Halloween Decorating Contest

Our office had a Halloween decorating contest, splitting the office into "neighborhoods." The winning neighborhood was the "Parking Lot" (aka the group of cubicles in which sits yours truly). We put this together in about 2 days. My coworker and I even came in early Friday morning to ensure our success (after carving pumpkins with another one of our group during our lunch break on the balcony outside the office. This balcony is also right outside our main conference room. We were so glad the Executive Vice President of association was inside the conference room for a meeting with the other VP's to witness us carve the pumpkins (note the sarcasm). We were on our lunch break!

Our handiwork:

The artists:

Happy Halloween!

(I stayed in because I had to work at 6AM at the National Mall, so I read Twilight.)

PS - I borrowed the "tree" idea from Ingrid's Halloween Flat party in London last year. Mine was made of Whole Foods and Trader Joe's paper bags.

Engagement Photo Follow-up

Photo Credit

It was awesome. After much deliberation on the outfits (I went through 3 different tops, 3 different pairs of jeans, 2 different skirts, one dress, one dress, and a partridge and a pear tree). Think of all the permutations of outfits that produced. Thank you to all my friends for their advice and insight - and thank you to Gridlet - my beloved maid of honor - for her constant attention, support, and patience. . . all the way from London.

The weather: gorgeous. Fiance: A.MA.ZING. Seriously. He was so patient and such a good sport about everything. Rob told him to look at him, he looked and smiled. Rob told him to stand over there, he trotted and waited. Rob told him to pick me up, he heaved. Of course, I think he hid behind me during many of the pictures, using his affection for me as a convenient excuse to press his head against my ear, but I didn't mind.

Tips and takeaways for couples about to take their engagement pictures:

Do have an idea of what kind of mood and shots you want to take - close up, far away, walking away, silhouettes, portrait facing the camera vs. artsy.

Do dress up a little - it just makes it special. Rob told us "Dress like you're going on a second date with each other."

Do wear something that complements your skin tones and eyes. I was very hesitant to wear black because I'd been told that black doesn't always photograph well, but Rob said that because it was a great contrast to Mr. Sweetpea's white button-up shirt. Both of our hair is also very dark brown / black and, as Rob said, he was "able to get the light to shine through" and highlight our hair and frame us in an awesome way.

Do talk to each other while the photographer is shooting. We were able to ignore everyone and just be ourselves in our own little world. It was really neat, actually, because all these tourists were mingling and strolling around, and we were just us. In fact, Rob told us that during one of our sessions, this little old man could not stop taking pictures of us because he thought we were famous!

Do research your venue! We were stopped by the little ranger at least 2 times to make sure we were in the allowed areas and that we had our park permit. Seriously, it was annoying because we were just like everyone else with their cameras -- only we had a flash diffuser (whatever that silver disc was), a mini-ladder, and 2 bags of camera equipment.

Don't be inflexible. It got a little cold in the last hour, so I just threw on my jacket, ran around in between shots, and forgot about the rest. Just go with it.

Don't be late. We ran in to a bit of traffic on the way to the Memorial - typical DC. But we were ahead of schedule a little bit, so that still gave us plenty of sun light.

Don't ignore your photographer. Get to know him/her (especially if they're doing your wedding). This is a practice session, so find out who they are and develop your relationship with them. We found out Rob went to school in Ithaca - oh so close to Colgate!

Venue Report: Newseum

I was lucky enough to attend not 1 but 2 receptions at the Newseum last week with my wonderful friend and former boss. The food, catered by Wolfgang Puck's The Source was delicious - despite it being "catered" but of course! It's Wolfgang Puck! In addition to the wonderful tastes we sampled, we were privy to the spectacular view from a balcony reception room.


The {breathtaking} capitol building at night:
The balcony - imagine how pretty she'd clean up with some flowers, candles, and linens:
The adorably delicious dessert lollipops (stuck in sugar, not sand):

I'm not the first (and I'm sure I won't be the last) person to blog about the Newseum as a possible reception space, but that view is definitely hard to beat! Reporters, journalists, newshounds, take note! Good food and good views.

