Corey and Peter // Pinstripes Wedding, Washington, DC // DC Wedding Coordinator

Corey and Peter's wedding was a total blast and right up my alley (pun intended). Their non-traditional wedding was held at the Georgetown Pinstripes - a restaurant/bar/event space/bocce court and bowling alley. Hells to the yes. Corey was a DIY master, creating tons of great little details that made their day super special and unique.

After getting ready they started their day with a first look and portraits around Georgetown - the couple met at Georgetown University. We then had the ceremony at Pinstripes, with cocktails, bocce and bowling downstairs for cocktail hour while we somewhat frantically flipped the space for the reception!

In addition to Corey's awesome DIY details, which included hand-made notecards for the guests to fill out for each of their upcoming anniversaries (I've said it before and I'll say it again - I LOVE this guest book alternative), this wedding was also FULL of surprises. Corey's Mom did a surprise "rap" toast (to Fresh Prince of BelAir, obviously). Corey and her brothers surprised the guests with a choreographed dance, followed by ANOTHER surprise dance flash mob that Corey's family had put together. It was awesome. Needless to say, dancing, dancing and more dancing followed.

Big thanks to TellChronicles for the great photos - and can we talk about how freaking hot Corey and Peter are? Hot damn. (and a shout-out to Peter's Mom for a truly awesome hat - we need more hats and fascinators at weddings, please).

Congrats again to Corey and Peter!

Corey and Peter's Vendors:

Venue and Catering: Pinstripes

Coordinator: Katie Wannen, The Plannery

Photographer: Emily from TellChronicles

DJ: Dominick from DJ Paul Entertainment

Florist: Dahlia Floral and Vallena Ferguson

Cake: Catherine Cullen

Cocktail Music: Wentworth Richardson

Lauren and Carl // Dumbarton House Wedding, Washington, DC // DC wedding coordinator

Lauren and Carl got married on a hot May day this past spring at the Dumbarton House in DC. It was a gorgeous mix of some traditional, classic elements (like the venue itself, and the stunning bride), with some personal, less-traditional touches (like their adorable dog walking in the ceremony, and the wedding cake their FRIEND made for them!).

After a steamy ceremony outdoors, guests moved to the side of the house (in some shade!) to enjoy cocktails and lawn games. They then were led downstairs to the tented courtyard and house for dinner and dancing. Towards the end of dinner they had some (lengthy, but lovely) toasts and then the dancing kicked in led by the Blue Tip Rhythm Revue... and the rest is history!

Congrats again to Lauren and Carl... and their awesome puppy (that bow tie collar is everything)!

Lauren and Carl's Vendors:

Ceremony and Reception Venue: The Dumbarton House, Washington, DC

Coordinator: Katie Wannen, The Plannery

Photographer: M&E Photography

Caterer: Spilled Milk

Ceremony Music: Haase Quartet

Reception Music: Blue Tip Rhythm Band

Florist: Morning Bird Designs

Tenting: Sugarplum Tents

Cake: Their friend, Adam Baron!

Katie and Adam // All Souls Unitarian Church Wedding, Washington DC // DC Wedding Coordinator

Katie and Adam had a super-awesome wedding this past May at All Souls Unitarian Church in DC. They're a great couple - we bonded initially over our very random connections: Adam's father went to the same high school I went to and grew up in my hometown, and Katie works at the same facility where my husband's grandmother lives. Very small world filled with rad people.

Speaking of rad people, Katie and Adam had some of the best and most competent friends I've ever met. When couples tell me their friends are going to handle the large task of DIYing the decor, I get concerned. I get nervous. I get anxious. I'm quite dubious and generally show up expecting to have to do most of it myself and/or fix some semi-disasters. But not with Katie and Adam. With Katie and Adam, I showed up at the venue to find their friends chilling on the stage having KICKED SOME ASS in decorating their entire reception venue with flags and cafe lights in record-breaking time. My jaw dropped to the floor and my heart leapt. These were my people.

