Colin and Mara's Torpedo Factory Alexandria, VA Wedding

Photo by JPG Photography

Colin and Mara were married at The Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA this past August - on a hot, but luckily, not stormy (!) day. Mara’s family is Portuguese and she was able to integrate some Portuguese touches throughout the event (including Portuguese music and of course - dancing!) that made it really special. They got ready at nearby Hotel Indigo and did photos prior to the ceremony around beautiful Old Town, while we were getting the venue ready for their big day! D Nicole Settings provided a gorgeous fern wall for their ceremony (which covered the somewhat odd staircase at Torpedo Factory!), while Main Event Catering, Growing Wild Florist, and John Farr lighting also did an awesome job making the space look beautiful. After a very personal ceremony, cocktails were outdoors on the waterfront patio (with no rain! whew!), followed by dinner and dancing indoors. The Bachelor Boys kept the crowd dancing all night long, and Gustavo from JPG Photography provided these beautiful photos. Enjoy!

Mara and Colin’s Wedding Vendors:

Coordinator: Katie Wannen, The Plannery

Venue: The Torpedo Factory

Caterer: Main Event Catering

Photographer: Gustavo, JPG Photography

Music: The Bachelor Boys

Florist: Growing Wild

Fern Wall: D Nicole Settings

Hair/Make-up: Modern Bridal Studio

Lighting/Draping: John Farr

How to Design Your Wedding

Many of you know I brought Kim on board to handle event design services for our clients who wanted some help in that arena. What you may not know is that I did it because I couldn’t! Like many of you, I’m intimidated as hell by it! And yet. I think while many of us feel intimidated by wedding design or “styling” (ugh), we also actually do want our event to have a cohesive look and feel. But we have no idea how to do that. Frankly, many of our clients come to us a bit late - and so I wanted to discuss when in the planning process you should start integrating design. Especially for you newly engaged folks, it’s worth a read so that you’re able to be cohesive without having to overthink things too much.

Wedding Design begins with the venue… or does it?

Photo by JPG Photography

Which comes first, the design or the venue? It’s sort of a chicken or the egg question, depending on who you are. So our first tip is to make note of how much the design/style of your wedding really matters to you. If you are a design fanatic and have strong opinions about what your wedding looks like, start with design first. As in, if you HAVE to have a rustic feel, then you probably shouldn’t check out city venues. However, most of my clients lean more towards the “we care, but it’s not our top priority” realm. So for you, we recommend you book your venue and date first. The location and the season of your wedding will strongly influence your event design. Once the venue is booked, it’s worth stopping a moment and thinking about the design elements so that your wedding can have a cohesive feel. (side note: this is where our design services can really help, once you’re at this point. Kim talks and meets with you to help you determine the following items: colors, and a mood board with which to make all future decisions!)

Wedding colors

Photo by Modern Frame Photography

From there, use your venue to think about the colors and feel you want for your wedding. If you’re having a beach wedding you might opt towards sandy and romantic tones - or perhaps it’s a beach in Mexico and you want to go for bold colors! Kim adds, color is SO personal and much more than just saying to your vendors you like the color pink. What kind of pink? How much pink? Only pink, or other colors as well? Being super clear about particular shades and accent colors will help guid your vendors as they make proposals for you. The season also matters - though I’m a fan of not sticking to seasonal colors to mix things up a bit! If the season inspires you - for example, you’ll be wearing a long sleeved dress for a winter wedding - use that inspiration towards other colors and elements.

Wedding Mood Board

You should then use all of the above to make a mood board. Yes, Pinterest is a great place to start browsing and collecting images that speak to you - but too many images can muddle your vision and confuse vendors. That’s when a streamlined and edited down one-page mood board can do wonders - and where we come in to help! Editing your own thoughts is hard. When you meet with Kim you’ll discuss everything on your mind design-wise and she’ll help narrow down your vision to one that is cohesive for your vendors to work from. This is where I would have killed for Kim’s assistance back in the day of planning my own wedding. Style and design are such visual elements. Talking about them to vendors sometimes…just doesn’t work. But having that streamlined mood board to SHOW your caterer so they can help you pick the linens is a priceless tool. Or SHOW your florist what type of bouquet you’re interested in. This mood board can be a wonderful resource for ALL the future design choices down the planning pike.

But I don’t care about Wedding Design so it doesn’t matter

Photo by Porter Watkins

Don't think you have design choices to make? Unfortunately, you’re wrong. Even if, like me, you don’t consider yourself someone who is sensitive or interested in design, there are lots of moments throughout the planning process when small decisions you make can help determine how cohesive your wedding will feel.

