Let’s Get Personal: Lessons Learned from my First 2013 Wedding!

Happy Monday Romancers!!

I hope everyone got to take advantage of the seriously gorgeous spring weather that we are FINALLY having in DC! My weekend was JAM-packed with action, starting Friday with my first wedding of 2013 as Capitol Romance Wedding Coordination! It also included TONS of house & yard work (mulching, raking, and cleaning – oh my!), a trip to Ikea, painting our bedroom, and our re-scheduled Love Shoot in celebration of Maryland marriage equality with Maggie Winters Photography!

I will be sure to share some more details on our recent bedroom upgrading and our shoot with Maggie soon, but for this morning I thought it might be fun to share 5 things I learned this weekend. Coordinating my first 2013 wedding (and really, first wedding as an official wedding coordinator) was amazing. It helped that my bride and groom were the coolest, but I also had a blast learning a TON and I thought it might be fun to share some of the things I learned with you all!

Check back this afternoon for a beautiful Old Town Alexandria, VA engagement feature!

5 Things I Learned this Weekend:

[a sneak peak from Amanda & Jason's wedding via my phone. More amazing pictures from Stephen Gosling Photography pending]

1. DC weathermen are never right

All week Friday was to have 100% change of rain with a high of 50. Amanda kept asking me “what do we do?!” and I replied, “other than buy some umbrellas? Nothing. DC weather is as predicable as the future – they never get it right.” And thankfully they were at least consistent in their inaccuracies, because Friday was 60 with not a cloud in the sky!!! The lesson here is bigger than DC weathermen’s lies though, its that you can’t plan your wedding around the weather – you need to realize it can change in a heartbeat, and you have to be ready and willing to accept that!

2. Balloons do not work outside when there is a breeze

My whole plan for Amanda & Jason’s decor was oversized balloons. I had seen this picture online before, and was in LOVE. We bought the balloons and the helium tanks, and I got to the Jefferson memorial to setup and …. there was a gusty, constant breeze blowing in my face – which meant balloons were NOT going to stand up like that. What was I thinking?! So the lesson here is to anyone considering balloons as a decoration for an outdoor wedding – make sure there is no wind in your forecast :)

3. Tourists can be friendly (and actually helpful too!)

Usually this time of year in DC drives me insane – tons of people flooding our city that cannot navigate the streets nor our metro system. But during my setup for the wedding I had a TON of tourists stop by asking questions about the setup and even more about the wedding. My favorite tourist couple though was one that actually asked if I needed help setting up anything !! It was so nice of them.

4. I need to find a good, dependable shuttle service for weddings in this city

I had a terrible experience with our shuttle service for our wedding and the shuttle for Friday wasn’t much better – it got lost, the driver couldn’t find the memorial and needed one of the guests to direct them – oh yeah and they were 45 minutes late for the ceremony (no joke!). Does ANYONE know of any decent shuttle/transportation companies in this city? I’ve pretty much given up and really only tell my couples to use Uber at this point!

5. Great wedding vendors make my job easy

Last, but certainly not least, I had to share that amazing wedding vendors really make your wedding not only wonderful & beautiful, but WAY LESS STRESSFUL. I joke when I say that it makes my job easy, but really it does make the entire wedding planning process easier on everyone if you take the time to hire top notch, quality vendors. My bride on Friday was all smiles over everything! Her flowers were stunning (crafted by Love Blooms Here), her hair was GORGEOUS (Jewel Hair Design – of course) and the photographer (Stephen Gosling) kept both the bride & the groom happy through their first look, through a lost shuttle, and through to the dinner reception. Professional, talented, vendors that fit the couple, make a happy couple. And a happy couple makes for a happy coordinator :)

Capitol Inspiration: A Garden Styled Elopement with a Crepe Cake!

Happy Friday!!! I am soooo excited for today! First, it’s my first official wedding of 2013! I will be shooting down to the mall this afternoon to decorate and help coordinate Amanda & Jason’s wedding on the Jefferson Memorial! I can’t thank the DC weathermen enough for their continual errors in reporting the weather – 100% rain for Friday … WHAT?! The sun is shining and it’s going to be a beautiful day – thanks guys!

Second, for today’s inspiration shoot – I have a GOOD one. And by good, I really mean, GREAT. It started with a cake. Yes, this entire elopement-styled wedding shoot was built all around an awesomely unique wedding cake: a cake made from crepes!! From there is spiraled into a beautiful collection of dessert meets cafe styled details with a bride in a beautiful short lace wedding dress and a stunning gold statement necklace. I also LOVE the detail they included in the invitation suite – you will just have to check it out to see!

