Our “black and white” bouquet with Picasso and Eggplant toned mini calla lilies, deep purple ranunculus with fern curl accents – Photo by Documentary Associates

Black and White Cake Inspiration via Wedding Place

Our pretty corsage and lapel flowers with lisianthus and phaleanopsis orchids

Our Luscious Verde Black and White Invitations

French Maid Garter from The Garter Girl

Lelah Shoes by Badgley Mischka from Zappos

Black and White Linens from Table Manners

Black and White Tags for your candy bar via Etsy

We finally found a photo of the cute cake from the wedding we did recently at the Hotel Monaco in DC.  Katie and Grant’s wedding had a cute lemon and lime theme (to see more from their wedding click here.  The cake was designed by Patisserie Poupon!

We are thrilled to show you the details from Jordan and Jeremy’s beautiful wedding last year at the Ronald Reagan Building!

Many thanks to Blue Sky Films for taking such great footage!!!

To read more about their wedding and see more fab photos – click here!

With this new wedding – we added a few new things to our inventory!  One of the more exciting aspects of this wedding was the beautiful down to earth farm feel to match the fact that we were actually on a farm!  We purchased these beautiful vintage framed chalkboards to show guests where to sit!  Our calligrapher did all of the calligraphy in chalk pen!  We have two of these chalkboards in house now!

We were able to get this custom bunting custom designed by Giggleberry.  Perfect for decorating the ceremony band tent along with the backdrop (not shown here) that we made with fabric and custom painting.

One of our favorite items in-house are our hanging blue glass lanterns!  These were hung right over the dance floor in the barn!  Major dancing at this wedding as contra dancing was the center of attention!

With over 250 guests and three different types of entrees we needed to have a way to let the waiters know who was getting which type of meal.  What better way than to use rocks!  We used green, gold and white to distinguish the entrees.

Stay tuned tomorrow for floral design details from the wedding!

(Photography by Mary Kate McKenna)

Infusing flowers is something we love to do!  Of course pears have their whole “perfect pair” mentality in weddings, but I just love using then for their colors.  Mixing floating pears and orchids is a perfect combo!

It’s hard to find an all green centerpiece at certain times of the year…but you can’t go wrong with pears, vibernum and bupleurum!

Having a citrusy feel to your buffet is perfect with bright orange linens and a lime filled vase.  Limes were used after the event! (Arrangement includes green Dutch hydrangea, orange unique and black magic roses with burgundy cymbidium orchids).

We loved creating this backyard oasis cocktail  display complete with tropical foliage, oranges, orchids, snapdragons, lily grass and pin cushions.

An event we did many years ago which still gets so many accolades!  Oranges and kumquats filled the vase with pretty and simple curly willow branches with words of love from the Paper Source.  This event was at the Decatur House and was actually on the cover of their brochure (another photo with our flowers is currently on the cover!)

More to come tomorrow!

(Photo credits – 1st – Amy Deputy, 2nd-4th – Katie Martin (me), 5th – Rodney Bailey)

I forgot my camera once again (wanted to kick myself!) so sorry for the blackberry images!  This past weekend we had a beautiful wedding at the Decatur House.  The bride used our brand new trellis that we recently built that can be used for almost any outdoor wedding.  The trellis can be used as a mandap and a chuppah as well.  The bride and groom chose the trellis since they had both an Indian Ceremony and a Christian ceremony on the same day.  It worked perfectly for both!

The bride provided pretty orange overlays.  We had beautiful and simple arrangements of Dutch green hydrangea, purple vanda orchids and orange roses in cylindrical glass vases for the round tables.

The long tables had the same flowers on long rectangular tables, plus they had submerged orchids in cylindrical glass vases with purple votives.

Congrats to Sangeeta and Clay!

Last weekend we had so much blue hydrangea everywhere!  This is just a sample from one of the weddings we had last weekend.  We love the color combo!

We’re off running for another busy weekend with beautiful brides!  Stay tuned for more photos from last weekend next week!

Cheers and Have a Great Weekend!

So many friends and brides asked me what I did for Earth Day.  Was it some amazing project?  Another free wedding for a lucky couple?  Plant trees?  Nope – none of the above.  Well – we did go live with with the Eco-Beautiful Weddings Wedding Earth Day Mini Mag – which was fun for sure!

