Marie and Alex // Katzen Arts Center Wedding, Washington, DC // DC Wedding Coordinator

I'm baaack! January, as always, has been a very busy month. But I'm kicking off my first official blog post of 2014 with my final wedding wrap-up from 2013! And what a great one to end with. Ah, Marie and Alex. Marie and Alex were truly amazing clients. They had a very unique wedding (which you know I love), and it was such fun to help them execute their wedding day! Marie and Alex started with an afternoon ceremony followed by a dessert reception at the Katzen Arts Center at American University. They then had several hours to relax, regroup, grab some dinner and then go party some more at a reception at a bar! You can see more of their bar reception at Capitol Romance. But my portion of the day was helping set-up their ceremony and afternoon reception. I really loved this structure as it not only provided beautiful light for their ceremony and photos, but it's a great cost-efficient way to still have a meaningful ceremony, a reception with your loved ones, and a rowdier party later in the evening (plus down-time with your significant other to soak in the fact that you're MARRIED!)!

Marie and Alex pseudo self-catered  - they placed orders for cupcakes, cookies, treats, hummus and veggie plates, and pies with various DC vendors (including Dangerously Delicious Pies, Cava, and Hello Cupcake). The vendors delivered the goods that morning and I helped set up the buffet with the platters and cake stands Marie and Alex provided themselves, and the rest of their decor.

And oh, their decor! The Katzen Arts Center is an awesome, really modern venue (with lots of great photo opps, as you’ll see). With gorgeous natural light and beautiful design, you really don’t need much decor. Alex and Marie decided to embrace the modern simplicity (as well as the circular form of the room) and got beautiful large balloons to place around the room as well as at the “altar” and behind the buffet. Wendy from Balloon Affairs of Frederick was excellent to work with and did a wonderful job.

I have to mention a couple of other details I really adored. Marie ordered her dried bouquet online from New Hampshire Woods Creations and it was stunning! I love dried bouquets because they last forever - as will the memories. Alex also had a best lady on his side for the ceremony - and while I unfortunately don’t have any good pictures to show it, she wore a beautiful grey dress to match the gentlemen’s grey suits. LOVED IT. Finally, Marie is a bad-ass and got her dress from The Bride's Project, a wonderful non-profit organization from her home town that helps fund programs and services at the Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor.

After the ceremony we did a quick flip of the room so that people could come back after some cocktails and enjoy the tasty treats. In addition to their buffet, they also ordered a small cake topped with Marie’s grandparents wedding topper which was such a personal touch.

Their centerpieces were vases of the ribbon wands the guests later used to send off Alex and Marie.

Big congrats to Marie and Alex on their marriage!

Alex and Marie’s vendors:

Event Coordinator: Katie Wannen, The Plannery

Venue: Katzen Arts Center at American University

Photographer: Roman Grinev Photography

Rentals: A Grand Event

Staffing: Serve and Pour

Officiant: Rev. Julie Price

Heather and Tyler // King Family Vineyards, Charlottesville, VA // VA wedding planner

Heather and Tyler were referred to me by a great friend who also happens to be a talented designer and created Heather and Tyler's invites (check her and her design partner out at alfie cooper). I worked as Month-Of Coordinator for Heather and Tyler and loved every minute. Not just because Tyler is an excellent chef, so our meetings were filled with bonus restaurant recommendations as well as home-made (delicious) snacks. No, these guys were just cool and fun and fab.

Plus, they gave me the chance to do my first Charlottesville wedding. They celebrated at King Family Vineyards, after a ceremony at Holy Comforter Catholic Church. King Family is stunning. Not only does it have gorgeous grounds, but it’s set up perfectly for a wedding - with excellent back-up options should the weather not cooperate (something a planner always appreciates). What really made my day was their caterer, Harvest Moon - one of the best, most well organized bunch I’ve worked with, in addition to making incredibly tasty food. This was the best vendor meal of the season by far!

This wedding was one of my favorites because it was a great mixture of down-home earthiness and beauty. Gorgeous bride with funky shoes, handsome groom in sneakers, an elegant family-style meal, delicious pie buffet with pies from Cakes by Rachel, and a fire-pit with late-night hot dogs and tater tots (tater tots!!!).