All of which is to say do please be sure to give some mad props and slow claps when you see the beautiful photos (by Jessica Crews) of their lovely reception decor. Katie and Adam had a short but very sweet ceremony in the All Souls Church followed by cocktails in the lobby (unfortunately it started pouring down rain right when their cocktail hour started, but we rolled with it!), and the reception in the church's main hall. My Thyme served some delicious eats, and after dinner but before dancing one of Katie and Adam's friends passed around letters for all of the guests to fill out that the couple would open on their future anniversaries (1st, 5th, 10th and so on). It's an awesome alternative to a guest book and a new option I've been seeing a lot lately at weddings. I love it.

Post-dinner and some toasts, the dancing started thanks to The Pinstriped Rebel who kept the dance floor packed. Both Katie and Adam are dancers and it was such fun to see them hit the dance floor.

Congrats again, Katie and Adam!

Katie and Adam's Vendors:

Ceremony and Venue: All Souls Unitarian Church, Washington, DC

Coordinator: Katie Wannen, The Plannery

Photographer: Jessica Crews (no longer doing weddings! booo)

Caterer: My Thyme

DJ: The Pinstriped Rebel, DJ DMAC & Associates

Florist: Jeanne from Park Florist

Photobooth: Instant Classic Photo Booths

Cake: Les Delices Bakery

Make-up and Hair: BANG Salon

Mariah and Rob // Meridian Hill Park Wedding, Washington DC // DC wedding coordinator

 

My new associate, Tarra, coordinated this awesome wedding on Memorial Day. Handing it off to her to give us more details on Mariah and Rob's wonderful DC wedding! Take it away, Tarra...

Mariah and Rob were married in Washington, DC on Memorial Day Eve this past May.  Perfect weather, gorgeous bride, excited groom, and exultant family and friends. Nothing but love hung in the air that day. Even patrons of the busy Meridian Hill Park - where the loving ceremony was held - stopped to soak up the joyous occasion.

The wedding reception for their 140ish guests was held in their BREATHTAKING condo in Adams Morgan.  Both the décor and vibe of the night was anchored around music – with ceiling to floor mobiles and chandeliers made of vinyl records.  Guitar picks and music lyrics were also scattered about throughout the unique venue along with Mariah’s DIY floral arrangements. And did I mentioned the private ROOFTOP DECK?  Please do not ask me how we managed to fit everyone up there for a sit down dinner - plus a 3-piece band, plus a dance floor, plus a bar! All I can say is man did they pick the best condo ever to call home.  Big shout outs to Rouge Catering, Allied Party Rentals, and John Farr Lighting for helping make this all possible. Oh and last but not least, kind of like cherry on top - only saltier - I’d like to thank Rappahannock Oyster for coming out and making cocktail hour all the more fun.

This was a DC wedding through and through - their love for the city was so abundantly clear. I mean come on, these two sprung for a Adams Morgan Jumbo Slice in their wedding attire almost immediately after the ceremony! And let’s not forget National Pedicab who help shuttle guests to and from the park. So DC!

It was such a pleasure working this beyond-fun and non-traditional wedding.  I must thank Stephen Gosling for brilliantly capturing the day exactly as I remember it. Congrats again to Mariah and Rob!

Kerrin and Antonio's DC Engagement Photos

I had to share these engagement shoot pics from one of my October brides. She and her fiancé (who lives in Mexico!) have a wonderful "how we met" story, and they tied that story into their engagement shoot. I'll let Kerrin tell you their story in her own words - enjoy!

Antonio and I met at this little crepe cafe, Point Chaud, on a Sunday morning when he was only in DC for one week for a conference!  One of my best friends and I had a tradition of going to crepes before church, and she was running late due to street closures for a race in DC.  As I was waiting, this handsome man came into the cafe and sat at the table beside me.  When the coffee came out, he leaned over and said, "I hope the coffee is good here."  And the rest is history!

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

Julia and Phil // The Inn at West Settlement Wedding, Roxbury, NY // New York Wedding Planner

This wedding was incredibly special to me. I know Julia and Phil from my college days in NYC. Julia and I performed together, both dance and musical theatre, and Phil was our tech guru, making us look and sound our best. They got in touch with me all these years later asking if I’d help them find their venue and solidify their budget, as well as do month-of coordination. Julia and Phil wanted a full-on wedding weekend in the country, so we scoured the NYC region looking for great barns that could offer multiple venues for various events throughout the weekend.

