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

Kerrin and Antonio // St. Francis Hall, Washington, DC Wedding // DC Wedding Planner

Kerrin and Antonio got married this past October at Luther Place Memorial Church, followed by a reception at St. Francis Hall. Kerrin was a partial planning client - I didn’t meet Antonio til the day of the wedding, because he lives in Mexico! (though you may recognize them from their DC engagement session we featured here!). Kerrin moved to Mexico to be with Antonio shortly after the wedding, which is just damned dreamy. Speaking of dreamy… these photos from Sarah Gormley Photography are ethereal and lovely and amazing. She is one of my favorites and I just love the way she captures the day.

Kerrin was a flutist and fifer with the US Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps and therefore has a ton of musician friends. She added some beautiful musical touches by having a musical prelude at the church, and then surprising guests with a flash mob of fife, drum and bugle players at the reception!

This was such a fun reception because they really wanted to meld their two cultures. Main Event did a great job of providing delicious food (and of course, margaritas!), and DJ Anthony from MyDeejay introduced some latin music to the usual dance hits. The last special touch was that their wedding day was on Kerrin’s mother and father’s 40th wedding anniversary! So after the cake cutting they did a special tribute to them. It was a wonderful evening and wishing Kerrin and Antonio all the best in Mexico!! Congrats!

Kerrin and Antonio’s Vendors:

Planner: Katie from The Plannery

Venue: Luther Place Memorial Church and St. Francis Hall

Caterer: Main Event

Photographer: Sarah Gormley

DJ: Anthony from MyDeejay

Florist: Love Blooms

Cake: Fluffy Thoughts

Videographer: CinemaBride

Oscar and Blaine // Mexican Cultural Institute Wedding, Washington, DC // DC wedding coordinator

The Plannery's fab coordinator, Tarra, brings you this blog post about Oscar and Blaine's wedding at the Mexican Cultural Institute. I was so bummed I was unavailable for this one, but was very glad Tarra was able to assist these wonderful men. Take it away, Tarra!

Blaine + Oscar = Bloscar! This is the one case where I would say merging the couples’ names together was sheer genius. In many ways, Blaine and Oscar are complete opposites…Oscar love to dance, Blaine does not.  Blaine is very (self-admittedly) Type A, Oscar is not…but Bloscar truly had a personality of his own! Evidenced by a wedding full of details representing both Blaine and Oscar’s personalities and backgrounds.

On the one hand, this special day represented your traditional style wedding (tuxedos, bowties, a formal Episcopal service, etc.)  On the other hand, this wedding gave off a modern, laid-back yet sophisticated vibe - and of course it was extremely FUN!  I think this blend is exactly what Bloscar was going for.  The perfect Greek and Mexican amalgamation. Notable examples include the beautiful Greek crowning tradition performed at the ceremony, and the reception held at the Mexican Cultural Institute featuring a kick ass mariachi band! Even the menu created by Spilled Milk was inspired by Greek and Mexican cultures.  The best part was the Mario Bros photo booth theme!!! Granted, the Mario Bros are Italian, but still somehow it fit in like a glove!

The final thing I will mention about this fantastic wedding was the crazy déjà vu experience I had.  Same-sex marriage + Impeding Hurricane Joaquin = Tarra wondering how the heck she was in this boat again! What are the chances I would experience this two times, in two different roles…first as a bride, then as a wedding coordinator?   Never fear, Bloscar was in excellent hands if I do say so myself!  And it truly my pleasure working with them - Congrats again, Oscar and Blaine!

