You have probably noticed a few changes to our blog!  We have updated our list of the blogs we love and we know of a few more that we will be adding soon! Click above to see the list or- click here!

Now that we are down to a two column blog – our photos will be easier to see!  (Above is one of our favorites from The Observatory).

We also really cleaned up our sidebar – a few more sidebar items are coming!

Have a safe a wonderful holiday weekend!  We will be celebrating with our four couples this weekend at the Decatur House, Arts Club of Washington, Hotel Monaco and Brookside Gardens – Congrats to all our brides and grooms!

We are excited to finally showcase Melanie and Michael’s wedding from June at Woodend Sanctuary.  As many of you know – it is one of my favorite locations in the entire Washington, DC area.

We helped Melanie and Michael with a partial planning package along with all of her flowers and decor.  Her bridal bouquet was comprised of lavender and white mini calla lilies with light blue delphinium and fresh lavender accents.

They kept the ceremony pretty simple and added a touch of whimsy with these adorable purple, lavender and white carnation pomanders – which we reused on the back of the chairs at the head table during the reception.

Their centerpieces had luscious local purple hydrangea with lavender vanda orchids.

Melanie had so much fun picking out their candy for the candy bar!  She did not stick to a color theme – she stuck to the candies that both her and Michael loved!

Congratulations Melanie and Michael!

And thanks to Martha Fitzsimon for all the beautiful photos!

Worried about what you are going to wear on your wedding day?  Believe it or not – the color of white or ivory can make a huge difference on how you feel on your wedding day.  Also – the colors of your entire wedding can really create a mood for you and your guests.  Last week, Robin Fisher of Polished Image and Style and the Style Editor of our magazine Eco-Beautiful Weddings, was interviewed on Let’s Talk Live!

If there was ever a time to consult with an image consultant or personal stylist – your engagement is one of them.  We have used Robin for years for our clients to ensure that they look and feel their best on their wedding day.  Not every dress and every color will look good on you or your bridesmaids.  Consultations prices range and are worth every single cent!  Robin has even traveled to New York to check out Kleinfeld’s for a couple of our clients.  You will need to buy dresses for your engagement party, bridal shower, rehearsal dinner, wedding day, brunch and the honeymoon.

Not only can Robin help you find the right dress – she can help you color your life.  She helps design a customized color palette of colors for you to use whenever you go shopping…so the investment you make for your wedding can last a lifetime.

Click on the image above to see the clip from Let’s Talk Live interview and to learn more about how color affects so many parts of our daily lives!  Ask me about Robin when you come in or take a look at her website and blog!

Here is the final installment from Ed and Erwin’s wedding.  A big thank you to Laura Luis for her beautiful photography that she donated on this day.  Janice at Bellwether Events did such a great job in coordinating the day as well.  So many vendors came together to make this wonderful wedding happen!

Although the flowers were pretty simple for us for their wedding day – it was the way they wanted it.  Simple white flowers with a mix of purple and greens along the way.  We had white rose bouquets for the two female attendants and all the male lapels were made of white roses or these beautiful white spray roses.

Of course, we love doing weddings at Meridian House!   The natural beauty of the garden and the Linden trees along with the charming and elegant mansion!  We donated our manzanita branches with delicate orchid blooms for the escort card and buffet tables.

We loved being able to provide our lanterns for the Linden tree grove for Ed and Erwin – if only for this amazing photo for them!!!  We also provided simple purple stock cocktail table arrangements and white hydrangea centerpieces for the tables.

A wholehearted congratulations to Ed and Erwin!  Our staff are praying for you and your lives together!

Take a look at yesterday’s post to learn more about Ed and Erwin!

Here is another installment of Ed and Erwin’s wedding from earlier this month!   I just wanted to show you some of the fun details from this wedding in this post – stay tuned tomorrow for the floral designs and decor!  I adore the Wish Upon a Wedding handkerchief above!  If you did not get a chance to read all about Ed and Erwin’s wedding from earlier posts – Erwin is suffering from a terminal disease and Wish Upon a Wedding’s mission is to grant couples like Erwin and Ed a chance to wed in the middle of dealing with illness.  Click on the photo to learn more about the organization!

Of course, we adore Paloma’s Nest!  She makes the most incredible ring bearer bowls – which was perfect for Ed and Erwin’s two adopted children to use!

Take a look at the wonderful video from their wedding day and about their family below – be ready to cry!

Erwin and Ed Wedding Film from William Gaff on Vimeo.

Photos courtesy of Laura Luis

We were so excited to be a part of Ed and Erwin’s wedding in Washington, DC a couple of weeks ago.  They were the first recipients of the Wish Upon a Wedding’s grant wishing organization in DC.  Stay tuned for more photos from their lovely day.

I apologize that I did not get this post up last week!  I was hoping to make the floral explanation series a weekly thing!  But doing a destination wedding for a friend took priority – I will share those photos with you soon!

Today I want to talk about dahlias.  We are entering the best season for dahlias.  You can get them throughout August but they really start to  look amazing in September and October.

They come in a variety of colors and we love working with them as they give any arrangement nice texture.  Colors include the vibrant orange above, peach, white with a hint of green, magenta, purple, burgundy, yellow and light pink.  I will warn you though – they have a very pungent. musky smell to them.  If you are easily affected by the smells of flowers – I would stay away from this flower.  However, they are hearty flowers and on average they are moderately priced.

Our favorite place to buy  dahlias are from a local farm and from our growers in Oregon.  Why?  These are the most eco-friendly ways to go.  Of course with local farmers we are giving back to the local economy and there is one farm in particular we love that we also buy fruits and veggies from.  Then, the farmers in Oregon are able to produce their dahlias without pesticides and that we love!

I will say that even though the bouquet above is comprised entirely of dahlias, I do not recommend this all the time.  The shape of most dahlias make it more difficult to make a perfectly rounded shape for a bouquet. However, if you like the English garden or loose garden look for a bouquet – they are perfect choice.  We also think they are fantastic for centerpieces and large garden altar displays.

As we get closer to fall, we are starting to order more and more dahlias.  If you are planning your fall wedding for next year – keep dahlias on your “to do” list!

We love this photo from our 1st legal gay wedding in Washington, DC.  It was a proud moment for the staff at Elegance & Simplicity to be helping Matt and Paul for their wedding day.  Deb Lindsey captured the moments of the day perfectly.  Stay tuned for more photos from their wedding at the Arts Club of Washington!

We were very excited to see Merry Maps in our inbox last week.  Owner Daley Harris is located in Dallas, but draws her maps for any bride around the world!  They are adorable!  These maps will be sure to become keepsakes and scrapbooking materials after the big day!  Click on the map to learn how Daley can make your map!

We are thrilled that Kendall & Mo’s wedding is being showcased again on another wonderful blog!

One of the best wedding blogs about multi-cultural wedding is Wedding Nouveau – ahh – we love it!  Click on either the photo or their logo to see the whole story!