They settled on the Inn at West Settlement in Roxbury, NY. I helped coordinate their rehearsal dinner and firepit hang the night before their wedding, their entire wedding day, and their morning-after brunch. It was an exhausting but exhilarating and wonderful weekend. I have to mention that despite all my hard work, none of it would have happened without their awesome family and friends who really pitched in to make this a community event. Plus, Julia and Phil are both my ex-theatre type-A dream clients and were organized beyond belief!

The weather cooperated and the whole weekend was fantastic. Julia and Phil started with a beautiful outdoor ceremony that included live music, some relatives as their officiants, readings from friends, and a handfasting. Their cocktail hour then extended into some wonderful Irish dancing out on the lawn with fabulous live music from a fiddle and pipe player. Family style dinner in the barn followed, along with toasts and a potluck pie station. And then there was the dancing. They hired a stellar band out of Brooklyn, The Blue Vipers, who KILLED it. Julia is a dancer. A legit, working artist - so she and Phil had a lovely choreographed first dance, followed by a crowd that couldn’t keep off the dance floor. The caterer and staff were based out of the downstairs level of the barn and I’m telling you, the stomping and hooting coming from the ceiling above made me think the barn might collapse!

Big, big congrats to Jules and Phil and a huge thank you for letting me be a part of your wonderful wedding weekend!

Julia and Phil's Wedding Vendors:

Partial Planning and Coordination: Katie Wannen, The Plannery

Venue: The Inn at West Settlement

Caterer: Grounded Catering

Rentals: Events Unlimited

Photographer: De Nueva Photography

Florals: Lily Bruder

Ceremony and Cocktail Musicians: Cleek Schrey and Stuart Jackson

Reception Band: The Blue Vipers

Hair and Make-up: Karen Neblung Hair Studio

Brittany and Daniel // Carnegie Institute of Science Wedding, Washington, DC // DC Wedding Coordinator

How hot are Brittany and Dan, you guys? I admit, I'm a bit biased because Brittany may be one of the best curly-girl brides I've ever seen. But dang, yo. It also helps that they're two of the most pleasant, sweetest and fun people - even while planning their wedding from Indianapolis!

Brittany and Dan got married on a Friday this November at Carnegie Institute of Science, a venue I'd been dying to work in (and will hopefully work in again this January if Baby Wannen stays put). They used plum and gold as their primary design inspiration, and wanted a really romantic, candlelit evening. Spilled Milk catered a great family-style meal. Uncloudy Studio, brought in by Brittany at the last minute, KILLED it with the florals (seriously… seriously). And obviously we have to thank and give mad props to Shandi Wallace for these stunning images. I loved this wedding because at first glance it seems fairly traditional - but their super personal ceremony and vows in the round, their small DIY details (those swizzle sticks!), their adorable cutting cake, the glow sticks and sunglasses provided by the mother of the groom, all those details really spoke to Brittany and Dan as a couple.

After getting ready, doing a first look and some portraits, Brittany's Dad officiated a wonderfully personal ceremony in the round. Cocktail hour followed, then the family style dinner, a quick cake cutting, and finally dancing (led by DJ Maskell) and photo booth fun rounded out the evening. Big congrats to this awesome couple!!

Brittany and Dan's Vendors:

Month-of Coordination: Katie, The Plannery

Venue: Carnegie Institution of Science

Photographer: Shandi Wallace

Caterer: Spilled Milk

Florist: Uncloudy Studio

DJ: Mark Maskell

Photo booth: Bash Booths

Happy New Year!

2014 was an amazing year for The Plannery - we more than doubled the number of clients we worked with from 2013 and had a blast doing so. As most of you know, 2015 will be a slower year for me, what with the bebe and all - but I'm looking forward to continuing the tradition of working with kick-ass couples, and revving up for 2016! In the meantime, a look back at some of my favorite pics from all the great weddings I did in 2014 (I'm still missing a couple photos from some weddings this fall - blog posts on those to come later!). Big thanks to all the wonderful couples and vendors who made 2014 so freaking rad!

xoxo

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