How about a date?

The Beltway Bride — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 03:57:08 +0000

Do you have a date set? This is probably the first question you will be asked as a new bride!

I know for us it was probably the hardest question (so far) when it came to planning our wedding. We decided that October would be a wonderful month in Orlando to have a wedding. My parents were very happy as this was (climate wise) one of their favorite months of the year. Being from Florida originally we both knew how humid and hot those summer months can be, as well as, any risk to hurricanes. With a huge portion of our guest list coming from out of state we didn’t want our guests to be sweltering.

So in August, 14 months from our wedding, we went on a search for our reception venue. We were amazed that this far in advance there were some places already booked. In consideration to our guests we looked for places that were easy driving distance from the church and hotel.

We decided upon………… Heathrow Country Club!

Or so we thought. After signing the official contract in October and having an amazing tasting, we find out, from the paper no less, that our venue is wrapped up in two foreclosure law suits. The developer owed $8 million, yes $8 million, in back taxes and so the banks went after the country club.

Needless to say, we experienced many emotions at this news and very quickly canceled our contract. Back to the drawing board.

After a whirlwind trip seeing 6 more venues, and 6 more tastings we decided upon a new venue, the Sheraton Orlando North. The rooms were very beautiful and though I orignally was very against ballroooms, this is probably one of the most tasteful rooms I have seen. The Sheraton is very close to the ceremony location and it is nice that after the reception our guests just have to go upstairs to their rooms. The one trade off was that by the time all the news broke and we could switch our venue, October was full. So now our new date is November 12, 2011.

My recommendation to other brides is to ask questions at each venue regarding business stability and keep an open mind about your wedding date.

Bridal Fashion Inspriation: Let’s Tie The Knot!

The Beltway Bride — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 19:32:44 +0000

Fashion is one the biggest ways to express our individuality. In today’s weddings this is absolutely the case. Gone are the days the same boring attire, boring themes, color, etc. It only takes a brief search online to see that couples today are expressing their personal interests and fashion into their big day. Another trend with weddings is Bridesmaids fashion. No more of wanting to burn the dresses in effigy after the wedding. Long gone is the tradition of blending in. Bridesmaids fashion is now just as important as the brides. If you really want your girls to wear the dress and accessories after the wedding like every bride oh so promises they can, then why not let their personalities shine in their attire as well.

Fall is here and I am loving it! Especially as a future fall bride myself it is getting me excited about planning the big affair. For awhile I have been looking for styles that would compliment our venue and my girls would be happy to wear. I still have a long time for my planning but a great way to let bridesmaids shine is to go outside the fashion box. Stores such as JCrew, Ann Taylor, and even Anthropologie is a great place to pick up fashion foward styles that can compliment any girls’ fashion attitude.

While doing some online shopping I have always been in love with Anthropologie unique yet classic, whimy looks. I did my own bridesmaids fashion inspiration that I think would be cute for any fall wedding including my own. I named this inspiration “Tie the Knot” from the cute bow/knot accessories. I could see this theme being the actual wedding theme with knot/bow decorations and paper goods.

References:

Dress: “Fukuoka Folds dress” from Anthropologie $138.00

Shoes: “Gust of Wind Pumps” from Anthropologie $119.00

Accessories: “River Bow Necklace” from Anthropologie $38.0, “Held Dear Ring” from Anthropologie $58.00, “Ivory Pearl Pins” from BlossomShop on Etsy $10.00, “Grey Cluth” on Etsy $20.00

Wedding Inspiration

The Beltway Bride — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 05:23:12 +0000

Welcome to The Beltway Bride blog. Here you can find information about wedding inspirations, bridal fashion, events, and overal everything bridal related in the D.C. metro area. This is also a way for myself to document my journey as a bride in the world of wedding planning.

I thought I would start off with our wedding inspiration board that I made with photoshop. Currently my fiance and I are planning for an October 2011 wedding. Our theme is around the fleur de lis and our color scheme is plum and apple green. We choose the fleur de lis for its romantic symbolism and we are both already partial to the symbol in our every day life. The color green and purple were choosen because of their vibrant hues and because they were some of our favorite colors. My fiance and myself felt these factors really represented who we were as a couple for the wedding decor. It has been fun trying to find items that fit this decor. I will have more inspiration boards in the future for items we have found that inspire our theme and how our process in planning is proceeding.

Also look back in the near future for D.C. bridal updates!