I gave you a sneak peek last week from a wedding we did at a new venue called Love Point.  What I did not tell you is that it was Casandra Tressler’s wedding!  She was 2010′s Miss USA International and came from being Miss Maryland!!! Above is the bridesmaid bouquet to accompany the beautiful bridal bouquet that we did for her (click here to see).  Filled with garden roses, pink freesia, white delphinium and white mini calla lilies.

The venue has a view right on the bay looking straight at the Bay Bridge!  We did the centerpieces as well.  Windows took care of the catering and rentals.

The bride opted for three different centerpieces.  Starting with this rustic style with wheat grass and river rocks in our reclaimed wood boxes.

Then the second arrangement was our milk glass filled with pink garden roses, calla lilies and hydrangea.

Last, but not least, are the tall trumpet glass vases with dendrobium orchids and curly willow accents!

Congrats to Casandra + Estebe!

It’s Live and we are in Love!  Click on the Cover Above to Check out all the Eco-Friendly Yumminess from the Spring 2011 Issue of Eco-Beautiful Weddings!

It’s not often I get to post about my friend’s getting married – but here it goes!  Angela – the same photographer that took most of the photos from my wedding in the Dominican Republic (and works for Documentary Associates) got married this past summer!

She was incredibly easy to work with and we brought a lot of the items we are already had in stock in order to decorate her wedding.  A couple of things you won’t see in this post is the decor that we did not get to use.  Miguel and I went to decorate the tent in the morning with pretty paper lanterns.  Then as we made our way back to the hotel to get ready for the ceremony and enjoy the wedding – a torrential downpour of immense magnitude came in!  Miguel and I made our way back to the Island Manor early to assess the damage.  We stood amazed and could only laugh…which quickly eroded to sadness and worry that our beautiful friend and bride would be terribly upset.  Not only were all of the lanterns completely destroyed by the rain, but there was a duck swimming in a newly formed pond underneath the tent above the dance floor.

Fortunately, the rain had stopped and stayed away.  We had to act quickly to find a new spot for Angela and Rob to get married and make new plans for the actual reception as well. The Island Manor did such a great job and offered their patio space and let us move everything inside the manor for the reception.  It turned out beautifully!

Angela also ordered a cake from our friend Debbie over at Cakes by Design. Miguel and I brought the cake with us to Chincoteague for them and, again, The Island Manor was wonderful and made space in one of the fridges for the cake when we arrived the night before the wedding.  Don’t ask about the cake topper, I don’t know the whole story except that Rob calls her space monkey!

In the end – the most important element of the day is that two amazing people found each other and fell in love.  True Love – which is so fun to watch unfold and they are now expecting a little one!  Just so much joy this past year – both Miguel and I felt so blessed to be part of their day! Tom and Ashlee did such a wonderful job of taking the photos of course!

Congrats to my friends Rob & Angela!

Our Anniversary Issue of Eco-Beautiful Weddings is live!  Click above to see the new issue!

By Chris Easter of TheManRegistry.com

Are you and your bride considering going the destination wedding route? Traditionally, honeymoon and destination wedding travel fall under the groom’s list of financial responsibilities. This means it’s time to start studying up. Here’s a starter guide:

Why go destination?

The main reason that many couples choose to hold a destination wedding is that it significantly makes the wedding planning process easier. The locale often will double as the honeymoon location. Resorts offering destination weddings are also generally all-inclusive. This means that they take care of the food, entertainment, decoration, setup etc.. If you have any experience in wedding planning, you know how sweet this sounds.

What are some popular destination wedding locations?

There really are no limitations when it comes to choosing where to have a destination wedding. Beaches and mountains are always popular locales, but there’s nothing saying you can’t hold a wedding in the dessert, at a waterfall or even at your favorite campground (trivia -  the most popular location for a destination wedding is South Carolina). You want to be sure to get your preferred location booked far in advance. I recommend having everything locked down nine months in advance.

Who do we invite?

Typically, guest lists for destination weddings are smaller than traditional weddings. It’s standard to have an open invite with the understanding that if a guest can’t make it, it’s no big deal. Guests are expected to pay for their own airfare and travel expenses – this will significantly limit the number of attendees.

If you are upset about leaving people out, one option to consider is holding an informal “reception” once you return to your hometown. This way, all of your friends and family can be included in a part of the wedding celebration.

Are these weddings legal?

Yes, although you may want to put in some research on the marriage laws of the country you’re getting married in. Pay close attention to what documents and licenses you need to secure from the US and your home state before heading out of the country for your wedding. I definitely recommend checking with your resort on their preferred officiants.

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Chris Easter is co-founder of TheManRegistry.com  – the leading online resource for engaged men. The site offers a unique wedding registry for men, a groom wedding blog and even Father’s Day Gift Ideas.

Katie – the owner of Elegance & Simplicity – plans to be at the courthouse tomorrow (the first day the law goes live) to just be part of this momentous occasion in DC’s history.  Whether you are an advocate of gay marriage or not, almost everyone in the DC area can agree that this will be a huge boost to the economy in the area and many wedding professionals are chomping at the bit to get a piece of the new pie.

Our  main concern at Elegance & Simplicity is not to make money off same-sex couples anymore than any of our heterosexual couples.  Yes – we are in business to make money like any other wedding professional…but we simply want to provide quality and consistent products and services.  Having spoken to a few out of town couples that wish to get married legally in DC – they are concerned with the waiting period and how it will affect couples coming in from other cities.  It is difficult to travel when you are getting married – but if you are getting married during the week at the courthouse (in a hurry) – it kinda takes the romance out of it! Then – how to deal with the waiting period and possibly not having to get married at the courthouse!

