Credits – Top to bottom, Left to Right

Margaret & Patrick’s Wedding with fun pumpkin “love you” by Kathy Blanchard and one of our signature candy bars at Woodend

Mini Pumpkin Soup via Elizabeth Anne Designs with one of our favorite bouquets we made for Ashlee & Tom’s Wedding (my brother and sister-in-law) at Decatur House – photo by Documentary Associates

Cotton Bur Wreath via Etsy with an escort card display we did at GW River Farm

]]> http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/wedding-planning/harvest-wedding-style/feed/ 1 http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/floral-designs/woodend-wedding/ http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/floral-designs/woodend-wedding/#comments Tue, 23 Aug 2011 12:30:48 +0000 Katie Martin http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/?p=5610

We finally got images from a wedding we did in May at Woodend Sanctuary and we are so excited to show them to you! Above is the bride with her sister just before the wedding in the grove at Woodend.  The bride had a lovely bouquet comprised of peonies in different shades of pink and ranunculus accents.  Her sister held a beautiful bouquet with garden roses, lavender, peonies, lisianthus, freesia and rosemary.

My absolute favorite detail from this wedding were the hanging votives our team hung in between the trees facing the meadow down at the grove.  The green and clear glass votives added such a touch of elegance for this gorgeous ceremony!

Here are our pretty vintage green tumblers filled with local peonies and rosemary for the cocktail hour.

The gorgeous railing decor with cocculus greenery garland and peony accents!  (Bride and groom provided the cute banner!)

Our pretty Pottery Barn chocolate urns on our custom-designed wooden pedestals filled with manzanita branches with hanging glass votives!  These were set in between the French doors outside under the tented reception area.

Finally the pretty centerpieces that had curly willow inside the vases for a nest feel (bird theme taken from the idea that Woodend is a bird sanctuary and run by the Audubon Natualist Society!).  Local green hydrangea and lovely burgundy peonies and white ranunculus accents.

Congrats to Caroline and David on their May nuptials!

(All photography except for last image were provided by Tara Welch Photography; last image by us!)

I love Back to School themes and here are a few ideas from a few weddings we have done to get your creative wedding juices flowing – no matter what color your wedding is!

Image Credits (Top to Bottom , Left to Right)

Kathy Blanchard at Rust Manor in Leesburg

Love Life Images at Dumbarton House in Georgetown

Ralph Alswang at the Ronald Reagan Building in DC

Documentary Associates at the Ronald Reagan Building

Ralph Alswang at the Ronald Reagan Building

Mary Kate McKenna at Shepherd’s Hey Farm in Comus, MD

We love introducing sponsors that offer interesting items.  Since fall is just around the corner and many of you are prepping for your spring weddings as well- we love these options at WeddingFavors.org!  The autumnal bookmark favor, tins for DIY favors, cherry blossom fans for your spring Cherry Blossom Wedding in DC and these cute little topiary place card holders!

They have an exhaustive list of favors for weddings and bridal shower favor ideas!!!

Get a 15% discount by entering ELEGANCE15 for orders over $49!  The coupon expires on July 31, 2011 – so hurry!

Let us know what you choose for your wedding!

We are so proud of our new issue of Eco-Beautiful Weddings Magazine!  It is chock full of summery goodness!  Plus we have two featured weddings it from local photographers and vendors!  A must see issue!  Click on the cover above to check it out!

We have a beautiful summer farm wedding coming up this weekend – I can’t wait to showcase it for you.  We are not having a lemonade stand but more of a fruit infused water station.  But I love lemonade stations year round.  Even if you are not having a summer farm wedding…you can create the feel of one by having fun little details (like lemonade stands) that remind your guests of a day on the farm!

Why not have this adorable bathtub at your wedding?  We used it at the Eco-Beautiful Weddings Anniversary Party at the Decatur House in December to serve water in mason jars!  Available at DC Rental!

Our in-house antique bottles and mason jars always lend a farm feel,  Mary Kate even made these cute table number boxes for her centerpieces! Adorable!

Go with loose arrangements and fun and vibrant linens like this “In Style Fuchsia” from DC Rental!

Then, from one of my favorite outdoor weddings from last fall at Rust Manor – so fun sodas and straws!!!  So much fun!!

