We are so thrilled that Project Wedding Featured Kendall and Mo’s wedding as well as the very cute blog:

Click on both logos to read all about the wedding and about green weddings!

Congrats again Kendall and Mo!!

I know that this wedding is going to have a few posts on it…

So I decided to start with the most unusual part of this wedding.  Never mind the fact that the beautiful bride in the photo is cutie patootie photographer Mary Kate McKenna – this wedding had some serious flair!

Her wedding was at the beautiful Thorpewood and her wedding planner – Laura Auer of Wish Special Events made it incredible and easy for Mary Kate!  Of course – we love working with other wedding planners!

I wanted to focus on this very special arch we made for Mary Kate.  She let us get creative but using hearty branches, a bit of curly willow, and grapevine to create this quirky (and I think adorable) arch for their altar.  Being outside and in a very woody area – it made the perfect setting for a very cute couple!  So many of our couples this year have let us get creative and use the talents of my amazing husband – who is a master carpenter!  We donated the arch to the property as the branches will biodegrade over the next few months!  Click on the photo to enlarge it!

Stay tuned for more photos!

Thanks to Jaime from The  Blonde Photographer for the image above!

We posted a few of the photos from Kati & Jason’s wedding from May this year…however Rodney sent over this great video montage of the images from their wedding at the Decatur House!

Take a look by clicking on the image above!

Cheers to Kati & Jason!

Ahh – we just can’t say enough about Kendall & Mo’s wedding!  So I decided to break it up into 4 posts!  Yes!  I thought I was just going to do 3 posts – but there was so much going on at this wedding – I just can’t get enough of it.  The 1st post was just a teaser last week with their chalkboard!

Today – it’s all about the wonderful and creative Etsy Designers that they used!

All stationary (save the dates, invites, custom cardstock, escort cards, thank you notes, etc.) were done by Magnolia Papier.  Taylor was AWESOME with all of Kendall’s special requests!

These flowers were attached to her escort card table – which I show the entire table in tomorrow’s yummy post!

You will see the two love birds below – that were everywhere at the wedding!

Her stationery items were also inspiration for her cake – which will be in a another post this week!

Their Fingerprint tree by Sweet Carolina Design

Her beautiful crystal headband was by LELETNY (as seen above in their portait – which I love with her amazing eyes flashin’!)

Kendall gave me and the bridesmaids beautiful vintage crystal brooches from Aged and Opulent (which I adore since her colors were also the colors of my wedding – yum!) and from Vintage and Victorian!

And these freakin’ adorable fairy wings for the cutie pie flower girl by attiTUTUde!

Stay tuned tomorrow for all the decor we provided that day!

A big hug and thanks to Jennifer Hughes for these magnificent photos!

We are very excited to be in the new issue of the Washingtonian Bride & Groom Magazine again as one of the best wedding planners in the DC area!  Such a cute cover and the issue is chock full of great ideas!

We are especially excited about our featured wedding with Anna & Denis at the Dumbarton House! Click on the image (provided by the Washingtonian Bride & Groom) below to get a better view:

Thanks Washingtonian and Cheers to Anna & Denis!

]]> http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/announcements/washingtonian-feature-2/feed/ 2 http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/wedding-planning/kati-jasons-wedding/ http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/wedding-planning/kati-jasons-wedding/#comments Mon, 21 Jun 2010 14:29:43 +0000 Chris Easter http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/?p=3049

Here are a few more details from Kati & Jason’s wedding at the Decatur House this spring.  They had such a fun a funky decor design and everyone left saying that the wedding was “so them”!  I love hearing that!

Yes – we always want people to say that the wedding was fun and beautiful and elegant…but we also want the weddings that we are a part of to really reflect the client and their taste.  It is not about what we want or how we do things – it is about what you want for your wedding day.  When we hear guests say things like that was so unique and so much like Kati (the bride) – then we know we have done our job!

Kati and her mom brought me dozens of cute and interesting small vases that they collected over the past few months and we filled all of them with various purple and blue flowers.  They had one small vase with two photos of them at each age – representing the number of the table…very cute and very them!

Along with this hilarious – yet simple cake.

We love weddings that are as unique as the couple themselves.  They had two ceremonies to reflect both of their cultures – be sure to incorporate heritage and culture in your reception as well!

Thanks to Rodney Bailey again for providing amazing photos in with such a short turn around!

Congrats Kati & Jason!

]]> http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/wedding-planning/kati-jasons-wedding/feed/ 0 http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/announcements/love-those-shoes/ http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/announcements/love-those-shoes/#comments Sat, 19 Jun 2010 13:45:21 +0000 Chris Easter http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/?p=3043

I have some wonderful images that Rodney Bailey sent over to me from a super cute spring wedding at the Decatur House!  Loved the shoes Kati!  Stay tuned for more images!

