Labels: 2009, Bride, washingtonian

Hi guys ~

Well, if you are one of the 3 people who still follow this blog - you're finally in luck! On the top of my New Year's Resolution list is to get back to Blogging! I am very excited to do so. There are so many things that have gone on, and I expect a great 2009. Let's do a little housekeeping:

2009 Calendar
The calendar reflects the current schedule for Serendipity so far in 2009. If there is an "S" on the date, then it's taken. Otherwise, feel free to contact me about any other available date.


You guys really like us ;-)
Well, we have been informed that we were selected AGAIN as one of the best Wedding Planners in DC by the Washingtonian Magazine. This accolade is especially humbling, considering I ran a super limited schedule in 2008 - I had to figure out how to balance two babies and a business at the same time! I think I've figured it out, and I am ready for a great 2009. Thank you to ALL of you (friends, fellow vendors, Brides, Grooms, parents) who took the time to vote for us. We are humbled and will do our very best not to let you down ;-).


2008 Couples - A look back
I have contacted all of the photographers that I worked with in 2008, so I could post photos. In this age of blogging, it's much better to SEE the wedding instead of just listening to me ramble on about the events! So, I will update you on the weddings from last year when I get all of the photos. I do have one event to talk about right now - Sarah & Mike from this past November.

I will be posting again in the next couple of days. As I mentioned in a previous blog - this is just a blog with my thoughts --- about my couples, things that interest me and things that might interest you. I don't get paid by anyone to mention their names. I don't have time for that. I also think this is the one place you can find out a little bit about me and Serendipity. I hope you enjoy!

~kim
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Sarah & Mike - A wonderful event at the Omni Shoreham Hotel
I was hired by Sarah pretty much at the last minute - her wedding to Mike was taking place in about 6 weeks, and she knew she needed help. Thankfully, she called us! Sarah works on the Hill (Capitol Hill, that is) and she is a smart lady. I remember meeting with her in the COSI on Capitol Hill, and admiring her style. She had the most wonderful set of pearls on. I am not sure if they were real or not - but getting to know her, I doubt she wears anything but the REAL THING!! She reminds me a bit of Bree Hodge from Desperate Housewives. Not the drama - but the sense of impeccable style!

Sarah and Mike are a great couple, who have great friends. It was a pretty cold and rainy November Day. But, that didn't stop this couple or their friends from having a good time. The Omni Shoreham was a perfect venue for this wedding. That hotel is steeped in tradition. It's just a perfect backdrop. I have to say Sarah (yes, another Sarah!) from the Omni was FANTASTIC! She really knows her stuff, and was a pleasure to work with. I also got to work with my fav friends - Petal's Edge. I also had the pleasure of working with their photographer, Jenifer Miller from Freed Photography. She was such a joy to work with. We had to contend with horrendous traffic because of the G2 Economic Summit that took place that weekend in Washington DC. Jennifer kept her cool, and got some fabulous photos. I think you'll like them ;-)

Labels: 2009, Bride, Couple, new year, washingtonian

I got an email from the fantasatic photographer Bill Crandall with some of his favorite photos from Julie and Jim's wedding from 11.03.07 at the Mayflower Hotel. If you scroll down a bit in this blog, you can read about that wedding. When you look at Bill, you wouldn't think he was a photographer. In fact, he kinda looks like an actor to me! ... You know, very handsome - but not pretentious at all ;-) ... I've only worked with him a couple of times, but each time was so smooth and it was such a pleasure. In this business, vendors can get pretty territorial when it comes to weddings. We may all be on the same team, but sometimes some vendors want you to know who's in charge. And I have said this many times - most Coordinators are a wonderful asset to your team. Our job is to make sure your day moves along smoothly and joyously - WITHOUT GETTING IN THE WAY!!!! I give your vendors the information and tools they need to be successful - I don't try to do their jobs. I don't know how to shoot photos, how to shoot video, how to bake a cake, etc; Therefore, I don't try to tell them how to do their jobs!! I think that's why I get along so well with all of the fellow wedding vendors I work with. I make sure they know I am a part of their team, and I will make sure they have whatever they need to be successful.

Ahhh, but I have digressed and completely gone off track!!! The whole point of that diatribe was that I gave Bill the information he needed, then simply got out of the way and watched while he worked his magic - even when noone knew he was doing it. People who are outstanding at what they do usually don't have to shout it from the mountaintops - their work speaks for itself. Look at the amazing work done by Bill Crandall at Julie and Jim's wedding.




(all of the photos were taken by Bill Crandall)

Labels: Bride, Couple, photographer, pictures

Hi guys ~


I KNOW, I KNOW... It looks like I completely dropped off the face of the Earth. Well, to tell you the truth, I have a kid! ... Now, that's not an excuse or anything. In fact, there are extremely accomplished people who juggle family, professional and social without breaking a sweat. Then on the other hand, there's me!!!! When I'm not working with my Brides, I get so caught up with spending time with Isabella. And unfortunately, all of those "other things" that I usually do have been swept to the side! ... Well, I only have a couple of resolutions for 2008 (in additition to the standard "lose 15 pounds") - If I don't blog after every wedding, I will at least blog once a month, to catch you guys up on what's going on over here at Serendipity!!! Below is a run down of the 2007 weddings I didn't blog about. Some don't have pictures, but I will be sure to post those when the photographers send them my way ;-)



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Melanie & Jason – August 18th, 2007
Melanie and Jason were both entrenched in advanced programs at Harvard University when I met them. Yes, I said Harvard! Jason was getting an MBA from Harvard Business School, while Melanie was in her last year as a Law Student at Harvard. These are two smart cookies! … They came to me in March of 2006, looking for a Coordinator to help them plan a Washington DC wedding while they were away at school. I jumped at the chance to work on this wedding.

We immediately ran into problems finding a Reception site, because they had a HUGE guest list. We visited TONS of sites in DC proper, but none fit size wise or price wise. So, Jason ingeniously found out the Westin was building a new hotel in Annapolis, and he worked out a great deal with them. The only catch was we wouldn’t be able to do any kind of walkthroughs/tastings/changes until a month before the wedding – because that’s when the hotel was opening. Talk about a little stressful! But, we went ahead with blind faith, and the Westin came through like pros. The space turned out AMAZINGLY well. It was so beautiful. The food was also impeccable. I have to give kudos to Cathy, the Catering Manager at the Westin Annapolis ~ She is a complete pro, and it was a pleasure working with her.

Melanie looked especially beautiful. Although, this was another stressful point of the wedding. I scheduled trials around her schedule, since she wouldn’t be in town that often. Two trials with a hairstylist did not make Melanie very happy. She trusted me enough to suggest another stylist 2 DAYS BEFORE THE WEDDING!!! Talk about pressure!!!!! … They treated her so well, and made Melanie looked STUNNING. I am talking about Camille and Diane over at Cole Stevens Salon and Day Spa (Greenbelt, MD). Just look at the photos. She looked so beautiful – these pictures will still be timeless 20 years from now. And that dress – wow – that dress was GORGEOUS!!! … And it looked stunning on her frame. Oh, and Jason cleaned up pretty well on his big day too!

Derek Romanoff provided DJ services – and he was great as usual. I’ve raved about Derek before, but I will rave about him here again. At the last minute, Melanie and Jason decided that they wanted a family friend to give the blessing over the food. I told Derek about the last minute change. I also mentioned that he was a State Representative from his local area. Derek jumped on his wireless connection, read his bio, and gave him an introduction befitting a politician. Everyone was surprised and delighted, and it seemed as if Derek had this information in his hand weeks before the wedding! .. Derek embraces technology in his DJ’ing services, and I just love his ingenuity. He just rocks!

Linda Wallace – the AMAZING photographer out of NC – provided the photography services. I love working with Linda. She is so laid back, and produces stunning photography. I just love working with her, because she’s so flexible. She lives in NC, but does about half of her weddings in the DC area. Melanie and Jason were demanding, but it was all worth it. They had a clear vision of the way they wanted, and I think they achieved that. It was also amazing to see things unfold and see how happy they were on their wedding day ;-)

Angela & Jamison – September 15th, 2007
I met Angela for Lunch one day, and we hit it off immediately. She had seen a review in the Knot, of one of our previous weddings. It was nice that she came in appreciating our work. But, when I met her, I immediately knew I wanted to work with her! … Angela has such an amazing personality, and it’s easy to be her friend!

Angela’s wedding took place at the Mansion at Strathmore in Bethesda, MD. It is a gorgeous mansion, and a wonderful place to have a wedding if you have less than 120 people. The Ceremony took place in the Music room and the guests then moved to the garden for Cocktails. During the Cocktail hour, we got all of Angela’s guests together for a group photo. It turned out amazingly well! Dinner was held in the various rooms of the mansion. Angela did something a little different for her head table. She asked us to set up one long rectangular table that would seat 22 people. It turned out beautifully. Angela had a lilac/deep purple/platinum color scheme. When you have purples and silvers, it can look a little childish/12 year old-ish if your not careful. With the help of the wonderful folks at Party Rental Ltd, Angela picked amazing linens and rentals that made her entire wedding looked sophisticated and “oh so sheik!”

The guests danced the night away to great tunes and even greater company. Kathy Blanchard and her sister Missy took the photos at the wedding. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Kathy and Missy. Kathy and Missy were selected (again!) as one of the best photography teams by the Washingtonian Magazine; I’ll post pictures soon so you can see why.

I adored Angela, and I hope she and Jamison will be truly happy together. I think that won’t be a problem for them ;-)

Sara & Benny – September 22nd, 2007
Sara and Benny are one of those couples you just want to be around. Just plain and simple. They party hard, play hard and live life in a way that you envy. I met them for dinner a few months before the wedding, and realized that they are such down to earth people! These are the type of people that you just want to have a beer with while hanging out at a tailgate party or something!
The couple hosted their party at Woodend Mansion in Chevy Chase. It was a beautiful background and we were lucky to have GORGEOUS weather! … Spot Floral provided beautiful flowers, in addition to all of the linens and other rentals. Occasions catering provided the wonderful meal.

The Ceremony took place in the Grove, and was led by Calhoun “Callie” Perkins, a family friend. She did an absolutely phenomenal job. I may have mentioned before, that I don’t always listen to the Ceremony. There are so many things that need to be done to get ready for the next phase of the wedding, and I am busy with those things. But, I asked my assistants to take care of those things and I simply sat down and listened to what she said. It was amazing. Very spiritual and very moving.

We had a wonderful cocktail ceremony on the grounds, which led to the reception under the tent. It was a wonderful dinner. The guests then danced the night away to the sounds of the band Nation. They ROCKED!! .. The guests didn’t want to get off of the floor! .. It was so great to see the guests – and the couple – have such a great time.

As a note, I LOVED Sara and Benny’s guests. I got to take pictures with several of her guests. Not because I’m a superstar Coordinator (which I believe in my own head – haha!), but because they were UConn basketball fans. I am not sure if I’ve talked about this in the blog. I played basketball for UConn in the mid 90’s. We won the National Championship in 1995 – we were a perfect 35-0. For those of you basketball geeks, I was on the team with Rebecca Lobo. Anyhoo, some of her guests were huge fans, and knew I played. I got to take a few pictures with them and talk ad-nauseam about UConn!! … I have had UConn fans at 5 or so of the 120 weddings I’ve done. It’s ALWAYS great when we have fans – GO HUSKIES ;-) …. Oh, and er, um, Go Sara & Benny ;-)





Lindsay & Matt – October 6th, 2007
Lindsay and Matt are both lawyers here in Washington DC. I would call them very conservative – to say the least ;-) … They met each other while attending Law School at George Washington University. They are great for each other – great balance of two personalities.

Lindsay and Matt’s wedding took place at the wonderful Ronald Reagan Building in the Pavilion Room. If you have never seen this room, you are doing yourself a disservice! It is a gorgeous space to have a wedding. It was an unusually warm day. In fact, it was hot while the bridal party took pictures around the city! … But, along with the great weather, came a great wedding.

