Mimi and Gavin // The Dumbarton House, Washington DC Wedding // DC Wedding Coordinator

Some people don't know this about me, but I'm an introvert. It may seem odd for an event planner to be an introvert, but trust me, it works. Therefore, it was a pleasure working with Mimi and Gavin, two of the most introverted people I've ever met! Many people planning weddings are aching to be the center of attention. Mimi and Gavin were the complete opposite! They knew themselves, but also knew their families - and so they planned a small, intimate wedding that allowed them to celebrate with their families while also not being horribly overwhelmed, socially. The Dumbarton House was a perfect fit. After their first look and some beautiful portraits in the Dumbarton gardens, they had a Catholic ceremony at Holy Rosary in DC. Post ceremony, guests were shuttled over to the Dumbarton for cocktails, followed by dinner and dancing. Windows provided amazing food and service, as usual. Studio DBI (before their move to the West Coast - sob!), did the stunning florals, and Josh from MyDeejay kept everyone on the dance floor. The wonderful photographers, The Colagrossis, provided the lovely photos, below!

Special shout-out to Mimi's gorgeous outfit change into a traditional Vietnamese wedding dress half way through the ceremony. The red on her was ridiculously beautiful - couldn't get over what a stunning bride she was!

Congrats again to Mimi and Gavin!

Mimi and Gavin's Vendors:

Wedding Coordinator: Katie Wannen, The Plannery

Venue: The Dumbarton House

Caterer: Windows Catering

Photographers: The Colagrossis

Florist: Studio DBI

DJ: Josh Rhett, MyDeejay

Hair and Make-up: Georgetown Bride

Tent: Sugarplum Tent

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Julia and Ed // Capitol Hill Club Wedding, Washington, DC // DC Wedding Coordinator

Julia and Ed got married this past October in a Catholic ceremony (officiated by Ed's brother - which was so cool) at St. Peter's on Capitol Hill, followed by a raucous reception at the Capitol Hill Club right around the corner (even though they're not Republicans...shhhhh). They were such an awesome couple to work with. Case in point: Ed hired a funk band to play on the street while guests mingled post-receiving line.

During the break between the ceremony and reception they took some stunning photos around town (all of these fab photos are thanks to Mathy Shoots People), and then headed over to the Capitol Hill Club. They knew their crowd well and told me they wanted a New York style reception (ie dancing between courses) which I was totally down with. DJ Evan Reitmeyer kept the dance floor PACKED from beginning to end (as you'll see), and the Capitol Hill Club staff were really excellent to work with. Studio DBI did beautiful bouquets and florals, and Julia's mother embraced her inner DIY goddess and it was a pleasure to help execute her vision - which included lots of white pumpkins and other fun details. Julia and Ed had a friend paint a canvas with the DC flag (in their wedding colors) and had guests sign it as their guest book. Super freaking cool. The evening ended with limbo and some perfectly DC favors - District Doughnuts and coffee beans from Swings.

Julia and Ed's Vendors:

Coordinator: Katie, The Plannery

Venue: Capitol Hill Club and St. Peter's Church

Photographer: Mathy Shoots People

DJ: DJ Evan Reitmeyer

Florist: Studio DBI

Street Band: Crush Funk

Videographer: Brian Rose

Cutting Cake: Firehook Bakery

Favors: District Doughnut and Swings Coffee Roasters

Emily and Paul // Whittemore House Wedding, Washington, DC // DC Wedding Planner

After I first met Emily and Paul I came home to my husband and said "I really want them to be my friends." They're just those people. So warm, so freaking funny, so great, so cool. Their family was also hilarious and awesome. I basically have a client crush on them, I’m not gonna lie.

I did partial planning with Emily and Paul - helped them find their venue and major vendors and then came back towards the end of their planning process to do month-of coordination.  Emily and Paul got married at the Whittemore House - they had a really elegant wedding but with some fun pops that matched their personalities. Studio DBI did their beautiful florals. They stuck with lush neutrals for the ceremony, but then transferred over to really colorful centerpieces for the reception. The bridesmaids wore different colored dresses and I loved the fun rainbow effect - and Emily was freaking STUNNING (can we talk about that necklace?? And more importantly, that smile??). After their (very funny and personal) ceremony, with music from the string trio Anthem, guests went upstairs for cocktail hour while we flipped the ballroom to the reception.

Emily and Paul love to throw dinner parties and they wanted their wedding to feel like one big dinner party - so Main Event helped put together a great family-style meal, complete with my personal favorite which was a starter course (rather than a salad) of a rustic antipasto platter preset on the table so guests could dig right in. After some colorful toasts, Soul Expressions kept everyone on the dance floor. Instead of cake Emily and Paul served mini desserts, cookies and donuts, and as guests were leaving, they were treated to some yummy subs from Taylor Gourmet.

Enjoy these fab pics from Leo Druker - such a great event!

Emily and Paul's Vendors:

Wedding Planner: Katie Wannen, The Plannery

Venue: The Whittemore House

Caterer: Main Event Catering

Florist: Studio DBI

Photographer: Leo Druker

Ceremony Music: Anthem

Reception Band: Soul Expressions

Uplighting: Frost Lighting

Studio DBI

March seemed to be the month of vendor events! In addition to the Dock 5 party, I was also invited to Studio DBI's open house last week - and had an absolute blast.

Studio DBI is an amazing, very creative company that provides floral and design services (as well as month-of coordination) for all types of events. They recently opened their own studio space in Old Town, Alexandria. Since it's right down the street I had to drop by! Liza and her staff had decked out the studio with beautiful floral decor (obviously). I unfortunately didn't grab a picture but they also hung tulips around the windows in a really modern and fun way which may or may not have involved staples (and as it turns out, was a list minute fix when something she'd ordered didn't come in! Brilliant).

They'd brought on some great partners to make the party a success, including DJ Maskell (who rocked not only the DJing but the uplighting as well), Little Bird Creative, Simple Flare Productions, Paired Images, and In Style Caterers who served some really delicious food! I had a lovely evening hanging with other wedding vendors and celebrating Studio DBI's success!

Big thanks to Liza and her whole team, as well as the awesome sponsors, for a great evening.