The Plannery Event Design - from inception to reality

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We’ve previously showed you some examples of how our event design services go from mood board, to action and reality. We have another one to show you this week, from Janine and Jenevieve’s wedding at The Torpedo Factory. Janine and Jenevieve loved how unique the Torpedo Factory was and wanted to play on that artsy vibe. They liked how modern the factory felt, and that it housed actual working art spaces, so Kim incorporated some of those feelings into the imagery in the moodboard. They both loved purples and blues but also wanted to add a warmer color for contrast. Lastly, they were really into playing up the lighting in the space, and wanted a more organic flower style that incorporated several colors. 

As you can see, the florist took this mood board and created lush, romantic, organic pink and purple flower arrangements, both for the ceremony and the centerpieces. We incorporated candles, darker lighting, and pink uplighting to bring a romantic feel to the space. They also took the artsy vibe of the venue - the painting/brush stroke element in the mood board - and brought that into their printed materials (like their escort cards, pictured here), and also used romantic cursive writing. Finally, their family and wedding party wore shades of purple as well, to tie in with their color theme.

Hopefully this side by side comparison, as well as some other photos below help to give you a sense of how this mood board can be a real guide to execute a look and feel for your day! You can learn more about our design services here!

Photos by Shawnee Custalow

How to start planning your wedding

Photo by Jess Latos

Photo by Jess Latos

Talk about your wedding priorities

So you're engaged! Now what? This week we're discussing the first steps every couple should take to get started planning their wedding. First step? Talk to each other and any other family that will be involved (generally parents). It's important to set aside time to really discuss what matters most to you - your priorities and expectations when it comes to vibe, location, and the number of guests. Take notes and see what type of wedding it's shaping up to be!

Establish a wedding budget

So you know your priorities and expectations - what's the next step in getting started with planning your wedding? Budget! Everyone's favorite subject. If you don't have a planner (like us!) to help you, there are lots of sample budgets available online to help you get started. My main piece of advice is to be realistic about both what you CAN and what you WANT to spend. Budgets are also where your priorities come in handy - you may need to cut corners here or there, so decide what matters most so you know where to allocate the most funds

Create a wedding guest list

The third step in getting started with wedding planning is creating your guest list! Create a guestlist spreadsheet with your partner so you can see who you (and other family) really want to invite. You can't pick a venue before you've finalized your guest list - no one wants to find themselves in the bad situation of having to disinvite people because they won't fit, or having too few folks in a huge venue!

Wedding venue

After you've narrowed down your priorities, guest list and budget, the next step is the venue and location. Local wedding cause all family is local and you have a huge family? Destination wedding to a location that matters to you both? Your hometown? Indoor or outdoor? Consider and talk through all the possibilities and what matters to you and your family.

Hire a planner!

The final step in how to get started planning your wedding... is hire us! :) Seriously though - it doesn't have to be us, but a wedding planner is truly a wonderful resource that can help you get started - we help you navigate all the conversations (from wedding vibe, guest list and location), we help you create a budget, and we help to narrow down your options so the whole process isn't overwhelming

Jenevieve and Janine's Torpedo Factory, Alexandria, VA Wedding

Photo by Shawnee Custalow

Photo by Shawnee Custalow

Hopefully you all saw and heard about this wedding on my social media accounts ages ago, when it was featured on Bustle (and if not, check it out now). Jenevieve and Janine had a truly special love story, and I was honored to be a part of it. After postponing their wedding so that Jenevieve could transition, I was so thrilled to finally see their marriage happen, almost a year after it was originally supposed to occur. 

Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate so instead of having an outdoor ceremony at the Alexandria Waterfront park, we moved it and were still able to have it outdoors, but underneath the tented patio at Torpedo Factory. With the beautiful arbor by Barbara at Growing Wild, no one noticed :)

After a personal and beautiful ceremony, there were cocktails under the tent, followed by a wonderful dinner and dancing inside Torpedo Factory, one of my favorite unique venues in the area. 