The Christian/Jewish Interfaith Ceremony was a wonderful representation of both faiths. The Chuppah was draped with soft flowing white fabric, and it set the tone for a romantic evening. The folks at the Ronald Reagan Building did an amazing job of flipping the space for the Reception. Courtney, an amazing Coordinator over at the RR Building, led them in making sure the things went off without a hitch. The uplighting also made the space beautiful, warm and inviting.

Lindsay was a little apprehensive about the big Hora! But, much to her pleasure, she was not dropped on the floor! … Once that was over, Derek Romanoff provided DJ services, and he didn’t let anyone down. Derek is an AMAZING DJ, and I am always so happy to work with him!

The “icing on the cake” wasn’t even on a cake at all! The couple really personalized their wedding by NOT having a wedding cake! Instead, they had a candy buffet, which was an absolute hit with the guests! Lindsay has always had a sweet tooth, and wanted a variety of candies she liked at her wedding, instead of cake. Well, it was a great decision that all of the guests appreciated.

Lindsay wanted a warm, welcoming wedding and she delivered on that. I am so honored to have worked with them both ;-)




Julie & Jim – November 3rd, 2007
Julie & Jim are both lawyers here in Washington. On the surface, they appear very conservative. When I met with them at their house, Jim was very pleasant to me, but couldn’t wait to get back to his flat panel LCD TV!! … I think it was a Samsung ~ I’m not sure ~ I just know it was NICE!!.. I wish I could’ve stayed to watch it with them ;-)

One of my previous brides, Stephanie (read the blog entry about Stephanie and Josh from April 2006) referred Julie to me. I am always so happy when former clients refer Serendipity to their family and friends. It’s the biggest compliment I can receive! As an added treat, Stephanie was one of Julie’s Bridesmaids!

Julie dressed in a very simple (and stunning) lace wedding dress with a gorgeous traditional Mantilla veil. She looked absolutely stunning in her simplicity. She reminded me of a Bride that may have walked down the aisle in old world Europe. The dress and veil beautifully complimented her gorgeous brunette hair.

Julie & Jim married at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Washington. If you have never seen this Church, you MUST visit at least once. It reminded me of Churches I saw when I visited Florence, Venice and Milan, Italy during college. It is one of the most ornate and beautiful Catholic Churches I have ever visited. Msgr. Jameson delivered a wonderful Homily, directed squarely at the couple. It was very timely and engaging. We then enjoyed a full Catholic Mass.

Once the Ceremony was over, the guests walked 2 blocks to the Mayflower Hotel for the Reception. This is an absolutely GORGEOUS hotel. Usually, once you get to a hotel, all of the ballrooms look the same. But not at the Mayflower ~ It was really beautiful. I had the pleasure of working with Kathryn Majeed-Ali at the Mayflower – she is an absolute pro at what she does! She made things so easy for us!

I also FINALLY got to work again with one of the best DJ’s in this area – Chris Laich. He’s such a great person (and great family man with 3 kids) ~ not to mention an awesome DJ! He’s listed as one of the best in almost EVERY publication there is, and yet there is not one pretentious bone in his body ;-)

The flowers were done by Barbara Von Elm of Growing Wild. As usual, she did a wonderful job! Finally, Bill Crandall shot the wedding photos. They are stunning. I have asked for a few to post to the blog. Until I get them, you can check out a few of his favorites (mine too ;-) here.

This was Serendipity’s last wedding of the season. It was a pleasure to end on such a wonderful high note. With the Holidays over, it’s time to start gearing up for this 2008 season. I know it will be a fabulous one ;-)

~kim

Labels: Bride, Couple, pictures, reviews

Hi guys ~

Yeah, mommy hood has really caused me to suck at updating my blog. I tell you, this has been on my To Do list for 2 months. I keep telling myself ~ "I'll get around to it" .... then another week slips by! I guess I just spend any free moment with Isabella. Everyone says that you should enjoy your kid while they are still young. What they really mean is enjoy them before they become mobile ~ once they start crawling then walking, your life will turn into a constant chorus of "get back here"... "get away from that" ... "get down from there".... yada, yada, yada!

But, I digress! This post is about my wonderful couple Jennifer and Chris who were married on June 30th, 2007 at Fort McNair in Washington, DC. Jennifer and Chris are one of the most laid back couples I've ever had the privilege to work with. They are a super laid back couple; However, they are BOTH so beautiful, they could be models! But the cool thing is, they NEVER acted like they were better than anyone. No bridezilla or groomzilla moments with them. They simply love each other, and wanted their guests to have a wonderful day to share with them. Oh, and I forgot to mention that the entire bridal party was amazingly beautiful as well. For someone who just had a kid and is still trying to work off 10 pounds of baby weight, I was a little self conscious standing next to all of those beautiful people!!!!!!!!

They had their Ceremony on the lawn at Fort McNair. For those of you who haven't been on the campus at Fort McNair, I tell you, you're missing out on a great venue; They have some of the BEST REAL ESTATE IN WASHINGTON, DC!!! ... We were right on the banks of the Potomac River and the weather was gorgeous!!

We then moved inside for the reception in the lovely Crystal Ballroom. It was set up beautifully. If you can believe this, the Groom and the Bride's Aunt T did the Reception flowers. They were really beautiful ~ Chris has a great eye for decor! But I already knew this ~ I had a meeting with the couple at their house a few months back ~ what a WONDERFUL PLACE!!!!!!

The guests were partying all night. I was told by my assistants that they wanted to pay the DJ to keep the party going at the end of the night! Whenever guests DON'T want to go home, you've had a successful reception ;-)

Some of the vendors that worked this wonderful wedding:

• My girls from Petal's Edge did the Ceremony and Personal flowers, and of course they looked stunning. I really love them, and Rebecca led this wedding. She constructed a beautiful arch onsite and I tell you, it was stunning!
• Deb Lindsey was the amazing photographer that shot the wedding. I haven't seen all of the pictures, but she did send me a link to the slide show for the wedding. All I can say is AMAZING!!! Take a look here: http://www.deblindsey.com/slideshows/Doyleslideshow
• DJ Jerome Cooper kept the guests on the floor all night long ~ I told you before, they didn't want to leave! That means this DJ rocked!!!!!
• The staff at Fort McNair was really amazing, as usual. I do have to point out a few people who really made the wedding run flawlessly; The Catering Director Vanessa Mozee, the Banquet Captain Jaunita and Waiter Bobby are really so good at what they do, and it was an honor to work with them

Okay, I think I have rambled enough! This couple was so wonderful, and I am glad we had a chance to run in the same circle for a short amount of time ;-)

~kim

Labels: Bride, Couple, reviews

Hi Guys ~

Well, I am so sorry that I dropped off the face of the earth for a few months – literally! Most of you don’t know – but I am preggers! Yep – 31 weeks now! It’s actually been a rough pregnancy; this bugger made me quite sick in the first trimester. And, it took me a long time to gain any weight – I actually lost about 15 pounds. Under normal circumstances, that would be a great diet ;-) …. But, when you’re pregnant, that’s not so good. In the best interest of the baby, I had to give up my weddings after November 5th because of some other complications. That was *very* hard, because I adore all of my clients, and I was really upset that I couldn’t personally be there for a few of them. But, the baby will be here in early February; I will be SO happy to see the baby’s face! My husband and I decided not to find out the sex, so we will just have to wait and see ;-)

I am on maternity leave through May. I have two weddings in April, but I won’t take on any new clients who have a wedding before the summer. I know you're thinking - then how are you on maternity leave until May?! ... Well, these clients were booked before the baby was in the picture, and I'll be able to work on those 2 events in the early Spring. But, I do want to make sure mommy and baby have enough time to bond – then I’ll get back to work in full gear! Some of you may or may not have heard that I had to give up some of my 2007 weddings because of a potential surgery I have to have after the baby arrives. I want to let everyone know that my doctor and I have talked, discussed, researched, and have come up with an alternative approach. So, I will not have to take off most of 2007 as some thought. I’m SO happy! I had to give up some weddings, and I wish them nothing but success with the Coordinators they decided to go with. I will keep some remaining weddings, and look forward to servicing those clients.

I know this was a lot of personal information, but I want to make sure the rumors are cleared up and everyone knows that I AM FINE!!!! I look forward to the baby making its entrance into the world, and getting back to my clients!!!

Now, I want to mention the last few weddings I did in 2006. I didn’t give them their just due with blog entries after their wedding.


Stacey & Brian – September 30th, 2006

Stacey and Brian are such a great, laid back couple. When I say laid back, I mean laid back. When you first look at them, they look like that couple who loves tailgating, baseball caps turned backwards, and a mean game of flag football! I’m not sure if they actually play that game, but they remind me of a couple playing that game on the cover of Abercrombie & Fitch!

They had a lovely wedding in Old Town, and then hosted a great party at the Hilton Old Town in Alexandria. I had the privilege of working with Marilynn Spindler from Sandi Foraci Photography. I tell you – I LOVED her! I also worked with Jaime Mizell from Bialek’s for the first time. Jaime (Jay-mee) is a woman, and is one of the best DJ’s I’ve seen. She kicks butt!!!

Stacey and Brian had a theme song – “September” by Earth, Wind and Fire. Jaime played it twice, and everyone was up for it both times. I remember Stacey and Brian were thinking of ending the party after 4 hours; well, her guests were partying so much, we extended the party for another 30 minutes! And even that wasn’t long enough!

Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how SEXY Stacey looked in her wedding dress. Although it wasn’t a pure sheath, she reminded me of Carolyn Bassett when she married JFK Jr. She just looked so curvy – she’s a hot mama….. Her theme should have been "I'm bringing sexy back :-)"

Stacey and Brian – thanks so much for the pleasure of working with you. You guys were really awesome!


Jodi & Tom – October 21st, 2006

Jodi and Tom are a cute couple – Jodi is a school teacher in the Fairfax County Public School system, and she epitomizes "teacher" – she has such a calm demeanor. Nothing seemed to bother her, and she had the patience of a saint. And the poor thing she was at school several nights before the wedding creating lesson plans, and making sure the substitute teacher had everything they needed to take care of her class. During a time when all of her thoughts she be on her wedding – Jodi was still thinking of her students.

Jodi and Tom had a wonderful ceremony in Alexandria, and then went over to Fort Belvoir for a party that I never thought would be a cool as it was! Now, don’t get me wrong - Tom and Jodi picked great food and had a great bar. But, Jodi is a DANCING MAMA! She can GET DOWN!! And so can all of her friends! I *never* realized she could dance that well! She was not the same teacher I had been dealing with the months leading up to that wedding. And, Derek Romanoff from Bialek’s was the DJ. You guys may recall we worked together in June at the Derge-Massey wedding. He is in my top 3 of DJ’s. And he knew how to read Jodi and Tom’s crowd, and had them up THE WHOLE TIME!!!!!

Jodi and Tom – you guys are perfect for each other; your personalities complement each other perfectly. Thanks for the opportunity to see Jodi “shake her thang” on the dance floor!



Susan & Todd – November 4th, 2006

Well, lemme just say that this was the “QUINTESSENTIAL WASHINGTON DC WEDDING.” Everything about this wedding was cool. They had their ceremony in upper Northwest. We then moved back downtown to Hotel Monaco for the Cocktail style reception. In addition to Todd working on the Hill, they live 3 blocks from the Capitol. I’m sure they’ve been to their share of stuffy black tie affairs. Well, Todd and Susan were determined to buck that trend. They treated their guests to a amazing cocktail style reception; there was cool lounge furniture, a WELL stocked bar, great food stations, and a band to keep guests dancing all night. Some people may think you don’t eat that much at a cocktail style reception; well, that wasn’t the case at this wedding! There was a sushi station, Mediterranean station and comfort food station that was NEVER empty! The staff at Hotel Monaco did a great job of keeping those stations stocked. Susan and Todd mingled with their guests, and made everyone feel comfortable.