The reason we recommend you start thinking about these things early on is so your wedding website, your save the dates, and then all future correspondence and communication with the guests feels cohesive. Design helps communicate a message to everyone involved - and the practical, logistics-driven person in me adores that element of design: the story it tells and communicates to your guests (which, as a reminder, I believe communication is the #1 key to having a stress free wedding. So mull that over for a bit). Giving guests a clear sense of what to expect, not only in text on your website, and alphabetizing your escort cards, but in the look and feel of your invites, wedding website, and other design elements, help them feel more comfortable and at ease.

How to start wedding planning: The Plannery Guide

Photo by Modern Frames Photography

I decided with the New Year upon us, and thus many newly engaged folks out there in the universe, it’d be smart to put together a round-up of knowledge for you all, with links to past Plannery posts about how and where to begin your wedding planning adventure!

How to Start Planning Your Wedding

This post is a good one to begin with, covering all the major steps you should consider and big conversations you should have as you begin! Priorities and expectations, budget, guest list and venue are the biggest items to consider and discuss.

How to Find a Wedding Venue

This post is a deeper dive into the ever-so-difficult wedding venue search. We talk you through many items to consider when researching your wedding venue options and how to organize it all!

Biggest Wedding Planning Mistakes

This is a really good one, in my humble opinion! It shares some of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen in my many years as a wedding planner. A lot of these mistakes are often made early in the planning process, so it’s great to look through this and try to avoid them if possible!

How to Find the Right Wedding Planner For You?

We just published this one last week, but in case you missed it - it helps talk through the items to consider before researching planners, and then how to find the right one for you!

What Does a Wedding Coordinator Do?

This is a great post to give you more insight on what wedding coordinators do (and don’t!) do! It’ll help you decide whether they might be the right decision for you (hint: I personally believe you can forego a wedding planner, but a coordinator is a MUST. And I swear I’m not just saying that because that’s what we do!).

How to find the right Wedding Planner for you

Photo by Margaret Wroblewski

Happy New Year! With engagement season (aka the holiday season!) having just passed, I thought we’d dedicate the month of January to all things wedding planning for those of you who are newly engaged and just getting started.

We've spoken previously about what wedding coordinators do - but I realized I hadn’t done a deep dive into the wedding planning realm. Having a professional planner can be an invaluable resource you may want to consider - so we’re today we’ll talk about what wedding planning services are out there, as well as how to find the right wedding planner that fits your needs.

Photo by Jess Latos Photography

Which Wedding Planning Services Are Right For You?

The first step is to think about what kind of help you really need - and want.

We offer both partial and full planning - and depending on who are as a couple, either one may be the better fit for you. If you’re someone with an incredibly busy job, who isn’t always great staying on top of to-do items and really want some major hand-holding and guidance throughout the wedding planning process, full planning is the right option for you. We help you formulate your budget, clarify your needs and wants and priorities, schedule and attend all wedding related meetings, assist in researching and booking your venue and wedding vendors, arrange hotel room blocks, among many other details.

If, on the other hand, you’re slightly more proactive, want to be more involved in the planning process, but still want guidance, partial planning is an awesome option (and we find we tend to attract these couples the most!). For Partial Planning we help create your initial budget and nail down your major vendors (venue, caterer, photographer, music, and florist). We then provide you with a planning timeline, with major to-do’s for you to cross off throughout the next months, and then reemerge to assist in month-of coordination to make sure the event runs smoothly. We’re also always available throughout as a resource, with unlimited communication!

Event Design is another wrinkle often thrown into wedding planning services. Some planners offer it with all their packages, others don’t offer it at all. I personally think ours is a great option because it’s similar to our other packages in that we’re able to provide you with event design guidance and tools, tailored to YOU, to then help you make other design related decisions down the line.

I think one of the final questions to ask yourself is what you value and what matters to you for your wedding. If you’re someone who wants someone to make decisions for you and tell you what to do - hire someone who will do that! I will say, however - that won’t be us! We are very upfront about the fact that as planners, we are here as resources and guides, someone who will help narrow your decision making, and make the process easier - but we won’t ever make decisions FOR you. We firmly believe the wedding should be a reflection of the couple - whoever they are and whatever they love - not us, as planners. Also, frankly, it’s your money. So it’s your final decision.

So now that you know what you want…

Photo by Mantas Kubilinskas

What Should You Look For In A Wedding Planner?