We are so excited!!!  We just updated our website! Click on this preview to take a look!

Let us know what you think!

Cheers!

]]> http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/announcements/our-new-site-is-live/feed/ 0 http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/wedding-planning/weddings-at-the-decatur-house/ http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/wedding-planning/weddings-at-the-decatur-house/#comments Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:11:32 +0000 Katie Martin http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/?p=1968

We are so excited about some of our upcoming weddings at the Decatur House for 2010.

I also just got some photos back from Greg Gibson for flowers that we did at the Decatur House with Sara Bauleke from Bella Notte!  Yes – we are wedding planners and so is Sara Bauleke!  BUT – we are also a full-service floral design and decor company and we love working with all of our fellow fabulous wedding planners!  (Of course – we also love working with Greg Gibson!!!!)

Take a look at what we we did together in November!

Let us know what you are planning for your wedding at the Decatur House!

Happy Planning!

~Katie Martin

]]> http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/wedding-planning/weddings-at-the-decatur-house/feed/ 2 http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/announcements/2009-2010/ http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/announcements/2009-2010/#comments Mon, 21 Dec 2009 07:29:59 +0000 Katie Martin http://www.eleganceandsimplicity.com/blog/?p=1881 Hello everyone – long note here – but worth the read!  So get your glasses (whether reading or wine) and hunker down for this one!

A few of us here at Elegance & Simplicity, Inc. are off traveling for the holidays.  We hope to still bring you a few more posts before the end of the year though. Sorry for the lack of posts here over the past few days, we have been prepping for many new things for 2010 for you!  Including the relaunch of our website incorporating our wonderful new logo!

I am actually just about to get on a plane to Florida to meet the wonderful Lara Casey of Southern Weddings Magazine.  I hope to bring back a few copies of the magazine – so be sure to pick up a copy when you stop by the office!

Here is a list of some major things for you to know for 2010!

1st – My 1st book, The Everything Mother of the Bride Book, 2nd Edition (an Adams Media Publication), will be coming out in February or March.  If you have not done so yet, please click on the big ‘ole sidebar jpeg of the cover of my book to the right.  Let my mom and I know why you have the best mother-of-the-bride (or mother-in-law to be or grandmother) to win $250 to go towards your wedding!  I can’t wait for my 1st book to hit bookshelves!  It will be the only mother of the bride book to talk about eco-friendly weddings and same-sex weddings.  Truly current, especially for DC area weddings since same-sex weddings are about to go legal in DC!  It is also easier to read and more inclusive – hard to explain, but will make more sense when you pick up a copy!  I have already gotten some great reviews from those who have gotten a sneak peek!  Can’t wait to share!  My mom typically posts about mother of the bride or groom issues every Wednesday – so check back every week moms!

2nd – We hope to post more content about the wedding that was featured in the Washingtonian.  They really only allow two pages worth of photos in their magazine per real wedding and there are so many more wedding goodies from Kate’s wedding that I cannot wait to share with you!    We also have an amazing feature in the new Bride and Bloom Magazine!  I also can’t wait for you to see our new listing in the Grace Ormonde Magazine!  Yippee!

3rd – I am in the final stretch of finishing my second book – The Everything Wedding Book, 4th Edition, which is another Adams Media publication. That book is set to hit bookshelves at the end of  2010!  So, this will be the reason why I will be “off to write” offline for the remainder of the year.   Then in January and February I will finish my 3rd book Eco-Beautiful Weddings!

4th – I am excited to let you know that we will be launching a website all about same-sex weddings here in the DC area.  There is a huge buzz being created around the world (literally) about same-sex weddings going legal in DC.  We will be hand-picking wedding planners to cake vendors that are gay-friendly and reviewed and approved by the nation’s leading gay wedding planner: Bernadette Coveney Smith of 14 Stories in Boston.  It is an exciting time in DC!

5th – We have had a fantastic year filled with exciting new things!  With over 40 staff members (and growing) serving brides and grooms for wedding planning and floral designs, we cannot wait to show you the new eco-couture and fashion-forward designs we have to offer for weddings in the DC area. There simply is no other wedding planning or floral design firm in the DC area that has the know-how and the passion for creating multi-faceted, multi-cultural, stylish and eco-couture events.   We are the  wedding industry’s leader in eco-friendly wedding design with the launch of our new magazine Eco-Beautiful Weddings.