I got to work with one of my favorite photographers – Sandi Foraci!!! I have a girl crush on her – LOL!!!!!! She is just so bubbly and down to earth, and I love working with her! She makes things so easy – she doesn’t miss a shot! Well, maybe there have been one or two shots over her career that she’s missed – but I’ve never seen it ;-) ……

My husband was in the neighborhood, and dropped by for a few to meet the couple and see how fantastic this wedding was! I couldn’t stop talking about it in the weeks leading up to their big day!!! …. My husband rarely comes to my events (He came to one in 2005), but I told him if he was going to be in the area, he *had* to come see this fabulous wedding ;-)

Oh, I almost forgot to mention one of the best things about the wedding – my girls at Petal’s Edge did the flowers!! My girl crush on them is a little deeper than the one on Sandi – LOL!!! But, they did the most AWESOME flower arrangement in a 5 ft martini glass. YES – a 5ft martini glass. It was so cool. When I get a picture from Sandi, I’ll post if for you guys ;-)

Thanks Susan and Todd – you are SO cool, and you had one of the most refreshing weddings I’ve had in a long time!

I will blog this week, in between the Christmas and New Year's Holidays. I have some more great news ;-) I hope you all have a wonderful and joyous holiday. It's rainy out there on this Christmas afternoon; PLEASE be careful, and I can't wait to share the new year with you all!

~kim

Labels: Bride, Couple, reviews

So, I'm getting better... this post will go up only be a few days after the wedding actually happened. Much sooner than my Christmas deadline - LOL! Stacey and Brian got married this past Saturday in Old Town.

The Ceremony took place at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Old Town. I am always impressed by Ceremonies of all faiths, but I especially enjoy Catholic ceremonies. I am Catholic, and I get to participate in Communion when we have
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Labels: Bride, Couple, reviews

Nneka (Ah-neeka) & Henriot (Ahn-ree-oh) threw a fabulous party on September 3rd at the Omni Shoreham Hotel. We ended up having a great wedding, although the rain *really* threatened to put a damper on the party. If you are local, you may recall that the several days leading up to the Labor Day weekend were filled with rain. The rain just poured, and poured..... and poured. I was *SO* nervous about our wedding would be rained out. Even worse, we were having our Ceremony outside, and I was nervous that the ground would be so wet, we'd have to move things indoors anyway, since it would simply be a mud pile outside. Our rehearsal was at 5:00pm on Saturday. After 3 straight days, we saw the sun *finally* come out! We still weren't out of the woods yet, as it was still threatening to rain again on Sunday.

Sunday started out cloudy, but with no rain. I actually didn't hear from Nneka all morning. It's always GREAT when I don't hear from my brides early - that means they are actually calm ;-) I went over to the hotel about 1:30pm. I arrived in time to see my favorite florists - Petal's Edge. Have I ever said how much I love them? Well, just in case, I'll say it again - I LOVE THEIR FLOWERS :-) They created beautiful arrangements in the bride's red and gold color scheme. Nneka was relaxed and calm, as she and her bridesmaids were getting dressed. I checked in on the progress of the setup in the Reception and Lounge areas. Things were going fabulously. That was until it was 15 minutes before the Ceremony, and the Bride still wasn't in her gown!!! I see this happen ALL the time. The schedule can be going so well, and people so relaxed, and then it all of a sudden hits the ladies that they must get dressed, because we're having a wedding! Nneka's dress was stunning, but it was a little difficult to get on. There was a zipper issue. Now, Nneka has a gorgeous figure, and probably weighs all of 130 pounds, even though she's about 5'9". It definitely wasn't an issue with her! The zipper was simply stuck on the track, and wouldn’t go up more than 3/4 of the way. We ended up camouflaging it, so we could get her down the aisle. We started 20 minutes late. I HATE starting late, although sometimes you can't help it.

We ended up having our fabulous outdoor Ceremony. The Ceremony was officiated by Reverend Wesley Peyton. Reverend Peyton is very good, and also a very engaging guy. I really enjoyed working with him. Sandi Foraci was the photographer. Ahh, Sandi is so sweet, and cute and funny - ANSD GOOD!!! I just love her, and I wish we worked together more. She makes her clients feel so relaxed. I am sure that she will get some fabulous photos. I will bug her for some, and post them as soon as I get them ;-)

For the Reception, we moved into the Diplomat Ballroom. It was decorated so wonderfully. We had John Farr provide the uplighting and gobo (monogram projected on the dance floor) - they were both great. And Elizabeth over at Upper Crust Wedding Cake company provided the cake.

If you're looking for a wedding venue, consider the Omni. The staff is amazing - very attentive to their clients. The food was also to die for. Believe me, I don't normally say that, but the food was *really* good. You also can't beat the outdoor Gazebo location for Ceremonies. Exactly what you'd expect for a romantic wedding.

Once the party started, it was a great party! Henriot is Haitian, so we did have a lot of Haitian music interspersed with the hip-hop and Old School. I have to say, it was very cool. And, Nneka said something very funny to me when the party was over. She said “NO, it went too fast! I don’t want this day to end!!!” I just love it when brides say that. It means that all of their hard work paid off, and they are blissfully happy. I love blissfully happy :-)

We have a wedding this weekend - Stacey & Brian are marrying on September 30th in Old Town Alexandria. It should be very fun. Hopefully I'll blog about it before Christmas - LOL ;-)

~kim

Labels: Bride, Couple, reviews

Okay, before I begin, I posted an entry about another wedding this evening too. Make sure you scroll down and read it too, or click here. The wedding is about my August 5th, Brandi and Brian.

Okay, on to our last wedding. The wedding of Monica and George. I would characterize this wedding as "My Big Fat Catholic Philippino Wedding" - yeah, hilarious, right?!? Monica's family is Philippino - in fact, many of her family flew in from the Philippines for the wedding.

Monica hired us back in January - she was HILARIOUS from the first moment my sister and I met with her at the Galleria Starbucks. At the time, she was in her last semester of law school. She is a self-admitted slacker and sometimes a bundle of nerves. But, I felt like I *had* to work for her. She's the type that will just make you laugh - whether she's talking about herself or something completely random!

Anyhoo, she asked us to pick up 45 days out (we usually pick up 30 days out for Day of Coordination), because during July, she would be knee-deep in studying for the bar. Well, she wasn't lying! I met with Monica and George before the bar - but let's just say she only gave me about 30% of the info I needed! But, it was okay, I started cobbling together her timelines from the sparse packet of info she gave me, as well as emails she sent me. And, I got right on top of her other vendors. I must say though, she picked good vendors, and it was actually a pleasant experience working with them.

Even though she's a self-admitted slacker, she really pulled together a great wedding. The Ceremony was at Saint Patrick's Catholic Church in downtown DC. It is a STUNNING Church. If you've never been there, you should really visit. Monica and George had a full Catholic Mass. If you've never been to a full Catholic wedding, it's not the quick wedding that you'd see on TV. There are 1st and 2nd Readings, in addition to the Gospel reading and Homily (words to the Congregation) by the Priest. Then the Rite of Marriage commences - it may or may not be capped with a kiss. What then follows is the rest of the traditional Catholic Mass - the Rite of Communion. That will take another 25 minutes. In total, the wedding will usually last about 1 hour, sometimes 1 hour and 15 minutes. That's a lot different than the 15 or 20 minute services that some people have. But it was beautiful and moving. I was glad to witness it.

After the Ceremony, we had a TON of pictures. I mean lotso pictures. Did I say it was a lot of pictures?!?? ... I was exhausted! After that, we put the guests on the Shuttle buses provided by the couple. Except there were a few more people who wanted to get on the bus than originally anticipated. So, I ended up driving a few of the guests to the reception at Fort McNair!

The Reception at Fort McNair was great. If you're never been there before, it's a great historic building right on the Potomac River. I tell you, the government has the best real estate! It is said that the building and a few others are haunted by Mary Suratts (the mother of John Wilkes Booth, President Lincoln's Assassin). Apparently, she was hanged in the galley that once stood where the base tennis courts are presently situated. Those courts are right next door to the Officer's Club. Is it true? I dunno; I've been there for afternoon and evening weddings - I've never seen anything - but that doesn't mean I don't get escorts to my car when it's late at night ;-)

Anyhoo, Monica and George provided a wonderful buffet lunch for their guests. And the DJ, Brennan Sullivan from Bialek's, did a good job with the music. I even got out on the dance floor for the "Cha Cha Slide!!" One of the flower girls begged me - I couldn't say no to a little girl!

When I get more pictures from Deb Lindsey, I'll let you know. But, she did manage to send me one. Deb is the Sports photo editor for the Washington Post. This is my first time working with her, and she was amazing! I have already referred her to another set of clients! She got hired by them yesterday ;-)



Monica and George were a great couple to work for. They definitely kept the day in perspective; they had great weather and it turned out to be a wonderful wedding! Thanks Monica for hiring me! You really are a cool chick, and I absolutely LOVED you!

Okay, sorry for being such a slacker on the posts. I've been swamped lately. And all I've wanted to do is sleep. I have a wedding on Sunday. I PROMISE I'll post about it by Wednesday ;-)

Ta Ta for now ;-)

~kim

Labels: Bride, Couple, pictures, reviews

Hi all!

Well, we were off the *whole* month of July. I had these big grandiose plans to do so many different things! Well, I did a few, but the whole month FLEW by!!

We took a last minute wedding at the end of June. Brandi was marrying on August 5th, and was currently in the midst of studying for comps for her Master's degree. Brandi is a classmate / friend of our April 29th Bride - Jackie. I had planned to be off until August 19th, but I couldn't refuse any friend of Jackie's :-) ... And, I'm glad I didn't - Brandi was AMAZING! And her wedding couldn't have turned out any better.

The weather was lovely - perfect for a vintage wedding. The Ceremony took place in the very small, quaint Middleburg United Methodist Church. It's one of those Churches that seats about 100 people. The Photographers were Richard Jones and Ray Vanover. They are based out of Kentucky, the Bride's home.

The Reception site was at the Middleburg Community Center. And I know what you're thinking - Community Center? Well, this wasn't your mamma's Community Center ;-) ... There were no basketballs or kids running around. This building looked like it was built in the 1800's - the architecture was simple and beautiful. There were dark expresso hardwood floors, Chandeliers and beautiful sconces.


I must tell you, I LOVED Brandi and Brian. They are such warm and open people. Not to mention cute too! Their kids are going to be gorgeous! Brandi just kept asking was everything fine, and did I need anything. I mean, it's her *big* day, and she's asking about me. How cool is that?!

Brandi also had a vintage theme laced throughout the wedding. She went with the whole "antique" Middleburg feel. She used a vintage font on all of the stationary; Both Brian & Brandi's mom both displayed their actual wedding gowns on dress forms at the Reception, in addition to pictures of them wearing the dresses; And one of the best touches - All of the centerpieces were in vintage hat boxes. John Duffy over at YellowDoor provided the flowers - and of course they were stunning!

Here are a couple of pictures of the wonderful day:
































Oh, and here's a picture of me -> I'm always clutching my phone and that gameday book - the Holy Grail!!!
































Okay, that's it for now :-)

~kim

Labels: Bride, Couple, reviews

So, we were back at the Westin Grand last night. The Westin Grand's Promenade does not look like your average hotel, and it is a wonderful venue to have a wedding.

I met with Mollie and her parent's about a year ago, and Mollie hired me for Day of Coordination. I didn't meet Clay until our 30 day meeting. I think they "look" perfect together. Mollie is tall, with jet black hair and the most beautiful face. She's a stunner, actually. Clay reminds me of one of those guys from the beach, who just surfs all day. He's got one of those haircuts that has his hair in his face just a bit, and he's the most relaxed guy you'd ever want to meet. Just really cool to me. They are the epitome of laid back, relaxed & welcoming. They make everyone around them comfortable and they allow people to "just be." They are so unpretentious - it's quite refreshing actually. I just LOVED them. You want me to show you how cool Mollie is? Look at this picture taken by their *awesome* photographer Glenn Barnett.