What I did do is talk about what Earth Day means to me to my child and together we did a couple of small things to help make the world a greener place.  I also remembered how last year I was coordinating Virdina and Kevin’s wedding on Earth Day (click here to see more photos from their wedding at the Decatur House).  Yes, as part of a team, we gave away a $50,000 wedding on Earth Day (for the second time) to help educate couples in the DC area that you can have a fabulous wedding that is eco-friendly and stylish.  I am pretty sure the message got across as over 62% of our couples in this past year have specifically come to our firm asking for some help in going green on their wedding day.

I have a confession to make to all of our brides and grooms: all of our couples get 100% eco-friendliness from our firm. We can’t change who we are!  We are green and we dig it – YEAR ROUND!  Not just on Earth Day!

So – a couple of brides and vendors asked me – Why no free wedding this year?  Well, the answer is simple.  We were able to show a ton of brides and grooms that going green can be stylish.  But on top of it – we were able to really show vendors how to go green as well.  We continue to educate vendors around the world on how to go green!

So this Earth Day, I tipped my hat to Virdina and Kevin’s 1st year anniversary and reveled in the fact that they had a fabulous wedding on one of the greenest days of the year!  My hope is that you are trying to plan your stylish green wedding and will look to us for guidance!

Happy Earth Day, Revisited!

(Photo by The Observatory)

Today – we start the week of where you normally start your wedding planning process – THE VENUE!

Looking for an eco-friendly wedding venue can be difficult in the DC area or very easy – depending on what you are looking for. Since the majority of the beautiful mansions in the DC area are historic – you are typically paying to rent a facility that is also used for outreach programs to the local community or for the upkeep of the museum it may hold.  For example – Dumbarton House and Decatur House both are historical landmarks in Washington, DC and both have museums that they run.  Both are beautiful locations with different aspects. (Above is a photo at Dumbarton House taken by Documentary Associates).

We love doing weddings at the Ronald Reagan Building as the chef is dedicated to sourcing environmentally friendly and locally sourced food.  In fact, he took Blue Fin Tuna off the menu as he signed a petition to conserve this dwindling family of fish.

Another wonderful location for an eco-friendly wedding is the Chesapeake Bay Foundation in Annapolis.  You can have your ceremony on their beach with the reception inside their LEED certified building.  Even comes with a tent for the outdoor patio for dancing!  Lots of wonderful locations to take photos and part of your proceeds go to help keep the bay clean!

The Arts Club of Washington is another one of our favorites!  (I got married there!)  A non-profit that also does catering in-house.  It supports the local arts community – an acutely dwindling breed of organizations that has stayed strong in James Monroe’s old residence!  This building is also a National Historic Property. (photo by Deb Lindsey)

The National Museum of Women in the Arts is a beautiful venue for your wedding.  A portion of the rental fee is tax-deductible.

The Corcoran Gallery of Art is another location that is on the National Registry of Historic Properties and houses one of the best art colleges in the DC area.

Constitution Hall’s Library and O’Byrne Gallery and Portico is a perfect Washington, DC setting. Run by the Daughters of American Revolution – their non-profit is service oriented and educational.  A non-profit along with being on the National Registry of Historic Properties.

The Warne Lounge at the Cosmos Club is one of the most unique and ornate rooms in all of Washington, DC.  It is about to undergo renovations, but if you are planning your wedding for 2012 and know a member at the club – call them immediately!  Totally one of the most unique and interesting venues and so few brides know about it.  Know anyone in the sciences?  They might know a member there!  We have a wedding there in May – stay tuned for those photos! (Also on the National Registry of Historic Properties).

Not into a fancy old building?  Why not something super new and LEED certified?  The Nationals Park offers a variety of fantastic and modern rooms to choose from to host your wedding.  Even if you are not a baseball fan – would you not love to have this fantastic bar at your wedding?  Their caterers use local resources and the view of the baseball field is not too shabby! (Photo by Amie Otto Photography)

Halycon House is another favorite among brides also found on the National Registry of Historical Properties.  Fair warning here that the property has been on the market for a while and none of us really know what will happen once the the building gets sold.

You’ve seen all the engagement shoots (like this one from Documentary Associates) around the Tidal Basin.  Why not have your actual ceremony there?  On the West Lawn of The Thomas Jefferson Memorial – you can have your wedding!  All you need is a permit.  You get a limited time frame to have it – so it can’t be anything super elaborate.  But where else would you ever have this opportunity to get married next to Thomas Jefferson??? It’s “free” as you pay taxes for it!

