June 27, 2009
We’ll have some more gorgeous goodness from Maneli & Tim’s fantastic wedding held at her parents’ spacious home next week when we blog more about it, but in the meantime we hope you enjoy this sneak peek of just a few of our favorites. Enjoy, and have a fantastic weekend!
June 26, 2009
Finding a few more fabulous Green finds on our Fab Finds {009} got me excited to find some more for this week. Hope you enjoy and let us know what you think!
Ideas We Love – Eco-Friendly Honeymoons
This great idea comes courtesy of Brides.com blog, Wedded Bits (fun name!) for couples who are looking to be more eco-conscious on their honeymoon trip and who wouldn’t want to do that? 
Courtesy Brides.com
Burning fossil fuel is unavoidable if you want a tropical wedding or honeymoon, but you don’t have to give up on the green lifestyle entirely. There are many new resorts that have taken earth-consciousness way past the point of asking guests to sleep on the same sheets for a few days. Tammy Levent, CEO of Elite Travel, shares some tips on how to have your cake, and help the planet too.
Many properties are billing themselves as “green” and it can be hard to distinguish the truly eco-friendly resorts from the ones that are mostly talk. Look for resorts that state specific and verifiable eco-efforts, like these: Calibishie Cove in Dominica has only four suites, all overlooking the ocean. Hot water is provided through solar power and the suites are designed to make the most of natural breezes and sunlight. Food and activities are not included in the price, but the staff can point you in the direction of the best nearby restaurants and local fruit vendors, and you can easily book independent tours. Rooms start at $120/night from June through November, and $135/night from December through May.
Aqua, a new resort opening soon in Nicaragua, has treetop villas made from sustainable hardwoods that are elevated to reduce the footprint on the forest floor. This means that you get to enjoy the same spectacular views of the coastline as the native monkeys—when you’re not cooling your feet in the surf with the flamingos. Aqua offers many nature-based activities as well as classes in organic gardening and earth-friendly eating habits. Aqua is so new that resort prices have yet to be set.
The Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort on Vanua Levu island in Fiji has won numerous awards for its environmental activities, like starting the island’s first recycling program and its innovative wastewater system that uses coconuts and recycled bottles to ensure clean water in the lagoons. The resort keeps a marine biologist on staff who gives lectures on the local flora and fauna. Don’t miss the Saturday morning trips to the farmers market, Fijian language classes, and lessons in Fijian basket weaving. All activities, meals and non-alcoholic drinks are included with the price. Rooms for two start at $669/night. —Tammy Levent
InStyle Weddings found another eco-honeymoon destination for us!
Courtesy InStyle Weddings
When you think of luxurious honeymoon destinations, Fiji, the Maldives and Turks & Caicos probably come to mind. But what about the Bahamas? Yes, you can add that to the list, too, thanks to the Tiamo Resort (tiamoresort.com) on South Andros Island.
Nestled among coconut palms and sea grape trees, the property is comprised of 11 gorgeous beachfront bugalows that have king size beds, open-air showers, wrap-around porches, and morning coffee delivery. Unsurprisingly, water activities abound at Tiamo—the resort offers you use of their kayaks, sailboats and snorkeling equipment. Explorers can also take guided ecological trips under water or on land. The lodge, the main hub of Tiamo, serves up delicious daily meals including dinner served on white linens by candlelight.
As if that weren’t enough, Tiamo is also eco-friendly! Tiamo is the first full service resort utilizing 100% alternative energy for its electrical needs, including a commercial kitchen. And, all the hot water used by the resort is created by thermal hot water heaters—no electricity or gas is used.
So maybe Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon knew something we didn’t when they eloped in the Bahamas, but now, the secret is out! —Jeanine Edwards, Associate Editor
Links We Love – WedVert
The Martha Stewart approved WedVert has a funny name, but is truly “the modern bride’s guide to green wedding” and as promised, they uncover expected and some not-so-expected green ideas.
We love these reclaimed barn wood table numbers from a green wedding that our lovely friend Tina Carter photographed!
Photo by Kristina Carter via WedVert
Or how about this unique, eco-friendly idea. A Charleston couple had themselves (and their guests!) transported from the church to the reception via pedicabs! Of course you wouldn’t want too much distance between the two locations, but how fun for the two of you to be able to wave to people on the street as they shout their congratulations to you! (Bill and I took a ride around the French Quarter in a horse-drawn carriage after our New Orleans wedding and it’s something we will never forget. So much fun!)
Photo by Charles Bordner via WedVert
While we don’t personally have any experience with these companies, we found a few DC based pedicab companies you may want to check out. DC Pedicab offers pedicabs adorned with Just Married signs for you and your new spouse and National Pedicab maintain a large fleet of state of the art pedicabs. What a memorable way to celebrate your memorable day!