There are so many options for that fun farm summer feel at your wedding – even if you are indoors at a hotel!  Let us show you how!

(photo credits/top to bottom: Ralph Alswang, a little bit of whimsy photography, Mary Kate McKenna, DC Rental, Kathy Blanchard)

Here we have something for the fall bride or groom with this cute escort card display complete with oranges, mini pumpkins, bamboo and little bit of gerbera daisy accents!

Another very popular design from a wedding we did several years ago.  Our cute little mum box display with limes!

A fun and funky escort card display with submerged pears, artichokes and limes.   Beautiful peach French tulips and calla lilies burst from the tops of the vases.

Another one of our favorite escort card displays with various hues of pink gerbera daisies and pink hydrangea with a fun vase filled with blueberries!

I will end with something simple for the weekend!  A super summery arrangement with Antique Dutch hydrangea with pink peonies with yellow apples submerged in the vase.

Have a wonderful weekend and we will see you next week!

(Photo credits – Photos #1 & 5 by Katie Martin (me) and photos 2-4 by Documentary Associates)

Uh – hello!!!  How cute are these recycled wood Mr. & Mrs. signs??  Etsy Seller William Dohman has these signs along with a bunch of other cute and succinct signs like “Holla”, “Love”, “bon jour” and more!  LOVE THEM!!!

Ok – you have heard me say it a few times – but Ginkgo trees are wayyyy more native to DC than Cherry Blossoms folks!  These adorable appetizer plates from ETSY Seller Hope Johnson are as cute as they can be and perfect for your cute new apartment in downtown DC!!!

Loving these “happiness” eco-friendly shower curtains from Kontextur!

I have a bunch of new ideas brewing for you!  Stay tuned for more real wedding decor as well!  We are at the Cosmos Club and the Bethesda Hyatt this weekend – lots of fun stuff at both weddings – can’t wait to share!

If you are at the beginning of your wedding planning process (or you are about to propose) – you need to start thinking about your rings.  Whether you are shopping for an engagement ring or your wedding bands – first place I recommend to start is Brilliant Earth.  This week through Sunday they are giving away the below pendant (with ethically sourced green sapphire) with any ring you purchase!

Looking for a great organization to donate to in lieu of favors?  Here are a few of our favorites:

The National Wildlife Federation is located right in our area and has been teaching children and educating the public about protecting the environment for the past 75 years.

EDF has one of the most effective ways of helping to save the environment through its extensive network of corporations and key players around the world.  They also have a handy Seafood Selector that helps you determine the best eco-fish to serve!

We are in love with Kiva.  An amazing online community letting you donate to help microfinance individuals in poverty to empower them and create opportunities.

REALLY wanting eco-friendly favors – something your guests can walk away with?  Go local by using the local ETSY tool to buy from a local artisan – here are a few we are loving:

Having a garden wedding?  Why not get a vintage chalkboard – write their names out by tables and have these adorable magnets from SophiePine attached to it as giveaways for the ladies?  This way – you only need to buy about half as many favors and they will give a great decorative look as guests look for their tables! Click on the phone to buy!

I don’t care what people say – cupcakes are a current fad – but cookies will remain!  Don’t have a family recipe?  CookieCrowd on Etsy has these yummy cookies – they are located in Southern VA!  IN fact – you could just have a big cookie bar!  Get 10 different kinds of cookies and let your guests have at it!  Too many people are doing cupcake stations! It doubles as your dessert if you forgo the wedding cake and a favor for those that just want to heist a few for the ride home!

LostRiverRags on Etsy has an amazing assortment of soaps that are made with natural and soy ingredients – perfect for gifts for your wedding party!

There is so much more I can write about – but I will leave that to future blog posts!

I hope you are doing some sort of earthy activity today for Earth Day.  Don’t have a project in mind?  Skip the gym and just go for a walk or dust off your bike!  Heck – you might even think about biking to work instead on those upcoming sunny spring-fall days!  Why not try to find a local farmer’s market and buy your produce there today?  Check your grocery list – are there things on it that could be switched to more earth-friendly or local companies?  Maybe just making a pact with yourself to recycle more.  You would surprised what you can recycle these days (or even reuse).