The Mayflower Hotel is one of the oldest and most ornate hotels in Washington DC. Also on the National Registry for Historic Properties, the venue is great for all of your out of town guests.  Even better still, you can do both your ceremony and reception in one building and your guests just have to go upstairs afterwards – no buses or shuttles needed!

The absolutely stunningly gorgeous Meridian House is run by the non-profit Washington International Center dedicated to strengthening international understanding through exchange of people, ideas and culture. (Photo by The Observatory)

The National Cathedral is one of the most ornate and glorious churches in Washington, DC  (also on the Registry)!  It’s incredible architecture mixed with its rich history really gives a great sense of grandeur.  (NOTE - The cathedral will perform weddings only when one of the following criteria is met: 1. The bride, groom, or immediate family has made, over a period of time, a noteworthy contribution as a donor or volunteer to the life and ministry of the cathedral; 2. The bride or groom is an alumnus of one of the cathedral schools (Beauvoir, National Cathedral School for Girls, or Saint Albans School for Boys) or is the child under 30 years of age of an alumnus; 3. The bride, groom, or immediate family member is a member of the staff of the cathedral for at least two years at the time of application.)

Josephine Butler Parks Center is possibly one of the most underrated wedding venues in DC Proper.  The Washington Parks and People runs the facility which is all about protecting parks, greening community projects in DC and community outreach in general.  A beautiful space at a reasonable rate.

Woodend Sanctuary has to be one of my favorite places to do weddings.  Nestled in Chevy Chase just of the beltway – it is the home of the Audubon Society and many educational and children’s camp opportunities for the community.  With an amazing grove and mansion with an attached tent – one of the best deals in the DC area as well. (Photo by Heather Z)

The Sewall-Belmont House is actually one of the 4 items in Congress’ “Save America’s Treasures” Program (along with the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution and the Star Spangled Banner).  Again – underrated but a much loved property right on Capitol Hill has a wonderful yard with a tent out back.  This building was the headquarters for the National Woman’s Party where Alice Paul forged forth the woman’s suffrage movement.

This is by no means a definitive list of venues – but a great place to start for you.  There are tons of venues all over Virginia and in MD that I have not covered here (warranting another blog post in the future).

___________________________________________________

EARTH DAY CONTESTS TO BE AWARE OF TODAY:

Going to San Francisco this weekend (or want to plan a last minute getaway for the two of you)?  Then get to the Green Glam Go Facebook Page to learn how to win an Earth Day Weekend Getaway in San Francisco by clicking here and “Liking” Green Glam Go on Facebook!

Also – on the Eco-Beautiful Weddings Blog – we have a metal water bottle up for grabs – Click here to learn how to win!

Stay Tuned for more eco DC goodies all week!

Get ready for a whole week of eco-friendly inspiration for your wedding here locally in the Washington, DC area! We will be focusing on eco-friendly venues, floral designs, caterers, hotels and detail ideas all next week!

I will be on staycation with my son all week!  In celebration of Earth Day – my son and I will be out and about doing various projects together for Earth Day!  I would love to know how you are celebrating Earth Day!  Let me know below!  If you need help with ideas – I will be posting various websites links for you and your betrothed to get involved!

Have a great weekend!

(Photo by Documentary Associates of our signature purple artichoke bouquet)

We had such a beautiful wedding this past weekend at Halcyon House.  I am waiting for the photographer to send me better photos as these were taken by me (not bad if I say so myself)!  The bride’s bouquet was made with phaleanopsis orchids, white lisianthus, white garden roses and white mini calla lilies.

We had very simple boutonnieres and corsages for their wedding with lisianthus for the mothers and the ushers/fathers and a phaleanopsis orchid for the groom!

Here is a close up of one of the arrangements with lisianthus and garden roses.  This was from a simple ceremony table.  Can’t wait to show you the reception decor!

Stay Tuned!

We are excited to announce that the Spring 2011 Issue of Uptown Weddings & Travel Magazine features Elegance and Simplicity as one of the best wedding planners for teh Washington, DC area in their Gold Pages section!

