Things that a bride or bridesmaid should have…

Oh – the Kate Spade ring and bangle – love the color!!!!!!!!!!

And since I can’t wear high heels at weddings while I work – all my purple bound brides should have their rehearsal dinner dress complete with these Kate Spade shoes or have the bridemaids indulge in them for the wedding day! How yummy!

Fun eco-friendly bridesmaid gift!  Kudos to Coca-Cola for making eco-apparel! Check it out: www.coca-colastore.com

Hard to believe – but all of the above sexy and cute four photos come from one place – Enamore Ltd!  Oh the British are far ahead in their sassy ways!  All items are made from vintage and eco-friendly materials!

And last but not least – my favorite wedding professional of the week.  We have one of the most talented acoustic guitarists living amongst us!  His name is Chris Dunn!  Not only does he have his own CD, he teaches guitar too!  I have used his guitar services for many of my brides over the years and he is amazing. If you want fantastic ceremony, cocktail or dinner music – you must hire Chris Dunn!

Have an eco-beautiful wedding!

Cheers – Katie Martin

We were able to eat yummy cupcakes and check out the garters all at the same time!  I loved meeting Penny, the owner of Hello Cupcake, and eating a yummy carrot cake cupcake!  Aren’t Penny and Julianne cuties!  Cupcakes and garters – how could you go wrong????

Ivy Robinson came up from Charlotte for the event.  Ivy is our Charlotte Couture Wedding Consortium Director and she has been featured several times on Whose Wedding is it Anyway? and on the new series Hitched or Ditched!  

I want to also send a quick thanks to Shannon from Sevan Photography for taking the photos and sending them to us so quickly!  We were truly excited to be invited to the event and one of our brides go to be among the exclusive “10 brides only” list to check out the garters and meet wedding professionals from around the area!  

Julianne’s motto:  Embrace the Garter Tradition, With Style.

She is able to custom coordinate your colors with your garter!  Check out her website today!

****Katie Martin

Brides are always shying away from the typical gifts and finding new ways to delight their bridesmaids.

If your Maid of Honor is in to art, check out this local artist:

Angela Aveta’s edgy photography prints. Here is a fun one I am thinking about buying:

Have a make-up lover or the one bridesmaid that always looks on point?  Check out this refreshing line of make-up made up of eco-friendly ingredients that can be found at Sephora.

Trying to find a great and stylish idea for a gift is always easy at Fitzsu!  Here are a few of my favorite items:

Have fun shopping for your ladies and check back for more favorite things!

***Katie Martin***

This photo comes from Jennifer Hughes.  A fantastic photographer that has a great way of capturing color.  Of course she has a ton of other talents!  I am big on color when it comes to weddings (as opposed to themes).  I find that colors can be used to create a mood or a feeling and in this photo – I see happy color and I see fun!  Weddings should be all about fun and love and for me – color!!!!  Love it Jennifer!

This next photo comes from Barbara Salisbury of The Observatory.  The Observatory and owner Andrea Jacobson are new to the consortium, but not new to DC!   I just basically like being around Andrea and her team!  Andrea has to be one of the sweetest photographers that I have gotten to know!  Their attention to detail is what catches my eye in particular.  This photo is about the details to me. In this photo,  you can feel the excitement!  I was actually the planner for this wedding (at the Decatur House Museum) and I remember how much in love this couple was and how much fun they had.  They had so much fun and you can see it in the photos from their wedding.  The detail here is the groom and the guys right next to him- priceless photo! Makes me smile and I remember this moment as if I were still there (click on the photo to see it enlarged). LOVE IT!

Here is a photo from Documentary Associates.  Tom Van Veen and I set up a photo shoot at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (www.nmwa.org).  Without going into too much detail as to the reason why we had the photo shoot – I will tell you why I love this photo.  It is the lighting and the city backdrop.  For those of you that did not know,  I was born in DC (at a hospital which is no longer in existence).  I love DC – I think it is the best city in the world.  Call me crazy – but that is how I feel! I find this photo to be beautiful and interesting all at the same time.  The beautiful bride, beautiful flowers and the lighting are all great…however it is what is going on outside the window that makes me smile.  I have a feeling that if it were 2 or 3 other photographers that I know, they would photoshop out the building’s address that is outside the 2 right pieces of window glass.  I love it!  You can tell that the bride is in a beautiful place inside a big city.  That is what your photographer should represent and document the day of your wedding. Those are the details in a photo that will make your grandchildren wonder where that photo was taken.  I know – I am rambling, but I love this photo!  Thanks Tom (you know I loved all the photos that day right?)  :)  A big thank you to the Tom & Ashlee, the museum staff, Carola Myers, Jessica Fox from Promise for the Savvy Bride, and the crew (especially my sweetheart!).

Hoping everyone had a wonderful Valentine’s Day and these photos were a bit of eye candy for your “eyebuds”!

* Katie Martin