Isn't this great! Mollie loves to have a great time! This picture was taken when the Bridal Party went for pictures at the Lincoln Memorial. Doesn't she look gorgeous in her Vera Wang dress??? I'll post pics when Glenn sends me some more. Glenn is really a fabulous photographer, and I can't wait to see the full set of pictures. I peeked over his shoulder a couple of times last night, and I saw some great pics.

So the Ceremony and Reception were both at the Westin Grand. Last week, our couple dealt with torrential downpours. Mollie & Clay couldn't have asked for a better day. It was simply perfect. Not too hot, and no rain!!! The Ceremony took place in the Courtyard, and it created a bit of a vacuum, so it actually wasn't too hot at all. The Ceremony featured an interfaith Christian/Jewish Service. It was really meaningful and special.

Once the Ceremony was over, the Cocktails began. Mollie and Clay presented a Sushi bar for their guests. It was so popular though, it was gone in 15 minutes! The Reception featured a 5 course meal - appetizer course, salad course, intermezzo, Main course and dessert! And, there was still cake! The guests were able to enjoy the courtyard all night, and boy did they take advantage of it!

The DJ was the great Kirk Rubley from Kirkabee DJ's. I do love him, and he sure does know how to throw a great party. There was a bit of a lull for about 20 minutes (most of the guests made a dash to the bar :-). After that, the floor was packed the entire night. I heard some of my favorite songs last night:

• Living on a prayer - Bon Jovi
• Pour Some Sugar on Me - Def Leppard
• And some Kelly Clarkson for good measure ;-) (yeah, I like Kelly Clarkson)
  

Oh, and know I get to say my favorite phrase:

I.HEART.PETAL'S.EDGE!!!!!

Gerry and Rebecca over at Petal's Edge provided the flowers. Mollie's color scheme was a light pink / hot pink combo. It was really very pretty - her bouquet comprised of orchids, peonies and roses. It was really amazing. Each bridesmaid’s bouquets consisted of one flower from Mollie's bouquet. So, one bouquet was made up of only peonies, another made of only orchids. It was really cool! The color scheme continued in the girls dresses - beautiful A line dresses from Aria, all in a different style.

Natalie, the Social Catering Manager over at the Westin Grand really did a great job. I have to send a special thanks to Chris, the Banquet Captain. Chris was a tremendous help to us when we were at the Westin in April. That help continued last night at Mollie & Clay's wedding. He was so amazing behind the scenes, making sure everything was perfect. He really knows how to do his job amazingly well, and he respects us enough that we work in perfect harmony.

I just want to say thank you to Mollie and Clay. Mollie gave me the biggest, tightest hug at the end of the Wedding night. She said that she was so glad to have me be apart of their wedding, and I did a great job. I actually started to blush. My staff and I did work hard, but it was easy to do that for Mollie! She just inspires you to go above and beyond. And Clay was so appreciative as well.

• Thank you Mollie for interviewing us
• Thank you Mr. & Mrs. Ifshin (Mollie’s parent’s) for hosting a wonderful party
• Thank you Clay for being so cool to me
• Thank you Mr. & Mrs. Winters for helping to make the wedding amazing

Well, I'm off for a month! No more weddings in July. I am going to do the following this month:

• Hang out in Atlantic City with my husband for a long weekend
• Travel to North Carolina for my family's 32nd Annual family reunion
• Have dinner with at least 6 of my former couples/parent's from 2006
• Clean my house
• Hang some photos I've had in frames for months
• Get someone to build a banquette for my kitchen
• Work on tasks for many of my 2007 partial clients
• SLEEP!!!!!!

I can't wait to sleep! That should be the first thing on my TO DO list!! The first half of the wedding season has been good to us. I'm looking forward to having this break, then pushing full steam ahead for the second half of the wedding season. We slow down a bit, with only 2 weddings each month through December. We are in some really cool places, and I can't wait to talk about those couples.

ta ta for now ;-)

~kim

Labels: Bride, Couple, reviews

Wow - I talked a lot about Mareesa & Marlon who married last August at Meridian House. If you go through the archives, you'll see the old posts ;-)

Well, Mareesa sent me a link to her highlight video that was done by Blue Sky Films. I *love* Blue Sky Films, and I always tell people they are worth the money ;-) ... Well, when you see this highlight video, I think you'll agree!

They look SO great!!!

~kim

Labels: Bride, Couple, reviews

I know, I know, I suck. I *promised* to update the blog on Mondays after the wedding. And then there's NO update after the June 10th wedding. Sorry guys.... Life is busy.... what can I say?!?! .... I have had *so* much going on with Serendipity from an administrative point of view - consultation with new clients, trying to hire an assistant (which I still need), work for my partial clients, etc… So, the point is – I haven’t been sitting around eating bon-bons! I’ve been busy!

So, there’s an update on Serendipity’s schedule: We just got hired for August 5th. So, after our wedding this weekend (July 1st), we’ll be back in action on August 5th :-)

Okay, so let’s talk about these weddings!

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The Gramercy Mansion is a Bed and Breakfast housed in a Tudor style Mansion in the green Spring Valley area outside of Baltimore. It really is an interesting place. A very lovely old place. It’s filled with a lot of brick-a-brack, though – Paintings, busts, lifelike children made of clay (no, I’m not joking), stuffed wild game, vintage dolls, and just about anything else you can name. And while it gives it character, a vendor mentioned that she thought the place reminded her of the movie The Shining! I’ve never seen the movie, but she explained the plot to me. She said she stayed at the Gramercy once, and when it was dark, she thought all those stuffed birds and children made of clay were coming to kill her! LOL! I thought it was hilarious! But, let’s just say I’ll only go to the Gramercy when there are lights on……..

We had the Nigerian influenced wedding of Sophia and Craig on June 10th. Sophia and Craig have been dating long distance for quite a while – she was in Graduate School in Pennsylvania, while Craig lived in Baltimore. After they spend the summer together, schooling will separate them again this upcoming semester!

Sophia combined Fuchsia and Orange for a really vibrant color combination. You might think that would be too loud, but it was actually very nice. They also had an awesome DJ – Jerome Cooper of CooperTunes. He’s based out of the DC area like me, but he made the special trip to Baltimore because I asked him to!

This past Saturday, we were back for Melissa Shauna and Brian’s wedding. They actually were a referral from one of our other couples – Bonnie & Mike from August of 2005 (who we love by the way!). Melissa Shauna & Brian hired us in January of 2005. Yes, a full 17 months before the wedding! You sometimes fear that when you get hired so far out from the event, so many things can change/happen. The couple lived in Rockville, and then decided to move to West Virginia! After that, our status meetings took place on the phone, not in person ;-)

As many of you may be experiencing first hand, we have been having torrential downpours. We had to nix doing the Ceremony outside, so we decided to do the Ceremony under the covered Terrace. The Terrace is very nice, except rain was coming in sideways under the tent, and getting some guests soaked! We moved most guests in a bit, and it seemed to work out. In some cultures, rain is considered good luck. If that’s the case, Melissa Shauna and Brian will have luck for the next 75 years!!!

We had a great time during our Baltimore tour! We don’t have any more in that area this year, but it was fun while it lasted ;-)

~kim

Labels: Bride, Couple, reviews

Hey, so I just talked about Jennie & Tyler yesterday. Well, er, I posted at 1am this morning.... See the post right below this one :-) .... And Greg emailed me today to say he updated the blog. You GOTTA go look: Greg Gibson's Blog.

His work is just amazing. Aren't Jennie & Tyler just the cutest couple???!?.... Damn, Greg is good ;-)

~kim

Labels: Bride, Couple, pictures, reviews

Well, I think Jennie & Tyler would blush at the fact that I call them the "Supermodel Couple." I hate to put them inside such a shallow box; they are one of the most gracious, happy, easy going couples that I have had the pleasure to meet in a long time. But, I must admit, they could be on someone's magazine cover! They are so down to earth, though, and they take those kinds of compliments in stride. If you're not sure which couple I'm referring to, I blogged about them last November: Read about Jennie & Tyler

I have always felt like there are people that you just make connections with. It's not a bad or good thing that it doesn't happen with all people. I like to think I'm a really outgoing, easy to get along with kinda person - and people like to be around me (as I said, I like to *think* that's the case - LOL :-) But, I must say, Angel and I really clicked with Jennie. She's the kind of person that would invite you over to her home, and make you a home cooked meal, with an apple pie to top it off! Well, I'm not sure how good of a cook she is, but I'd eat any meal at Jennie's home! Because Tyler and Jennie have a FABU townhouse in Alexandria. I mentioned that Deb & Marc (May 20th) had a wonderful townhouse in Arlington. Well, Jennie & Tyler have a great one in Alexandria. It's so big, so pretty - and they have a flat screen TV in their kitchen! My husband and I have the same one in our kitchen! I thought it was great! When I went for our 30-day status meeting, Tyler was on the phone fuming with DirecTV, because the Nationals game wasn't on - for some reason he was having trouble with getting MASN! It was funny; He was very nice to me, but he didn't have time for wedding stuff - he needed to get his MASN!! ..... But Jennie was the ever-gracious host, and I appreciated that. They even let me pull into their driveway :-) .... Now, anyone reading this with a home will appreciate this - you *never* like people to pull into your driveway without asking - that's just plain rude! But, Jennie graciously offered it, and I immediately accepted!

Anyhoo, onto the wedding! Saturday started off cloudy, and I thought that it would rain during the day. Angel and I worked out at 6am, and there were sprinkles the whole time. Even though Jennie & Tyler’s wedding was at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, I was hoping it wouldn’t rain on our parade. As the day went on though, the sun definitely replaced the clouds. The Ceremony started at 6pm. I called her Matron of Honor, Skye, at 4:00pm – because I haven’t heard from them all day! Usually, I’ll hear from the bridal party, because something will go wrong! Just read the post about our first wedding this season ;-). But, I hadn’t heard a peep from them! You know what that meant?!!??! Everything was actually going smoothly! I was so excited, I was actually able to enjoy my Saturday before the wedding! That rarely happens, but Jennie has a great aura about her – she’s so easy going, and I just knew things would be fine.

I got to the museum about 4:15pm, and Ridgewells was already setting up. They were so great. I give free vendor recommendations every once I a while – For a great Caterer, you need to contact Meghan over at Ridgewells. She knows how to throw a party! She’s such a great girl, and she was so nice to Serendipity. She viewed us a member of the team, not someone beneath her (which has been known to happen ;-) …. She was so nice and so wonderful, and I will be taking her to lunch soon! She is someone I would love to hang out with as a friend! And, she’s getting married this August, so she knows what couples are going through. She was so attentive to Jennie & Tyler, and I know they were happy with the decision to go with Ridgewells.

Petal’s Edge did the flowers. Anyone who reads this blog knows about my obsession with Petal’s Edge. I get to write it again:

I. HEART.PETAL’S EDGE!!!!!

Those are my girls – and they came through again! And, I was lucky enough to get a leftover arrangement from Rebecca – it looks SO loverly in my living room. I look so sophisticated for having a wonderful arrangement of peonies in my living room. They don’t know that I have great friends, who just happened to have an extra arrangement!

So, I must tell you, the photographer was Greg Gibson. This was my first time working with him, and it was a BLAST! He was so cool, and so laid back, and I was so happy to work with him. You know, I worked with Bill at Holland Photo Arts a couple of weeks ago. I worked with Matt Mendelsohn a couple of times this year. And, I had the pleasure of working with Thomas Graves last year. The absolutely AMAZING photographers are the most cool, laid back people ever. They are not pretentious, and it’s really cool. It’s funny – the people with the most talent don’t need to act like idiots…. Their work speaks for themselves :-)

Okay, so back to the wedding: OMG, OMG, OMG, OMG – Jennie had one of the most beautiful dresses I have ever seen. It made me want to get married again, so I could wear that dress! I’m not sure of the designer, but I’ll ask her when she gets back from her wedding. She looked stunning in her strapless dress. And Tyler looked so handsome, it was sickening – LOL! No really, he looked good! He did however, lose his bowtie before the wedding. We don’t really know what happened, but Tyler and another Groomsman couldn’t find their bowties. And you know what???? My wonderful partner Angel ran (literally) to Hecht’s – well now Macy’s – to buy new ones! Two of their ushers ended up giving them their bowties, so the ones Angel brought went to those ushers. Angel was so out of breath!!!!! She got two workouts on Saturday, not one! …. Oh, Angel is my sister, in case you didn’t know! And we fight like sisters! We generally have one fight during each wedding. You know – how should the place cards go? Why didn’t we do this? Why didn’t we do that? You see, we’re both perfectionists, and we’re both Aries! We love to be right – but we love working with each other more ;-)

The wedding was perfect – John Farr did the lighting, and the DJ was Derek Romanoff with Bialek’s. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE him!!! The guests wouldn’t get off the floor! … I did have to guard Jennie & Tyler’s sweetheart table for 15 minutes – they needed to eat!!!!! I know some of their guests probably didn’t like me at that time, but hey – I needed to make sure the couple ate!!!