From the photographer, Caitlin Gerres Photography:

The inspiration for this Garden Elopement all began with a crepe cake. After stumbling upon this beautiful and unique cake, I knew it would be perfect and I had to build a stylized shoot around it. I teamed up with Tianna of Truly Ty Photography to plan this Garden Elopement Stylized Shoot.

We wanted to tell the story of a beautiful young couple whose relationship started with two cups of tea at a café in Yorktown, VA. Savannah and Erik knew they wanted to pledge their lives to each other and they knew a bed and breakfast in Yorktown would be the perfect place to do it. Simple. Intimate. Perfect.

A Garden Styled Elopement Wedding with a Crepe Cake

Vendors:
Photography: Caitlin Gerres Photography | Concept and design: Caitlin Gerres Photography and Truly Ty Photography | Hair and makeup: Kelley Manning | Cakes: Sweet Emma Lou
| Bouquet:  Aleen Floral Design | Stationary: Just a Lil Studio | Venue: Hornsby House Inn

We included many details into the day that would cater to a DIY or budget friendly bride. While our cakes were created by an experienced baker, any of them could have easily been created at home. One of the cake stands was created by gluing a candle holder to a china plate, and most of the plates and tea cups were purchased at thrift stores, giving a mismatched, collected look to the reception tablescape.

how awesome is this wedding invitation suite?! I LOVE the use of the check receipt!

And now, that ah-mazing cake the shoot was styled around! A crepe wedding cake!!

Click inside for the rest of this beautiful elopement styled shoot, including full details on the pricing for using one of the Virginia Beach wedding vendors you see in this shoot!

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Capitol Wedding: Anne & Jessica’s DIY, Blue & Green Garden Wedding in Washington, DC

Happy Thursday Romancers! Another week is winding down and man has it been a busy one!! Tonight is our first rehearsal of 2013! I am so freakin’ excited for Amanda & Jason’s intimate wedding tomorrow [even with the dismal weather report - I don't care!].

For this morning’s real DC wedding we have a gorgeous DIY, blue & green wedding from Photo LadyLove [submitted via Two Bright Lights]. Eva captured the beatiful nuptials of Anne & Jessica. Though they had been together for a long time, it took until DC legalized gay marriage for the two beautiful ladies to officially tie the knot.

They chose the All Souls Unitarian Church for their wedding ceremony & reception location because it was where the D.C. gay marriage law was signed by Mayor Fenty. They chose a garden-inspired color palette of blues & greens and used vintage details and painted wine bottles to decorate the space. Enjoy!

Anne & Jessica’s DIY, Blue & Green Garden-Inspired Washington, DC Wedding

Vendors:

Anne & Jess’ love story:

Anne and Jessica met their freshman year at American University and quickly became best friends.

“We still are!”

Along the way, they fell in love. After graduating, they moved to New York for several years, where they got engaged.

“We proposed to each other while on an amazing anniversary trip to California wine country.” (Hence the wine bottles they decorated themselves.)

When they moved back to D.C., where marriage was legal, they decided to get married in the spring shortly after their 10-year anniversary.

beautiful blue hydrangea bouquets!

Love when couples get ready together!!

Click inside for the rest of Anne & Jessica’s garden-inspired Washington DC wedding at the All Souls Unitarian Church.

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Capitol Inspiration: Peacock Wedding Styled Shoot with DIY Feather Backdrop Tutorial!

Bringing you the DIY today in the form of a stunning Styled Shoot from A Sweet Affair, KD Creative & Blissful Muse Photography. These ladies, along with a handful of other fabulous vendors, used the vibrant colors of the peacock to create a DIY styled wedding, in a beautiful natural setting.

I’ll let the vendors tell the rest of the story – but we also have an awesome “How to Make the DIY Feather Backdrop” tutorial instructions to share too!

DIY Peacock Wedding Styled Shoot

Vendors:

Photography: Blissful Muse Photography | Make up Stylist: Primrose & Co | Florist: Floral & Bloom Designs | Desserts: Dudley’s Desserts | Graphic Design: KD Creative | Event Planner: A Sweet Affair Weddings and Events| Location: Seneca Creek Park | Submitted: Two Bright Lights

Our inspiration was a peacock, with it’s vibrant colors and feathers. We wanted to portray the use of these colors and a few DIY elements (our feather backdrop) in a natural setting.

Every detail that was used were items we already had, made or were purchased from thrift stores and remade for the look we wanted.

Our desire and hope is to inspire this years Spring and Summer brides with both whimsical and colorful details on a friendly budget.

As we planned, designed and styled this shoot, our inspiration became a peacock, with it’s vibrant colors and feathers. We wanted to portray the use of these colors and a few DIY elements (our feather backdrop) in a natural setting.

Click inside for the rest of the images from this beautiful, DIY Peacock Themed Wedding Styled Shoot!

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