What Flowers Work Best at District Winery?

Featured in 2018-2019 Washingtonian Weddings Magazine!

Ceremony space photographed by Liz Fogarty

I think we can all agree that District Winery is one of the top five hottest wedding venues for 2019!  With gorgeous views (and an even better event staff) I feel so lucky to have been invited by my bride Sam and her groom Damion to design for them at their June 8th, 2018 wedding. If you are into fitness, especially with the New Year approaching, you can follow them on instagram at @sammossfit and @dmossfitness

First look captured by Liz Fogarty

Originally, Sam was considering an asymmetrical hanging greenery installation for her ceremony, but ultimately decided to use the District Winery wine barrels.  The wine barrels are great because they are sturdy platforms that support large arrangements with no surprises or worries about wind interference.  For those of us working on rooftops, wind can be a really big deal and often spoils best laid designs.  In addition, we lined the chair rows with boxes of greenery and delicate white flowers to help soften the modern ascetic and add a little romance.  Looking at the photos by Liz Fogarty Photography you almost can't tell you are in the middle of downtown D.C.!

District Winery has your guests enter from the ground level, so it is helpful to have signs directing the way upstairs.

Invitations and paper goods by The Dandelion Patch

Part of the charm and appeal of District Winery is the modern industrial vibe complete with exposed steel beams and boards.  From a floral perspective, the exposed beams and boards are fabulous because they make it easy to hang lightweight installations.  Working with Natalie from Designed Perfectly Events, we hung two abstract greenery and flower focal pieces over each of the bars.

Ivy, plums and white roses was all it took to make something special and dramatic. Photo by Liz Fogarty

When District Winery opened, they had custom tables built to accommodate as many guests as possible and maintain the chic urban vibe.  All the food is served family style and the tables are extremely narrow.  As a result, fat centerpieces are out of the question unless they are tall with a very small footprint.  

Broken garland is a popular choice among clients, but we opted for something a little more romantic.  On each of the tables, we placed four groupings of tall stemmed glass floating candles with petite arrangements nestled to the sides.

Personally, I was treated so well at District Winery that I am excited to design for them anytime I can!  Now enjoy a few more of Liz Fogarty's photos from Sam and Damion's wedding because they are too gorgeous not to share!

Dress Vera Wang and Peter Langner veil from Carine’s Bridal Atelier

Let's just say it, HOT! HOT! HOT! thanks to Susan Lim Hair and Makeup

The best part about designing the aisle greenery in a box was that they were easy to move and reuse for the reception. I didn't even have to stay to do this, Natalie and the venue took care of it!

A collaboration with Buttercream Bakery, Designed Perfectly Events and Moi, and, of course, photographed by Liz Fogarty Photos With music/entertainment by John Howard, A2Z Music Factory

White House Christmas Decorations 2018 to 2019

If you are like me, you love photos. So, if you are curious about the White House decorations this year and haven’t had the opportunity to go, please enjoy these photos from my family visit.

DIY Over The Top Wreaths! As seen on #GoodDayDC @Fox5dc

Just like yours, my holiday season has been busy! Lots of designing fresh flowers for parties and plenty of homes to decorate. So far, my December favorite has been making what I call the “Over The Top” wreath.

This is a close up of the wreath I made for @blonde_inthedistrict which started this season’s trend!

For this wreath, you glue on every holiday bauble you can find and call it a day. Keep reading if you want a little more instruction on how to do it.

Step 1: Gather materials. You will need a wreath form (can be fresh or faux), scissors, fabric scissors, wire, glue gun, extra glue sticks and lots of baubles! Note: A wreath is a great place to use any broken ornaments that you have been saving and just can’t stand to throw away!

Step 2: Glue your biggest ornaments first.

Step 3: Wind beaded garland or tinsel around your big ornaments.

Step 4: Add your fun and/or special ornaments. I always try to choose ones that match the personality of the recipient. Dani’s (@blonde_inthedistrict) wreath reflected her fun and royal personality!

Step 5: Add any “picked” decorations. Hint - Cut them into pieces so you can get a lot more out of them.

Step 6: Hang it on a door and enjoy!

I hope you enjoyed the tutorial! Here are a few more “Over The Top” wreath designs from this season.

This wreath hangs on my front door and is made from broken ornaments. I talked about it on my 12/11/19 appearance on Fox 5 - Good Day DC with @producer_stewart and @hollylivefox5

For more on that check out my Insta Stories!

Two More of my favorites! The light pink one was for Julie at @strawberrymilkevents - @Studiomilk_ holiday decor and the other for @lucysyarnpocket.

Happy First Anniversary Sophie and Luc! Classic Christmas Wedding at Georgetown’s City Tavern Club.