The website houses our online magazine and blog.  While I am the editor-in-chief and publisher of the magazine, I will be taking on a select amount of clients every year to focus on greening their weddings and events along with helping other wedding professionals become green (or greener).  We have an amazing team of wedding planners and floral designers led by Tara Davis (aka “Katie Part 2″) and Keya Beale.  Tara leads our team of 6 weddings planners on staff and Keya leads our floral design team!  All wedding planners on staff are trained in floral designs as well.

I will have more announcements for you in January!  We have 3 new projects in the works!

Our staff strives to provide only the best in Washington, DC weddings and Eco-Beautiful Wedding Style!

Stay Tuned!

Have a Happy Holiday!

Cheers!

Katie Martin

Our new blog layout is based on the new logo (as you can probably tell)!  Our website will be updated in December.

Stay tuned!

Invitation via Papeterie
Ice cream cones via Elegance & Simplicity (by Design Cuisine)
Candy bar via Big Wedding Tiny Budget
Shoes via Rodney Bailey
Bridesmaids via Our Labor of Love
Gown: “Dandelion” Collen Quen Couture
Cake Weddings Fresh
Bouquet:  District Weddings

Happy Planning!

~Katie Martin

A simple vintage dress can be bought online or at a consignment shop – huge savings typically for a style like these:

When in doubt – go to Etsy – you can find some amazing dresses and accessories online:

Then, of course, you have the vintage headpieces to go with them (and think about for your bridesmaids as well)

photo by The Observatory

Vintage is something that never goes out of style as not all brides like it or can pull it off.  You will never look dated in photos as brides have been using these styles since they 1st came out in Victorian age and the 20’s.  Think about bright red lipstick! Something large and white in your hair will be offset gloriously with bright red lips (consult your make-up artist!)  Check out this style – white, black and red on a bride is classic Hollywood glamour throwback to the 1940’s:

Vintage floral design means an abundance of flowers.  Vintage means interesting scent combinations and voluminous floral designs.  Think hydrangea, peonies, roses and orchids. Here are few of our own floral designs that work perfectly with a vintage glam design:

photo by Documentary Associates

photo by Love Life Images

Don’t forget about the vintage jewelry and think about color gemstones as well!

photo by The Observatory

Make the day sweet with our Vintage Candy Jars!

It is green to go Victorian and Vintage when you are reusing items!

I will post more about Vintage weddings soon!

Cheers, Katie Martin

Sugarplum helped to create a beautiful tent on the Congressional Country Club’s terrace.  Lauren let us create a custom beautiful white wall backdrop and custom pedestals along with a touch of whimsy from the lanterns.  Although this was the landscape for the ceremony – it ended up being the lounge after the wedding – complete with cigar rollers that we flew in from Florida!

Then – Jennifer Domenick met up with the bride and groom a couple of days after the wedding for these amazing portraits….I love this style so much…they look so relaxed!

I know I say this often…but it is the truth…I will miss spending time and emailing with Lauren and her mom. Lauren was the kind of client that reminded me often about why I love in the wedding industry.  She was in love with the wedding planning process while utterly in love with her husband.  The day of the wedding – she was beaming with an amazing smile (all day)!

Congratulations Lauren & Shane!

Katie Martin

How did you get started in the wedding business?
By accident. Seriously!  Coming out of college with a background in IT, I was struggling to find a job.  It was right after the dot-com bubble burst, and the market was saturated with people who had much better resumes than I did. I took a job as a contractor doing some cross-platform database development for a DJ agency near Baltimore.  I was there a couple weeks when they asked if I’d be interested in becoming a DJ, and I thought it might be fun. I turned out to have a natural knack for DJing, and particularly for weddings.  I quit the agency after being there almost four years and started MyDeejay.com – the rest is history!

What do you do when you are not working?
I don’t understand… what do you mean “when you are not working?”  I’ve never heard of that…  I work a lot.  MyDeejay.com is a family business, both me and my beautiful and talented wife Jennifer work on the company full-time.  Building and maintaining a successful business takes a lot of time, but when we’re not in the office we spend as much time as possible with our uber-cute son Colin.

How would you describe your approach to weddings?
Our approach is all about honesty, trust, and results.  The DJ is typically the vendor that couples are most worried about, because they’ve either seen a bad wedding DJ or have heard horror stories.  We really strive to be the antithesis to the stereotype.  Each couple meets their DJ, in person, before we even give them a contract.  We place a premium on building a strong relationship with our clients, which enables us to serve them better and give them exactly what they want on their wedding day.  The proof is in the pudding – our online reviews are consistently fantastic, and our clients refer us like crazy to their engaged friends.