I’m going to let these beautiful pictures speak for themselves in a moment. But first a quick word on my favorite detail for this wedding. They had fresh fruits and vegetables as escort cards. Each piece was pinned with a guest’s name, and then guests were asked to bring the fruit and veggies to the table and create their own centerpiece (using beautiful wooden bowls). Love it! Love them. Enjoy!

P.s. I lied. My other favorite detail is that they hired someone to do close-up magic for the cocktail hour. We had him dress in a suit so he'd somewhat blend into the crowd and asked him to mingle among guests and do magic. It was really awesome. And the guy blended so well I thought he was late and called to find out where he was!

Heather and Tyler's Vendors:

Event Coordinator: Katie Wannen, The Plannery

Ceremony Venue: Holy Comforter

Reception Venue: King Family Vineyards

Caterer: Harvest Moon

Florist: Sugar Magnolias

DJ: Derek Tobler

Photographer: Robinson Imagery

Make-up and Hair: NB Makeup

Magic: Philip and Henry

Eliza and Josh // Adelphi Mill, MD // MD Wedding Planner

You folks may remember Eliza and Josh from their adorable library engagement session over on Capitol Romance. These two are quirky, awesome, creative, and bubbling with energy - as you can tell from their rainbow theme!

Their reception was at the Adelphi Mill, which is where I, along with many friends and family, helped put this DIY reception together. This was not an easy one, and like Linn and Dave’s wedding, hopefully a good reminder to you all that DIY demands a lot of effort. We lugged chairs and tables up and down stairs. There were lots of staple guns, floral shears, vans, and boxes. But as always, it was certainly worth it. Eliza (and her mother) caught DIY fever and went nuts (I mean this in seriously the most positive way). They created rainbow hand-dipped oreos. They created over 1,000 paper flowers. They created the beautiful crepe paper garlands that hung at the venue. My favorite detail was that Eliza and Josh bought lots of second-hand books, wrapped them, and put them at the tables to double both as centerpieces and favors. Their escort cards were book plates so each guest could mark their new book (the children ran around like crazy trying to gather all the Harry Potter books they could find - and, duh,  of course there were Harry Potter books).

Guests were treated to an amazing Mac N Cheese meal by CapMac, followed by dancing downstairs with cupcakes by Red Velvet Cupcakery (and check out those Monsters Inc cake toppers).

Congrats to this super-fab couple - it was such fun being a part of your day!

Audrey and Adrian // Glen Echo Park, MD // MD Wedding Planner

I helped Audrey and Adrian with Month-Of Coordination for their Glen Echo Park wedding this September. It was an intimate affair of about 50 guests - a size I ended up enjoying as it felt like a real communal gathering rather than an over-the-top party (and something the bride and groom were obviously hoping and going for). Before I get to the rain (wa wa waaa), can we talk about how gorgeous Audrey is? I adored her hairpiece, dress, red lips… the whole thing was just stunning.

So yeah. It unfortunately rained. Hard. All day and night. Like, legitimately started raining at 3pm when I arrived for set-up and steadily rained right until 11pm when the guests were leaving. But Audrey, Adrian and their friends and family did an awesome job embracing/ignoring the rain. Their ceremony was originally planned for the small grassy portion of Glen Echo Park by the carousel, but the rain thwarted those plans. Luckily we had the Cuddle-Up Pavilion as back-up and it was great.

After a cocktail hour in the Bumper Car Pavilion (which luckily wasn’t too crowded since they had a smaller reception), along with some great shots at the carousel, the guests sat down to a family-style picnic meal and then danced their booties off. I need to quickly mention how beautifully Audrey styled her reception. She used Glen Echo well and did an upscale picnic-type vibe. She picked bold red, blues and yellows - mismatching florals with picnic checkers and chose beautiful botanical plates. I just loved it, so had to give her that shout-out!

Big thanks and congrats again to Audrey and Adrian!