This is a tough one because every couple is so different. I firmly believe ALL wedding vendors should make the process of planning easy for you. Therefore, look for someone who is a clear communicator and who is easy to talk to. Did they respond to your inquiry in a timely manner? Did you enjoy speaking with them and feel like they “got” you? What about other forms of communication? Is their website clear? Does it clearly state their services, pricing (pricing transparency is key!! We try our best to be as upfront as possible), and values (see below)?

I also believe your wedding planner should reflect your values. Whether you’re an LGBTQ couple or not, hiring a planner who is outspoke and very explicit in their support and beliefs means that planner will only be recommending similarly supportive vendors. As one of our clients said about The Plannery, “as both my husband and I consider ourselves allies of the LGBT community, I really appreciate how open they are about supporting LGBT couples as well couples of diverse/mixed backgrounds and religions… It was a refreshing ‘icing on the cake’ to work with a vendor who was so transparent and open about this topic and even though we don't personally identify, we truly admire this honorable approach to their services as we have many loved ones in our lives who do.” 

Finally, I always recommend reading reviews and asking for references! Hearing from couples first-hand is a wonderful way to get a feel for a planner - both throughout the planning process as well as on the day-of. I recently went back through our many, many reviews to see what words stuck out the most. We were often described as “responsive”, “organized” planners who provided “seamless” and “stress-free” experiences. If that speaks to you, wonderful! If not, find a planner whose clients describe what matters most to you for your wedding day!

Why to Have a Winter Wedding

As we head into the holiday season, I thought I’d write a small ode to the winter wedding. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but there are some very good reasons to consider it - so for those of you recently engaged and starting to envision your wedding, I urge you to give winter a second chance!

Winter Weddings Save You Dough

Photo by Sam Hurd

Winter is what we in the wedding industry like to call the “slow” season - so most wedding venues will offer discounted rates for the colder, winter months. Similarly, you can often negotiate with other wedding vendors to potentially get their pricing down since demand isn’t quite as high.

Your Winter Wedding Brings Color to a Gray Season, in More Ways Than One

Photo by Mary Sandoval Photography

Let’s face it - after the holidays, the winter season can sometimes be a bit gray and gloomy. People are gonna be super psyched to have a reason to celebrate, and I’ve often found some of the happiest and rowdiest crowds are at winter weddings! Not only that, but having a wedding during the winter means you bring life and color, literally, to the world. No matter what you wear, you’ll pop in your photos against the stark but beautiful background of the colder months.

Embrace the Romance of a Winter Wedding

Photo by Sam Hurd

Winter is a time to hibernate, to snuggle with the ones you love. Many of the winter weddings I’ve worked have really embraced the romance of the winter, with lots of candlelight, warmth and frankly, the magic that comes with it. I had one wedding literally hand out candles to all the guests and do a candle lit ceremony (shut up, how gorgeous is that??!!). So whether it be a venue with lots of fireplaces, having hot cocoa stations, or just some beautiful tapers on long dining tables, winter is a wonderful time to fully embrace the romance of the season.

Winter Wedding Fashion

Photo by Amber Wilkie

Winter weddings mean you get to be a bit more creative with your wedding attire in order to stay warm. So whether you grab your grandmother’s old fur stole, go for a full-on suit, or don a white puffy coat, the options in winter are fun, fabulous and different.

What a Wedding Designer Would do Differently for Their Own Wedding

We’re continuing our monthly series of “What We’d Do Differently” for our weddings today with some wise words from Kim, our Event Designer! Read on to learn more about wedding dress shopping, spending time with guests, and one of the most often discussed vendors (in my experience), a wedding videographer!

So many memories come back looking through our wedding pictures—friends and family coming together, the music and dancing… the 100-degree weather while getting our pictures taken! While we couldn’t have planned for the heat, there were a few other things I would have done a little differently looking back:

Hire a Wedding Videographer

Four and a half years later and this is still my biggest regret. It was one of the things we decided to cut after signing a few vendor contracts and getting a better understanding of how much weddings actually cost. I was getting a bit worried about staying in our budget and was overwhelmed looking for other vendors so, I didn’t do much work in researching videographers who might be on the cheaper end or new to the field. I really wish I had. Even a student videographer would have been better than none! It’s the first thing I tell people when they ask if I had any regrets. I love watching other people’s wedding videos and still wish we had one of our own, but our photographs will have to suffice, which is OK because we loved our photographer!

