for the boys: the do's and don'ts of formalwear

i came across a vintage GQ magazine recently and thought this was worthy of being passed along...

1.  do buy a tuxedo.  shelling out $100 for a sad-sack rental each time you attend a black tie event makes no sense.
2. don't buy a three-button tux.  stick with the classics: a one- or two-button model will never go out of style.
3. do wear a shirt with a conventional, straight lay-down collar.  and make sure it has french cuffs.
4. don't ever wear a banded collar (those priestlike ones favored by country singers and nfl players).  ever.
5. do learn how to tie a bow tie. (refer to our previous post on this.)
6. don't ever buy one of those matching, patterned cummerbund-and-bow-tie sets.
7. do wear a black bow tie or straight tie.  and skip the cummerbund - you'll achieve a cleaner, more modern look without one.
8. don't stress out over finding cool studs.  a well-made formalwear shirt will have nice, sturdy buttons.  or avoid the issue of the bejeweled button substitutes altogether and go with one of those hidden-button placket-front shirts.
9. do wear a peak-lapel tux jacket if you insist on wearing a wing-collar shirt.  and make sure the wings are tucked behind your bow tie, not peeking out above it.
10. don't muck it up.  keep the outfit simple and keep it black and white.  the cleaner the better.

vintage vineyard vows: jenn and cody

one of my favorite weddings of 2010...  jenn and cody worked on their wedding for a long time, trying to find the perfect blend of vintage and modern, and jenn left no detail untouched in the DIY department!  this bride made cookie bags, and programs, and burlap table numbers.  she scoured etsy for hair accessories and cake toppers and pennant banners.  and the cookies...this pittsburgh native had a cookie table covered with cookies all made by the mothers of the bride and groom.  we had tons of fun putting together this vintage design and it really paid off in the end!

many thanks to the wonderful vendors who helped make this wedding perfect:
flowers: pat's floral design
photography: simply bloom photography
venue: veritas vineyard & winery
cake: favorite cakes

rsvp wins another bride's choice award

RSVP EVENT PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT WINS WEDDINGWIRE BRIDE'S CHOICE AWARD FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN ROW

Washington, DC – February 4, 2011 - WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, is thrilled to announce that RSVP Event Planning and Management has been selected to receive the prestigious annual WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 for Wedding Planning!
Recognition for the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011 is determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 750,000 WeddingWire newlyweds. Our past clients are among those that shared their experiences on WeddingWire, the largest wedding review site in the nation.

RSVP Event Planning and Management stands among the top five percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire community, representing quality and service excellence within the wedding industry. Awards were given to the top wedding professionals across 20 service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers, and were based on the overall professional achievements throughout the past year.

“WeddingWire is honored to celebrate the success of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire community,” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “With the annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program, WeddingWire has the unique opportunity to recognize the best wedding professionals across the US and Canada. We applaud RSVP Event Planning and Management for their professionalism and dedication to enhancing the wedding planning experience last year.”

We are happy to announce that RSVP Event Planning and Management is among the very best in Wedding Planning within the WeddingWire Network, which includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Project Wedding and Weddingbee. We would like to thank our past clients for nominating us to receive the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011.

For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront today at www.weddingwire.com/rsvpeventplanningandmanagement.

For more information on the Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2011, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

About WeddingWire, Inc.

WeddingWire.com, the nation's leading technology company serving the $70 billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 local wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives local businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. Businesses that join the WeddingWire Network appear on WeddingWire.com and other leading sites, including MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), ProjectWedding.com and Weddingbee.com (both part of eHarmony), and Celebrations.com (part of the 1-800-Flowers family of brands, NASDAQ: FLWS).

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christina + josef

this bride was a diy queen!  she made almost everything for this wedding, including cake flags, the invitations, and even toys for the kiddies.  it all came together on a perfect-wedding-weather weekend in october first at christ church in alexandria for the ceremony, and then at the westin alexandria for the reception, topped off with a lion dance!

thanks to all the vendors who helped put this together:
photography: roman grinev
venue: westin alexandria
flowers: brookhill florist
dj: mike blaufeld

cake pops are the new cupcake!

if you don't know who bakerella is, she's the queen of the cake pop. 

you can become a cake pop queen too by following the recipes in her new book!  and you can win a free copy by entering the giveaway contest at the bridal gown blog.  act fast though!  there's only one day left to win. 

a sneak peek...

...from this weekend's wedding, courtesy of simply bloom photography in alabama.  definitely one of my favorite weddings so far!

vineyard vows at veritas

memorial day weekend 2010 was unseasonaly warm, but that did not keep guests away from emma and justin's delightful wedding weekend in charlottesville! 

emma and i have been friends for several years, so this was a really fun wedding for me.  wedding guests flew in from australia and england, and the brits did not disappoint - emma's mum and aunts donned spectacular headpieces!  the vineyard did, however, have to pony up some real tea, not the american stuff they're used to serving!

beautiful green and purple flowers accented the ballroom, and lavender lighting lit up the room and made the decor pop, while guests dined on divine food and sampled the various wines from the vineyard.  a late night donut truck even made an appearance and served up hot fresh apple cider donuts on the lawn.  these were a big hit!thanks for including me in the big day, you guys!

venue: veritas vineyard

photography: greg gibson

flowers: pat's floral design

cake: cakes unlimited

donuts: carpe donut