Earth Day Network can Help you plan your day today.

About.com has a list a few activities you might want to try locally.

A few fun activities were listed yesterday on WashingtonPost.com

You can also find activities all over town to do tomorrow if you have to work all day - The Patuxent Wildlife Research Center has a clean-up every year.

Be creative and get earthy today!  Start a green habit today which will hopefully create a healthier, cleaner and greener wedding and lifestyle for you!

p.s. – If you were looking for a link to the Eco-Beautiful Weddings Spring Mini Mag today – we will hopefully post it at some point today.  3 of our platforms for the magazine route their services through Amazon.com which is currently out of service.  As soon as their services are back up – we will post the Spring Mini Mag!

Over the years we have seen a lot of quilts at weddings.  It is one of the traditions that creates beautiful labors of love for couples and their families.

Above is a beautiful quilt as designed by Etsy Designer Tapestri.  They can create a special quilt just for you embroidered with messages from each of your guests.

This collage is from a previous post that we did about Margaret’s beautiful wedding at Rust Manor.  Getting creative with quilts is easy to do by setting up a station for everyone to get involved!

We have also used quilts for chuppah toppers as well!

If you want a a quilt for your chuppah topper – be sure to give yourself plenty of time to make it!  Getting both moms involved is a perfect way for the two families to come together to do a DIY project for the big day!

Quilts last for generations and are a wonderful way to reuse decor for your home!

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!

I have been planning The Knot’s annual event at the Nationals Park for a few months now and I am excited about all of the possibilities that are available to brides and grooms!  Yes – you have to love baseball sure – but their facilities are so beautiful too!

Not sure how to have a wedding here?  Go vintage or modern with these ideas:

(Credits – Vintage Ice Cream Bar via Brides, Baseball Tickets via Style Me Pretty by Amorology Weddings, Cute modern Ice Cream invitations from Etsy Designr InkSpot Workshop, Nationals Cookie Favors from A Dozen Eggs, Modern Popcorn Station via Tying The Knot by Bellissima Photography)

Another reason why we love the Stadium is that it is one of the very few stadiums in the country that is LEED certified as well!  Go Green with the Nats!

I can’t wait to show you photos from the event!  Stay Tuned!

]]> http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/wedding-planning/weddings-at-the-nationals-par/feed/ 2 http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/wedding-planning/margaret-patrick-rust-manor-wedding/ http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/wedding-planning/margaret-patrick-rust-manor-wedding/#comments Tue, 08 Feb 2011 05:01:32 +0000 Katie Martin http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/?p=4612

I am so excited to finally show you one of my favorite weddings from last year!  Margaret and Patrick were married this past October at Rust Manor (which is one of the Audubon Society’s properties).  This wedding meant so much to me as Margaret is the sister of a previous client Ameena (click here to see her wedding)!  I really got to know Margaret, Ameena and their mother during Ameena’s wedding and I was so excited to be planning Margaret’s wedding!

Her pretty bridal bouquet was comprised of purple vanda orchids, green cymbidium orchids and white ranunculus.  Margaret wanted purples and greens for the ceremony and blues and greens for the reception.

We were able to hang some pretty purple and white paper lanterns along with our green glass votives above the couple for a lantern chandelier effect from the sprawling tree!  We customized our reclaimed wood stage for them with a darkened natural stain.

After seeing our cute article on eco-friendly wedding children’s ideas in Eco-Beautiful Weddings (by Couture Parties), Margaret fell in love with the idea of a little sign for the ring bearer instead of a pillow.  Margaret’s mom also got a radio flyer painted blue to fit the color scheme for the little flower girl to ride in!  Just adorable!

During the cocktail hour the guests were treated to eye candy and so much more!  Since Patrick is Irish – they opted for a fun Shamrock Ginger Lime Mojito!  We kept the purple going with the flowers, but started to bring in the greens and the blues with this fantastic escort card table display:

(Be sure to click on the photo here above to get a bigger and better view!)

Stay tuned for later in the week for details from their reception!

Photography by Kathy Blanchard & Catering by Design Cuisine

I am very excited to finally be showcasing my sister-in-law’s (Ashlee on right) baby shower that our “fambly” friend Sue (on left above) put together.