We were very excited to see Ed and Erwin on the cover of Rainbow Wedding Network Magazine!  Ed and Erwin were the recipients of the 1st grant from Wish Upon A Wedding in Washington, DC.  We were happy to be a part of the wedding by providing flowers and supporting such a great organization and lovely couple!

Erwin is suffering from cancer and is currently back in chemotherapy.  We wish both of them all the best and pray for a quick recovery.  To see more details from their wedding and to read the article, click on the cover above.

I have finally found the time to showcase Janice and Anna’s wedding from Woodend from earlier this year at Woodend!

Janice and Anna chose matching bridal bouquets comprised of ranunculus, green cymbidium orchids and white lisinathus – perfect for their green and white toned wedding!

Janice and Anna had a book theme for their reception table numbers and each table had slightly different floral designs with pops of orange and pink tones to compliment the white and green colors from the ceremony! (Above white mums, orange gerbera daisies, burgundy mums with limes inside the vase – on the table with one of my favorite books of all time!).

Congrats to Janice + Anna!  To see more of their wedding, check out the more extensive blog post on Legally Wed DC.

photos by Barbara Salisbury

We are thrilled to be showcasing Christina and Brent’s gorgeous wedding day at the Ronald Reagan Building as seen through the truly talented eyes of Marta Locklear!

I never tire of Holy Trinity Church and all its grandeur in Georgetown. We have done countless weddings there – but there is something about those large beautiful restored wood doors along with the beautiful stained glass that scream classic DC wedding to me!  It always makes me fall in love with Georgetown every time we are there!  (Yes – I love my city!!!)

Christina choose simple and beautifully elegant flowers for her and her wedding party including freesia, green hypericum berries and cymbidium orchids along with dahlias for the gals!

I have to say – this is one of my favorite escort card tables we have done this year.  Yes – those are plums to bring in the purple that they wanted!  The staff washed the plums after the event and donated the plums (and ate a few) – so there was no waste!

Their fun centerpieces consisted of tall rectangular vases filled with cymbidium orchids, manzanita branches and hanging votives.  Their low centerpieces were simple purple hydrangea arrangements with local green apples inside the vases!

And this beautiful cake from Fluffy Thoughts!  We only added the flowers to this masterpiece!

A big congrats to Christina & Brent!

Cheers!

Starting off this post by saying this was one of the liveliest photobooths we have seen at any of our weddings.  Needless to say, we had a ton of props, a cute backdrop and a cute couple to work with!

To see more images from Jordan and Jeremy’s Wedding – click here to see the list of posts!

Photobooth by Documentary Associates!

Oh Jennifer…what I am going to do with you!  Every single photo you take is amazing!  Yes – we are back again for Candace and Chris’ wedding. I promise this is the last post (maybe – LOL) about this wedding…but there are simply are so many things to write about it!  I thought this would be a good post right before the weekend to sink your teeth into!

We purchased these new chandeliers for their wedding to hang above the escort cards (now available for your wedding – we have 6 now)!

We hung 3 crystal chandeliers above the escort cards to create a vignette of gorgeous fun!

Yes – those are teeny tiny clothes pins – perfect for escort cards hung on hemp ribbon!

This gorgeous banner from Giggleberry Creations was the entrance bunting as guests were welcomed to the wedding!  And also a perfect spot for a kiss!

Giggleberry also created this adorable “Love Nest” bunting for the Love Nest! Here guests were asked to leave love notes and wishes for Candace and Chris and attach them to the bunting.  We created these so they could be reused as decor in their home!

You might remember these hanging flowers above the cocktail hour’s tapenade station from a previous post about their wedding. Well – here is what happened while the guests were at dinner:

We transformed the tapenade station to the dessert station complete with suspended lollipops!  Candace’s friend provided cupcakes and cookies while we provided the stands, jars and candy!

We were able to use our vintage cake pedestals and jars along with custom designed signage for the candy sticks and signs for the cupcakes and cookies.

And how could we not have some sort of car photo?  Two Corvettes adorned the driveway as guests entered the wedding.  Of course, having their wedding on our blog and not talking about cars at all would be blasphemy (at least in my mind)!  My first brand new car was a green civic from Ourisman Honda in Bethesda!   I love this adorable shot of them inside one of the corvettes!

Well – there are more details to show – but I will sign off by saying that these two love birds were wonderful to work with and I had a wonderful time planning this gloriously beautiful wedding.