Sophie Pyle Ziegler is a woman about town; she runs her own successful media company, Rose Media, and is always at every party you want to go to. I even caught her on a Real Housewives of Potomac episode.

Initially, Sophie and I bonded over our love for reality television and pop culture. When I voted on her Instagram story that Karlie Clausen was more boring than Gigi Hadid, she lol’d and replied they were both boring. After she and Luc got engaged, she DM’d me to let me know she was looking for a florist and asked if I would have a chance to talk flowers with her. Of course I did.

We had our initial consultation via phone and I loved her bubbly, exuberant personality. When she told me she wanted a very classic DC wedding, I told her that I had spent time freelancing in The White House Floral Shop, and that was about as classic as you could get. She loved the Obama’s and was thrilled to have a florist who had also designed for them.

Sophie’s classic, round bouquet was made of snow white peonies, garden roses, ranunculus and phalaenopsis orchids. The edges were finished with touches of hand-guilded greenery.

The next time Sophie and I met, it was for a walk through of her quintessential Georgetown venue - the City Tavern Club. It was the first time I had worked at the club since starting my company and it was the first time Emily Alyssa and I met. Since then both have become two of my favorites!

The morning of Sophie’s wedding, I delivered her bouquet to the hot salon, Karma by Erwin Gomez where I found her bridesmaids in great cheer, lounging and drinking bubbly. The salon is very chic, with discreet individual hair stations for each client (which must be appreciated by DC’s glitterati who just want to have their hair done in peace!) I presented the bouquet to Sophie and she couldn’t have been more gracious.

Sophie walked down the aisle in a stunning Marchesa dress from The Bridal Room VA that was reminiscent of Pippa Middleton at the royal wedding.

Congratulations on celebrating your first Anniversary Sophie and Luc! See you on the gram:)

DIY Cranberries for your Holiday Table

As a floral designer, the holidays are busy, busy, busy! So it may or may not surprise you that sometimes I opt for a non floral centerpiece. If you find yourself short on time, or maybe not in the mood to spend $$$ on decor, try this easy DIY cranberry craft to decorate your mantle, table, or even power room.

All photos by SKC Photography

Step 1: Gather.

1 Candle

1 Vase or clear bowl

Cranberries

Holiday Greens

Step 2: Fill

Pour cranberries about 1/4 into your container.

Step 3: Layer

When you have a base of cranberries, place in your candle and some holiday greens. Continue to pour the cranberries all around the candle.

Step 4: Enjoy!

Light your candle and call it a day!

Place just a single vase or groupings of different sizes and quantities, The bright red berries give instant impact!

For more Hot Holiday Trends, check out #LetsTalkLive on ABC!

Children’s National Hospital and Light Up The Season on December 16, 2018 at The Four Seasons Hotel, Washington

The holidays are fast approaching and I wanted to take a minute to shine a light on a cause near and dear to my heart. It’s called Light Up the Season and it benefits Children’s National Hospital. The event (formerly known as The Georgetown Jingle) raises money to support the Hospital and is held every year at The Four Seasons Hotel. Each year, 12-15 of Washington’s top interior designers and florists are invited to decorate a tree or holiday item, like a wreath, menorah or mantle piece, that is then auctioned off at a fun family-friendly afternoon event (buy tickets here). Last summer, I was excited and honored to receive an email from the event’s organizers asking me to participate for the second year in a row.

The process works like this: Every designer is partnered with a Children’s National Hospital patient and together the patient “artist” and designer work to come up with a fantasy holiday theme. This summer, I had the pleasure of meeting a sweet young lady named Annabelle.

As I talked to Annabelle about what she would like to see on her tree, she drew the small picture below. Her favorite color is blue, her sister’s favorite color is lavender, and, of course, mine is purple. Naturally, we were already in harmony!

Annabelle very much liked the idea of woodland animals and an enchanted snowy forest. We also agreed there should be some bells on the tree as a nod to her name. After combining Annabelle’s ideas and my vision, I decided the theme of our tree would be “Over The River and Through The Woods.”

The next step was to begin the work of decorating a tree. In recent years, I have found myself missing the camaraderie and aesthetic kismet that comes from working with a large group of volunteer designers. Heavily influenced by my time in the White House Floral Shop under Former Chief Florist Laura Dowling, I wanted to recreate this experience and feeling. So I reached out to all my creative friends and asked them to help me #craftforacause. The response was incredible; I am so warmed by the generous people in my creative community!

I hosted the first #craftforacause party at my home in mid September. As the saying goes, “many hands make light work” and the attendees produced dozens of floral hoop wreaths made out of yarn and felt. Thanks to Anne Kelley, Carleigh Smith, Emily Alyssa, Jasmine Ellesse, Maria Kessel and Vicky Choy for kicking off #craftforacause!