What inspires you in your work?
Being the best.  I don’t mean that in the sense that I just want MyDeejay.com to be better than the other DJ companies in the area, I want us to be better than every other DJ company imaginable.  We compete against ourselves, and constantly challenge ourselves to be better.  Our mantra is “doing business the right way,” which means that we are always looking for ways to improve and provide better service to our customers.  This includes everything from the advice on our website to the clothes we wear when we are setting up our equipment – every aspect of our business is designed for one purpose: to provide the best customer experience possible.

What  do you find the most rewarding about your job?
Knowing that we’re making people happy and delivering on our promises every single weekend. Most of the time, couples have no idea how important our job is to the overall success of the reception – they don’t realize our impact until the end of the wedding.  Getting thank-you notes and emails, great online reviews, and referrals from our former clients is incredibly satisfying, because it means that we’re actually accomplishing our goals.

What’s the one thing you wish everyone knew about you or your business?
You know, even though we put a ton of information on our website, there is still a lot that we don’t talk about.  I wish everyone knew how much time and effort we put into each wedding, each couple, and our company in general.  We make it look easy, but it’s a lot of work.  Our customers don’t know about our cutting-edge management backend (that nobody besides us will ever see), our internal policies and processes, our incredible DJ training program that we make EVERYONE go through – even if they’ve done 500 weddings, or the continuous education and group training we do with our staff.  I like to say we’re stuck in a “company improvement feedback loop” because it’s a process that never ends.

What do you think sets your company apart from other wedding DJs?
Basically our entire approach – we’ve designed our entire business to give our customers the best experience possible.  We give couples all of the benefits of working with a single-operator DJ like excellent customer service and the ability to meet their DJ before they sign a contract, and add all of the advantages of working with a larger company, like a huge music library and a rock-solid emergency backup program.  I think we stand out from other DJ companies because we don’t have any weaknesses, and we have an impeccable reputation that we are extremely proud of.

What do you love about weddings?
Everything!  Well, almost everything.  Honestly, this is the best job in the world.  It’s still incredible to me that, when I go to work, the people I’m working for are having the happiest day of their lives, and it’s my job to make sure that everyone has fun.  I love music, I love happy people, and I love the sense of satisfaction I get at the end of the night and the bride and groom tell me how much fun they had.  Weddings are incredibly rewarding emotionally, because you have a chance to make someone’s special day an amazing experience.

What’s the best piece of advice you can give to couples when planning the music aspect of their wedding?
Do your homework.  You probably don’t realize it, but this is basically the most important decision you’re going to make in terms of the overall impact on your reception.  If you have great entertainment, your wedding will be a smashing success.  If you have not-so-great entertainment, your guests will probably leave early.  It pays to do some research, check references, and check online reviews.

Who is your favorite artist or band?
I ask people this question all the time, and I can’t answer it myself.  I love too much music.  How’s this?  A six-way tie between Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Outkast, Mos Def, The Cure, and Thievery Corporation.  And Diana Krall.  And Brad Paisley.  And Sade.  Nevermind, I give up. I can’t do it.

What is the worst song of all time?
It’s funny you should ask!  Speaking of segues, I have a 4-part series on my blog (http://www.mydeejay.com/blog/2009/08/worst-songs-ever-40-worst-songs-of-all-time-part-1) that answers this very question.

Open mic, final thoughts:
Planning a wedding should be fun, or at least not un-fun.  Try to remember that you’re celebrating your love, and it’s not about making other people happy.  Other people will be happy for you if you’re happy, and if they’re not, then they shouldn’t be on your guest list.  Other than that, just hire professionals and people you can trust.  Take their advice, follow their lead, and it will be great!

Cute, cute and more cute…so many eco-friendly and organic products on this website – I am mad I just found it this week!!!  GO NOW to BTC Elements!  RUN to your nearest computer!  They have reclaimed fabric dresses, potato chip bag coasters and “upcycled” accessories!

And if you are wanting to buy a present for me – OMG – I love this!  Yes – I love to read and now must wear reading glasses and I love, love, love this cutie patootie eyeglass holder!

Loup Charmant…loving the ethereal organic white cotton looks here!

I am the biggest fan of Danny Seo – if you don’t know who he is yet – check out his website and his blog! I love the new products Danny Seo has put out – Whole Earth:  Click on the body wash and buy them for your groomsmen and bridesmaids!!!

Ok ladies…if you have not gotten into fabric (like I have) – I think this is the fabric I love for someone’s wedding.  I have a few weddings coming up in the spring that could totally use this fabric!  Love Rubie Green – eco-chic fabrics!

Finally – if you have not been searching online for ideas from blogs – here is great place to start..wedzilla!  They are launching a national website – stay tuned for more details!