Wedding dress shopping: more of it, and go it alone

I want to preface this by saying I loved my dress and still do. I went to two boutiques with some immediate family members both times and it was not too stressful to have their opinions. Thinking back though, I wish I had gone once more, alone. I think having a third time with just my thoughts and trying some styles I might not have considered before would have been fun. Whenever someone tells me they’re going dress shopping I get so excited for them and think about sneaking back to a salon and pretending I’m getting married again just to try on a few more ;)

Allow More Time To Visit With Wedding Guests

This might be a common one as Katie mentioned the same thing! For some reason we stayed in a back room while cocktail hour happened. Maybe I was worried we’d get off schedule if we went and walked around, who knows, but I think it would have been fine! We didn’t allocate time to do this during dinner either and I feel like we didn’t see half the people we invited. I know the day is crazy but I wish we set aside time for this. Looking back at our reception pictures it would have been nice for the two of us to be in more of them with our guests and not just each other.

Let the Train of my Wedding Dress Down!

OK, this sounds silly and so small but I noticed in a few of our pictures that I was carrying my train around. I wish I had let it go and trail behind me as it was meant to. I think I didn’t want it to get dirty (understandable) but looking back I only got to wear the dress once and should have showed it off more. Something to keep in the back of your mind while you’re getting pictures taken!

Of course none of these things ruined the wedding entirely—I loved every minute of that day. It’s easy to say I should have done this or that when looking back but, in the moment it all felt like the right choice. Hopefully my look back with give some perspective to current couples in the midst of planning. Whatever you decide, though, just make sure it makes you happy!

What a Wedding Planner Would do Differently For Their Own Wedding, Part Deux

We’re continuing our series of “What Would a Wedding Planner Do Differently for Their OWN Wedding” with our very own Rebecca! (if you missed our Part 1, check it out here!). Rebecca has some wonderful advice (and beautiful photos from Jess Latos Photography) - so enjoy and learn!

I think every couple second guesses things about their wedding, or there are things that they would do differently. For wedding planners, though, it's a WHOLE different ballgame! Our whole lives are about nitpicking every single detail, so not only do we do that BEFORE our weddings, but after them too!!

But first, let me tell you a little about my wedding, and some of the MANY, MANY, MANY things about it that I loved. I absolutely ADORED our venue, Capon Springs, an all-inclusive family resort that has been owned and operated by the same family for generations.

I KNOW, RIGHT?!??!?! It was everything we wanted -- within driving distance for (almost) everyone, DELICIOUS food, everyone could stay "on site" and we were allowed to bring our own alcohol (a HUGE deal for me...it was literally my only deal breaker when looking at venues.) Picture the resort from Dirty Dancing, and you have Capon Springs (or, for a more recent reference, the resort in the Catskills from Season 2 of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel).

I LOVED all of our vendors. Having been in the wedding industry for over 10 years at that time, I knew a lot of vendors, obviously, although none of them were in West Virginia! Luckily we were able to have our "friendors" travel and stay at the resort and enjoy the weekend! (This included our amazing photographer Jessica Latos, our Florist, Katie Martin, our planners, Anjie and Laura, (this was before I worked for The Plannery!), and our officiant, Amanda Tate. The only "local" vendors we had to find were Hair and Makeup (the AMAZING SAS Studio out of Winchester) and our rental company for chairs.

Ok, so the things I would have done differently? They were, in the grand scheme of things, pretty minor.

Photo by Jess Latos Photography

The Ceremony Programs

I loved our programs, but for about a year before the wedding I had been collecting leftover flowers from my weddings as a planner, saving and drying the flower petals. Then I chopped them up into confetti, put them in glassine bags, and attached them to the front of the programs for people to throw.

DUDE! What even was the point?!?!? You totally can't see them in this photo. Which is SO not the photographer's fault! See that ribbon in the right hand corner? That's what we handed out to the kids who kicked off our processional (our wedding parade). I should have just made more of those (they were SO EASY to make!) and had our planners hand them out to the people on the aisles. That picture would have been a lot better. (Also? How freaking cute are these kids?!?)

Photos by Jess Latos Photography

First Look Location

I would have specifically chosen our first look location, or scouted something out with our photographer. It was raining on and off that day, so I TOTALLY understand why she picked the location she did (it was just outside of the cottage where I got ready). But...well, just look...

Photo by Jess Latos Photography

Meh...it's fine. There are just TONS of gorgeous locations at Capon Springs (see...

So I would have been more specific about choosing a location.