Photo by Marie Windsor Photography

The second #craftforacause party was held on a beautiful late September day at Periwinkle, a lovely clothing boutique in Old Town, Alexandria. Marie Windsor Photography joined us and took lots of detailed photos. Pamela Vetrini of Cheats and Meeses brought us a delicious cheese board extravaganza to fuel our designs. The designers for our second party included Elizabeth from Periwinkle, Kelley Cannon, Janice Carnevale, Lindsay Kidwell, Jasmine Ellesse and Nicole Nespor. It was fun to see how unique everyone’s designs were and how different they were from the first party.

There was one more #craftforacause party this weekend and I can’t wait to show you those designs too!

The finishing touch on my tree comes from Accent Decor who generously donated dozens of beautiful glass and felt ornaments. These handcrafted ornaments are just what I needed to complete the tree’s wintery woodlands theme. While it is not guaranteed that Annabelle can attend the event, I sure hope she can because I think she will love what we have created.

Thank you to everyone who came out to #craftforacause. And thanks in advance to those will help set-up and decorate the tree in preparation for the big event on December 16. I’ll make sure to share pictures of the finished product once it is complete!

Happy First Anniversary Megan and Coult! October in the Gardens at Historic Meridian House

Last October, I had the pleasure of designing for a special couple who were married at the historic Meridian House designed by architect John Russell Pope. This weekend is Megan and Coult’s first anniversary and I wanted to take a moment to celebrate them. Looking back through the photos by Djenno Bacvic, it’s hard to find a frame where they aren’t smiling or laughing — and not just little smiles, we’re talking big smiles that go ear to ear.

Megan and Coult’s outdoor ceremony was full of white and peach flowers, including an all white chuppah accented with greenery.

What an entrance! The gardens at Meridian House are in bloom from April to October and provide the perfect setting for a wedding. Maria Canellis, Director of Events, is an expert at making private events and weddings magical.

There’s that big smile again.

Wedding Planner Molly Radigan was hard at work on all the details behind the scenes.

I like this bird’s eye view of the party in the linden grove. Catering by Natalie Walker, Event Coordinator for Well Dunn Catering.

Sparklers and one more big smile for the road.

Happy memories of a happy couple. Congratulations on your first anniversary!

The D.C. Darlings Katie and Chris are Getting Married!

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love Instagram! The main reason is that it gives me the ability to connect with so many awesome people I would otherwise have no way of knowing. This is how Katie and I met and it was definitely the beginning of a beautiful relationship. She is one of the most kind and appreciative people I have had the honor of designing for — and to an artist like me, that is everything! Please enjoy these beautiful photos of her 101 Constitution engagement party photographed by Photos from the Harty.

Geometry on fleek!

The flowers are so girly and I love them! Roses, ranunculus, scabiosa and carnations accented by lambs ear and ferns.

Caroline Dutton helped to plan this wonderful fete and I am pretty sure this sign by The Dandelion Patch is one of her ideas.

Carleigh Smith is head of private events for Charlie Palmer, and another one of my favorite people. Look at all those yummy yummies below!

The best friends! Katie and Molly who make up The DC Darlings

Happy First Anniversary Claire and Brendan! All White Spring Wedding at the Sagamore Pendry in Baltimore

March is here and that means it’s time to wish Claire and Brendan a happy first anniversary. Their wedding was truly a dream - they are a gorgeous couple that complements each other in every way.

The Sagamore Pendry Hotel provided the perfect backdrop for this beautiful all white wedding planned by Tiffany Rivera of Simply Breathe Events. I also had the chance to work with the fabulous Maren White; Maren is now back in town as the Director of Catering and Special Events at The Conrad Washington, D.C.

Photos by Steve and Jane Pilkerton

I love designing a show-stopping arrangement for the escort table. Claire and Brendan’s tall arrangement included white garden roses, hydrangea, orchids and white pear blossoms.

Photos by Steve and Jane Pilkerton

Claire and Brendan’s soundtrack for the night was created by DJ Kelton Higgins. Check him out - he’s wonderful to work with and is getting married himself in just a few months.

Photos by Steve and Jane Pilkerton

Claire carried a classic, all white rounded bouquet of David Austin Patience garden roses and peonies with just a hint of greenery. About half of my brides choose a classic style like this for their bouquet; the other half opt for something organic, wild and free flowing.

Photos by Steve and Jane Pilkerton

Claire and Brendan were married under an all white floral chuppah.

Photos by Steve and Jane Pilkerton

The couple chose tall, dramatic centerpieces to highlight the architecture of the ballroom at the Sagamore Pendry. As you can see, the centerpieces were on double duty for the wedding day - we used them for both the ceremony and the reception which is a great way to get more out of your wedding flowers.

