and this is the inspiration board that resulted. I love the color palette, the modern florals, and the touch of vintage with a birdcage veil and a cute ring bearer outfit.  


   
First Row: Jean-Pierre Uys Photography, Justin Patrick via Elle Decoration South Africa blog/ Second Row: Skip Hopkins Photography,  Laurie Peacock Photography/ Third Row:  Eleise Theuer Photography/ Fourth Row: Cook Images,  A Bryan Photo

Cynthia and Ben Married!

I recently received the professional image from Connor Studios of Cynthia and Ben's New Years Eve wedding and they are stunning! Connor Studios did a great job of capturing the moments throughout the night and all the beautiful details.  I especially love the image of the flower girl looking over her dad's shoulder as the dance they night away. Such a magical image!


Details about the wedding: 
Ceremony: St. Mary's Church, Alexandria VA 
Reception : King Street Hilton, Alexandria VA 
Flowers/lighting/decor: Da Vinci's Florist
800 Balloons for cocktail hour! (Hello Sex and the city!) : American Balloon Company
Stunning Cake: A Piece of Cake - We love Rocio! 

Worldwide Wednesdays - Moza Tile

Moza is a tile company that was created by Szilvi Kauker, a young designer in Hungary. Her objective is "to revive this almost forgotten traditional technique dating back to the middle of the 19th century, to preserve the patterns of these traditional tiles for the future generations and to create our own unique style by introducing new patterns and special color combinations."  When I came across her beautiful olive and burgundy tile design it was the perfect inspiration to create a natural, back to earth type of event, with simple beautiful organic foods served family style, accented with local flowers and greens, and all brought together in an amazing outside setting.

Vicki

First Row: Moza tile, Ariella Chezar, Photo by Ms. Mel Barlow & Mr. Allan Zepeda/ Second Row: Image via Design Sponge photo by Matt Armendariz,    Jessica’s Country Flowers, Furoshiki gift wrap by Persimmon and Pine on etsy, Photo by Ms. Mel Barlow and Mr. Allan Zepeda/ Third Row: Meg Smith, Jennifer Causey, Meg Smith

Site Visit - Shakespeare Theater's Sidney Harman Hall

The other day I had the opportunity to visit the Sidney Harman Hall located in the 19th century neighborhood of Penn Quarter.  The venue is just steps from Capitol attractions like the National Mall and the National Gallery of Art. The Orchestra and Mezzanine lobby areas are stunning open spaces with glass walls looking out over the Verizon Center. Both areas also have built in bars and flat screen TVs that are perfect to display video clips of the bride and groom.  They even have cool show listing signs outside the theater that can be changed to welcome guests or have pictures of the newlyweds. 


This space would be ideal for 150 guests where you could have cocktails on the Orchestra level, a seated dinner on the Mezzanine level, and then back to Orchestra for dancing, lounge space and of course the wedding cake. 


Here are some images I took. They were setting up props that day so disregard the armor. 



One of my favorite local photographers, Kate Triano, shot a stunning wedding there in 2008. Below are some of her images.    

Worldwide Wednesdays - New Asia Bar in Singapore

During my time in Singapore, I had time to visit The Stamford, a Swissotel, which is Southeast Asia's tallest hotel.  The New Asia bar which is located on 70th and 71st floor of the hotel has stunning panoramic views of Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia.  All I can say is amazing with views of Singapore’s skyline from every side, lush furnishings, a stunning chandelier, and cool lighting, this would be an amazing spot for an ultra chic and sexy reception.    

Worldwide Wednesdays - A Market Walk in India

I'm still recuperating from jet-lag, so in the meantime I thought I'd post some images from one of my walks thru a market in Bangalore India. I love the colors!

Worldwide Wednesdays

As I'm traveling around India this week, I thought I'd showcase some of my favorite images from Indian Weddings around the wedding blogosphere.  The women are just gorgeous!  

Jihan Abdalla Photography shot in New Delhi, Karen Wise Photography/ Second Row: Hookah lounge image found on Cheap Delhi Hotels,   Jesse Leake,   Jesse Leake Photography/ Third Row: Jihan Abdalla Photography,  Raj Tents/ Fourth Row: Christian Oth, Jesse Leake/ Fifth Row:   Jesse Leake, Jihan Abdalla Photography