We have spoken to the DC courthouse and have been able to make it easier for our same-sex couples to have a simple elopement here in DC.  We want to to keep the romance in same-sex weddings in DC.  We want to make things easier while making sure love is honored in the process of eloping and getting legally married in DC.

We have developed three very distinctive elopement packages just for same-sex couples coming in from other states to take advantage of this law!  We are honored to have been educated by Bernadette Coveney Smith of 14 Stories to learn the ins and outs of elopements as she has been the leader in same-sex elopements in Boston and beyond!

We are also excited to let our readers know that Katie’s first book, The Everything Mother of the Bride Book, is the first-ever mother of the bride book to even mention anything about same-sex weddings.

We are excited about this new law going into effect and we hope that you can celebrate with us!

Cheers!

We are about to revamp our website and few things must go!

Yes, we will still do destination weddings as we have an office in the Dominican Republic. However, we will not be highlighting a ton of destination event  like we do now.

One of our favorite destination events was Lindsey & Brett’s Wedding in Anguilla. You can see a majority of the wedding on the website now…but soon it will be taken down.

Here are a few of my favorite details from their beautiful wedding weekend!  All photos by Documentary Associates.

Our in-house seamstress artfully made this amazing backdrop for their ceremony (that I was able to fold up in my suitcase)!  She also made the matching aisle runner!  My assistant packed all of the colorful umbrellas in her suitcase!

We were able to fly in all of her flowers from Holland on a commercial flight and we designed everything right at the resort!

The table runner matched the aisle runner.  The cute recycled glass bottles were brought on board the plane with us!  The beautiful PCW menus were packed right in my carry-on bag!

Yes – a few things had to be shipped (like glassware and flip-flops), but all was carbon-offset and the entire weekend went off without a hitch.  I adore Lindsey & Brett and hope to see them again soon!

We have a couple of weddings in the works for 2010 and 2011 for weddings in the Caribbean…can’t wait to see all of their plans unfold!

Happy Destination Wedding Planning!

~Katie Martin

(Stay tuned for tomorrow as we reveal our Cutie Patootie of the week and our new weekly guest blogger!)

There are a number of interesting and swanky hotels in Washington, DC.  I have loved Hotel Helix since it opened!  They are also a “green” hotel.

Washington, DC is a destination wedding hotspot.  If you have over 30% of your guests traveling from out of town, you really can consider your wedding a “destination wedding”.  To reduce the carbon footprint of your wedding, choose to block your hotel rooms at a green hotel.  Hotel Helix is affordable, sexy, charming, glamorous, accessible and green!

Click on the photo above to learn all about what they are doing for the environment!

(My favorite is that they offer recycling bins right in the room!)

Happy Planning!

~Katie Martin

First, all of us should be learning how to eat well!  So, here is a book I plan to pick up this week:

I am a huge fan of Sophie’s books and blog!  Click on the book above and buy the book online or found out more about the book!

I am a lover of totes!  Here is a great tote that everyone should have for your groceries or for just looking cute around town!  Click on the photo to buy!

I am about to buy a blouse from www.dreamsack.com.  While perusing – I saw these fantastic 70% bamboo – 30% Organic cotton towels on sale – Perfect for a destination wedding welcome bag (if they are in your colors) and on sale!!!

Stay tuned for more products!  I have a great new resource for eco-friendly invitations that are adorable!!!  Will post about them soon!

Happy Shopping!

~Katie Martin

The famous Drake Hotel for instance – what a cute place!  The Drake has its own in-house pastry chef to make your wedding cake as well.

While you are hosting your wedding weekend in Toronto, why not have the welcome or rehearsal dinner (or even your brunch) at the Mill Street Brew Pub.

Sample some of their own organic beer with their feisty brunch menu! Browse through their website and fall in love!!!

Pamper yourself at one of the Shizen Spas which are located in two of the hottest hotels in Toronto – The Cosmopolitan Toronto Hotel or The Pantages Hotel (or take a 1 hour day trip north to Horseshoe Resort in Ontario)!

Really, any one of these hotels would be a great place to host a welcome or rehearsal dinner as well!

The Pantage Hotel is also a hot spot for weddings as it has a swanky martini bar that can be used for private events along with their ballrooms!

The Horseshoe Resort is really an all-inclusive resort where you are your guests do not have to travel anywhere but around the resort on your golf cart!  They have group activities, golf and alpine skiing!!!!!!!

Last, but not least.  Toronto has such a great style and shopping district!  Famous bookstore David Mirvish Books on Markham Street – they have a fantastic website where you can buy amazing art and design books as well! Like this ceramic design book Object Factory:

Then – you must stop by Soma Chocolatemaker!  Famous for its gelato and chocolate truffles!  It is also located in the Famous Distillery District near the Mill Street Brew Pub!

Then, for my coffee lovers out there – there is the Mercury Organic Espresso Bar!

You simply will not run out of options in Toronto.  It really is worth the second look!  We have contacts in Toronto to help make your wedding in Canada a smashing success!  Heck – if you have already planned your wedding but not your honeymoon – why not just go to all of these places without your guests as you celebrate your 1st week (or two) together married!!!

Happy travels! ~  Katie Martin