Audrey and Adrian's Vendors:

Event Coordination: Katie Wannen, The Plannery

Venue: Glen Echo Park, MD

Caterer: Five Fifty Catering

Photographer: Michelle Frankfurter

DJ: Steve Hoffman, Good Note DJ

Officiant: Maureen Burke

Elisabeth and Adam // Carnegie Library, Washington DC // DC Wedding Planner

Elisabeth and Adam are rad. It’s just true. Case in point: they met at a NOW conference. Elisabeth was recruiting attendees and donors for the PAC reception and auction that supports women running for office. Adam received a text from a mutual friend who asked "how do you feel about feminists and open bars?" Adam's response? "I like where this is going."

I worked with them as their Month-Of Coordinator for their wedding this past July at Carnegie Library and had a blast. Elisabeth and Adam together, apart, and as mirrored in all their incredibly friendly, awesome friends and family, are witty, smart, goofy, gorgeous and kick-a$$. As you shall see:

After they both got ready, we started the day at Carnegie Library to do a first look as well as some bridal party photos. It unfortunately was raining that day and so we waited an extra 15 minutes to try and avoid them getting too wet on their way to the synagogue for their ceremony!

And ah, their ceremony. Their ceremony might be my favorite ceremony of the year. It was so personal, so touching, so funny - it was really them and therefore, it was beautiful. Plus, Lis walked herself down the aisle, which is bad-ass.  The ceremony took place in the stunning chapel at Washington Hebrew Congregation - I thought this intimate, warm, and lovely chapel was the perfect ceremony space.

Back at Carnegie, Main Event Caterers were getting the reception all set up (along with my fantastic assistant for the day, Shana - yay Shana!). Lis and Adam's overall theme was “Come Fly With Us” - as they both love to travel. Adam’s mother does floral and event design and she created the most beautiful escort card chart, as well as adorable little airplanes we added to the floral arrangements by Lisa Sommers at Petals and Promises. Their tables were also all named after some of their favorite destinations. After a great meal, they danced the night away. And this crowd DANCED, people. They partied hard and it was incredible.

Congrats again to Lis and Adam!

Elisabeth and Adam's Vendors:

Event Coordination: Katie Wannen, The Plannery

Ceremony Venue: Washington Hebrew Congregation

Reception Venue: Carnegie Library

Caterer: Main Event

Photographer: George Street Photo

Florist: Lisa Sommers, Petals and Promises

DJ: Bialecks Music

Charlotte and Dave's Glen Echo Park Wedding, MD

Charlotte and Dave got married at Glen Echo Park on one of the hottest days the DC area had this July. A day so hot we moved their first dance up by an hour so Charlotte could change out of her dress earlier than expected to cool off! We made sure plenty of water was on-hand, the fans were blowing, and the thunderstorm threatening to hit us miraculously never did (but made for an awesome lightning show!).

I worked with them as a Month-Of Coordinator - Charlotte’s family had experienced some tough times recently and she wanted someone there the day-of to help lessen the stress and make it run smoothly so she and all the family and friends could truly enjoy the day. It was such a pleasure working with them - and seeing all their fantastic (and colorful) elements come together for a joyous day was just plain awesome.

Charlotte and Dave really embraced their venue. Colorful lanterns were hung in the Bumper Car Pavilion, streamers and balloons were attached near the ceremony site, and her florist, Laura Francis from Floral Presentations, was amazing. They created whimsical ceremony decor (their baby’s breath maypoles are SO cute) and creative and playful reception arrangements -including a super-tasty cotton-candy inspired arrangement!

This couple and their families deserved this joyous, fun celebration - and it was an honor to be a part of it.

Charlotte and Dave's wedding vendors:

Event Coordination - Katie Wannen, The Plannery

Venue - Glen Echo Park, Glen Echo, MD

Caterer - Windows Catering

Florist - Laura Francis, Floral Presentations

Photography - Amy Free

Sandhya and Steve's Alexandria, VA Wedding at Torpedo Factory

Sandhya and Steve were basically my first clients upon moving to DC and launching The Plannery. So I’m not gonna lie, I have a soft spot for these two. Sandhya was one of those brides that was convinced she was a bridezilla and was in fact my dream client: super smart, super savvy, super fun, super sweet and deeply in love (I’m a romantic, what can I say?). She and Steve were so much fun to work with - from tastings to photographer meetings to walk throughs to the day-of. Plus it didn't hurt that they lived near my neighborhood and frequented my favorite Mexican restaurant - so obviously they had great taste.