Engagement Photo Panic

For the past two weeks I've been somewhat anxious about our engagement photo session becaus, naturally, I think I haven't a thing to wear. Not that I don't like any of my clothes our outfits. That's far from the case. I love them. They just don't photograph well. The cute pants don't go with the top, it's not formal enough, etc. etc.

Then, our photographer emailed me this morning saying it's supposed to rain on Sunday and asked if I wanted to reschedule. I started to think about it further, and I realized the Marine Corps Marathon is also on Sunday. . . and the memorial is smack dab in the middle of the course. According to godc.com, the road closures will end around 12:30 for the area around the Memorial, but now I'm worried about all the signage and rubbish left over from the run. But we also already paid for the park permit and the location fee ($100 total) so I'm not sure if we have the luxury of rescheduling.

And I thought an outfit was my biggest concern. Before, it seemed harder to find than a wedding dress!!

Our beloved Keswick

I think I love our venue *almost* as much as I love my dress which is *almost* as much as I love Sig. Keswick (just kidding!). This weekend, I was excited to read the Washingtonian include it in a recent article of theirs: Grape Adventures: The Best Vineyards in Virginia and Maryland.

Why do I love Keswick so much? It's gorgeous without being over the top. As my mother said it, "It's stately." But one of the most important things about it: It doesn't require we have a tent if we have more than 100 guests. It has a wonderful patio outside its ballrooms (accessed through several french doors) that overlooks their award winning golf course BUT in the instance of inclement weather, the doors can be closed and you won't even know that it's raining cats and dogs. It was really important for us to have the ability to welcome the out of doors - fresh air - natural scenery - into our wedding reception WITHOUT having to pay $4000 for a tent (money that could be well-spent on reception food). Plus, I didn't want to have it in a hotel (as I used to spend lengthy spans of time inside a hotel without any fresh air for days at a time in my old job) with padded walls and someone's bar mitvah next door next to and someone else's family reunion. Not that I have anything against people who have their weddings in hotels, I just wanted something more natural feeling for our wedding. And luckily, we were able to keep the guest list down (we hope) so that Keswick can fit all our guests.

The view from the veranda: The view when you arrive:

I can't wait for everyone to see it and for our lovely picture taking sessions there. :) And I love that we were able to get it after falling in love with it so long ago...in March.

Virginia Apple Picking & Wine Tasting

This weekend Mr. Sweet Pea and I ventured to Markham, Virginia (after battling an hour of traffic) and an additional hour of normal driving to visit Stribling Orchard and Philip Carter Winery (formerly known as Stillhouse Vineyards).

Unfortunately, by the time (in the season) we arrived, most of the good apples had already been picked, leaving behind the less desirable, brown-spotted, not-delicious apples on the trees. There were plenty of people picking apples, but what they were picking, we know not. We couldn't find ANY! But we had time for a photo-op. (I'm actualy sitting on a branch in the tree and the camera was positioned on the stump of a branch of the same tree. It was the perfect little tripod, I tell you. Thank you self-timers.)

Mr. Sweet Pea was also able to take a couple landscape shots, too. Fall in Virginia is beautiful -- I love this state!

Afterward we ventured to Philip Carter Winery for a short tasting as they were celebrating their 2008 harvest with pony and carriage rides and live music on their patio.

Take a look at those grapes. Aren't those delicious? Don't they look divine? (Get it? Ha ha, just kidding.)

The wine we tasted was actually pretty good. You can tell it's younger, but not bad for Virginia. Their 2007 Chardonnay was a little sweet but still dry - a hint of apple, too, which was nice. They also had pretty good dessert wines. The 2006 Late Harvest was a great not-over-the-top dessert wine. I thought of it as a good compromise for my mother and me as she prefers sweeter dessert wines and I like something a little more subtle. Their Sweet Danielle was also a good dessert wine - red - so less sweet than the Late Harvest, but fruity and sweet just the same.

They also just added a patio and another tasting room (upstairs they were sampling mulled wine and Sangria). So this would be a great venue for a smaller, casual, rehearsal dinner or even wedding photos if they'll let you. The views from the vineyard are gorgeous.