Big hugs to Candace, Chris and their families for letting us be a part of their day!

VENDORS

Caterer – Design Cuisine

Photography – Love Life Images

Band – Washington Talent Agency

Rentals – DC Rental

Hair onsite (including bridal) – Elegant Hair by Giselle

Bridesmaids Hair – Salon Jean

Make-up – Jeff Enriquez

Bridal Make-up – Carl Ray

Valet – MarcParc

Hotel – Hotel Monaco, DC & Bethesda Hyatt

Rehearsal Dinner – Congressional Country Club

Officiant – Mary Maurey

Elegance and Simplicity Provided Wedding Planning, Floral Design, Programs, Menus, Signage (both paper and wooden), Dessert Bar set-up, Chuppah rental, Calligraphy and other decor prop item rentals.

The The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) is one of our favorite non-profits and it is at this time every year we renew with a donation.  Why is this important to you as a bride or groom?  Well – if you want to be as green as possible with your food choices for your wedding day, EDF has the best “Seafood Selector” online.  They keep it updated with all sorts of fish to let you know what is the “Eco-Best to Eco-Worst”.

Click on the table above to read more as they also have a Sushi Selector!

Happy Greening!

]]> http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/wedding-planning/a-time-for-renewal/feed/ 2 http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/wedding-planning/jordan-jeremy-cocktail-hour-details/ http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/wedding-planning/jordan-jeremy-cocktail-hour-details/#comments Wed, 27 Oct 2010 05:15:23 +0000 Katie Martin http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/?p=3869

Without showing you too much of the actual reception until tomorrow, this gives you a glimpse of how fun this wedding was!   This was the view from the oculus in the Atrium at the Ronald Reagan Building (where the cocktail hour was held).

Here is a fun close-up of the cocktail hour arrangements with moss covered vases with twine and curly willow and filled with pink peonies and yellow orchids.

The escort card table arrangement requires a few photos since it had 4 dimensions with 3 arrangements and the beautiful pink escort cards.

The escort card arrangement was comprised of a low yellow fabric colored vase filled with pink peonies and vibernum.  The tall vase was covered with moss, curly willow, twine, and yellow orchids [which also had manzanita branches with hanging pink votives attached to it (not shown)] along with a medium size vase filled with a submerged green cymbidium orchid stem and river rocks.

The sushi bar was a huge hit!

The guest “sign-in” was their matted engagement photo by Documentary Associates - we just provided the pen and the cute floral arrangement (please notice that cutie patootie ribbon on the vase as it totally matches Jordan’s bubbly personality)

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s post where we show the utterly fun and unique reception that Jordan and Jeremy let us create for them!

(All images by Ralph Alswang)

]]> http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/wedding-planning/jordan-jeremy-cocktail-hour-details/feed/ 0 http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/announcements/jordan-jeremys-wedding/ http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/announcements/jordan-jeremys-wedding/#comments Wed, 06 Oct 2010 15:00:28 +0000 Katie Martin http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/?p=3714

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)

I can’t begin to imagine how many blog posts I will do for this wedding – so I am not even going to try to number them!  Candace and Chris Ourisman’s wedding was a showcase wedding beyond my wildest dreams.  Candace had such amazing ideas and she let me be as creative as possible with the decor aspect.  She wanted a real eco-chic, modern, shabby-chic, gorgeous wedding.  I think we nailed it!

You will see from all of these various photos that we took a lot from our inventory and infused a few new pieces.  We had a ton of tea cups, vintage frames, mason jars, and glass milk bottles already – but we added a few new antique items for this wedding.  New items included things like milk glass and vintage tea cups from our local antique shops.  Almost all of the pieces we used in their centerpieces were actual antiques!

Candace chose a beautiful color palette of whites and greens with touches of turquoise here and there!

We had such a fun time with turn-over for this wedding.  Above are floating floral designs that we hung above the tapenade station during cocktail hour.  Stay tuned for what we did with them after dinner!

More to come from their wedding this week!

(Of course – a HUGE Thanks to Jennifer Domenick from Love Life Images for these amazing photos!)

Meet Laura Swanstrom Reece of The Silken Thread!  I was thrilled to be a part of such a cute event for her 5th anniversary over at Frosting!  Not only did I get to meet the mastermind behind this incredible company, but got to see some good friends and catch up with Michelle of Frosting!