They got married in one of my favorite venues, The Torpedo Factory. The Torpedo Factory is in my hood (whassup Alexandria!!) and is modern, funky, non-traditional, and very fun. As you shall see. The day was captured by the ever-awesome Leo Druker.

Sandhya is half-Indian so while she didn’t do an official (epic) Indian wedding, she did want to incorporate elements into her ceremony and the reception and I thought she did a beautiful job. She wore the white sari her mother wore on her wedding day, and her uncle did a traditional blessing as part of the ceremony (those garlands… THOSE GARLANDS. sigh). And can we just say that my new favorite way to end a ceremony is with a high-five?? BEST.

After the ceremony they did some beautiful portraits in Old Town and by the waterfront.

Then Sandhya changed into her RAD reception dress (let’s hear it for non-white dresses, ladies!), and sat down for a great meal. After the speeches, her sister played a song for them on her violin - so lovely!

They kicked off their dancing with a ridiculously awesome first dance to Fly Me To The Moon.

Dancing and partying ensued thanks to Evan from MyDeejay.

And the night ended as only the most amazing wedding can end: with an impromptu push-up contest.

Sandhya and Steve's vendors:

Event Planning: Katie Wannen, The Plannery

Venue: The Torpedo Factory

Photographer: Leo Druker

Caterer: Main Event

Music: Evan from MyDeejay

Linn and Dave's DIY Outdoor Wedding, Patterson Park Baltimore

Linn and Dave got married in Patterson Park, Baltimore this summer. I worked with them as their Month-Of Coordinator to help their beautiful outdoor celebration go off as planned. I have to say, I adored this wedding. It was a perfect example of an easy, breezy, budget-friendly celebration. They worked with the parks department to rent one of the park pavilions - got married  under a tree in the park, with a reception catered by Blacksauce Kitchen and beautiful (seriously... BEAUTIFUL) photography by Debi Parker.

Now, don’t get me wrong. This wedding was a serious labor of love for these two, their friends, and their family. It was a hot day in June, and they thoughtfully supplied personalized water bottles to all the guests as their favors. They provided their own lace linens, DIYed beautiful bunting, and created lovely floral arrangements themselves. They lugged a generator to the park (which stopped unexpectedly in the middle of the party - thanks to a log provided by the caterer from their wood oven, we propped the generator back into position and it worked like a charm the rest of the evening). They provided their own kegs of beer, chalkboard menus, and stunning placemats (designed by Bmore Papercuts).

This is the kind of work you need to be prepared for when DIYing a wedding. For example, one’s day-of coordinator might have to run around cleaning up knocked-over flower arrangements before the guests arrive because the wind was too strong. And she might have to re-clip all of the arrangements to a lower height so they stay put the rest of the night. Hypothetically, of course.

But.

It’s worth it. Cause with all that hard work, come amazing moments like these:

A gorgeous ceremony

A tasty, family-style meal

An evening of drinking, dancing, and laughing with family and friends

And beautiful flower arrangements one would (hopefully!) never notice had been cut 2 inches shorter than originally intended.

Worth. It.

And p.s. Reason you should have a day-of coordinator? She'll have the parks permit on hand when the cops roll in

Shira and Graeme's VisArts Rockville, MD wedding

Shira and Graeme got married at VisArts in Rockville, MD this past June. I worked with them as a Month-Of Coordinator which was interesting because they both live in London. We communicated mainly via phone and email, and I finally got to meet this fab couple the day of the rehearsal!

VisArts is a wonderful venue - gotta say that off the bat. It’s a super fun, modern option that still has a fairly traditional ballroom-style room (with a built in dance floor to boot) that maintains its chic edge. Cocktails are held in the Artists’ Concourse and the Gallery can remain open during cocktail hour for guests to view some awesome artwork (though drinks are not allowed).