Baked & Wired Report

At my job, we always conduct research on food we want to include at our event. As many of you in the DC Metro area may have noticed, we have had a rash of cupcakeries pop up. My first report will be on Baked & Wired, a great that started out focused on coffee and baked goods, but has really expanded its cake line. My wonderful boss was in Georgetown on Friday and surprised me with the latest issue of Town and Country Weddings and this adorable box:Inside were these little beauties: Red Velvet and Strawberry from Baked & Wired in Georgetown.

Note the adorable pearl of sugar on the red velvet. Aren't they so sweet? I love the little paper "wings."

So, how did they taste? Delicious. The cakes were denser than some cakes I've had. The frosting -- not too rich.

Red Velvet's cream cheese frosting wasn't too cream cheese nor too sweet. His cake wasn't too sweet and rich like you'd be afraid some red velvets would be.

Strawberry was very succesful as a Strawberry. Bits of strawberry inside her cake gave her an authentic fruit taste wihout being too fruity. She also was reminiscent of the red berries in Capn' Crunch Cereal - but in a god way.

All in all, very well done. I also love the presentation of the cakes. They'e not overly made up so that you'd question whether the goods were as good as their looks and the paper wrapper makes them easier to eat.

20% off Sale at iomoi

Have you been to iomoi's website? I lurve all their adorable personalized products - preppy to punk, they have it all! I bought my boss a coaster last year for her birthday because she drinks a lot of Diet Dr. Pepper and coffee at the office and she needed something as stylish as her upon which to rest her drink.

And, now through Sunday, you can shop at 20% off! Just use coupon code "Take20" when checking out :)

These coasters would make adorable personalized favors for bridesmaids.
Their trays are also fun additions to your living room. It might be a little late for Boss's Day this year, but the holidays are coming up!

All photos courtesy of iomoi.

Old-Fashioned Photo Fun

Just discovered this awesome Japanese website Three Potato Four blogged about. You can take your regular photos and the website will convert them so they look "100 to 150 years old." It's already late, but I couldn't help but post!

This is a fun "action" shot we took in London this summer outside Buckingham. If they only knew what their peasants were up to.

And now, a more "serious" one: Mom and me in the spacious London taxi.

And of course, one with the fiance! This was taken 102 years ago at the Holston Dam.

Here's the website. Just remember to choose the English option in the upper right. Enjoy!

Flower Meeting with Beehive Events

I just had my first meeting with a florist and it was fabulous. I met with Shawn and David Cossette of Beehive Events from outside Charlottesville. Luckily, they were in town for another meeting and were able to meet with me at Barnes & Noble in Georgetown. They were a very lovely couple (originally from San Fran) and I really enjoyed meeting with them and brainstorming about possible flower (and non-flower combinations). I LOVE that they're thinking less traditional - we like flowers, but we also discussed mangoes and papayas (very Filipino), figs and grape leaves and rosemary (very Mediterranean). We discussed China berries, Dahlias, and lots of other fun elements.

I was so nervous before the meeting just because I knew I had a lot of ideas bouncing around in my head and definitely needed to be reigned in. Plus I wanted her to like me! Signor Keswick asked, "Why are you so flustered?" I wasn't flustered! I was just excited and wanted to make a good impression.

Here are some of the beauties we discussed:

Bursa Black Fig

Photo Credit

China Berries

Photo Credit

Fuschia Dahlias

Photo Credit

Here's a great website I found when searching for flower images: Lani Elizabeth Fine Design in Flowers and Events. Note the gorgeous Mokara, Cymbidium, ad Dendrobium orchids and the burgundy Calla Lilly (we won't be using them as Calla Lillies mean "death" but they're still a great color!

Fall Mountain Wedding

Congratulations to Alyson and Chris!! This weekend we were at the Greenbriar in White Sulphur Springs, WV. The weather was gorgeous, the company was warm, and the wedding was just lovely.

Very thoughtful idea: The bride’s friends handed out fresh lavender (which matched their sage green and purple color scheme) for the guests to throw at the newlyweds as they exited the church.

Very handy: A shuttle transported wedding guests staying at the hotel on regular loops to and from the church and wedding up to 10 minutes prior (awesome for those arriving 30 min. beforehand, *cough* us *cough*.