Oscar and Blaine's Vendors:

Coordinator: Tarra, The Plannery

Venue: Mexican Cultural Institute

Catering: Spilled Milk

Photography: Khalid Naji-Allah

DJ: Khelan Bhatia

Lighting: Protech

Photobooth: Snapshot Moments

Cake: Touche Touchet Bakery

Food Truck: DC Slices

Jen and Steve // Carnegie Instute of Science, Washington, DC Wedding // DC Wedding Coordinator

Jen and Steve toured Carnegie Institute of Science last fall when I was running around coordinating and setting up Brittany and Dan's wedding. They briefly met me and later reached out to see if I'd help them! Jen and Steve got married at the Carnegie Institute of Science on Friday, October 30th. This awesome couple also did a killer job of adding some Halloween touches while still keeping things classy. Jack-o-lanterns were in the fireplace, her bouquet was a STUNNING dark, gothic, feather masterpiece created by Uncloudy Studio, they were introduced to "Thriller," and the place cards had a little extra bite to them (as you'll see). Also, Jen's dad MADE the cake topper and it was amazing! After a first look and some beautiful photos (by the awesome Shandi Wallace), they took full advantage of the venue by doing the ceremony in the round. Cocktails, dinner and dancing followed. The evening ended with a delicious cookie table in honor of Jen's grandmother. It was such a fun party - Jen and Steve were some of the most friendly, hilarious, wonderful couples I've worked with (and Steve can dance his a$$ off which is my very favorite type of groom). So enjoy this spooky stunner of a wedding!

Jen and Steve's Vendors:

Venue: Carnegie Institute of Science

Coordinator: Katie, The Plannery

Caterer: Spilled Milk

Photographer: Shandi Wallace

Floral: Uncloudy Studio

DJ: Dave Grimm from Bialek's Music

Ceremony and Cocktail Music: Palm Strings Trio

Kim and Todd // National Museum of Women in the Arts Wedding, Washington, DC // DC wedding coordinator

Kim and Todd have an awesome love story. As Kim’s dad recounted during his toast, thirty-some years ago - before Todd and Kim were born - their dads met at a job they both took after college and stayed good friends from then on. They each had children around the same time and they would often joke that they wanted to set their kids up so that one day they’d become family. Fast forward - Todd started college at James Madison University a year before Kim decided to go there too.  Todd's dad told him to help Kim and her family move her into her dorm, so he did. The week before classes started, Todd and Kim met for lunch a few times and were officially dating a couple weeks after that.  So, although they've been together for 7 years, they've actually known each other for over twenty!

They had a beautiful wedding this past June, with a ceremony at Holy Rosary Catholic Church and the reception at National Museum of Women In the Arts. After getting ready, their first look, and some portraits, the ceremony began. We amazingly crunched in some more photos post-ceremony before the rain really came down - it made for some windy but beautiful pics by Matthew D’Agostino of Love Life Images.

This was yet another example of a fairly traditional wedding made personal with small touches throughout the night. Kim made the NMWA venue even more beautiful with her stunning DIY projects which included escort cards on keys, Kim and Todd’s initials in flowers, and hand-made preserves as favors. Add in the beautiful florals by LynnVale Studios and delicious dining by Main Event and you had an incredible evening. After dinner, the guests danced the night away to Elan Artists’ band Nation - and had a very cool surprise set with Kim’s uncle (E Street Band’s Nils Lofgren!) and Kim’s father. The icing on the cake (pun intended) was that their wedding cake was made by their grandmother!

Huge congrats to Kim and Todd! Thanks for letting me be a part of this beautiful day

Kim and Todd's Vendors:

Coordinator: Katie, The Plannery

Ceremony Venue: Holy Rosary Catholic Church

Reception Venue: National Museum of Women in the Arts

Caterer: Main Event

Photographer: Matthew D'Agostino from LoveLife Images

Florist: LynnVale Studios

Band: Nation, through Elan Artists

Hair/Make-up: Amie Decker Beauty

Drapery: Fabrication Events

Lighting: Atmosphere Lighting

Transport: Atlantic Transport

Corey and Peter // Pinstripes Wedding, Washington, DC // DC Wedding Coordinator

Corey and Peter's wedding was a total blast and right up my alley (pun intended). Their non-traditional wedding was held at the Georgetown Pinstripes - a restaurant/bar/event space/bocce court and bowling alley. Hells to the yes. Corey was a DIY master, creating tons of great little details that made their day super special and unique.

After getting ready they started their day with a first look and portraits around Georgetown - the couple met at Georgetown University. We then had the ceremony at Pinstripes, with cocktails, bocce and bowling downstairs for cocktail hour while we somewhat frantically flipped the space for the reception!