Stay tuned for more products soon and some new photos I am about to post from recent weddings and spring ones as well!

Cheers! ~ Katie Martin

I can’t wait to hear more about their honeymoon to Costa Rica!  We loved planning for their big day and we will certainly post more details about their wedding on the main website soon!

Check out the feature online by clicking on the photo below!

Congrats Kimberley & Jake!  I just saw them recently for their 1st anniversary party!  What a fun time that was as well!

Here are a few my faves from this new set of photos we received!  I hope to actually feature this wedding on the main website…

I really had a hard time choosing which images to show here…so stay tuned for the feature on our main website as we update it shortly!

Cheers!  ~ Katie

Hey there blog goers, this is Tara Davis, Executive Consultant for Elegance and Simplicity. I’ll be helping Katie keep you fabulous folks in the know about the latest and greatest in the world of weddings.

How excited was I when I looked at my To-Do list today and the first item listed in big bold letters was

EAT CHOCOLATE!

For breakfast, I enjoyed part of an Après Peau chocolate bar. Après Peau, located at 1430 K Street NW, offers unique Washington, DC related items. They carry interesting chocolate bars that would be an incredible addition to a welcome bag for out of town guests. Each bar, exclusively designed for Après Peau, pays tribute to a Washington DC landmark. A little piece of DC that melts in your mouth! The chocolate bars come in seven fun flavors with clever names. I tried the Washington Monumint. Yum! Dark chocolate and mint. Check out their website for additional flavors.

Aprespeau.com

Stay tuned for more!

Cheers, Tara

Their wedding had so many wonderful spring touches to it!  Centerpieces were made with Dutch Hydrangea, Dutch Cymbidium orchids, Dutch Peonies and local lilacs.

I love how The Observatory took this photo with the mirrors in the background; it almost looks like the peonies are floating above the escort cards!

The blue, green and lavender lanterns we hung helped to give just a touch of springtime whimsy!

To see other photos from this wedding, click here to see the previous blog post!

Cheers!

Take a look at the feature by clicking on the photo below taken by Love Life Images!

Congratulations Claire & Adil!  Molly from Simply Vintage was a great help as their wedding planner and as always, we love working with her!  They really wanted eco-friendly flowers and they got them!  We love it when clients seek that out in their floral designs!

Cheers! ~ Katie Martin

If you have not found Etsy – that you really should browse it!  It is one of my favorite places to find unique gifts!

If you are having a fun and funky cocktail area or lounge area for your reception – you should really look into have some fun and funky pillows.  Why not – you can use them again in your home!!!!  Or give them as gifts.  Look at this fabulous floor cushion!  Click on the photo to go and buy it!  Only $60!!!  They have all sorts of colors and patterns!

Needing an interesting groomsman gift for his drinking buddies?  Here is a fun alternative:Vermont Whiskey Soapstones!  Really for those Whiskey enthusiasts – ice cubes that will not water down your drink!  Click on the link to buy!  Only $20!

Found these all-natural and nourshing lip balms at Alima online.  Thick Acai, rhubard and cranberry for that fall wedding or any of the flavors for your fabulous bridesmaids!  Made in Portland!!!!  Click on the link to buy!  Between $4.75-$5.75 each flavor!!!  A STEAL!

Stay tuned for more!  Love this stuff! – Katie Martin

Here is a sneak peek!  Will post more photos soon!

Check out local Maryland wineries here!

Take a look at Virginia Wineries here:

Keep in mind that you can also have your wedding at some of these wineries and vineyards.  If you are a wine connoisseur, you have probably already thought of this.  Even if you are not into wine, you will find that wineries are some of the most beautiful places to have weddings!

Check out one of the weddings we did at Bluemont Vineyard in VA:

Check out Joe Portnoy’s photography website here!

Cheers to local flair!~Katie Martin

Check it out:

Eco-Friendly Shoe Source

What this wonderful blogger has done is genius and has saved a bunch of people time and money. She has scoured the internet, or does on a daily basis for the cutest looking shoes all over the world that are eco-friendly.

I love this cute flat:

Now take a look at Mink – they use non-animal products:

Everyone has their own style and taste for their shoes on their wedding day.  The key is to take your time. If you want your shoes to have some personality – do they have to be white?  Silver or gold?  Many gowns cover shoes anyway – why not have fun shoes or even comfortable shoes?  You can have both heels and flats for your wedding!  Try to select shoes that you may actually wear again.  However – you can always keep the shoes for your future daughter or sell them on ebay after!  Donating your shoes is also an option.

Happy Shopping!
Katie Martin