Mimi and Gavin // The Dumbarton House, Washington DC Wedding // DC Wedding Coordinator

Some people don't know this about me, but I'm an introvert. It may seem odd for an event planner to be an introvert, but trust me, it works. Therefore, it was a pleasure working with Mimi and Gavin, two of the most introverted people I've ever met! Many people planning weddings are aching to be the center of attention. Mimi and Gavin were the complete opposite! They knew themselves, but also knew their families - and so they planned a small, intimate wedding that allowed them to celebrate with their families while also not being horribly overwhelmed, socially. The Dumbarton House was a perfect fit. After their first look and some beautiful portraits in the Dumbarton gardens, they had a Catholic ceremony at Holy Rosary in DC. Post ceremony, guests were shuttled over to the Dumbarton for cocktails, followed by dinner and dancing. Windows provided amazing food and service, as usual. Studio DBI (before their move to the West Coast - sob!), did the stunning florals, and Josh from MyDeejay kept everyone on the dance floor. The wonderful photographers, The Colagrossis, provided the lovely photos, below!

Special shout-out to Mimi's gorgeous outfit change into a traditional Vietnamese wedding dress half way through the ceremony. The red on her was ridiculously beautiful - couldn't get over what a stunning bride she was!

Congrats again to Mimi and Gavin!

Mimi and Gavin's Vendors:

Wedding Coordinator: Katie Wannen, The Plannery

Venue: The Dumbarton House

Caterer: Windows Catering

Photographers: The Colagrossis

Florist: Studio DBI

DJ: Josh Rhett, MyDeejay

Hair and Make-up: Georgetown Bride

Tent: Sugarplum Tent

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Noelle and Sean // Warrenton, VA Backyard Wedding // VA Wedding Coordinator

Those who follow me on Instagram know that Tarra's been doing an amazing job as coordinator this year - taking on a ton of weddings and kicking ass! This one was a doozy - I'll let Tarra fill you in:

I am so happy Noelle found The Plannery! I knew she was our kind of bride from her first email and Sean was our kind of groom too.  A super friendly, kind-hearted, real, cool, down-to-earth couple. How lucky am I that both Noelle and Sean each have 4 siblings that are just as kick ass?! That's right, Noelle has 4 awesome sisters and Sean has 4 awesome brothers who made up their wedding party. 

The wedding festivities took place at Noelle's family property in Warrenton, VA, which is really a slice of heaven on earth. SO not your average backyard. The vast hillside view was simply to die for. Noelle and Sean nailed it in seeing this yard as the perfect, picturesque venue for their wedding day.  Sammy's Rentals brought in all the hardscapes we needed to create the respective spaces we needed.  

As with any outdoor event, we had to be ready for inclement weather which did in fact come our way.  Unfortunately, the storm that day was an ugly, vicious, and persistent son of gun.  Plan B went into effect and a tent was brought in for the ceremony. Noelle's family was also gracious enough to open up their home to their 200+ guests as shelter from the storm. 

Sure, there was some very loud and very scary thunder.  And sure, there were certainly some disappointment and tears. Vendors struggled to do their jobs as the wind and rain made it impossible at times. The ceremony started nearly two hours late. Cocktail hour (in its true form) essentially never happened. But you know what? Noelle and Sean were married any darn way! Their friends and family were beyond patient and understanding about everything. They were also very helpful and supportive.  I am a true believer that everything happens for a reason.  There is an inexplicable and beautiful reason why all of us there experienced this amazingly, memorable wedding in exactly the way we experienced it. I honestly wouldn't have changed a thing.

Que sera, sera!

Noelle and Sean's Vendors:

Wedding Coordinator: Tarra Morgan, The Plannery

Caterer: Side Street Catering

Photographer: Breanne Furlong

Ceremony Musicians: Innocenti Strings

DJ: Pinstripe Rebel, DJ DMAC and Associates

Tent: Sammy's Rentals

Transportation: Chariots for Hire

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Looking for day-of assistants!

Hello everyone!