Huge props to the super rad Shawnee Custalow for the gorgeous photos. Enjoy these shots and drink in this beautiful wedding! Congrats again Jenevieve and Janine!

**Also check back next week to see another post about J&J’s design. They used The Plannery’s design services and I’ll be showing you their initial mood board and the final product!

Janine and Jenevieve’s Vendors:

Venue: Torpedo Factory

Planner: Katie Wannen, The Plannery

Photographer: Shawnee Custalow

Caterer: Catering by Seasons

Band: Take Cover

Lighting: John Farr

Flowers: Growing Wild

Cake: Baked and Wired

Kylene and Tony's The Line Hotel, Washington, DC Wedding

Photo by Jess Latos Photography

Photo by Jess Latos Photography

Kylene and Tony were married at the virtually brand spanking new Line Hotel in the heart of Adams Morgan, Washington, D.C. It was pretty clear that having the city as the backdrop (literally) to their wedding was very important to this ridiculously delightful couple. In their own words, D.C. is where they met in 2013, where they fell in love, and where they call home. The Line Hotel’s rooftop offered jaw dropping views for all to take in during their touching ceremony and Jess Latos Photography killed it with capturing all of the feels! The city skyline was also represented on their remarkable 4-tier wedding cake by Buttercream Bakeshop

It would be criminal for me to reminisce about my wonderful experience working with Kylene and Tony without also reminiscing about the Mother of the Bride - aka the GOAT! Special shout-out to Kylene’s mom who was an infectious ball of energy and so much fun to work with. I mean, hello, she ordered blinged out microphones as dance floor props! With Kylene and Tony along for the ride, all of their attention to detail in planning and all of the blood, sweat, and tears paid off. The worrying was all for naught because the day was absolutely incredible.

Congrats to Kylene and Tony! And thank you so much for adding the scrumptious, uniquely flavored popcorn by Stella’s PopKern as wedding favors, they were a huge hit!

Kylene and Tony’s vendors:

Coordinator: Tarra Morgan, The Plannery

Venue and Catering: The Line Hotel

Photographer: Jessica Latos Photography

Band: Encore

Florist: Growing Wild

Wedding Cake: Buttercream Bakeshop

Wedding Favors: Stella’s PopKern

How to make a DIY confetti sign!

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This post is several months in the making - I’m still working on getting blog posts up while still taking care of a baby! But - said baby turned one (WHATT??) this past November, and I did a couple DIY projects I thought you all would enjoy.

So I’ll be posting a couple easy, peasy projects (remember, I hate the pressure to be crafty) and then will do a final wrap up of the party, which was so much fun :)

Today we’re talking about how to make a DIY confetti sign. Delta’s 1st birthday theme was confetti. Full disclosure: I did this because I had extra confetti lying around the house! So rule #1 is look at what you have available and work with it!

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The first thing I did was buy the size canvas I wanted (canvas is super easy cause you don’t need a frame, plus the white background shows off the colorful confetti really well), and a piece of cardboard to create my stencil. This was for Delta’s 1st birthday, so I used a ruler to draw out and then cut the number I wanted on my sign.

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I then gathered the rest of the materials I needed - namely the confetti (again, I had some lying around which I cut into smaller pieces), mod podge (the queen of DIY craftiness) and a cheap sponge brush.

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After aligning the stencil and taping it on with painters tape (which could then easily be removed once everything dried) I painted on the Mod Podge. I used the beveled edge of the brush to help keep within the stencil lines.

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Then, the fun part! I sprinkled the confetti! At first I let it fall wherever it fell. As things took hold, I started being a bit more strategic, to make sure the colors were fairly even - so I’d use my fingers to apply small squares here and there. But mostly I just let loose and had fun!

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I then blew off the excess confetti, and kept the stencil in place while it dried! I told you, easy peasy. I decided once it was done that I wanted to add a couple confetti pieces around the one to tie it all in - and voila!