I was so honored to be hired by Jennie & Tyler. Jennie will forever remain one of my most FAVORITE brides! I have a few, and Jennie’s in that club – ha-ha! I adore her – for her personality, for her spirit, and her generosity. Jennie and her mom (Mama Derge) were so generous and so kind. And, I did love Mama Derge - she was the consumate host - making sure everyone was having a good time ;-)

Jennie was so cute – she threw the bouquet while the theme to Sex & the City was playing! So, a background story – Derek had a Sex & The City CD, and it had the “Theme to Sex & the City” on it. Well, it turns out that it wasn’t the familiar tune we’re used to when you see the show. As a matter of fact, I’m watching Sex & the City on TIVO now ;-) … So anyway, the song on the CD was some kind of remixed version, and just not right. Well, Derek is amazing; He has a wireless broadband card – during the reception, he went to iTunes, and downloaded a version – the RIGHT one!! And when it was time for the bouquet toss, no one was the wiser ;-) Jennie & Tyler had a great reception exit – they had noisemakers, top hats and tiaras – it was like New Year’s Eve! It was a great newlywed exit, and the brainchild of the bride!

Jennie & Tyler threw a great party! I can’t wait until the pictures are ready. I told Greg that I would bug him incessantly until I got a few pics for the blog ;-) ….. I am sure you can tell when I really click with a bride. This is definitely one of those times. She is amazing, and I am glad that I was able to work with her. I can’t wait for parties at her house – I will definitely be there ;-)

~kim

Labels: Bride, Couple, reviews

You know, Jackie's pictures have been available for a couple of weeks now. But, I've just been so busy, I didn't update you guys about them! I know, I'm a slacker ;-)

If you don't know who Jackie or Josh are, you must not read this blog! Scroll down and check out the link to the post about them. In the meantime, enjoy the pictures of one of my most "favoritest" brides :-)

All pictures were taken by the free spirit Hans Ericsson :-)

~kim

Labels: Bride, Couple, reviews

Beth and Darryl got married this past Sunday - during the Memorial Day Weekend. For anyone who lives in this area, you know that Rolling Thunder descends on Washington DC every Memorial Day for their Convention and their demonstration on the Mall. They come for a noble cause - to remember all of the Veterans who lost their lives for America, and to fight for current Veterans who rely on the Government for financial and Healthcare assistance. And for those of you who don't know, Rolling Thunder is a LARGE group of bikers - I may be wrong on this - I don't think everyone has to be a Veteran, but maybe they do. No matter, when you see the sheer numbers, it's staggering. It's funny because the Church that I attend is on East Capitol Street. The bikers go together to meet downtown the morning of the demonstration, and they pass by our Church! On Rolling Thunder days, we have silent prayer for 20 minutes while the bikes pass!

So, back to my wedding. Beth & Darryl had their wedding at the Historic 6th & I Synagogue. We were there on May 20th as well. You can scroll down to find the other post (about Deb & Marc). It's a really beautiful Synagogue. The photographers were Bill & Marie Piaseci - who are so cool, and were so great to work with! We had a picture session, rehearsal and Ketubah signing, all before the Ceremony began! It was a busy day ;-) After the Ceremony, the couple headed to the Jefferson Memorial for pictures.

The Reception was at the Crystal City Hyatt - the headquarters for Rolling Thunder last weekend. They had taken over the hotel! Well, everywhere except our ballroom! Beth & Darryl are Jewish, so we had all of the traditional things going on, including the Ha Motzi, the Horah and the Mezinkah Dance (which is done when the youngest child marries). Their family and friends were actually very cool. They really knew how to have a good time. Every chance they got, they were up dancing to the tunes of NightSong - a great band, by the way. Beth looked stunning - Kelley at FaceMode did her makeup, and Melanie Medeiros did her hair in a gorgeous Jackie O flip.

Beth & Darryl are great - they have very good senses of humor, and they LOVE the Mets! They were introduced at the Reception to "Meet the Mets"!! I thought that was hilarious! And their cake topper was Mr. & Mrs. Met :-) .... All of the guests enjoyed the party, and so did I. Beth and Darryl capped it off with a Candy Bar - which the guests devoured!

Thanks Beth and Darryl for letting Serendipity be apart of your day! I will post pictures when I get some :-)

~kim

Labels: Bride, Couple, reviews

I really didn't start blogging until last August - but not consistently until the Fall! And, I didn't get a chance to really talk about all of our couples. Mia was married to Jason last August and was a SO wonderful. Serendipity only does one wedding per weekend, but this was a rare weekend that we did 2 on the same day. Yes - TWO on the same day. We'll never do that again ;-) I led a wedding at Mount Airy Mansion, while my partner Angel led another at Woodend.

Mia emailed Angel and me about something non-related today, and I thought - man, we never talked about how great she was! So, we asked her for pictures, and here we are.... These are Angel's thoughts below ;-)

~kim

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Their wedding day was great! Both Mia and Jason are consultants with busy travel schedules, so it was great to be able to put their vision into action, even if they sent their vision from 30,000 feet above!

It was a hot summer day at Woodend Sanctuary in Rockville, MD. I made sure I got there extra early to spray down the place and rid it of any bugs that would be sure to ruin the day! As I arrived looking to meet all of Mia's great vendors, her lighting vendor, Blue Ridge Lightforms out of Charlottesville, VA, was already busy stringing her Asian inspired lantern lighting which would later cast such an amazing soft light over the tent and all of her lavender accents. I even dressed in lavender accents!

Since Mia is Japanese, she was very intent on bringing in small and subtle touches of her Japanese culture into the wedding that included not only the lanterns, but the inclusion of the San San Kudo ceremony. San-san-kudo," -- which translates as "three-three-nine times" -- a bride and groom begin by pretending to pour sake into a three-tiered cup, then actually pour sake into the cup and drink it in three steps. This series of action is performed for each of three cups. Three is a happy number symbolizing heaven, earth, and humanity. Nine is said to be the happiest number of all.

After the exchange of the nuptial cups, the newlyweds are considered officially married. Now the party begins! After having a heck of a time trying to bustle her beautiful dress, Mia and Jason were off to take pictures on the lawn. Those went by pretty quickly as the bridal party was pretty small.

Mia and Jason are so laid back that they knew when they saw me coming for them it was time for the traditional evening events! Mia says "uh oh...time to do something!" They were just having so much fun with their guests, they completely forgot about things like cutting the cake! The cake by the way, was fab! A family friend from North Carolina made the cake...I guess homemade is always better! After the toasts and dinner, Mia and Jason hit the dance floor and never left each others' side...the bride and groom were the last people to leave!

I was very lucky to have been able to be apart of their lives even if it was for such a short period of time. Enjoy some of my favorite pictures of this most awesome couple! All of the pictures were captured by Jennifer Domenick

~angel

Labels: Bride, Couple, reviews

NOTE: Sorry, my blog file got screwy and I had to republish this post. I originally posted it on May 7th, 2006.

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Okay, sorry I didn't post this last Sunday. I was so tired after the wedding, and then I got swamped with the wedding that just took place last night. So, I have two weddings to talk about today!

Jackie.... Where do I begin???..... Jackie..... We instantly clicked from the first moment that we met at fireflies restaurant in the Del Ray section of Alexandria. I guess you would liken it to love at first sight - you know, if I was a guy or something... LOL! .... But Jackie, we just clicked. After I gave my little spiel, she hired me on the spot. Usually, brides will think about it and get back to me, but not Jackie - she hired me right there before I picked up the check. We were a match made in heaven!

I have to tell you, Jackie was/is one of the most level headed brides I've ever had. That's not to say that my other brides aren't smart cookies; But Jackie always kept the wedding day in perspective. Her husband Josh is a member of the United States Marine Corps. He was in Iraq for a while - I seem to recall that he was in Fallujah.... At any rate, when your husband-to-be is in such a dangerous place doing such a dangerous job, it tends to put a lot of things into perspective.

Jackie was always very excited about the wedding, but she wasn't super crazy. She never asked me if a white limo would clash with her Ivory dress - haha! ..... Sorry to offend anyone that has actually pondered that question....... Jackie is very down to earth, and just very nice. I would love to hang out with her and chill out!

So anyhoo, Jackie had a lot of time to pace herself, and get a lot of DIY projects done. I do believe she made the Invitations; She made the Save the Dates, the Place cards, the menu cards, favor cards, wish tree items, Bridal Party Newsletters, Programs, Rehearsal dinner invites, out of town guest information cards and Table Name Cards!! Can you believe it!!!?!?! .. She had this gorgeous pink and brown color scheme. Stephanie the week before had a chocolate and hot pink color scheme. Jackie's pink was more of a blush color. It was just as pretty.

Jackie hired me for Day of Coordination (which means I pick up one month out), but I helped her with a lot of things before hand. I went to her meeting with the new Catering manager at the Westin, I helped her with Bridal Party and Guest transportation. In addition, I helped her with her linens and other rentals and attended her tasting at the Westin. It was such a pleasure to help her with these extra items. I got to see her several more times before the wedding, and I got to meet her parents before the wedding.

Parent's run the gamut when it comes to weddings. There are some who simply bark orders at me, and there are those who don't say much; Then there are those that cry the whole day or who simply can't believe their children are getting married. Then there are the perfect parents - like Jackie's parents. From the beginning, Glen and Trish were so open and nice to me. I could tell they *really* love their daughter, and wanted her to have a beautiful wedding. Glen in particular was very helpful in getting the transportation flushed out. And, every time I talked to or emailed Glen, he always ended with "your doing such a great job." I can't tell you how much that means to a coordinator. Everyone is usually happy at the end of the wedding, but sometimes our work before the big day can be lost on the wedding party. But her dad always thanked me, and it made me so happy :-) ..... At the rehearsal, Glen had a special toast just for me - to thank me for all of my hard work (the wine was yummy ;-) .... He also mentioned to several guests that I was his hero... Can you believe that?!?!?!? ... He was too sweet. Trish and Glen are GREAT parents!

Okay, so back to this wedding. The flowers were provided by my girls at Petal's Edge. Rebecca led this one, and they really came through with the Cherry blossoms. Jackie's Alter Arrangements and Reception Centerpieces were Cherry Blossoms. For anyone who wants Cherry Blossoms, any florist will tell you it's hit or miss. You are totally at the mercy of the flower gods as to whether they will bloom properly. But, Petal's Edge was fantastic. I adore them. I will continue to write about them EVERY week. Even if I'm not working with them that week.

I.ADORE.PETAL'S.EDGE

or, how about this:

I.HEART.PETAL'S.EDGE


heehee... I sound like a girl with a high school crush... :-) ... They are just the bomb...

The photos were provided by Hans Ericsson. I would actually recommend him to future clients, but he's not taking any more weddings after November! He and his wife have decided to quit their jobs, and live on their 27ft boat for 3-4 years. That's right - NOT 3-4 months, but 3-4 YEARS!!! They will start in the Caribbean for about 6 months, then "see where the wind takes them"...... How awesome is that?!?!? ..... Do you *really* know anyone who's actually followed their dreams like that? I promise I'll post pics when they are available, but unfortunately, he's not in the market after November 2006.

