Marianna & Todd: 101 Constitution Avenue

Hi Everyone! I'm so happy to contribute my first entry to the KCE blog and especially excited to share Marianna and Todd's day with you. This couple was special to me for so many reasons - they're fellow Floridians, were my first clients while at KCE and more importantly are two of the sweetest, most thoughtful people I've worked with to date. Everything about their wedding day spoke to them as a couple; each detail expressed a part of who they were and told their story which made me feel as if I had known them forever. I always appreciate couples who interlace touches of their personality throughout the event, whether it's with DIY projects or custom made goods - it always ends up making the wedding that much more special and warm for their guests to take part in and Marianna and Todd did not disappoint.

So onto a little bit of background before I share the gorgeous details. Marianna and Todd met in high school (when she developed a huge crush on Todd) and later reunited while attending University of Central Florida (to Marianna's delight). They're huge fans of puzzles and games, insanely creative and clearly love DC's rich history which was reflected in every aspect of the wedding from the homemade wedding cake (you won't believe it when you see it!) to the escort cards which doubled as clues for the guests to find their tables. The location couldn't have been any more perfect with breathtaking views of the Capitol on a splendid Fall day. I could go on and on but would rather let you see the amazing photographs for yourself from the super talented, Andrew Harnik of Andrew Harnik Photography. Enjoy!

Didn't I tell you their homemade cake was unbelievable?

The escort cards contained clues which led each guest to their table adorned with a DC landmark centerpiece. The guests were asked to take these beautiful mementos home at the end of the night.


Todd and Marianna danced the night away especially when "la hora loca" began, a Venezuelan wedding tradition which everyone got into!


Can't beat the view...or this night - Congrats Marianna and Todd!!

Jen & Jeff's Strathmore Wedding- 8/28/10

I had the pleasure of working with Jen & Jeff at their wedding at Strathmore Mansion in Bethesda on August 28th. It was a warm weekend, but the weather turned out to be really nice at sunset when they had their outdoor ceremony on the back lawn.

Jen & Jeff are both huge Knicks fans and used that as their inspiration for the wedding decor. Blue and orange touches included the blue bridesmaid dresses and linens, orange flowers, and blue and orange chopsticks for the favors. Another fun feature were the escort cards, which were printed to look like basketball tickets, which guided guests to their seats.

The couple had an amazing group of family and friends to support them on their day. After the love-filled toasts and the laughs and tears during the slideshow, their guests kept the dancefloor packed until they literally had to leave. Thanks so much for having me as part of your day, Jen & Jeff!

Special thanks to Roman Grinev Photography for the beautiful photos.
Venue: The Mansion at Strathmore
Flowers: Shelly Bagdashian Floral & Event Designs
DJ: Andy Green from Washington Talent
Cake: Just Cakes

Etsy Love: Sunshine & Ravioli

I, like many of you, am obsessed with Etsy! I was just placing an order for a client of mine (some really cute table numbers and signs for their reception in November) and decided to peruse the site to see what other goodies I could find.

How excited was I to stumble upon Sunshine & Ravioli! They have a lot of different vintage inspired items, from Save-the-Dates, favors, raffle tickets, invitations, bookmarks and much, much more! So many would be excellent for a Fall wedding! Check out some of my favs:

I love these cones for favors or for serving a treat at the reception!


Love these save the dates!






Thank you gift/favor tags




Fairytale theme anyone?


Definitely check out the Sunshine & Ravioli site to see if they have anything that might work for you! They love custom work, so don't be shy to ask!

Russia House Rehearsal Dinner

We have had such a wonderful time working with Nairi & Marc throughout their wedding planning process. We previously shared photos from Nairi's shower over the summer and now we wanted to share a few from their rehearsal dinner on September 17th. We just got to see the preview of their wedding photographs and they are beautiful- cannot wait to share those next!

Nairi & Marc originally met at Russia House, so it was totally fitting that they had their rehearsal dinner there as well. Their group of 50 took over the 4th floor of the restaurant and guests enjoyed the Russian-inspired cuisine as well as the couples' favorite beer, wine and martini selections.


Nairi wrote out the place cards and made the menu cards fitting the red/black lounge feel of the venue.


Karla put together these wonderful mint julep cups filled with red roses as the centerpeices.





Love the city as the backdrop for this shot!


Nairi & Marc's wedding colors were purple and black and I loved how she incorporated the colors into her hairpiece!


Special thanks to Laurie Bracewell for the beautiful photography!

Great new things- Wedobo!

Many of you know that I have a slight obsession with Groupon. If you were to peruse "My Stuff" on Groupon, you could find certificates for floral design, new restaurants to try, spa services, gym classes, photobooks- all fabulous little nuggets I could not pass up.

Wedobo now takes that same concept and applies it to wedding planning essentials! Once you've signed up, Wedobo delivers limited-time deals directly to your inbox. Currently featured are French salted caramel favor boxes at a savings of 43% off. For an additional $0.50, you can add a customized favor label. Past deals have included letterpress stationary, photography sessions, wedding workshops and more!

Based out of Chicago, Wedobo offers national and city-specific deals. I'm keeping my fingers crossed they are considering Washington, DC for future inclusion, but in the meantime, sign up and check out the national deals to see what goodies you can snag to save a little cash!

Team Photo Shoot

For some time, we've been trying to get the team together for a photo shoot for the new and improved website! Our first attempt was in May, but rain cancelled our hopes since I thought the Georgetown waterfront would make for fun pictures. Two months later, we had beautiful (albeit extremely HOT) weather for a shoot with the fabulous Charlotte Sellmyer of Charlotte Leigh Photography. Charlotte has a wonderful way of making you feel comfortable and is a great director when you're wondering what to do with your hands and how to point your feet.


For those of you that haven't already, meet our team of fabulous ladies! From left, Christy, Karla, Kristen and me, Kelley. Yes, I know- that is a lot of K's and C's.













Cupcake stop- Baked & Wired- YUM!



I'm so thankful to have Karla, Kristen and Christy on my team! The energy, creativity and hard work they put into each event to make it special for our clients is so rewarding for me. I love my job and I love my team!

Nairi's Bridal Shower

Earlier in June, we posted about Inspiration Boards and used the one that Karla had created as her inspiration for Nairi's Bridal Tea as the example. As promised, here are the pictures from the actual shower. I love the way Karla pulled together all the details at the Tea and I think it's a really good depiction of the board- what do you guys think?
Pictures by Laurie Bracewell Photography