Very pretty: submerged tulips at the base of the centerpieces. I’ve seen calla lilies, orchids, and even fish in water, but not tulips.

And now the close-up:

Mother and my fiance discussing something very interesting or humours. I love that she loves him. The proud mother of the groom and my (basically) little brother (aka. brother of the groom). Her dress was so pretty! I told my mom she should look into her designer.

Hotties! And she even called me the "bride-to-be" in her facebook. Crazy that the term can define me now.

Long-time neighbors and now adults. *sniff*

The bar was open, the dance floor was full, and everyone had a wonderful time. Below are my “minute-by-minute” notes at the reception:

Happy Birthday, Paddington Bear!

Thank you to my darling sister for pointing out Google's genius, yet again. For those of you who don't know me, Google is one of my favorite websites. Today, they had the most adorable way to celebrate Paddington Bear's 50th Birthay. I looove it and it totally makes me even more nostalgic and want a way to incorporate something from my childhood in the wedding. Of course, this is a little hard when you're trying to plan a sophisticated soiree for (mostly) adults, but I swear I will be able to find balance.

Updates soon from the wedding we went to this weekend at the lovely Greenbriar Resort in White Sulphur Springs, VA.

Wedding Themes

So, it's really getting to be too late to not have a wedding theme. But if you know me at all, you know I'm not the most decisive when it comes to certain things because I just want to do so much! So, we're having the reception at Keswick Hall at Monticello:

photo cred

Isn't she beautiful?? It was modeled after an Italian Villa because the couple that built it in the late 19th century went to Italy on their honeymoon (back when people had money...not to diss today's economy). My fiance loved it just as much when I showed him the Washington Post travel article on it. So, the venue is totally romantic and everything we wanted.

But (you knew that was coming), even though my style is very romantic, I can't help but want a little whimsy in the wedding. Keswick has a professional croquet lawn. AND Lewis Carroll published Alice's Adventures in Wonderland on the same date as our wedding!!

photo cred

So, what do I do? If we went with romantic Mediterranean, we could go with an inspiration board like this: photo cred

My fiance and I love wine and all things having to do with it. I love fuschia and burgundy and all things cork. However, the couture maps from my previous post and the croquet lawn and the idea of topiaries (!!) makes me so excited! Check out this inspiration board!
and this!
So many choices. I really don't know. Does it help that the wedding is going to be late summer?

My love affair. . . with couture maps

As my nearest and dearest know, I looove paper. I love writing, and I love paper WITH writing! Enter couture maps. There are so many places to get them. My inspiration came from Couture Maps.Aren't they darling? I love the bits of color - and it's available in letterpress!!! Then we also have Laura Hooper's calligraphy and maps:

photo cred

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My darling sister, also my Maid of Honor, has agreed to make something like them especially for me. Isn't she an angel? I'm so excited to see them!

Chocolate looooove

I'm no where near deciding what we want for our reception food, but I've always loved the idea of a creative dessert bar - more interactive than say cute hurricanes filled with jelly beans and chocolates. Yes, I know. Martha does wonderful settings of them, but I feel like the guests will appreciate something more interactive - and the tastier the better! Behold, Exhibit A:

Photo Cred

Vosges Haut-Chocolat has added a special events division. How fun are these adorable shooters and truffles? I lurve anything mini or in shooters. Tres chic! They also make chocolates in exotic flavors, like chili peppers and spices! And they can do tastings and pairings. Mmmm.

PS - I also wrote this for DCNearlyweds.com

Hello!

It would be dishonest for me to say that this is my first blog post. Nay. I had one in college, but then Google found it and returned it when I "Googled" myself. Unfortunately, it highlighted a post about a certain boy someone, which I thought inappropriate if a prospective employer found it, so I had to copy/paste everything in my entire blog of 2 years and stow it in a Word Document.

However, I cannot stay away. I love to write. I love to take pictures and post. I love to email newspaper articles and share all the treasures I've found in the real world and in real life. Thus, I have returned! I will be blogging about my upcoming nuptials (upcoming = 9+ months), adorable ideas I've found, and, of course, all the culinary adventures I stumble upon along the way (be it in the kitchen, on the street, or in a restaurant.)

Therefore . . . to the blogs!