Jackie's wedding day was amazing, though. The weather was perfect. The Church was perfect. The Reception site actually turned out to be very beautiful. The promenade was great. The staff over there really went above and beyond. And the DJ kept the guests on the floor all night.

Josh and his Marine Corps buddies were very cool. They even came to my rescue before the rehearsal. My battery went dead, and they immediately gave me a jump. They were pulling up their car even before I got out of my truck! They just knew I needed help! And, I must say, I'm a sucker for a man in uniform. Josh was SO handsome in his blues.

So, I love this bride. Adored her. Still adore her. Want her to work for me when she returns from her honeymoon. Seriously. I'm not kidding ;-)

~kim

Labels: Bride, Couple, reviews

Every so often, I am only asked to coordinate a portion of the Wedding. It's very rare, but it does happen. I was hired by Deb one month ago to coordinate the aspects surrounding their Ceremony. They were married yesterday at the 6th & I Historic Synagogue in downtown DC. If you've never been there, I would make a mental note to visit one day. The Synagogue was restored to its former beauty around 2002 (I may be off by a year). The Synagogue is *beautiful*. Serendipity is lucky to have another wedding at the Synagogue next Sunday.

Deb decided that she needed some help because the Synagogue is smack in the middle of downtown. She's been planning this wedding for more than a year I think, and decided a month ago she needed help with the Ceremony. And, she was right to ask for help! One of the Shuttle buses got stuck in traffic and was 25 minutes late. The Ceremony was to start at 6:15. Our Rabbi arrived at 6:25! She was stuck on the Metro. But, it all came together, and the Ceremony was WONDERFUL!

The photographer was the amazing Bill Holland from Holland Photo Arts. I have always admired Holland from afar, but I was able to finally work with them. Ahhh.. I love their work. And, even though I was only facilitating the Ceremony, Bill was fabulous to me. He was so nice - gosh, not uptight at all. You would think amazing artists would be uptight, but not Bill. Bill runs a blog on his website, so when he posts about the wedding, I'll include a link so you can see some of the pictures.

The Videographer was David from Blue Sky Films. We've worked together before, and he's awesome. Well, Blue Sky is awesome. What can I say?!?... I usually work with them about once a month - I love them.

Oh, and the florist was Philippa Tarrant. We worked together several times last year. I must say, Deb's bouquet was really stunning. A mix of hydrangeas and peonies and bells of Ireland. It was gorgeous.

Even though I didn't have any responsibilities regarding the Reception at the Westin Embassy Row, I did meet the Reception Catering Director, Scott Button. He is so handsome, and so nice. There is a cute picture of him in the most recent addition of I DO magazine.

I do wish that I could've spent more time with Deb & Marc's family. Their parents and friends were so nice to me, and I knew that reception was going to be wonderful!

Marc and Deb are great people. They have a fabulous townhome in Arlington - you know, the kind that makes it into magazines :-) ... They were so nice to me, and I know that they will have a wonderful life together. Good luck Deb and Marc ;-)

~kim

Labels: Bride, Couple, reviews

Melissa is an Orthopedic surgeon - Greg is an actor - they met at a bar... or was it a party? ... at any rate, here we are!

This couple was very cool. We were actually hired by them almost a year ago - and I do believe they interviewed with some very high end Coordinators before picking Serendipity. It's always nice to win a very high-end wedding over some of the more established Coordinators in the area. They like us; they really like us!

The wedding Ceremony took place at St. Aloysius Church (The Church on Gonzaga High School's campus), and the Reception took place at the National Museum of Women in the Arts. Yesterday was GORGEOUS. The weather was absolutely perfect. I love Melissa - actually, everyone calls her Lisa. Lisa is so cool, and laid back. You'd think a doctor would have to have control of everything, but she was so laid back, and wanted us to take care of the details.

Matt Mendelsohn was the photographer. We just worked together a couple of weeks ago at Stephanie's wedding. I was psyched to work with him again, and he showed me a couple of great shots he took. I'm going to bug him for one or two to show you all. He was cool as ever, and we can't wait to do it again ;-)

We did have a scare though. The ladies were getting dressed at the Sofitel Hotel, a block away from the White House. There was a suspicious package nearby, so they blocked the whole area. This meant that Matt and the makeup artist - Carola Myers - had the WORST time trying to get through. Matt was able to get through okay, but Carola had to wait for about 45 minutes before they would let her through with her equipment. Lisa took it all in stride though. She called me on my cell, and was like "Um, yeah, there are secret service trucks outside of my hotel..... I’m sure things will be cool" ... She was funny! But, everything else was so great, I guess we were due for something crazy to happen!

Lisa and Greg hired 3Citron as the Caterer. Philippe is a very interesting character. I love French Chefs! The food was fabulous; The cake was provided by Heidelberg Bakery. It was so yummy - Lisa specifically asked me if I got a piece. So I snuck over and got an extra piece. It was SO GOOD!!!

And of course, Petal's Edge did the flowers. Lisa's color scheme was purple, orange and green. I know, you're thinking - WHAT??? ... Let me tell you, the flowers were STUNNING! I don't know how PE's put together such beautiful bouquets. They were so beautiful. They put together a breathtaking arrangement for the entryway. I tell you, I don’t know all of the names of the flowers - I will just post a picture when I can! There were 6 arrangements in totals. Each was a single color – It was stunning. The linens for the Cocktail hour were purple; The linens for the Reception were Orange. It was so pretty. Gerry came back at the end of the night, and she let me have a few of the leftover flowers. My house looks so pretty today!

I do have to give a HUGE shout out to the Band - ARMARETTO. They stole the show. I tell you, they had the dance floor packed the ENTIRE time. They were so good, and I can't wait to recommend them. They did Frank Sinatra, Louis Armstrong, Nat King Cole, the Pointer Sisters, Rihanna (The younger set will know who she is) and the Black Eyed Peas. I couldn't believe how versatile they were - and they sounded WONDERFUL!!

NMWA is a fabulous site. We are lucky enough to have another wedding there on June 3rd. I can't wait for that one either!

Okay, I worked out this morning at 6am. Then I ran some errands. I know it’s beautiful outside, but I need to take a nap for an hour. Then I will rejoin civilization :-)

~kim

Labels: Bride, Couple, reviews

Our wedding this past Saturday didn't end until 1am. I left at 1:45am. I got in the bed by 2:30am. I was up at 5:30am to work out. And then, I CRASHED!!!!! I was SO sleepy - why did I have to get up and work out???... Oh, it was those handmade caramel brownies made by the Mother of the Groom…. Ahh, I'll get to that later though :-)

I think I always become somewhat attached to all of my couples. But, you inevitably get more attached to your Partial and Full clients, because you spend more time with them. Stephanie hired me exactly a year before her wedding. We had many status meetings, phone calls, and tonso emails. I just looked at my email folder for Stephanie and Josh (I keep ALL emails) and I have 1,192 emails in her folder! We probably emailed each other 5 or 6 times a day - and more when there was something on!!

I adore Stephanie. Don't get me wrong, I *really* liked Josh a lot, but Stephanie and I were in daily contact. Stephanie also became friends with two of my other brides! Mareesa (who I posted about before), and Jackie (who will be getting married this week - don't worry, she's another one I've been super attached to!). It's very funny how Serendipity Brides have formed their own friendships!

So anyway, back to Stephanie – she is so cute, so adorable, and so kind. From the moment I interviewed with her, I liked her. People ask me this all the time – do I interview over the phone – and the answer is NO. Absolutely not. I must meet at least the Bride in person. We spend so much time together, that I must meet them in person to see if we “click.” Well, I clicked with Stephanie right away. You may or may not know that Serendipity has been in business about 3 years. I believe Stephanie interviewed with some other high end Coordinators with many more years of experience. I was hoping that she’d have faith in what I could bring her. It turns out – she did. I was SO happy!!!!

Over the past year, we’ve dealt with Stationary, Lighting, Florists, Linens, Catering, Reception Music, Videography, and a whole lot of other little things that you need to deal with to have a great wedding. Sometimes I was stressed; Stephanie has great taste, and sometimes it was frustrating for her to get her ideas across to her vendors. But, we finally managed to get her vision across to all of her vendors. And the result? Simply STUNNING.

Before I talk about the wedding, I just want everyone to know how kind Stephanie really is. Her fashion style is a mix of Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, BCBG and a little Prada thrown in for good measure. Every time I saw her, I loved what she had on – even if it was just jeans! So, my partner Angel and I went to her house for one of our status meetings. Stephanie had tons of clothes and shoes hanging over her railing. She mentioned that she was giving them to Goodwill. Angel and I starting gushing over how nice the clothes were – most of them had dry cleaning tags on, and were in impeccable shape. We then mentioned that we had a younger cousin (23 years old), who was trying to break into the job market, and didn’t have a lot of clothes. We were joking that Stephanie was her same size, and she’d kill for those clothes. Stephanie immediately insisted that we take everything and anything from the pile. There were beautiful skirts and dresses and suits. We told her we couldn’t possibly do that, but she insisted. We finally took the clothes, and immediately took them to our cousin. You should’ve seen her face, it was like Christmas for her. She tried them all on, and wouldn’t take off the jeans that Stephanie gave her! She was beaming ear to ear, and couldn’t believe someone was so generous. I will never forget how wonderful Stephanie was to give those items to my cousin.

So, back to the wedding: Stephanie had one of the most MAGNIFICANT weddings I have ever witnessed! Now, we didn’t have everything we wanted – the weather wouldn’t cooperate, and we had downpours intermixed with steady rain. We had planned for outdoor pictures at Union Station and an Outdoor Cocktail hour. Those things didn’t go as planned, but, you know what? It was still beautiful, nonetheless. The wedding was at the Fairmont Hotel in Downtown DC. I was so impressed at how professional and fabulous the staff at the Fairmont was. Bob Mikolitch is the Director of Catering. Bob will make sure your day is flawless. He was great to work with from the beginning, and he especially worked overtime in the two weeks leading up to the wedding. I think we were in daily contact to make sure the final details were squared away. It was an absolute pleasure to work with him, and I look forward to taking other brides to the Fairmont.

John Duffy at Yellow Door did Stephanie’s flowers. They were STUNNING. She had tulips, peonies and cherry blossoms. The Cherry Blossoms looked heavenly. It’s always dicey when you want Cherry Blossoms. You are at the mercy of the weather gods – and frankly, the crop doesn’t always turn out so well. But, the crop John got for Stephanie was fabulous. I’ll post pictures as soon as I can snag some from her photographer.

And that photographer would be the famous Matt Mendelsohn. This was my first opportunity to work with him. He is such a laid back, easygoing guy, you’d never know he was so darn good at what he does. I actually get to work with him again in 2 weeks – I’m so psyched! He said to me that he got one of the best pictures he’s shot all year at Stephanie’s wedding. Now, I don’t mean the 2006 wedding season, I mean in the last 12 months! Here is a shot that Matt took:







Stephanie wore a stunning Monique Lhuillier with a gold sash. She also had a mantilla veil created for her by another bride’s mother. It was so pretty.

The lighting was done by John Farr Lighting. She had bright pink uplights, and pinspotting on all of the centerpieces. Gosh, it was so pretty. I took pictures with my camera phone, but I don’t think they’ll look too good, so I’ll wait for the real thing from Matt ;-)

The mother of the Groom, Gail, made homemade treats for all of the guests. She had Rice Krispy treats, Caramel brownies, cookies of all sorts, and other goodies! The guests got a real kick out of them. Oh, and I forgot – Stephanie had one of the best cocktails stations I’ve seen in a long time: She had a comfort foods station. On this station, there were french fries in mini cones, mini grilled cheese, mini hamburgers, pigs in a blanket and mac n’ cheese in mini crock-pots. It was SO cool! And, Stephanie was so sweet, she insisted that we taste some of the treats. I was able to sneak over and get a mini cheeseburger – yummy!

