DC Wedding & Event Planner | Event Accomplished

April 29, 2020April 24, 2020Real WeddingLeave a comment

Winter Wedding at Ronald Reagan Building

Winter wedding in Washington, DC. You just never know what the weather will be like. Our couple lucked out with a day just warm enough for outdoor photos. While we had a rain plan in place, their timing was perfect for a few photos by the Tidal Basin before the rain storm came through. Being that our bride was attending law school, getting married during her winter break in January made the most sense. We worked closely with the bride’s mom and were delighted to coordinate their wedding held at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC. While we’ve worked at the Reagan Building many times, we have not worked there in the winter. With the sun setting quite early in January, the drama of the darkness gave us an opportunity to create an intimate mood even in the expansive space of their Atrium. All photos by Kristen Gardner Photography.

Love the gray bridesmaids dresses with the fur wrap. Only in winter time!I loved this photo because all the bridesmaids were smiling even though they just got caught in the rain and the hem of their dresses were all wet. Perspective!

A wedding ceremony on the Grand Staircase of the Atrium is quite dramatic.

Loved the acrylic seating chart from Etsy.

I loved introducing the newlyweds at the top of the Grand Staircase

There is nothing better than Shrimp and Grits and Mac and Cheese for late night snacks.

Event Partners
Wedding Ceremony, Reception Venue, Catering: Ronald Reagan Building & International Trade Center, Washington, DC
Wedding Planning: Vicky Choy, Event Accomplished
Photography: Kristen Gardner Photography
Ceremony & Cocktail Hour Musicians: Cherry Blossom String Quartet
Officiant: Jeff Maszal
Lighting: Projection, Inc. (via Reagan Building)
Band: 76 Degree West, booked through East Coast Entertainment
DJ: DJ Patrick Zurn, booked through East Coast Entertainment
Florist: Greenworks
Makeup Artist & Hair Stylist: Amie Decker Beauty
Cake: Cakes by Linda
Draping: Drape Kings
Transportation: Sunny’s

You can find more inspiration in our archives for winter weddings or wedding at the Reagan Building

March 14, 2018November 8, 2018CelebrationsLeave a comment

A Sophisticated Dinner Celebration for Foodies

From the very beginning, our client told us that this dinner party was all about fine dining and fine wine. It was also the first time our clients have hosted about 40 guests in their classic Georgetown Washington, DC row house. How do we combine fine dining with a cocktail-style reception, balancing the casual feel of an at-home party with the classic, formal decor style of the home and of a celebratory dinner? The key was to finding the right partners. We worked with Augie Bove of Design Cuisine on serving composed small plates for the entrees, which allowed the presentation to be elegant and interesting which was important to our client. Guests could eat all the food with just a fork. Philippa Tarrant helped design floral arrangements in green, white and grays that complemented the neutral tones of the home. Enjoy the photos. All photos by Deb Lindsey except where noted.

Philippa Tarrant helped us create a welcoming scene of candles inside lanterns accented with white blooms along the black iron staircase. Left photo by Deb Lindsey. Right photo by Vicky Choy.

We started the evening off with passed hors d’oeuvres including a lump crab savory cones and a salmon sashimi spoon. Photos by Vicky Choy

On the kitchen island, Design Cuisine prepared a cheese and charcuterie station.

Anchoring the kitchen island was a tall and loose arrangement of white roses, stock, snapdragons and Queen Anne’s lace with foliage

The main courses featured composed small plates (clockwise starting at top left): charcoal grilled grass fed beef tenderloin; dungeness crab and avocado salad; Alaskan Halibut; char grilled vegetables with millet and cilantro walnut pesto.

A coffee table arrangement of soft green foliage, dusty miller, white roses, stock and snapdragons, and snow on the mountain. Photo by Vicky Choy

For the dining room table, a low arrangement using the soft gray green foliage with dusty miller, white roses, Queen Anne’s lace, astrantia, and snapdragons. Photo by Vicky Choy.

The roaring fireplace drew guests out into the courtyard despite the chilly temperatures.

Event Partners
Event Planner: Vicky Choy, Event Accomplished
Venue: Private Residence in Georgetown, Washington, DC
Catering: Design Cuisine, Arlington, VA
Wine, Beer and Spirits: Ace Beverage, Washington, DC
Photographer: Deb Lindsey
Floral Design: Philippa Tarrant
Linen Rentals: DC Rental and BBJ Linen
Invitations: Minted
Cocktail Napkins: ForYourParty.com

Finding the right event suppliers is half the battle and this is where working with an event planner can give you access to these Washington, DC area professionals.

September 30, 2009March 24, 2021Real Wedding2 Comments

Oxon Hill Manor Summer Wedding (Part 3)

Go back to Part 1 (the intro) and Part 2 (the pictures).

Here’s the vendor reviews. On days like it was, where it was raining buckets and we had to implement the Rain Plan and everything was just wet and messy, you really value having an exceptional vendor team to make sure everything still goes smoothly.

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Oxon Hill Manor. OHM is a beautiful mansion with lush gardens. It’s really a hidden gem. The challenges with this facility are that a) they have 2 events on Saturday; and b) if there is inclement weather and you need to hold a ceremony inside, the largest room holds only about 100 people. The staff is OK. They were flexible in allowing us in a bit earlier. Even though they have several event staffers, they don’t assign you one. So when you call, you never know who you will get and they are likely to not know much about your event.

Catering: R&R Catering (Natalie Seng, event designer). Good job as usual.

Photography: Laura Kay Photography. Love, love, love Laura’s approach to photography – so fresh, whimsical and fun and just a little edgy. The photos speak for themselves. Plus, she’s just a fun person to be around. Go back to Part 2 for the pictures.

Floral design & lounge furniture rental: Davinci’s Florist. At a location like OHM where you have a tight load-in time, Davinci’s was the logical choice to supply the lounge furniture, as opposed to getting a separate rental company. They were already going to be there to set up the flowers so it’s fantastic that they could offer both! The bridesmaids’ bouquets are some of my favorites all year because they were so cheerful!

DJ: Bob Artman, Artman DJs. Bob is so easy to work with and I was so relieved to have him there because I knew I wouldn’t have to worry about him at all. Great music as usual.

Salsa Lesson: Instructor from Dance Factory. Fun for all guests!

Lighting: Blue Ridge Light Forms. I worked with Larry Lustberg during the planning phase and he was fantastic. Always responsive. Our original plan was to have lanterns over the back patio. But because of the rain, the BRLF team went the extra mile to try to make the inside as nice as possible. They did uplighting in the dining room, a soft spot light for the ceremony and then changed it to a cool, rose color wash for the dance floor (in the same room). They were also able to light the outside columns. They also attempted to string some of the lanterns inside but the mansion staff wouldn’t let them. Their team is just awesome!

Hair & Makeup: Chaos Salon.

Bridal Gown: Distinctive Designs Bridal . A Pronovias design. I love Pronovias.

Alterations: Estee Livioco. Ina bought a sample which was many times larger than her dress size so I sent her to the one and only Estee, who also altered my dress. Of course she worked miracles and did a great job basically remaking Ina’s complicated dress. [Ina’s yelp review of Estee]

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