I absolutely love this concept of placing this embroidered monogram inside your wedding gown. This is great as a gift! My own sister-in-law had one just like it for her wedding day and she got it as a gift at her bridal shower!

So many of my brides hold a handkerchief around their bridal bouquet – this hemstich monogram handkerchief is also perfect as a gift or just to buy for yourself as a bride to pass down through the generations!  Since The Silken Thread is local it is fantastic for local brides – but you can also buy personalized embroidered items for any occasion right from her website!

Laura and her team were smart by having their party at Frosting!  The cupcakery in Chevy Chase is adorable and the cupcakes are divine.  They were featuring a gluten-free chocolate cupcake today.  I had the raspberry cupcake – as showcased by the staff here:

Since I know the lady behind the scenes – I was able to grab a few swag bags to give away to you!  I have one bag to give away as I already gave one away on Twitter yesterday.

Here is the catch – you have to tell me what you are doing to go green in your life and for your wedding (or wedding business)!  These keepsakes from Laura are true treasures and quality products that will last for generations.  These are not throw-away items and we love anything personalized for a wedding that will last for years to come.  Write in the comments section below about how you are doing something unique to go green and I will send the fab swag bag to you!  I will pick a winner on Monday!

Here is a cute photo of the swag bag from Anh Nguyen:

Good Luck!

As we get ready for another weekend filled with weddings, I just got this photo off my camera today.  We have had such a wonderful year so far with many of our clients letting us get creative while using their own family heirlooms and treasures.  This custom designed chuppah we made for our client was no exception!  The bride’s mom made a wonderful and meaningful quilt for her daughter’s wedding. We custom designed the frame to make sure the quilt would sit well on top then added some curly willow with orchids on the poles.  It was so beautiful on that warm spring day at the Sewall-Belmont House!

Have a wonderful weekend and Mazel Tov!

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!

For those of you who do not follow me on Twitter – I thought I would go ahead and post the three images that I posted to  Twitter the day of Jordan and Jeremy’s wedding on June 26, 2010.  Keep in mind all of these photos were taken by my Blackberry – so they are not the finest in photography!  Those will come shortly from Ralph Alswang!

As you can see – this was a very bright and summery wedding!  I can’t wait to show you all the pink, yellow and green yummy details.

We created our signature photobooth for Jordan with her colors and style from her wedding.  Above is Jen Franz from Documentary Associates who took the photos at the photobooth during the reception! I can’t wait to show some of the funniest photos I have ever seen from a photobooth and the funnest props!

Now this photo is really terrible and does not show the true essence of this decor piece at the reception.  We brought in actual school lockers that we painted in their wedding colors!  We still have the lockers in stock as we just could not part from them!  Inside the lockers were her stuff, his stuff and then in the yellow locker – their stuff.

There is so much more to show – so stay tuned for the professional photos – which will be so much better than these!  But I just could not wait to show these to you!

While I am typically not a huge advocate for large DIY projects for your wedding…only because it tends to frustrate my clients and I end up having to fix everything later!  (I love helping my clients – but I don’t like to see them frustrated.) I do get a few DIY projects and products that come through my door that peak my interest and that I love to pass on to others.

Not all of my clients can afford wedding videography.  (Now my videography friends will hopefully not see this post and get all mad at me.)  This company, launched by Haynal Papp’s Dolce Studio Films, is revolutionary.  It is an actual course to teach you how to film your wedding if you can’t afford a videographer.

A huge warning here: Keep in mind that if you have a friend film your wedding day – know that they will not get to enjoy the day like everyone else.  If you have the room in your budget – PLEASE hire a professional videographer and let your friends enjoy the wedding.

However, if you are on a tight budget and just want that ceremony filmed and maybe the 1st 10 minutes of the reception and the rest on a tripod for dancing…this instructional video is incredibly worth it so you don’t end up hating your friend with the camera after the wedding.

Click on the logo above and check it out.  Haynal has a quick video presentation that is clear, concise and persuasive.  If you buy the instructions – let me know how it goes!  I would love to hear a review by a real bride!

Happy Planning!

So I asked Blue Sky Films to send over the video from their wedding.  There is seriously nothing more magic than seeing their wedding on film again. I absolutely adored working with them.  Just sweethearts to the core.  I miss them – but now I will get the chance to work with Ameena’s sister for her wedding!  YAY!  Take a look at the video and you will see why I adore them!