FYI, I attempted to go back over the confetti with Mod Podge on TOP, just to see how it went - and the confetti paper was so thin, it didn’t love being saturated by the Mod Podge and the colors ran a bit. So I don’t recommend it!

Overall it made for great decor over our mantle to showcase our little girl and I was really happy with the results


Laura and Bill's Silver Swan Bayside, MD wedding

Excited to share this wedding that Rebecca worked, along with the gorgeous photos from DuHon Photography! Take it away, Rebecca!

Laura and Bill got married at Silver Swan Bayside - they unfortunately had to cancel their mini-moon to the Outer Banks because of Hurricane Florence - which affected the wedding as well, but only by bringing a TON of rain and wind! Luckily, it gave them some awesome moody weather photos, thanks to Cassidy DuHon!

Laura is a big musical theater buff, evidenced by their Tangled cake topper, her "A. Ham" hat during their introductions, and their Hamilton sing along during the reception "To the groom! To the bride!!!"

They had a cutting cake from Fields of Heather Bakery, but for guests had an INSANELY delicious Smith Island Cake Buffet with 4 flavors -- carrot, coconut, chocolate peanut butter and traditional -- all of which were AMAZING!!!

All of the vendors were in on the bride's surprise to the groom -- Testudo, University of Maryland's mascot! Enjoy all the wonderful photos from DuHon Photography - and congrats again, Laura and Bill!

Vendors:

Laura and Bill’s Vendors:

Coordinator: Rebecca, The Plannery

Venue: Silver Swan Bayside @thesilverswanbaysideqam

DJ: DJ Dan Goldman, who kept the party bumping: @djdangoldman

Florist: Atelier Floral Design: @atelierfloraldesign

Photographer: DuHon Photography: @duhonphotography

Hair and Makeup: The Spa at Chesapeake Bay Beach Club @chesapeakebaybeachclub

Transportation: Limos, Inc. @limosinc

Videographer: Just Hitched Films @hitchedfilms

Introducing... our new Planner and Coordinator!

Photo by Duhon Photography

Photo by Duhon Photography

I’ve been hoping to add to The Plannery’s team for some time. But as you may remember before Tarra joined our team… I’m picky as hell. The Plannery is my first baby, and I’m very protective of it. I want to make sure anyone who joins is fully on board with our vibe, our high quality, our no-nonsense approach, and - obviously - gets sh*t done.

Which is why I’m thrilled to announce that Rebecca O’Donnell will be joining The Plannery as a Senior Planner and Coordinator. I’ve been obsessed with Rebecca pretty much since I met her years and years ago. In a sea of sugary sweet (and, frankly, bland) planners, she stood out for how direct and hilarious she was - and after she assisted me for a wedding where I needed help last minute (and also saved my butt), I also discovered that she’s a damned good planner. Very talented, gets it all done, kind and generous, funny, but also will be the driving force you sometimes need when making decisions (or dealing with difficult family or vendors).

Please join me in a hearty “welcome” to Rebecca - and head on over to our updated About page to learn more about her (including her own amazing wedding which I’m pretty much obsessed with). And don’t forget to check out our updated testimonials page to hear what clients say about her (and you can also always visit her old Wedding Wire page to see some reviews from past clients there as well!).

Rebecca, The Plannery is SO lucky to have you and cannot wait for all the sh*t we’re gonna get done for couples in 2019 :)

Kelly and David's Airlie Warrenton, VA Wedding

Photo by Mantas Kubilinskas

Photo by Mantas Kubilinskas

Kelly and David got married at Airlie in Warrenton, VA this past May. They did all of the planning with Dave living in Italy (!). Kelly is a librarian, hence the beautiful library card catalog touches (which as a book nerd, I adore). Though it rained on their day, it was still such a special event - as you can see through the photos by Mantas Kubilinskas. My two favorite details are the wooden carved names that they used as place cards, and that whole sword/champagne thing :) 

Enjoy this stunning rainy day wedding (a good reminder that weather-be-damned, your wedding day will always be awesome)! Congrats again Kelly and David!

