Wordless Wednesday: Asmara & Kenn

Asmara and Kenn were wed in ceremony which combined African-American and Eritrean traditions.
Picture taken by celebrated D.C. photographer Harlee Little (19??-2009)

Home is Where The Heart Is

- by Lisa

Each wedding venue presents its own unique and non-unique styles, advantages and disadvantages. Home weddings are different. Home weddings not only allow for the complete customization of the ceremony and /or reception, but they provide a venue rich in personal history and memories. We love planning home weddings because we can utilize the history and experiences to create an event that you will never forget.
We do a fair amount of home weddings. They are wonderful to plan and witness, but they present different challenges than a more established traditional site. Here are a few things to think about as you think about planning a home wedding…

1. Site fee – There is not a site fee, per se, but you do not get what you would at an established with a site fee. For example, landscaping. Does this simply mean mowing the lawn, or would you have to do more? If you start far enough in advance, you can plant trees and shrubs that will be more established on your wedding day. On short notice, if you are getting married in the spring, plan many tulips and daffodils in the fall. They are relatively inexpensive; they are gorgeous and abundant…even on the first flowering. In the fall, mums are the choice. They look great in numbers, you can buy them already flowering and you can get them anywhere. Marrying in the summer, and planning a year in advance? Hydrangeas are nice, and have nice deep green foliage. Whatever you choose, manicured trees and shrubs are great choices. Also, do not forget to treat for mosquitoes and ticks. IF you have enough time, make sure you do a few lawn treatments so that you grass is in great condition.
2. Weather – Unfortunately, as much as I would like to say that I do, I do not control the weather. Just like any outdoor affair, you have to be very comfortable with this variable. Make sure to plan appropriately, and be comfortable with your plan B.
3. Rentals – A tent is an absolute essential. You want to protect your guests from the elements, and is essential for a rain plan. If you have your heart set on an un-tented affair, talk to rental companies about reserving a tent (make It your plan B). Is your ceremony/reception close to the house? Does your house have enough electricity for the band/dj, tent lighting, caterers and bathrooms, or do you need a generator? What about water? Are you going to run the water line off the house or do you need an external water supply?
4. Facilities – A necessary evil. Make sure to budget for port-o-potties. They have very nice trailers available. I would not take the chance that the plumbing in the house will hold up.
Here are just some of the items that you need to think about. There are others, but this will give you a good starting off point. Before you start planning, make sure you invite a caterer, tent company and event planner out to your home. Good people with experience can give you a good idea of what you can and cannot do with your space.
Best of luck!

Friday Flashback: Veiled Bridesmaids

We're starting to think today's bridemaids have it easy. Well... when it comes to wardrobe, anyway. Even if they don't like the dresses or shoes, at least they don't have to contend with a veil. A veil for bridesmaids? Apparently, it was commonplace not too long ago.

Take a look at this picture, pointed out by GlobetrottingBride .



And here's a Bruce Davidson photograph of bridesmaids at a wedding in Harlem in 1962.

Wedding Budgeting: Middle of the Road

- by Lisa R. Nelson
ElegantEventDesign.com

I spent the last blog speaking about lower budget weddings. I do not want to ignore medium to high budgets because these couples face challenges as well. 99% of my clients are in this range – the infamous middle. The budget is large enough to splurge on a few things, but not large enough to go all out on everything. Choices have to be made. If you fall into this group, I have one word for you: prioritize.
One problem that sometimes crops up is that small-but-important issues can be overlooked until it's too late. I will give a few examples…

A couple decides to get married at her childhood church and have her reception at a chic hotel inside a large city. They have considered all of the fun stuff; such as, site fees, rentals, food, flowers, lighting and the like. What haven’t they considered? Where are her guests going to park? In larger cities, often times it’s meter parking on the streets – even on a Saturday night. Sometimes it’s very pricy garage parking at the hotel, or less expensive (if you are lucky) garage parking 2-3 blocks down from the venue. By the time the couple realizes the problem, they do not have money in the budget to provide transportation, pay for valet, or pay for parking spaces. So, in the end, the couple has a very nice wedding, but their guests have to navigate foreign streets, pay for a pricy parking spots, walk a few blocks, or park on the street and worry about getting towed.

Another sometimes overlooked area is the bar. Do what you can do for your budget and leave it at that. A few hours without alcohol is not going to kill anyone (at least I hope not!). I am not advocating that you have to offer a high end liquor bar, or no liquor at all; but if you offer it, then you should pay for it.

When you start planning, make sure that you ask the right questions. A beautiful venue is important, no doubt, but it’s not the only aspect of a successful event. Make sure to budget for food, bar, transport/parking, wait staff, tips, service fees, tax, linens, tables, chairs, etc – and then decide if this is something that you can/want to do. This way, you will have a complete picture – there will be no surprises, and you can make your choices accordingly.
I know it’s hard to make these decisions because you might want everything. It’s also easy for someone to come in and say – you should do this or you should do that. That’s where prioritizing comes in. Only you can determine what’s most important. After determining how much the chic hotel is going to cost, maybe you would opt for another site so that you could have your name displayed on your dance floor. Or, maybe you decide go with the chic hotel, but decide to downsize the bar. No matter what choices you make, your guests should never be prioritized last.

Shoe of the Moment: The Ceci Air Rose

Not to jump on the bandwagon... but this Cole Haan-designed number is getting a lot of ink (and cyber ink) from wedding-watchers this month, partly because it wasn't created to be a bridal shoe. The Ceci Air Rose just happens to be what many Spring/Summer brides-to-be are looking for - something modern, sleek, and a tad girly. It's a delicate satin slingback with rosettes on a 4 inch heel with a Nike Air sole.



Available at Nordstrom and Neiman Marcus. 428 buckaroos.

Rihanna & Chris Brown Back Together?

That's been the word all weekend from the blogosphere. Now Rolling Stone, iVillage and E-Online are confirming that the pair is working on reconciling at P-Diddy's house in Miami. Assuming it's all true, what do we think about this given the allegations?