In addition to Corey's awesome DIY details, which included hand-made notecards for the guests to fill out for each of their upcoming anniversaries (I've said it before and I'll say it again - I LOVE this guest book alternative), this wedding was also FULL of surprises. Corey's Mom did a surprise "rap" toast (to Fresh Prince of BelAir, obviously). Corey and her brothers surprised the guests with a choreographed dance, followed by ANOTHER surprise dance flash mob that Corey's family had put together. It was awesome. Needless to say, dancing, dancing and more dancing followed.

Big thanks to TellChronicles for the great photos - and can we talk about how freaking hot Corey and Peter are? Hot damn. (and a shout-out to Peter's Mom for a truly awesome hat - we need more hats and fascinators at weddings, please).

Congrats again to Corey and Peter!

Corey and Peter's Vendors:

Venue and Catering: Pinstripes

Coordinator: Katie Wannen, The Plannery

Photographer: Emily from TellChronicles

DJ: Dominick from DJ Paul Entertainment

Florist: Dahlia Floral and Vallena Ferguson

Cake: Catherine Cullen

Cocktail Music: Wentworth Richardson

Lauren and Carl // Dumbarton House Wedding, Washington, DC // DC wedding coordinator

Lauren and Carl got married on a hot May day this past spring at the Dumbarton House in DC. It was a gorgeous mix of some traditional, classic elements (like the venue itself, and the stunning bride), with some personal, less-traditional touches (like their adorable dog walking in the ceremony, and the wedding cake their FRIEND made for them!).

After a steamy ceremony outdoors, guests moved to the side of the house (in some shade!) to enjoy cocktails and lawn games. They then were led downstairs to the tented courtyard and house for dinner and dancing. Towards the end of dinner they had some (lengthy, but lovely) toasts and then the dancing kicked in led by the Blue Tip Rhythm Revue... and the rest is history!

Congrats again to Lauren and Carl... and their awesome puppy (that bow tie collar is everything)!

Lauren and Carl's Vendors:

Ceremony and Reception Venue: The Dumbarton House, Washington, DC

Coordinator: Katie Wannen, The Plannery

Photographer: M&E Photography

Caterer: Spilled Milk

Ceremony Music: Haase Quartet

Reception Music: Blue Tip Rhythm Band

Florist: Morning Bird Designs

Tenting: Sugarplum Tents

Cake: Their friend, Adam Baron!

Katie and Adam // All Souls Unitarian Church Wedding, Washington DC // DC Wedding Coordinator

Katie and Adam had a super-awesome wedding this past May at All Souls Unitarian Church in DC. They're a great couple - we bonded initially over our very random connections: Adam's father went to the same high school I went to and grew up in my hometown, and Katie works at the same facility where my husband's grandmother lives. Very small world filled with rad people.

Speaking of rad people, Katie and Adam had some of the best and most competent friends I've ever met. When couples tell me their friends are going to handle the large task of DIYing the decor, I get concerned. I get nervous. I get anxious. I'm quite dubious and generally show up expecting to have to do most of it myself and/or fix some semi-disasters. But not with Katie and Adam. With Katie and Adam, I showed up at the venue to find their friends chilling on the stage having KICKED SOME ASS in decorating their entire reception venue with flags and cafe lights in record-breaking time. My jaw dropped to the floor and my heart leapt. These were my people.

All of which is to say do please be sure to give some mad props and slow claps when you see the beautiful photos (by Jessica Crews) of their lovely reception decor. Katie and Adam had a short but very sweet ceremony in the All Souls Church followed by cocktails in the lobby (unfortunately it started pouring down rain right when their cocktail hour started, but we rolled with it!), and the reception in the church's main hall. My Thyme served some delicious eats, and after dinner but before dancing one of Katie and Adam's friends passed around letters for all of the guests to fill out that the couple would open on their future anniversaries (1st, 5th, 10th and so on). It's an awesome alternative to a guest book and a new option I've been seeing a lot lately at weddings. I love it.

Post-dinner and some toasts, the dancing started thanks to The Pinstriped Rebel who kept the dance floor packed. Both Katie and Adam are dancers and it was such fun to see them hit the dance floor.