Wedding Ceremony Sound

The sound was TOTALLY messed up for our ceremony, but that's not really a planning thing I would have changed -- it was just an unfortunate thing that happened. (Like I said, it was raining on and off all day, and literally at the last minute it stopped, the Capon Staff ran out and wiped down the benches, and we were able to go with our plan A...which I was SO HAPPY about!)

Photo by Jess Latos Photography

But, unfortunately, something happened and I think the speakers were too far from the DJ or something, so you couldn't really hear the music or the officiant if you weren't in the front row. Clearly, 3 1/2 years later, it's still something I think about.

We were planning to do a few large family photos after the ceremony, but it was pretty chilly (see all those people in coats above?!), so I told my planners "Forget it, tell people to just go inside for cocktail hour), and it is something I don't regret AT ALL! The food at our cocktail hour was SO GOOD, and people were pretty happy to be inside in front of the fire place!!!

Wear Your Glasses! (aka be yourself!)

Another thing I don't regret...see any differences between these two pictures?

That's right...GLASSES! I got contacts for the wedding, but I am SO not a contacts wearer. I took them out immediately after the ceremony, and felt a huge sigh of relief. And I've never worn contacts another day in my life! If you're not normally a contacts wearer, don't force yourself just for your wedding! I promise, you'll look beautiful in your glasses!!

Inventory Your Wedding DIY Items

The only thing I regret from the reception is that I didn't use a tool I now use as a planner, which is a personal inventory (something I've learned from Katie Wannen!) We do a personal inventory for all of our couples, which is a spreadsheet that I break down into ceremony, cocktail hour and reception, and for each section I list EVERY SINGLE THING that the couple is bringing, or that needs to be set up, even if someone else is bringing it. I list how it's getting there, where it's going at the wedding, and what's happening to it at the end of the night. If I had done that for the wedding, the one thing that I STILL think about that was missing from the reception, a bar menu that I (ok, more artistically talented friends of mine) worked on REALLY HARD, would have been displayed. (It was like this, but with drinks, not food. The food one is cute too!)

Photo by Jess Latos Photography

This was really just a problem of miscommunication -- I think different people each thought someone else had done it, so it didn't get displayed until I noticed it missing...and by then it was towards the end of the night. It's such a stupid thing to be upset about, but I made up REALLY clever names for our drinks that went with our TV-themed wedding!

("What were they," you ask? Well, there was the "Snake Juice" (Parks and Recreation) (This was 1921 Crema Tequila...I highly recommend it.)

"The Rory" (Gilmore Girls) (A DELICIOUS Grapefruit Moscow Mule)

"There's Always Money in the Banana Stand" (A "sounds weird but is amazing" combo of Banana liqueur and Cream Soda

"The Ron Swanson" (Lagavulin)

Take Care of Your Wedding Guests

Lastly, I regret not just biting the bullet and buying a ton of blankets to set out at the reception. Guys? It was COLD up there. Craig and I went up to the pavilion to greet guests as they arrived (sort of a reverse receiving line, which I highly recommend), but we were freezing -- especially the one of us with a sleeveless dress! Luckily one of my dad's friends had a blanket in his car, and at some point my new mother-in-law went and got me my sweatshirt (and trust me...a red hoodie looks AMAZING with a white lace wedding dress if it's cold enough!) A few of the female guests even changed into jeans or leggings it was so cold! We had three big, warm fireplaces, but if you were sitting far away from them, it was still pretty chilly. I wish I had thought to get some nice warm blankets from Amazon so people could wrap themselves up in them. (Notice I didn't say I wish we had moved our reception inside -- LOOK AT THIS COOL SPOT! I could never have moved it indoors...it would have hurt my soul).

Jess Latos Photography

Beware the Wedding Vendors who Overpromise

Photo by Jess Latos Photography (an example of a vendor who promises and delivers!)

Every once in a while I write a post that goes out not only to our potential clients and those engaged folks, but also to my fellow wedding vendors. This is one of those posts, and is a bit of a cautionary tale about vendors who overpromise.

I recently assisted in a wedding in which the clients had very expensive taste, but - frankly - didn’t want to spend the money that accompanies those tastes :) That’s fine, and it happens a lot. But my job as a planner, and every wedding vendor’s job, is to help clients understand what can and can’t be done for X amount of dollars, and then provide alternatives or options. There’s a real danger in “yes”ing your clients (or, if you’re planning a wedding, in having vendors that seem to be too good to be true - are promising a lot, for not a lot of money). If vendors overpromise and underdeliver - the clients are going to be disappointed. That’s not anything anyone wants on their wedding day.