The Plannery team is looking for some new day-of assistants for this Fall and 2017! If you have some event background and want to get more experience or if you're thinking about making the transition into events and think you have something to offer, please reach out. We're looking for rad, reliable people who want to pick up some weekend events work - and we're always interested in people who might like to continue to grow with The Plannery in the future and work towards becoming a coordinator. Please be professional, proactive, and a great communicator. If you think you fit the bill, send a cover letter and resume to me at katie (at) theplannery.com.

Thank you thank you!

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Katelyn and Matthew // Charlie Palmer Rooftop, Washington, DC Wedding // DC Wedding Planner

Katelyn came to me in November, asking for full service planning for a May wedding! Needless to say, things were a bit of a whirlwind, but we had a great time making it all happen! Katelyn was going for a bit of a boho chic look and The City Florist made it all come to life - and more. Katelyn's father is in the landscaping business and cared a lot about the floral elements - and The City Florist did NOT disappoint! After a delicious meal by Charlie Palmer, the guests danced the night away to Burnt Sienna. The only thing that would have made the day a bit better was if it hadn't rained non-stop! But the guests rolled with it and thanks to the tent at Charlie Palmer we all stayed (mostly) dry. Other things I'm crushing on in this wedding include: the ringbearer's blue hair, the record guestbooks, all the children sleeping in all the places, and Katelyn's hilarious facial expressions :)

Big thanks to Jessica Latos Photography for the beautiful pics - enjoy!

Katelyn and Matthew's Vendors:

Wedding Planner: Katie, The Plannery

Venue and Caterer: Charlie Palmer Steakhouse

Photographer: Jess Latos Photography

Florist: The City Florist

Ceremony Music: Christopher Wyton

Band: Burnt Sienna

Make-up: Nour Kazoun Makeup Artistry

Hair: Sue Volans

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Julia and Joe // Longview Gallery, Washington, DC // DC wedding coordinator

Julia and Joe got married this past March at Longview Gallery - a venue I've been dying to work in, and was so happy I finally had the chance. It unfortunately started raining right as their photos were supposed to start in Blagden Alley - but thankfully The Columbia Room offered up their space and they got some beautiful pre-ceremony shots! Their ceremony was in the front gallery, under a DIY'd arch and officiated by a friend. Well Dunn catered a beautiful reception, and Washington Celebrations kept people on the dance floor, and also did beautiful string lights for the space! But my favorite parts of the wedding were the more personal, fun details, including a video that Joe created of the two of them that was projected on a wall, their District Doughnut dessert, as well as the late night pizza from Pizza D'Oro that was delivered later in the night! Finally, we have to talk about what a hip, stunning couple this is. Julia's dress (and lips!) were so gorgeous and Joe was working it in that suit. Go Kate Shoot shot the beautiful pics you'll see below - enjoy!

Julia and Joe's Vendors:

Coordination: Katie Wannen, The Plannery

Venue: Longview Gallery

Photographer: Go Kate Shoot

Caterer: Well Dunn

Florist: Sill Life Florals

DJ and Lighting: Washington Celebrations

Hair/Make up: District Beauty

Donuts: District Doughnuts

Cake: Paisley Figg

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Kara and Mike // Studio Theatre, Washington DC wedding // DC wedding coordinator

Tarra recently coordinated this modern wedding that took place at DC's Studio Theatre and I had to share. As an ex-theatre gal, I was SOOO bummed I couldn't coordinate this wedding myself! But Kara and Mike were in great hands with Tarra - more words for Tarra, below along with some stunning photos:

Sweet is a complete understatement when it comes to Kara and Mike. This prompted me to look up synonyms for the word: Dear, Pleasing, Precious, Treasured, Well-liked, Admired, Esteemed, Near to One’s Heart, and what do ya know, DARLING!!! Darling makes me smile considering it was the actual first name of their photographer (who I must add lives up to the word and who took these BOMB photos!)

So, basically I was surrounded by the most awesome people ever during this wedding.  From Kara and Mike themselves, to their beautiful loving families, to their awesome friends, one who served as the officiant and others as cake and flower delivery team, to Darling and her assistant, to the lead and her team at Eat & Smile Catering, to Nikki at Studio Theatre who was beyond amazing, and to DJ Stereo Faith.  