Kelly and David's Vendors:

Coordinator: The Plannery, Rebecca

Venue: Airlie

Photographer: Mantas Kubilinskas

Ceremony Music: Robert Cross, East Coast Entertainment

Reception Music: Dapper DJs

Florist: Vintage Floral Design

Hair and Make up: Iva Bella Salon

Cake: Sweet Creations

John and Jonathan's Long View Gallery, Washington, DC wedding

Susan Hornyak Photography

Susan Hornyak Photography

John and Jonathan were referred to me fairly last minute by some other clients of mine. I jumped in, super excited to work at Long View again and with this awesome couple - and on the day of DC pride, no less! Such a fun touch for their wedding day! 

John and Jonathan really wanted their evening to feel like a party - and they made some lovely small decisions that helped that vibe follow through. One of my favorites is that they greeted guests at the door prior to the ceremony. A reverse receiving line of sorts, I thought it was such a lovely touch that made guests feel welcome and made it an intimate affair. Their ceremony was also laid out with two aisles - an awesome decision that allowed the room to physically embody these two lives coming together, joining into a wonderful partnership and marriage. 

Post ceremony we had cocktails in the back gallery (with a champs bar, to boot), followed by a meal in the front gallery that featured three different stations for guests to visit which encouraged mingling and chatting. The room was stunning, with an awesome layout and rentals that really reflected the industrial vibe of Longview. 

Post dinner we all headed back to the gallery for The Bachelor Boys and the guys and their guests danced the night away!

Congrats again, John and Jonathan! And big thanks to Susan Hornyak Photography for the wonderful photos.

John and Jonathan's Vendors:

Coordination: Katie Wannen, The Plannery

Venue: Long View Gallery

Caterer: Occasions Catering

Photographer: Susan Hornyak Photography

Band: The Bachelor Boys

Draping: Fabrication Events

Lighting: John Farr

Floral: Uncloudy Studio

Monica and Jason's Woodend Sanctuary wedding

Photo by George Street Photo

Photo by George Street Photo

Monica and Jason were married on the perfect summer/fall cusp day at the ever beautiful Woodend Sanctuary.  I really loved that Monica rocked her long, luxurious locks in a completely down-do by Styled by Anna Fazio. All of her bridesmaids sported half-up/half-down dos to round things out and they all happened to be brunettes…talk about complimentary looks!  

Although I was not present in the room, I know that Monica and Jason had the most special and intimate ceremonial Ketubah signing before their wedding. The actual Ketubah was spectacular with a vibrant blue circular design. It was displayed at the wedding ceremony alongside the equally spectacular chuppah designed by Growing Wild Floral.

Before their Ketubah signing the couple shared another intimate moment with their first look.  I usually am busy and/or want to give couples privacy during this time, but I couldn’t resist sneaking a peak on this one. It was so moving to watch Monica in her stunning dress walk along a picturesque path and reach out to touch Jason. His reaction was so freaking priceless and captured perfectly by Kyle Bergner with George Street Photo.

I would be remiss not to mention the guest appearance by their fur baby, Hunter.  Monica and Jason gave lots of thought about how much they wanted Hunter at the wedding, but realized how it would be logistically difficult and settled on an epic cardboard cut-out of him instead! A happy and hilarious compromise that made for a fun addition to their DIY photo guestbook station.   

This wedding had all the best elements. Wonderful couple, simplicity, class, and joy. Congrats to Monica and Jason!

Monica and Jason's Vendors:

Coordination: Tarra Morgan, The Plannery

Venue: Woodend Sanctuary

Catering: Corcoran Catering

DJ: DJ Evan Reitmeyer

Photography and Videography: George Street Photo

Florist: Growing Wild Floral

Hair: Styled by Anna Fazio

Make-up: Real Doll Makeup