Josh is the perfect compliment to Stephanie – he’s handsome, level headed, and very much on top of the finances! He allows Stephanie to be the free spirit that she is, while loving her the whole time. Some people have been known to make bets on how long couples will last (not me, of course – haha!). But, I have my money riding on this couple. They just fit together. They have great senses of humor, and they compliment each other. To give you an idea of their sense of humor, check out their program – I’ve scanned it in for you to see (and I’ve taken off last names – to protect the innocent ;-)








Okay, so I’ll stop rambling. The wedding was fabulous. The couple was a bit demanding, but fabulous nonetheless. Serendipity was proud to be a part of this fabulous event.

Stephanie, can you please invite me to any other parties you have? Because I know they will be to die for ;-)

~kim

Labels: Bride, Couple, reviews

Well, April 8th certainly was a dreary day. It was cold and rainy. and cold. and rainy. It was one of those days where you'd just stay in bed under the covers. But, there was a wedding for at least one couple, so the show had to go on.

Sherene and Steve had their Ceremony at Dahlgren Chapel on the Campus of Georgetown University. The plan was to take pictures before the Ceremony in the Courtyard directly in front of the Chapel. I just knew that Sherene wouldn't want to brave 40-degree weather in a strapless gown. But, she was such a trooper. She would pose for a picture, and then we'd dart out and cover her with the umbrella! It was actually very funny :-) ... Thank goodness there was a covered porch were most of the pictures could be taken. The photographer was Sandi Foraci (who rocks, by the way :-). After the Ceremony, the couple headed down to the Capitol for *more* outdoor pictures! I don't know how they did it! Sandi actually told me that their pictures would be fabulous - because digital photos are best when there is cloudy weather. So, there may actually be a silver lining to all that rain after all ;-)

While the Wedding was held in a Catholic Church, the couple also honored Sherene's Persian Heritage. At the beginning of the Reception (at Fort McNair), they treated their guests to a Persian Ceremony. The ceremony normally takes place in a specially decorated room with flowers and a beautiful and elaborately decorated spread on the floor called "Sofreh-ye Aghd". Our couple didn't have the spread on the floor; rather they sat at a table! Since I won't do the explanation justice, you can check out this website for a detailed explanation of the Ceremony: http://www.farsinet.com/Persian_wedding. Here's an example table setup:




After the Persian Ceremony, the guests got to enjoy a really nice buffet dinner, and some good music! The DJ, Kirk Rubley, did a great job as usual. Oh, and of course I have to give ANOTHER shout out to my girls over at Petal's Edge. Wait until you see Sherene's pictures - the bouquets were SO beautiful. I tell you, I don't know how Gerry and Rebecca do it every week. Their flowers are so stunning. 3 of my next 5 weddings are with them - I'm so happy - YAY!


Anyhoo.. I'm not really sure where I'm going with the rest of this post. I guess you guys can see I'm not a professional writer! I guess I'll say this: Sherene and Steve are both lawyers. And while I think that they both had confidence in me, I do think that Sherene was very nervous, as she was constantly double and triple checking to make sure everything was okay! But, on the day of the wedding, she was a completely different person. She was a relaxed, beautiful bride who simply put the details in the hands of the professionals. Sherene is really beautiful - and I admire her and Steve. They are so smart, and actually quite funny. I was glad to have met them. I do hope they invite me back to their wonderful home in Old Town ;-)


~kim

Labels: Bride, reviews

Well, this past Saturday was a LOT less stressful than the 1st wedding of the season. In fact, it couldn't have gone any better. Now of course, there were some small hiccups, but nothing like sprinklers going of in the ladies hotel room :-)

I must say, sometimes you get attached to your couples. I always interview with everyone in person - to make sure we are pretty compatible. But, I instantly clicked with my bride Beth and her mom Sylvia. Interestingly enough, I was referred to Beth's mom through one of my other MOB's (Mother of the Bride :-). The two moms have the same hair stylist. So, Sylvia actually made the first contact. I met with Beth, her mom Sylvia and her Maid of Honor Teisha for dinner. I loved them *instantly*. I came to love them more and more over the next 8 months.

Sylvia and I became very close. They hired me for basically month out coordination, with a bit of extra help with vendors. But, I always helped them when they had a question, or needed something. Sylvia would write me emails that were at least three pages long! And you know what? I didn't mind. Now, that doesn't mean that I want you to start writing me 3 page emails everyday! But, I just felt like her daughter, and she welcomed me with open arms. I have never felt so welcome by the parent's of the bride. You guys may not know this, but I used to play basketball at UConn (we won the Nat'l Championship in '95 :-). Beth's dad Don would always mess with me over email - he challenged me to a couple of one-on-one games!! But they also treated me with such respect, and dare I say love?!? ...

The wedding day turned out beautifully. I was worried about the weather initially - there were rain clouds hanging around, and there were some drops in the morning. But, miraculously, it all cleared. We started the wedding at EXACTLY 3:00 (not one minute late), and the Bridal Party was able to go down to get pictures downtown. They went to Senate Park (which is a block away from the Capital). I refused to let them go near the Tidal Basin! But you know what???!?! There were Cherry Blossoms there, so things worked out!!!!

The Reception was at Fort Belvoir. The view of the Potomac was stunning. Petal's Edge provided the flowers - which were AWESOME! Seriously, if you've never heard of Petal's Edge, you must be on crack..... Dennis Drenner was the photographer. I have never worked with him, but he was quite cool. He spends 1/2 of his time in South America doing fashion shoots and such. He also works for the Washington Post. I can't wait to see the pics. And I have to give a shout out to one of my *favorite* people - Neil over at Blue Sky. His assistant Anwar was pretty cool too :-). Now, I am a married woman, but I do adore Neil ;-).... Melissa from Capitol Chocolate Fountains was there, and it was SO yummy! I get to work with her next week too! Finally, I have to give the biggest shout-out to their DJ - Jeff Hulbert (out of Bialek's). I've never worked with him before. This is a free vendor referral to all of you guys: If you want someone that knows how to get the party started (and keep it going), you NEED to hire Jeff. I got distracted every once in a while because their guests kept pulling me onto the dance floor! He played AWESOME music. Also, we had a big issue with the Gobo (the monogram that was being projected on the floor), It got bent, and I thought it was done for; Well, Jeff got it back in perfect position, and saved the day.

Beth is a wonderful woman, and her husband Fred was also very cool to me. All of their guests were so cool, and they stayed on the dance floor all night! Sylvia and Don were one of my most favorite Mom and Dad combos EVER!! They are such wonderful people, and they were so good to their daughter.

I tell you, I am almost sad that this wedding is over. I don't have much of a reason to contact Beth and Sylvia on a daily basis anymore... But, I sure hope they invite me to any housewarmings, baby showers and birthday parties, 'cause I'll be there :-)

~kim

Labels: Bride, reviews

Well, Serendipity has officially kicked off the 2006 Season. We had one of our cutest couples this past Saturday, but I must say, it was one of the wildest, craziest wedding days EVER.

I had planned on going straight to the Ceremony Site with my assistant 2 hours before the Ceremony, while my partner Angel headed to the Reception Site to be in charge of that setup. I left my house at 2:15pm, in anticipation of arriving at 3:00pm at the Ceremony Site. Well, I get a call at 2:20 from the Bride - she is FRANTIC. Let me tell you guys the story:

• The Sprinklers go off in the girls "Ready Room." And when I say go off, I mean GO OFF. The sprinklers started blasting water. I was told the paint was peeling off of the walls – that’s how hard the water was coming down. The Photographer (Evan Bishop), his assistant (Vincent) and the Videographer (Matt Buerhaus) where all there. Apparently, Evan immediately turns to get his equipment out of the water. He sees the THE DRESS as he is turning. He grabs it and RUNS to the ONLY corner of the room that isn't wet. You see, one sprinkler in the corner malfunctioned, and did not go off. Evan had a blanket over the bag the dress was in, and huddled in the corner! He was in the corner for at least 15 minutes! He was trapped!
• I want to give everyone a little heads up: Sprinklers in places like a hotel don't just release water; They release a FIRE RETARTENT material as well! As I was talking to Matt, he kept mentioning that he thought his clothes reeked, because this substance was all over him!
• 7 Firefighters came to the Room and there were trucks blocking the streets!
• I hear the Vincent got soaked while trying to help the girls get out with their dresses.
• They saved the Bride's dress, the Bride's shoes and the Bridesmaids dresses - everything else was under 3" of water.
• The Hotel did get them into another room, and the Makeup artist was able to get my Bride composed enough to get her face done!
• Miraculously, the dress, only had a little damage on the back - if you got up close, you could see some Black spots (from the fire retardant)
• It appears that Evan, Vincent and Matt SAVED the day. The Bride repeatedly said that those guys saved her wedding.
• Matt got almost EVERTYTHING on film. He says he's going to send it to Wild Weddings ;-)

As you can suspect, I was freaking out on the way to the Church - I completely went the wrong way! I was thinking of heading straight to the Hotel, but what could I do? I couldn't stop the sprinklers! I couldn't change anything?!? ... I called Evan and Matt - they were doing everything they could, so I needed to head to the Church to meet the Florist. I had to dive into my Emergency kit to find my new stick of deodorant - geez!

Well, I get to the Church and do my setup, and I call over to the Room every 10 minutes. The bridesmaids (and her Brides “man” – her cool guy friend) got my Bride focused, and they were able to get dressed. Her Bridal Party really stepped up to the plate and took control. They had planned to go downtown for pictures - but of course that went out the window.

Then we get to the Transportation. I had talked to the transportation company the day before the wedding, and confirmed everything. Well, the day of the wedding was a different story - the driver couldn't find her keys, and got lost on the way to 16th & S Street - that's not exactly the hardest place to find. Because of the driver (not the whole sprinkler thing :-), we started the wedding 22 minutes late. Thank goodness the Officiant moved pretty quickly - we took formal pictures, and got the Party over to the Reception Site - Top of the Town. I had to LEAD the limo from downtown to Top of the Town!! It’s a good thing I knew where I was going! But, my palms were sweating – I’ve never had a limo follow ME before!

We finally get over to the Reception; The Reception site looked impeccable - this was one area of the day which was fabulous. We were able to get back some time that we lost. My Bride and Groom were able to eat, and then just enjoy their guests. The day ended a lot better than it began :-)

I do have to give a major shout out to Evan of Bishop Photography, Matt of Buerhaus Design, Enrico & Henry over at Marco Polo Catering and all of the folks at Top of the Town. My Bride hired some great professionals – and it showed on Saturday :-)

~kim

Labels: Bride, reviews

I never posted about one of the best couples that I had. They were SO nice to me, and really treated me as a part of their family. Maria and Stan are one of my older couples - not in their 20's! .. I LOVED that, because they had a really refreshing take on the whole wedding thing. No favors, not a lot of fuss over flowers. But, they made sure the drinks flowed, and people had fun. It was SO fun! I remember dancing to "Let me clear my throat!" by DJ Kool with one of their good friends. He was PLASTERED!!! But it was SO fun!! They did not treat us like hired help, they just treated us like friends.


I really do adore them. Stan actually was not impressed with the whole "Coordinator" thing! I really had to win him over. With the help of Maria, we did! And, he's one of our biggest fans :-) .... They have two GREAT sons, who are really very cool.

You know, when you meet a very wonderful couple, you become a part of their life for a very short period of time. Leading up to the wedding, our couples will talk to us more than their best friends! And, what friends to have for a brief period of time..... They were married in March of 2005... Of all my couples so far, Maria and Stan are the ones I root for the most ;-)

Labels: Bride, reviews

Hello all!

Well, I have really fallen off the wagon with my blogging, but my first resolution is to update weekly! I will be posting a ton very soon - as I have many pics I want to show. We'll also be adding to the Gallery as well. And, I will update the calendar! We have been hired for many more weddings, and I'll update the Calendar so you guys will be in the loop ;-)

If you guys ever want to get my, just email me (use the email listed on the Contact page), or reply to any one of the blog entries.

Happy 2006!