I feel very blessed to have been part of the sweet dream team who made this April wedding in DC come together so perfectly.   And by perfectly I am including the inevitable bumps in the road that come along with wedding planning and executing. It is not a question of will they happen, but rather when they happen how will we respond?  Kara and Mike’s ultra laid-back demeanor helped the final planning processes go scary smoothly! That same demeanor carried over to the big day, making it seem like I was hanging out with them rather than coordinating their wedding. If Kara and Mike ever want to remarry (to each other of course!) PLEASE sign me up to coordinate/attend that wedding 100x times over. Just take a look at their gorgeous photos - can’t beat their infectious smiles, super tasteful wedding party attire with stunning bouquets, and a sick venue with no-fuss fresh décor! Enjoy!

Kara and Mike's Vendors:

Coordinator: Tarra from The Plannery

Venue: Studio Theatre

Caterer: Eat and Smile

Photographer: Darling Photographers

DJ: DJ Stereo Faith, DJ DMAC and Associates

Flowers: Little Shop of Flowers

Cake: The Cake Room

Hair and Make-up: Alina Karaman

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Hip Bridesmaid Fashion

care of Lena Dunham's Instagram yo

I had to pop by to do a quick blog post on the bridesmaids outfits everyone's talking about.

For those of you who follow me on Instagram know, I flipped when I saw Lena Dunham's Instagram post featuring what she and fellow bridesmaids wore to her BFF Audrey Gelman's wedding. They wore sequined skirts customized by J.Crew's Jenna Lyons, along with dusty pink tops and gold shoes.

Can we PLEASE start doing more of this? It's sequined and shiny and sparkly so you know it's festive and fancy. But these ladies can WEAR THESE SKIRTS AGAIN. Plus, they're customized (see detail below) which is just sweet as hell. I adore that they're still appropriately dressy while still being untraditional and chic as all get out. Plus, I don't know who that pregnant woman is on the right, but she is killing it.

care of Lena Dunham's Instagram yo

Rebecca and Mike // Union Station, Washington DC Wedding // DC Wedding Coordinator

This wedding - my first for 2016 - was so much fun, and was the perfect match for me. It's a great example of how weddings don't have to be all one thing or the other - super offbeat or super traditional. We're all complex people and it makes sense that our weddings are, too. From a distance, this looked like a fairly traditional Jewish wedding. Lots of guests (260), large beautiful venue (Union Station is so lovely), and many of the wonderful Jewish traditions. Look closer, however, and you'd see that they had no announcement, no cake cutting, no first dance or parents dances. Most importantly, Rebecca proposed to Mike. Which I straight-up LOVE. Here's how their engagement happened, in her own words:

We had just bought a house and knew we would get married but I am a planner and Mike is not.  I had decided it was time to get engaged if we were going to get married and that we should get married in January 2016! I started asking Mike to marry me everyday.  His typical response was "Not quiiiiiite yet".  Then, we agreed that when I had asked him 100 times, he would have to say yes.  I started asking multiple times a day and then he got smart and made a one time a day rule :) By the 100th time, he was in! Neither of us believe in a traditional "surprise" engagement (which is generally not a surprise!) or the man having to ask the woman.  These decisions are made as a couple and we wanted to throw (somewhat sexist!) tradition out the window.  I also did not want an engagement ring so we surprised both our parents with the news and started planning.  The only problem was when no one actually believed we were engaged since there was no engagement ring and no engagement story!

We NEED more of this you guys. It was such an honor to work with a couple like this and support them and their families. I swear it makes my heart grow and my bolsters my feminist spirit. It's so ridiculous that our society doesn't "believe" people are engaged because they don't have a "story" or a ring (ummm... that story above is an EXCELLENT story). So please let's all continue to break traditions we don't care about and embrace the ones we do.

Now that I got that out of the way, let's move on to the beautiful photos of this lovely day. They took some portraits at Hotel Monaco before heading over to Union Station for some more. After the photos and Ketubah signing, they had a beautiful ceremony - Rebecca's father, a rabbi, officiated! Petal's Edge did such a great job with their romantic chuppah, and I especially loved the modern arrangements for the centerpieces. Design Cuisine along with Kosher Kitchen killed it with their food and service. As you'll see, Onyx kept them dancing all night long - and Charles Archambault captured it all in these fantastic photos. Enjoy! And congrats again to my most bad-ass of couples, Rebecca and Mike!