Be sure to check out WedVert for more easy, fun and affordable ways to green your wedding!
Oh and if you missed it, be sure to check out FAB Finds {005} for a ton more unique and fabulous Green finds!
June 22, 2009
Happy Monday, everyone! We’re thrilled to announce that Washingtonian’s Bride and Groom magazine has just hit the stands. One of our wonderful couples, Joan and Ben, who just recently celebrated their one-year anniversary, were featured in its pages along with details by the talented Vicky Choi and Helen Olivia flowers. You can check it out at all major newsstands and bookstores in the region, and it contains a host of other valuable and interesting articles on wedding planning. Enjoy!
June 21, 2009
Another year’s anniversary for one of our couples today! Today is Liz and Scott’s one year anniversary following their outdoor ceremony in Long Island last summer. It was stunning beauty for their guests to view the couple with a river in front of them and a stunning historic mansion behind. We had met Liz some years prior when she shot video for one of our joint clients Allison & Tim back in 2004, and it was so much fun returning to meet Scott and celebrate their wedding with them. Here are a few of their favorite images from their wedding.
Liz’s favorites:
Scott’s favorites:
Their joint favorites:
June 19, 2009
Alright you lucky kids. We interrupt our regular Friday’s FAB Finds feature this week to bring you another gorgeous and fun wedding! Hopefully you won’t mind too much and fab finds will return in all it’s fabulous glory next week! ;-D
We’re thrilled to share with you a few of our favorite images from Diana and Rob’s recent wedding celebration. The happy couple braved the crowds and traffic for Rolling Thunder to host their ceremony and reception in downtown DC. They had wanted to take advantage of iconic DC, so of course we headed first to Lafayette Park by the White House, then south to Constitution Avenue to get some great portraits with them and some of the bikers who were in town for the Rolling Thunder parade. It was such fun and they (Diana and Rob and their wedding party, as well as the bikers!) were up for anything, and it seemed especially apropos that Diana wore her hair down that day, looking beautiful and radiant. We returned afterwards to the stunning Sixth and I Synagogue for a few family photos and to prepare for their Ketubah signing. The document itself was colored so warmly and was just beautiful. Ketubah signing is always a favorite part of any Jewish wedding for us as immediate family and close friends are present to bless the marriage and there’s often animated singing involved.
After their ceremony, during which they wrote their own sweet and funny vows much to the delight of their guests, we all headed a few short blocks away to the spacious and equally stunning National Museum for Women in the Arts to enjoy their cocktail on the third floor of the museum, where the main gallery is located. While catering staff from the ever-delicious Design Cuisine passed unique hors d’ouveurs, technicians in the ballroom put on the finishing touches on lighting and table decor. Diana had made special postcard photos in thick glass frames and named each table after places special to her and Rob, whether it be a place they went on vacation, or a town where one of them had lived. As guests descended the grand staircase, the band Spectrum practically forbade guests to sit, encouraging all, including Diana and Rob, to join them on the dance floor for twenty minutes, just to get the party started and to set the mood for the evening. It was such an emotional evening for everyone, and the couple had further made the celebration their own by then having two dear friends perform “The Luckiest” for their first dance song–one on piano while the other sang while guests sat at rapt attention.
Just before dinner, it was time for their horah dance, which they relished as their friends and families danced in concentric circles around them before hoisting them high up into the air. Guests who were eating dinner upstairs had a cool birds-eye view and were able to watch the whole thing “safely” from the mezzanine. Diana’s maids of honor gave a rousing and funny toast to the couple, followed by Rob’s best man interview-style toast, asking the couple questions about their courtship and adding details of his own about them. Things just really came together that evening, thanks in large part to Diana’s dad’s, as well as Patti Weiner, who planned for the festivities in the months leading up to the wedding while Diana finished up law school (and who is currently studying for her bar exam). After everyone danced some more (and it seemed like just about everyone present at the wedding was on the dance floor!), Patti’s crew laid out a wide selection of yummy cupcakes, in lieu of a traditional cake, from the famous Georgetown Cupcakes for those who wanted a snack, while Design Cuisine passed tiny root beer floats and toasted marshmallows on a stick. The desserts and dancing continued until people just couldn’t move anymore and capped the perfect ending to a wonderful wedding. We were so thrilled to have been there to document it all. Thank you, Diana and Rob, for having us out! You were an absolute delight and we are so happy for you both as you embark on this new adventure in your lives!
Diana seeing Rob waiting for her near the altar at the start of their ceremony before her parents joined her to walk down the aisle together.
We *love* Sixth & I – how could you not!?
Their vows were so touching.
Arriving at the museum for a few more portraits before joining their cocktail hour.
Is that an exercise ball?? Love the guests watching all the craziness from above!
And last but not least, a little eye candy from the day.