]]> http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/announcements/ameena-james-video/feed/ 0 http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/wedding-planning/a-persian-american-wedding-at-gw-river-farm/ http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/wedding-planning/a-persian-american-wedding-at-gw-river-farm/#comments Sat, 28 Nov 2009 08:26:20 +0000 Katie Martin http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/?p=1670

We have had several inquiries lately for Persian weddings and we have done quite a few over the years.  I wanted to showcase one of my favorites and  talk a little about what is actually involved in a Persian Wedding. I have always found multi-cultural weddings absolutely thrilling.  This particular wedding drew from Iranian, “American” and Thai traditions (the groom was working in Thailand at the time).

I want to really just focus on the details of what makes a Persian ceremony so wonderful as so many websites do great job of explaining what a sofreh-ye-aqd (or Agdh) is – but rarely have photos!  So for my upcoming engaged couples that are looking for a little more photo action for the “Persian wedding cloth”…here it goes.

There are two stages to a Persian wedding/marriage. The first is called ”Agdh” or “Aqd”, which is the legal process of getting married.  Typically the couple and their parents will sign a contract together. The second stage is the “Jashn-e Aroosi” (the wedding celebrations and festivities).  In Iran, most traditional celebrations can last up to 2 to 7 days!  Let’s just say for simplicity purposes, if you are here in the States, this will most likely only last 4-6 hours!

The ceremony will always have an elaborately decorated cloth on the floor which is called the “Sofreh-ye Aghd” (or “aqd”). You will need to have a bench or a love seat as you must sit close to each other during the ceremony and face east towards the direction of the sun.  When planning your ceremony, you need to make sure you visit your ceremony site at the time of day that your actual ceremony will take place.  This will help in the layout of your sofreh and chairs for guests.  You may have restrictions due to the size and space of your venue.  With the photos seen here at GW River Farm, the couple chose to have their ceremony outside (near their 1st ceremony – which was a mix of Western and Thai traditions).  It is, however, customary to have the sofreh-ye agdh at the bride’s parents’ home.  The arrival of your guests starts the wedding ceremony (so don’t expect it to start on time). This couple was smart by having their western ceremony first as it gave sufficient time for latecomers to be available for the Persian ceremony.  Parents and elders welcome all of the guests and guide them to their seats.  If one of you is not Persian, be sure to take the lead from the Persian side of the wedding.  (Just a note: each family is different in respect to traditions – so be sure to ask what your family can be doing to help or to simply stay away from if you are not the Persian side.)  After all the guests have arrived, the groom takes his place first, before the bride, on the right hand side of the bench or loveseat.  The right side is thought to be a symbol of respect.

The underlying cloth that is spread below all of the elements of the sofreh is generally passed from mother to daughter (or son)  However, you can always start your own tradition with a new cloth!  The cloth is normally made of Cashmere.

Here are the different elements typically displayed on the Sofreh-Ye Agdh:

Mirror (of fate) “Aayeneh-ye Bakht” and two Candelabras (or candles with holders) represent the brightness in your future and are placed on each side of the mirror.  When the bride enters the ceremony, she traditionally has a veil covering her face. This particular bride chose not to do this.  (When having a multi-cultural wedding, rules can typically be bent a little – just be sure to include your parents in the rule breaking before you break them!) Once the bride sits besides her groom, she removes her veil and the first thing that the groom should see (or look for) in the mirror should be the reflection of his wife-to-be.  It is important to note that if you are having a same-sex ceremony, veils do not have to be used, however, the mirror element is important to be able to see a bright future ahead for your marriage.

A tray of seven multi-colored herbs and spices (“Sini-ye Aatel-O-Baatel”) are artfully displayed to guard the couple and their lives together against the evil eye, witchcraft and to drive away evil spirits. This tray consists of seven elements in seven colors:

Poppy Seeds “Khash-Khaash” (to break spells and witchcraft)
Wild Rice “Berenj”
Angelica “Sabzi Khoshk”
Salt “Namak” (to blind the evil eye)
Nigella Seeds “Raziyaneh”
Black Tea “Chaay”
Frankincense “Kondor” (to burn the evil spirits)

You really need to get family involved when it comes to this – this tray is truly art.  The Persian community does a great job of knowing where to find this artwork and many women in Persian families know how to make the display.