~kim

Labels: Bride

Mareesa and Marlon had the pleasure of having their wedding on one of the hottest days of the year!!! It was so hot, and we had an outdoor wedding. But, the weather couldn't put a damper on the feel of the wedding - it was quite amazing and very classy. The wedding took place at the Meridian House - with the Ceremony being held in the Linden Garden.

I tell you, Mareesa reminded me of Billie Holiday with her sexy Monique Lhuillier dress and a Lily in her hair. Some of the fabric in her dress was used to wrap her beautiful bouquet. She also picked a beautiful Champagne color for her bridesmaids Vera Wang dresses.

Once the ceremony was over, the guests were able to FEAST! The theme was upscale Southern Cuisine. The menu consisted of Shrimp and Grits, Honey fried chicken and all the Chocolate M&M Martinis you could stand! They also had one of the best wedding cakes I've ever tasted (If there's any left, I usually sneak a piece :-) ... It was a double fudge chocolate concoction, with chocolate icing and green orchids as garnish.


Oh, I fogot to mention that Mareesa and Marlon did something that I LOVE - they went downtown to take pictures on the famous "U" Street Corridor - where the great Jazz legend Duke Ellington graced audiences with his presence. I LOVE candids with the couple in their wedding attire, in a setting that has nothing to do with weddings. I think those pictures are so gorgeous - worthy of a magazine :-)


Their photographer was one of my new favorites - Kathy Blanchard. It was really funny - Kathy had never worked with us before. But we had two weddings together - two weekends in a row! It's a good thing Kathy and her sister tolerated us! No just kidding, it was a pleasure working with Kathy - check out some of her other work on her website.

Labels: Bride, reviews

Well, they aren't really supermodels, but they should be. Our bride Jennie contacted us to tell us that her Engagement pictures were up. I love pictures, so I usually stop whatever I'm doing to take a look. Gosh, they are AMAZING! I emailed Jennie and told her (and I quote):

Damn - your man is HOT!! Good choice, girlfriend ;-)

I mean it, what a hottie. And she is so good looking herself. Can you imagine what Jennie and Tyler's kids will look like?!? ... They will pop out being Ralph Lauren models - HaHa!

Anyway, I immediately asked if I could post some of their pics to the blog, because they are stunning. The photographer is Greg Gibson. We haven't had the pleasure of working with him before, but I can't WAIT now! Look at the pictures and tell me what you think. Feel free to post comments on them. He's a Pulitzer Prize winner... Yes, you read that correctly - he is THE MAN......!!!!! Jennie and Tyler are marrying next Summer - I know their photos will definitely make it into our Gallery ;-)

My favorite pic is the one with Jennie kicking her heel up - that one is priceless. You can contact Greg on his website: Greg Gibson Photography

Labels: Bride, pictures

Hello there.... Well, I am up blogging after my WONDERFUL Greek wedding last night. Actually, I just came back from a hike in Great Falls, MD. My wedding ended at 11:00pm, I cleared out the couple's items by Midnight, I was in bed by 1am, and back up at 5am for a morning hike. It is a beautiful day today - but I think I must be crazy to be hiking after the long wedding we had yesterday! Once I take a shower, I think I'll crash ;-)

So, about the wedding. Without going into the gory details, let's just say there was a "lotta bit-a" drama going on... not just a little bit of drama, but a lotta bita drama! I won't blame anyone, but let me give you a couple of pieces of advice - hire a coordinator to deal with vendors that may cause you angst - believe me it's worth the money. Also, get *everything* in writing... that's all I'll say..... Several people / things made my bride frantic a few weeks before this wedding - for no reason. Instead of blissfully enjoying the weeks leading up to her wedding, unfortunately a lot of stress was thrown her way.

But, having said all of that, this was one of our BEST WEDDINGS EVER - HANDS DOWN. Lia and Ben know how to throw a party. They had a traditional ceremony at Saint Sophia's Greek Orthodox Cathedral, in Washington DC. If you have never been to a traditional Ceremony, you're missing out. It's steeped in tradition, and *very* meaningful. The Ceremony yesterday was much like it was 1000 years ago. And, Father John is a hoot - lemme tell you, he likes things done HIS way. He's been there for about 48 years, and he runs that place like a well-oiled machine - and I don't think he much cares for Coordinators ;-) ... But, by the end of the wedding, he told me that he'd marry me if he wasn't already spoken for (He's been married to his wife Harriett for more than 40 years? I may be off on that, it may be many more - but they are a great couple!). He gave me hugs and kisses, and told me that we did a great job! That was a big compliment coming from him! I plan to attend a service soon, just to get a great big hug and kiss from Father John!

Lia looked amazing in a silk number with a plunging neckline - *very* sexy... I dunno who the designer was, but I'll find out... It's one of those dresses that make you look like a woman - you know, the way Marilyn Monroe always looked gorgeous in any dress she wore.. Lia looked GOOD........ Lia and Ben's reception was at the Meridian - and it was GORGEOUS!!! The house looked so beautiful. Her color scheme was pink and chocolate brown... Gorgeous... We had a traditional Greek Bouzouki band for the cocktail hour and dinner...

.........so, we're EXACTLY on schedule and the guests are enjoying the band. Lia had family and friends all the way from Greece, and they put on a show - they danced and laughed to the Bouzouki band, and all was wonderful. I must say, it's those moments that remind you what a wedding is about - family, enjoying food, music and each other. They were doing traditional dances and clapping and laughing. And then - "HOPA"!!!!! (I hope I spelled that right) There are plates smashing on the floor! I tell you, it was crazy!! They were laughing, dancing, and did NOT want to be disturbed! So, here was my dilemma, I had a schedule to keep, but they wanted to enjoy the moment; I was stuck... Should I be the big bad Coordinator who has to stick to the schedule, or let the guests enjoy themselves?!?!? ...

..............Well, let's just say our reception was thrown off by an hour ;-) ... This is when you have to step back as a Coordinator - weddings take on a life of their own; Who was I to disrupt that?!!?! We finally got everyone in for dinner, and moved on to the party - well, the second party! Lia and Ben hired an American band (Johnny Artis Band) to perform for the Reception. They were really great. We went from breaking plates while listening to Greek music, to hearing covers of Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder. It was great! They were so good, my guests didn't want to leave at 11!!!! I had to make the band stop playing! (The Meridian neighbors get very ticked off if music is going after 11). The party didn't stop there, they continued at the hotel until the wee hours of the morning! So, I gotta tell you, I had so much fun coordinating this wedding. The family made me feel like I was one of them, and they had FUN. I do think I was Greek in my former life - I got the "kissing on two cheeks" thing down pat! Gosh, I wish all weddings are as wonderful as this one. The photographer was Michelle Frankfurter (who I *love*, by the way). As soon as the pics are out, I'll post some :-)

~kim

Labels: Bride

Aline is a Guidance Counselor and it shows - she is *very* reserved and *very* measured in most things that she says. But, the atmosphere of the wedding was able to crack her reserved posture - AFTER the Ceremony! She appeared a bit nervous to get married, but once she said 'I Do', she was SO MUCH FUN!!!

Both families were such a blast to be around. I had so much fun dancing with the Nick's (the Bride and Groom both have brother's named Nick - go figure :-), and getting to know Steve and Aline. Steve's mother is also the LIFE OF THE PARTY!!! They are a cute couple, and they really threw a great party. They had the *best* candy buffet ever! My staff had to guard the candy buffet until after dinner - her guests wanted to attack it as soon as they entered the reception site!

Steve and Aline's photographer was the very cool Erik Annis over at Erik Annis Photography.

Labels: Bride, reviews

Wow, this was an interesting one at Ft. McNair! The bride was Hawaiian, and definitely had her own sense of style. The ceremony was on the outdoor lawn, right in front of the Potomac River. They really weren't very traditional at all, in fact. Instead of the normal wedding cake, they actually had an ice cream sundae bar! It was very cool. Kelli also had a pretty good sense of humor. In the program, they created a list of FAQ; Among them:

Q: Why isn't Kelli changing her last name?
A: Why should she? Michael isn't changing his :-)

Kinda cool, eh? .... The photographer for this wedding was Michael Temchine.

Labels: Bride, reviews

Ahh - Jess & Mike: "Our peeps" as we like to call them :-) ... They were so cool and so funny, and made us feel like we were old friends, not coordinators. Jess and Mike Turicchi married at Whitehall Manor on June 10th. The gorgeous 18th Century estate was the perfect backdrop for the casual couple. Jess made her entrance to the Ceremony in a classic Caddy driven by her dad. The photographers for this event were Raf Suanes and Carlos Suanes of RCS Photography

Labels: Bride, reviews

Congratulations to Lisa and Tyler Skowrup! They were married July 9th at Woodend Mansion. The couple are actually based in Santa Monica, CA, but came back to the DC area to be married.






Lisa is a buyer for a major fashion label, and her style showed through in her intricate lace gown. The couple threw a great party, including cupcakes in lieu of a traditional wedding cake. This is the couple I referred to in my first blog entry. We really enjoyed working with Lisa and Tyler!

The photographer for this wedding was the talented Joseph Beatty.

Labels: Bride, reviews

Paul and Kristin were one of our cutest couples. They celebrated their wedding at the Atrium at Meadowlark Gardens in Vienna. It was a perfect day for their Sunday afternoon wedding. Kristin had just started a new job, and didn't even have the next day off after her wedding! We did love them though; Paul was so pleased with us, that he gave us a bottle of their good wine as a thank you ;-) Their photographer was the very pleasant Steve Whysall

~kim

Labels: Bride, reviews

Cortney and Scott had one of the most unique weddings we've had the pleasure of Coordinating on June 18th. The Ceremony was held at the DC War Memorial - which sits between the WWII Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial.

The backdrop couldn't have been better. There are some additional pictures of the couple's wedding in our Gallery. We had met with Scott and Cortney several times before the wedding, but this was the first time we ever saw her hair down - it is GORGEOUS!
The Reception took place on the Odyssey Cruise Boat. Guests enjoyed the sounds of Chaine Link Band, one of the best bands I have heard in a while :-) The photographer for this wedding was the very talented Bill Crandell for the Wedding Bureau.

Labels: Bride, reviews

Congratulations to Laura Rehrmann and Patrick Ross. They were married on October 2nd at Woodend Mansion. The weather couldn't have been more perfect for the Noon wedding. Laura and Patrick were one of our most laid back and carefree couples. They hired very good vendors, and the day went smoothly. Well, almost everything - we did have bees attacking our poor bartender! But, we had some bug spray in the Emergency kit, and all's well that ends well :-) The photographer for this wedding was the talented Heather Martin Morrissey.

Labels: Bride, reviews

I think for my first blog entry, I’ll talk about a recent coordination I did for a couple currently based in California. The wedding took place at Woodend in Chevy Chase, Md. and it was amazing. The bride wore a form fitting, lace strapless gown, which accented her hourglass figure amazingly well. The Groom wore a beige 3-button summer suit with a perfectly accented tie. As I sat listening to the Ceremony, I thought to myself – this is one of the most perfect weddings I’ve had the pleasure of being involved with. The Bride and Groom had their own sense of style, and it showed in every aspect of the wedding. The natural wooded surroundings; the cupcake tree in lieu of a traditional cake; the family photos that adorned the mantle; the photo guestbook that allowed guests to take Polaroid pictures of themselves! The wedding exuded a sense of style! and class, while maintaining Lisa and Tyler’s imprint.


All weddings should be like this wedding. The wedding should have your stamp all over it. People go to weddings all the time; but they will only go to your wedding once. Make sure you covey your spirit and your sense of style. Make sure the guests feel like they have shared the special day with you as an insider. And make sure that you have someone else like me worrying about the details. The couple couldn’t care less about cuing the musicians, or making sure guests approached the buffet in an orderly fashion. The couple didn’t have time to check on the transportation! or make sure the lemonade was poured for guests to enjoy. What they did have time for was each other. They had time to relax, enjoy their guests and soak in the moment. You may have a lot of say so in the planning of your wedding. But when your day arrives, take a cue from my couple – Let someone else worry about the details, while you enjoy the fruits of your labor.

Labels: Bride, reviews