I really had a lot of fun decorating this shower – not only because it’s my nephew that is on the way – but just for the pure and simple fact that woodland creatures are so cute!  Tom and Ashlee really wanted a modern day woodland themed nursery and I am pretty sure it is what they will have!  I was able to get a lot of the decor from Etsy and Sue came up with the idea of baby bath cloths as napkins with teething rings as napkin holders!

Tom and Ashlee also just love owls – so naturally owls are the perfect addition to a woodland nursery.  All of the centerpieces had some sort of owl or woodland animal involved with the decor.  The Raccoon is a door stopper and the owl on the right is a piggy bank!  All centerpieces were gifts from my husband, son and I to my soon to be nephew!

My friend Debbie from Cakes by Design made the amazing cake that matched the owl motif that I had designed by my art director!  Sue did such an amazing job with food (which I am never in charge of!).

I was able to reuse the plates from previous family events and Sue brought these cute spoons for everyone to eat their soup sips with! Then we cleaned all of them afterward so Ashlee and Tom would have a never ending supply of baby spoons!

I had so much fun creating this eco-friendly favor bar.  Instead of crazy packaging that would just be thrown away or chocolate rattles, we decided to go with the woodland theme and have pumpkin seeds, pistachio nuts, walnuts and more for guests to take away in the above boxes.  This way they could enjoy the various nuts and seeds for the holidays and reuse the container!  Plus I got to use the various owl motifs that Jen created for me with the stickers!

I can’t wait to actually share the baby photos! I took most of the photos here with a little help from my friend Amie Otto!

From Auntieland…

]]> http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/details/woodland-baby-shower-auntieland/feed/ 1 http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/announcements/eco-beautiful-weddings-winter-2011-issue/ http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/announcements/eco-beautiful-weddings-winter-2011-issue/#comments Thu, 16 Dec 2010 08:43:56 +0000 Katie Martin http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/?p=4235

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

If you have not seen the Momental Designs website yet – you are truly missing out!  Kristy Rice is the talented designer behind this amazing studio that creates one of a kind invitations with hand-painted touches. (Swoon Alert!)

Kristy has now launched a brand new blog-series called Go Paint/Go Draw.  The series is all about sharing art lessons with you!  And now…through December 11th – there is a fun giveaway with the above items to help you start your art journey!  Click on the collage above to see the blog post and comment on her blog to win!

Happy December!

Oh – the yumminess from this wedding is abounding!  Stay tuned for several blog posts on this amazing wedding that we did for Jordan and Jeremy at the Ronald Reagan Building.

(Photography by Ralph Alswang, Cake by Cakes by Design, Lemonade Sign by Carla David Design)

Here is the third and final installment of Mary Kate McKenna’s Wedding from earlier this summer.

Many thanks to Azul Photography for his amazing work (he came all the way from NC for Mary Kate’s Wedding)!  I just adore this photo above from their ceremony!

We had so much fun making these adorable bouquets with vintage ornamental birds. I had no idea how cute their dresses were going to be!!!  IN LOVE!!!

And another great photo of the couple with our fun biodegradable trellis!

Another of Mary Kate’s genius table number boxes that she made herself from a carpentry class she took!  A girl after my own heart!  We simply just added the flowers.  She provided all of the milk bottles and mason jars (which we quickly grabbed from her after the wedding).

Many blessings to the happy couple!

Oh how we love it when wedding professionals get married and ask us to be a part of their day!  As company policy – we will help give our friends in the biz some tips – but most of the time – they don’t need it.  Sure – I will point them in the right direction if they want it, but we will not coordinate the day of the wedding – too much pressure!  Amen for Laura Auer from Wish Special Events for taking care of the details the day of the wedding. Most wedding professionals get pretty darn creative for their wedding day – as they have seen so many details that they have loved along their career path.  Mary Kate McKenna‘s wedding was no exception.

We just loved how she gathered bottles and mason jars from all over the DC, Frederick and Baltimore area to create a unique mix of local flair.  Not only that – she made these adorable boxes with the numbers of the tables on them herself!  Yes – she went to a carpentry class to learn how!  We could have made them for her – but what a great DIY project!  So adorable!  We simply provided the flowers!