In this specific case, there were multiple vendors who had said they could do X, Y and Z, but actually had never done it before (!) and frankly, couldn’t deliver. One vendor not only failed to do what they said they could do, but actually created a dangerous situation (that I had to insist be taken down). Another vendor simply verbally embellished certain aspects, but it wasn’t in the budget to really follow through on what they’d claimed they’d be able to provide.

So I urge vendors not to “yes” your clients, thinking it’s better to get the sale than to have the tough conversation and have them walk away. It’s not. Having a disappointed and angry bride or groom is way worse than being honest and upfront about what you can and can’t do. And clients - appreciate the vendors who are honest with you. And trust them :) If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Instead, work on either shifting your priorities and budget (move some funds from one area over to another), or shift your expectations and see if some other creative ideas and different options might create a similar result for less money. Because the last thing anyone wants - both the clients and the vendors - is to have anyone be disappointed, frustrated, or even angry on their wedding day.

Linda and Chris Carnegie Institution for Science DC Wedding

Photo by Margaret Wroblewski

Yes, we worked another Carnegie Institution for Science wedding. And yes, I loved it just as much as I always do! This really is one of our favorite venues and Linda and Chris’s wedding was no exception. They got married in late August this past summer, and it was such a lovely day! They didn’t want to see each other prior to the ceremony, so they had some family photos done separately and then we made sure we hid Linda (and her stunning-as-all-get-out dress) away in the upstairs library. After a beautiful ceremony officiated by a friend, they took some more photos outdoors (the weather was great!) while guests enjoyed the cocktail hour and photo booth inside. After a delicious meal by Main Event Catering, some toasts and the cake cutting, we got to my favorite part: a surprise Linda had arranged (with my help) for her groom after their first dance. She had Old Line Garrison - an awesome organization that brilliantly brings together Star Wars costume enthusiasts with charity - surprise Chris with stormtroopers crashing the dance floor! Old Line Garrison was so wonderful to work with - they’re an entirely volunteer-based organization that will show up to events and weddings as Star Wars characters out of their sheer love of dressing up, and for a donation to a charity. SUCH a cool idea - and Chris LOVED it (as you’ll see from the photos, by Margaret Wroblewski, below.

Some other favorite details include the glow sticks they handed out for an end of the night photo (which always makes the dance party more fun!), and the fact that they actually rented fake flowers for their centerpieces (from Wedding Flowers for Rent). I NEVER would have known - the flowers were really exceptionally lovely and it was a cost-efficient option I’d never seen done before and was frankly surprised at how beautiful they looked!

Congrats again to you both!

Linda and Chris’s Vendors:

Coordinator: Katie Wannen, The Plannery

Venue: The Carnegie Institution for Science

Caterer: Main Event Catering

Photographer: Margaret Wroblewski

DJ/Photobooth/Uplighting: DJ Dan Goldman

Cake: Fluffy Thoughts

Hair/Make-up: Les Bourgeois Artistry

Personal florals: Flor de Casa Designs

Centerpieces: Rented! Wedding Flowers for Rent

Kaylan and Kyle Longview Gallery Washington DC Wedding

Photo by Sloane Dakota Photo

I love nothing more than a couple that knows exactly what they want. Kaylan and Kyle kept true to their visions throughout the planning process. Their style and tastes were interwoven in every single solitary detail - from the bar menu to calligraphy work, to the sprigs of rosemary at each place setting, all thought out so meticulously, and so them. It is no surprise with Kyle being part prominent figure in the DC food and beverage industry that their dinner menu (provided by Spilled Milk) was one of the finest I have seen thus far at a wedding. The main attractions being Pancetta-Wrapped Quail Roulade and a Mustard-Glazed Rockfish, YUM! Cocktails were served out of a specially crafted Jockey Box, CO2 Tank with regulator… ummmm yeah, I had to look that one up! :) And let’s not forget the extremely enormous bottle of Billecart-Salmon Brut Rose that Kyle surprised Kaylan with, a 3L Jeroboam to be specific. It was literally bigger than my head. This wedding was the epitome of intimate wining and dining among beloved family and friends- an absolutely incredible night of love and laughter in Washington, DC. Congrats again, Kaylan and Kyle!

Kaylan and Kyle’s Vendors:

Coordinator: Tarra Morgan, The Plannery

Venue: Longview Gallery

Caterer: Spilled Milk

Photography: Sloane Dakota Photo

DJ: Kelton Higgins

Florist: Sill Life

Cake: Fluffy Thoughts

Hair/Make-up: Alison Harper