Rebecca and Mike's Vendors:

Coordinator: Katie, The Plannery

Venue: Union Station

Caterer: Kosher Kitchen and Design Cuisine

Photographer: Charlie Archambault

Band: Onyx

Florist: Petal's Edge

Rachel and Andrew // Josephine Butler Parks Center, Washington, DC Wedding/ DC Wedding Coordinator

Full disclosure - this wedding happened a long time ago. But I just got my hands on the stunning photos, and I simply HAD to share. So close your eyes and pretend for a moment that we're not in the depths of winter, but instead on the cusp of fall - and then open your eyes and sink into these beautiful photos by Sarah Gormley (which features one of my very favorite first-look shots of a groom EVER).

I was coordinator for Rachel and Andrew's October wedding. They were such a wonderful couple - so easy-going and fun and in love! In addition to their modern, fall colors (guys, those bridesmaid dresses are my FAVORITE - not to mention the lovely florals by Eight Tree Street), they also incorporated DC-related items including a Metro theme for their table numbers, menus, escort cards, and even bottles of wine they had guests sign for various anniversaries (love this) - and their Fluffy Thoughts cake was adorned with DC monuments. They had a slightly non-traditional menu with different themed stations/buffets rather than a plated dinner. And then they part-ayed the night away (as you shall see).

Very belated congrats to the wonderful Rachel and Andrew!

Rachel and Andrew's Vendors:

Coordinator: Katie, The Plannery

Venue: Josephine Butler Parks Center

Photographer: Sarah Gormley

Caterer: Spilled Milk

DJ: Derek Romanoff from Bialek's Music

Ceremony Music: Palm Strings Trio

Uplighting and Photobooth: Bialek's

Florist: Eight Tree Street

Hair/Make-up: Modern Bridal Studio

Cake: Fluffy Thoughts

T's 1st Birthday Party

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As some of you who follow me on Instagram know, my daughter recently turned 1 (which, as a side-note, is totally nuts... can't believe how fast that flew by!). I often like to share personal posts about parties I host in order to keep it real - to show you what I do to keep the stress low and the good times high. We ended up doing what you aren't supposed to do for a first birthday - invite a ton of people. But my husband's extended family all lives in the area, and we thought it would be a fun excuse to get family together. We did, however, try to embrace it being a casual affair, what with it being a 1 year old's birthday party!

To keep things simple, we ordered food from Pork Barrell BBQ - a great BBQ joint in our Del Ray neighborhood. We picked up some pulled pork and buns, mac and cheese, cole slaw and other fixings and it was a huge hit. My husband made some deviled eggs, and we had some simple chips and dip and salsa out for guests when they arrived. Beer was on the back porch in coolers. And we used paper plates and napkins and utensils (except we did use real wine glasses since not too many people were drinking wine and it's just so much nicer to drink out of real glasses!). My husband baked the cake which I decked out in some Target treasures - a yellow "1" candle and mini gold bunting.

For decor I also tried to keep it simple. We went with a yellow (her favorite color), pink and gold theme. I picked up some simple bunting (again, from Target), and we got some balloons from a nearby party store. My Mom swooped in and saved the day by helping me repurpose some of the bunting she made for my baby shower (!), adding pink "1's" she cut out and glued on (while I napped. Best. Mom. Ever). Similar to the food, we decided to also delegate the flowers and I reached out to one of my favorite florists, Emily at Love Blooms, to see if she'd be willing to make a fun pink and yellow centerpiece (and did she ever!).

Tallulah was enough entertainment, but in addition to her cake eating (which, btw, she ended up picking up the entire slice of cake and diving in... killed me!), I put out some notecards and asked guests to write a note for her to open on her 10th birthday. I was so surprised and delighted by how many people took it really seriously. I'd see family members go off in a corner, deep in thought - and one of my friends wrote on the front and back! This was a really simple way to create what will hopefully be a fun treasure for her later in life. I like to go for meaningful activities and this one was perfect.

So there you have it. Enjoy some glimpses into the party details below - and remember that even event planners take it easy when it comes to throwing a bash!

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