Thanks to The Blonde Photographer for taking these photos and getting them back to Mary Kate so quickly!  Keya did such an amazing job on this bouquet.  She used a beautiful coral toned peony, purple delphinium, peach lisianthus and fresh lavender to create her beautiful hand-tied bouquet.  Take a look at the first post to see the cute arch we made.  We will post more as soon as their photographer has them ready!

Cheers!

Today is the perfect day to go green…so get ready for this long post on some of the many ways you can make today green!

Take the above (cute as can be decor) – you can hang on your wall or put on shelves.  These finds come from an Etsy designer made from old dead wood!  Spring is upon us and it is time to spruce up your bedroom for sure!  See how cute this could be on your wall?  And hey – you can use these on your escort card table as decor!

In love with these shoes I found on Nimli today – I want them and your groom might want them for the wedding day!  Why not?  He can wear them again!  Made from 100% fair trade organic cotton!

For the dog lovers – how cute this is? ‘Nuff said!

Cute Skirt – Made in the USA and from the ever-lovely Anthropologie website:

We have had so many of our clients adore our line of stationery by Luscious Verde in the office…here is a similar design that a client picked out last week for her August wedding with eco-cream paper:

Make a statement and give buttons as favors for your guests!  This Etsy designer only has one of these in particular:

But my fave on this Etsy shop (at the moment) are these as I am writing this pretty late at night!

You really  have so many options to go green with your wedding day.  St. Patrick’s is a great reminder that you can just start a new green trend in your wedding planning – starting today!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day – Start Greening your Life Today!

Katie Martin

]]> http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/wedding-planning/st-patricks-day-the-perfect-day-to-go-green/feed/ 2 http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/wedding-planning/eco-friendly-sendoffs-with-style/ http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/wedding-planning/eco-friendly-sendoffs-with-style/#comments Wed, 16 Dec 2009 06:01:14 +0000 Katie Martin http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/?p=1849 You don’t have to give up a dramatic exit to be green! Consider asking your guests to blow (non-toxic ) bubbles,  throw bio-degradable confetti, toss birdseed, or scatter pom poms!

Credits (from left to right)

Wedding Poppers

Bubbles

Birdseed packets

Pom Poms

Love Birds

Bio-degradable confetti

I love it when my clients come in and they are bursting with love.  Clients like that are the reason why I love what I do. Weddings should be all about love. Yes, wedding planning can get hectic, but don’t let it get it in the way of love.

I want to throw around a few fun ideas I found centered around the word love on Etsy.  Most of these items are great for wedding decor. However, anything you see here can be used in your home.

Think about your purchasing for your wedding.  Find ways to reuse these items.  Home decor from your wedding will bring back memories of the day you got married on a daily basis.

Weddings tend to be a feast for the eyes for your guests.  Why not keep that amazing decor for your 1st home together?

Congratulations on your engagement!

Happy Planning,

]]> http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/wedding-planning/a-few-thoughts-on-love/feed/ 0 http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/announcements/west-elm-sale/ http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/announcements/west-elm-sale/#comments Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:27:40 +0000 Katie Martin http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/?p=1128

Ooooo – West Elm is having a sale!!!  YUM!  One of our favorite places to shop for the home and for interesting wedding decor!

This week is our Summer Orchard Inspiration Board

Invitation: White Thread
Fruit Escort Card: Joy de Vivre
Dress: Atelier Aimee
Cake: Project Wedding
Bouquet: Grant Riley Weddings
Tablescape: Style Me Pretty

Happy Planning!

~Katie Martin

This great idea can either be bought at the vendor’s site or be a DIY project as she seems to only have one pack of 100 left!  LOVE IT!

Love this super cute mum ring!  What a cute gift this would be for a Maid of Honor – she has other rings on her Etsy Store.

I always love to have stationery on hand to write a quick thank you note.  Brides need them more than anyone as you are constantly writing them (or you should be)!  Everyone loves getting a cute card in the mail!  Look at these – love them!!

Then of course – you might actually need invitations.  I am lovin’ the trees and birds themes lately:

Come back each week for more Etsy Finds – A new weekly feature!

Happy Wedding Planning!

~ Katie Martin

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