Flatbread (“Noon-e Sangak”) with the  blessing “Mobaarak-Baad” written on it (with saffron, cinnamon or Nigella seeds) symbolizes prosperity  in marriage. A separate platter of the bread with cheese (typically feta) and fresh herbs should be made available to share with the guests after the ceremony (to bring the new couple happiness and prosperity). Be sure to have extra trays of this handy if you are having a large number of guests.  Everyone will want a taste!

A basket or bowl of decorated eggs and decorative glass/bowl or basket of decorated almonds, walnuts or hazelnuts in the shell to symbolize fertility (the more nuts – the better).

A basket of pomegranates and apples for a happy future. Pomegranates are considered heavenly fruits and apples symbolize the divine creation of mankind.  Obviously in certain parts of the world, pomegranates are hard to get and are not available year round.  Consider using dried pomegranates which can be provided for you by your florist or can be found online.  Some people like to use plastic (sorry – I am just not a fan of anything plastic as we are eco-friendly planners and florists here).

A cup of rose water or perfume to perfume the air.

A bowl made out of crystallized sugar “Kaas-e Nabaat/Shaakh-e Nabaat” to sweeten life.

(click on the image to see a larger photo)

A brazier “Manghal” holding burning coals sprinkled with wild rue “Espand”. Wild rue is believed to keep the evil eye away and to bring health. Not all Persian couples use this tradition due to fire hazards and regulations of the properties where they are getting married.

A bowl of gold coins representing wealth and prosperity. (We did one recently where the parents provided all $1 coins – I think it was at least $100 worth! Yeah baby!)

A scarf or shawl made out of silk or any other fine fabric to be held over the couple’s head throughout the ceremony by various happily married female relatives.

Two sugar cones or bells “Kalleh Ghand” made out of hardened sugar to be used during the ceremony. The cones are ground together above the couple’s head (over the scarf held above their heads) throughout the ceremony to shower them in sugar (symbolizing sweetness and happiness).  You need to assign a few people to this task as the ceremony can be lengthy (and one person can get tired quickly)…keep the sugar coming!

A cup or a glass of honey to sweeten life. Immediately after the couple is married they each should dip one pinky finger in the cup of honey and feed it to the other one.  I find this part of the ceremony to be super sexy (as marriage should always be)!

A needle and seven strands of colored thread to figuratively sew up the mother-in-law’s lips from speaking unpleasant words to the bride! The shawl that is held above the couple’s head throughout the ceremony is sewed in one corner by the needle and threads.

A copy of the couple’s Holy Book is placed on the spread which symbolizes God’s blessing for the couple. Some couples use a poetry book instead of a religious holy book.

A prayer carpet/kit is placed in the center of the Sofreh-ye Aghd to remind the couple of the importance of prayer (both in good and bad times).   If you are not religious, you can forgo this element.

An assortment of sweets and pastries to be shared with the guests after the ceremony.  The assortment usually includes: Sugar coated almond strips “Noghl”, Baklava, Mulberry-almond paste made in the shape of mulberries “Tout”, Rice-flour cookies “Noon-Berenji”, Chickpea-flour cookies “Noon-Nokhodchi”, Almond-flour cookies “Noon-Baadoomi” and Honey roasted almonds “Sohaan A’sali”.

I would like to give Farisnet.com and The Persian Mirror a thank you for their wealth of information on Persian weddings.  Some excerpts on this post were taken from these websites to be sure as much accuracy as possible would be provided here.  Please visit these websites for more information on other specific elements of a Persian Wedding.

Another huge thanks goes to Jennifer Domenick of Love Life Images for taking these amazing detail shots for me (and the couple)!

To see more photos from this beautiiful wedding, please see our sister post to this on Wedding Chicks by clicking here!

Happy Persian Wedding Planning!

~Katie Marin

We are tickled GREEN!  We just saw that Carbonfund.org just posted about us on their blog!  We carbon-offset through them for our own company, but we also make carbon offsetting donations for couples as well with certain packages that we provide.  Learn about carbon offsetting your wedding by taking a look at their handy-dandy carbon-offsetting wedding calculator!  We also dig them as they are local!  Right here in Silver Spring, MD!

Take a look at their blog post about us by clicking on the logo above!  Thanks Carbonfund.org!

Happy Greening!

~Katie Martin

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