Congrats again, Katie and Adam!

Katie and Adam's Vendors:

Ceremony and Venue: All Souls Unitarian Church, Washington, DC

Coordinator: Katie Wannen, The Plannery

Photographer: Jessica Crews (no longer doing weddings! booo)

Caterer: My Thyme

DJ: The Pinstriped Rebel, DJ DMAC & Associates

Florist: Jeanne from Park Florist

Photobooth: Instant Classic Photo Booths

Cake: Les Delices Bakery

Make-up and Hair: BANG Salon

Mariah and Rob // Meridian Hill Park Wedding, Washington DC // DC wedding coordinator

 

My new associate, Tarra, coordinated this awesome wedding on Memorial Day. Handing it off to her to give us more details on Mariah and Rob's wonderful DC wedding! Take it away, Tarra...

Mariah and Rob were married in Washington, DC on Memorial Day Eve this past May.  Perfect weather, gorgeous bride, excited groom, and exultant family and friends. Nothing but love hung in the air that day. Even patrons of the busy Meridian Hill Park - where the loving ceremony was held - stopped to soak up the joyous occasion.

The wedding reception for their 140ish guests was held in their BREATHTAKING condo in Adams Morgan.  Both the décor and vibe of the night was anchored around music – with ceiling to floor mobiles and chandeliers made of vinyl records.  Guitar picks and music lyrics were also scattered about throughout the unique venue along with Mariah’s DIY floral arrangements. And did I mentioned the private ROOFTOP DECK?  Please do not ask me how we managed to fit everyone up there for a sit down dinner - plus a 3-piece band, plus a dance floor, plus a bar! All I can say is man did they pick the best condo ever to call home.  Big shout outs to Rouge Catering, Allied Party Rentals, and John Farr Lighting for helping make this all possible. Oh and last but not least, kind of like cherry on top - only saltier - I’d like to thank Rappahannock Oyster for coming out and making cocktail hour all the more fun.

This was a DC wedding through and through - their love for the city was so abundantly clear. I mean come on, these two sprung for a Adams Morgan Jumbo Slice in their wedding attire almost immediately after the ceremony! And let’s not forget National Pedicab who help shuttle guests to and from the park. So DC!

It was such a pleasure working this beyond-fun and non-traditional wedding.  I must thank Stephen Gosling for brilliantly capturing the day exactly as I remember it. Congrats again to Mariah and Rob!

Julia and Ed // Capitol Hill Club Wedding, Washington, DC // DC Wedding Coordinator

Julia and Ed got married this past October in a Catholic ceremony (officiated by Ed's brother - which was so cool) at St. Peter's on Capitol Hill, followed by a raucous reception at the Capitol Hill Club right around the corner (even though they're not Republicans...shhhhh). They were such an awesome couple to work with. Case in point: Ed hired a funk band to play on the street while guests mingled post-receiving line.

During the break between the ceremony and reception they took some stunning photos around town (all of these fab photos are thanks to Mathy Shoots People), and then headed over to the Capitol Hill Club. They knew their crowd well and told me they wanted a New York style reception (ie dancing between courses) which I was totally down with. DJ Evan Reitmeyer kept the dance floor PACKED from beginning to end (as you'll see), and the Capitol Hill Club staff were really excellent to work with. Studio DBI did beautiful bouquets and florals, and Julia's mother embraced her inner DIY goddess and it was a pleasure to help execute her vision - which included lots of white pumpkins and other fun details. Julia and Ed had a friend paint a canvas with the DC flag (in their wedding colors) and had guests sign it as their guest book. Super freaking cool. The evening ended with limbo and some perfectly DC favors - District Doughnuts and coffee beans from Swings.

Julia and Ed's Vendors:

Coordinator: Katie, The Plannery

Venue: Capitol Hill Club and St. Peter's Church

Photographer: Mathy Shoots People

DJ: DJ Evan Reitmeyer

Florist: Studio DBI

Street Band: Crush Funk

Videographer: Brian Rose

Cutting Cake: Firehook Bakery

Favors: District Doughnut and Swings Coffee Roasters