Shira and Grame did their first look in the gallery at VisArts which I thought was a beautiful backdrop - but frankly, how can you even notice the artwork when there’s such exuberance and love on this guy’s face?? That’s a man in love.

They did some beautiful portraits around Rockville (all photos shot by the always talented and always awesome to work with Amber Wilkie), and then headed to the synagogue for their ketubah signing.

Shira’s father is a Rabbi and he performed their ceremony at the beautiful B’nai Israel Congregation.

And that herbal chuppah. The chuppah, as well as the centerpiece herbs (we’ll get to that shortly), were provided by Willow Oaks Farms. That synagogue smelled AMAZING, people. Use the herbs if you’re into it - your sense of smell is the one most connected to memory so how great would it be to smell rosemary (or mint, or thyme, or whatever herb you love) for the rest of your life and think of your wedding day?

After cocktails, Shira and Graeme’s reception was beautiful, simple, with a touch of rustic. Their tables were so warm and inviting, and their centerpieces were herbs designed for guests to take them home (I may or may not have one of the leftovers on my back porch).

And then... the dancing began. Guys. This was the hora to end all horas. It was about 30 minutes of incredible movement, joy, dance, silliness, and love. Basically, the best.

And they served lamb as their main course. Apparently this was somewhat controversial, but I adored the choice and am officially recommending more couples serve lamb at their weddings. Do it. Tasty, amazing and why not stretch your guests' palates a bit?

The evening ended with a little more dancing, some final blessings, hugs, and beautifully fragrant favors clutched in the hands of some very happy guests.

Shira and Graeme's wedding vendors:

Event Coordination: Katie Wannen, The Plannery

Ceremony Venue: B'nai Israel Congregation

Reception Venue: VisArts

Photographer: Amber Wilkie

Florist: Willow Oak Farms

Caterer: Glorious Kosher

Music: Cherry Blossom Music Associates

Lighting: Precon Events

Becky & Melanie's DIY Arlington VA Wedding

Photos from the weddings I’ve worked on this year are slowly coming in and I’m so excited to share them with you!

First up are Becky and Mel, two fabulous ladies who are not only total sweethearts, but DIY goddesses. Seriously. I’ve never met a craftier bunch (as you’ll see from the photos, below). These wonderful women contacted me in January wondering if it was possible to plan a wedding in 4 months, and a DIY one at that. As you know, there aren’t many rules in my planning book, so I of course said that anything was possible.

Becky and Mel got married and had their post-ceremony reception at St. George’s Episcopal Church in Arlington, VA. All you thrifty brides and grooms out there should know that St. George's has a meeting hall that they rent out even to those not performing their ceremony in their church. It’s a great deal and a great space as long as you’re willing to give it a little TLC (which Becky and Mel were - with a little help from yours truly).

The wedding day was captured beautifully by Crystal at Lily B Photography (And did I mention this was the first wedding she’s ever done? She was a friend of the brides and a member of the church and while a super-talented photographer had not yet done a wedding. I thought she did an amazing job).

First of all, you have to love Becky and Mel because they had fabulous green shoes. That just needs to be mentioned straight away.

They got dressed (with a minor wardrobe malfunction which I was able to remedy) and then headed off to pre-ceremony portraits.

Followed by the ceremony in St. George’s beautiful sanctuary

Earlier in the day, and during the ceremony, I, along with some hired servers and awesome friends of the brides, were putting the reception together. This was a big job. Becky and Mel were the ultimate DIYers in that not only did they do all their own decor (down to the most amazing details), they self-catered their brunch reception as well.

There was a bloody mary bar. A waffle bar. A candy bar.

Basically - a ton of great food, awesome details, and a big ton o’ fun.

And did I mention the photobooth?

There was a photobooth

There was also Becky’s father who talked me into the photobooth with him

All in all, a really wonderful start to my wedding season, and a great day! And the best part about DIYing your wedding? You get to keep all the leftover booze.

Becky and Melanie's vendor team:

Venue: St. George's Episcopal Church

Photographer: Crystal Hardin, Lily B Photography

Photo booth: SillyShotz

Rentals: DC Rentals

Event Coordinator: Katie Wannen, The Plannery