Photos by Steve and Jane Pilkerton

Pear blossoms and these little blue bird ornaments gave this late March wedding a unique spring feel. Happy March, Happy Spring! And Congratulations Claire and Brendan.

Fall Wedding Fashion and Wedding Gowns at The Bridal Room

Last week, I had the opportunity to design for a fall photo session at The Bridal Room - a premier bridal boutique located in McLean, Virginia. The Bridal Room’s owner, Heba Adat, pulled an A-Team together to showcase her best gowns and accessories for fall. With the help of Meg Lucks of Luck & Love Photography and Krystal from Bridal Beauty Associates, we transformed two beautiful models into fall brides.

The Bridal Room’s owner, Heba Adat. Heba began dreaming of owning her own bridal boutique as a little girl watching her aunt design gowns at home.

The lovely Kayla Poawui and Julianna Carfaro modeling fall gowns and flowers.

Garden Roses for days accented with Phalaenopsis.

Lavender and violet flowers in every hue paired with greenery making the perfect transition to fall.

Heba and her talented Senior Consultant Monique

Like what you see? Call, text, or write me today!

SESMA Dog Dayz of Summer at The Anderson House catered by Susan Gage and Photographed by Luck and Love Photography

We might be in the Dog Days of Fall, but that doesn’t mean I can’t reminisce about this summer’s doggy happy hour SESMA party organized by Glenn Hennessey and Joanie Rylander at The Anderson House!

Thank goodness someone hired Megan from Luck & Love Photography or all this fun might have been forgotten. (All the photos are taken by Luck & Love Photography.

Glenn and Husband Steve with their two treasured pooches!

The best part about the party was that everyone brought their dogs, and a local rescue, Lucky Dog, even brought some of their adorable adoptables.

LOL, I have to say it is kind of true - the pets matched their owners.

When there was a quick worry that the dogs would not be allowed on the grass, Sugar Plum Tents stepped in to not only provide a tent entrance, but a fence as well!

You might have already seen this tipsy puppy I created for the event, but here he is again in all his mossy glory.

Susan Gage Caterers knocked it out of the park with all of their on theme drinks and nibbles, not to mention my favorite - the avocado bar. Ann Ashley really knows what she is doing!

In case you didn’t know where you were going, UniqueDC came up with this Napolianic Hound portrait.

Last but not least our people party guests with their pets, Alison Golt, Katie Ryan, and RJ Whyte

Thank you again to Glenn and Joanie, it really was a blast!

Happy First Anniversary Sarah and Keith!

Slainte! Cheers to Sarah and Keith who are celebrating their first wedding anniversary this weekend.  The photos of their classic Old Town, Alexandria wedding are so beautiful and full of happiness that I thought they deserved another look.

Sarah+Keith on the grounds of historic Christ Church in Old Town, Alexandria.  The church opened its doors to parishioners in 1773 - including the future president George Washington - just before the start of the American Revolution.

Sarah's airy bouquet in greens and whites was a perfect match to Keith's tartan kilt.  The bouquet included white roses and orchids, blooming clematis vine and greenery.

All smiles behind the scenes with the talented Sara Pete of Sincerely Pete Events. Sara and her team have more than 16 years of experience planning weddings and more.

The charming wee lad and lassie.

Elegant bride and groom cakes accented with fresh flowers by Morgan Phillips Cakes.

Another shot of the groom's cake adorned with fresh Scottish Thistle and tartan ribbon.

More classic greens and whites for the table arrangements.  

Not just any wedding invitation - custom artwork and a pop of color on these unique invitations by Artisan Matchmaker.

Love this shot of Sarah+Keith celebrating at Eammon's in Old Town.

Happy First Anniversary and Cheers! 

Engagement Bouquet for Luck & Love Photography in Annapolis

The wedding engagement. Such a sweet and romantic time that can be fleeting once planning and preparations for the big day get underway. I love how photographer Meg Lucks of Luck & Love Photography captured this special season for a bride and groom-to-be in Annapolis, Maryland.  And I am honored that the bouquet I designed is featured in their engagement photos.

The bouquet. Phalaenopsis in pale pink and white, Delphinium, Thistle, Pennycress, Eucalyptus and local greenery.  

The bride-to-be.  

The happy couple along the waterfront in Annapolis. A sneak peak before their walk down the aisle. 

Beautiful lighting captured at the United States Naval Academy.

A close-up of the bouquet's colors and textures.

A sweet photo on its own but the bouquet adds a little something extra.

The lovely Wisteria mural on the corner of East and Fleet Streets in downtown Annapolis.    

Interested in adding flowers to your engagement photos?  Contact me! I'd love to work with you.