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Rosé and lavendar push-pops – a great, light summer dessert to end the night!
Whew – what a week ya’ll! I don’t know about you, but between getting ready for corporate tax season and having plans every night this week, I am so exhausted! Luckily, one of those events was the All About Weddings & Events event at Wardman Tower – a recent transformation of turning the Marriott Wardman Park into super luxurious condos. There, in Penthouse 3, I got to hear about all the best trends and ideas for event planning. If you’re looking for some event planning inspiration – here’s a quick recap of the 8 things I learned at Wardman Tower’s All About Weddings & Events:
1. DC has a powerhouse of uber talented event planners, stylists, and event/wedding writers. I was able to meet and chat with all these amazing women. And yes, I immediately fantasized about hiring them all to throw the most amazing party. A girl can dream, right?
- Amy Moeller is the editor-in-cheifl of Washingtonian Weddings and writes fashion features for Washingtonian.
- Arney Walker is Washington, DC’s leading planner for weddings and events set at private homes and historic properties.
- Danielle Redmond is a Senior Account Executive at Occasions Caterers. Side note: Occasions Caterers catered the event and everything they served was AH-mazing!
- Shallon Hunter Manion is the Director of Public Relations and VIP Clients at Tuckernuck, and is the founder and creative director of her boutique styling business.
2. Everything Local. One of the hot trends seen in the industry is keeping everything local. From the spirits (DCers, think Green Hat Gin, Cotton & Reed Rum, and Republic Restoratives), to local flower farmers , a lot of people are keeping it all local. Aside from promoting small business, it was noted that it would make a wedding more meaningful if local, in season flowers were used rather than imports. That way, at the time of the couple’s anniversary, they’ll start to see the local flowers at their wedding blooming around the city naturally. This wouldn’t necessarily happen if flowers were imported from Hawaii (and you don’t live there).
Rustic flowers for a residential tablescape
3. Feathers, Capes, and Pant Suits. All three of these items are hot trends when it comes to the bride’s reception outfit. If you have the budget, keep the ceremony dress very traditional. But have fun and be yourself when it comes to the reception. Same applies if the couple has two weddings where one is more formal and the other is more casual (e.g. a destination wedding).
4. Hiring an artist to paint a portrait during an event is the gift that keeps on giving. Guests can interact with the artist and see the evolution of the painting as the event goes on. After the event, the host can use the painted portrait as a thank you card for guests. This makes the event so much more memorable!
5. Monogramed linens make a great bridesmaid gift if you’re stumped.
6. Tequila🍹 is super trendy and living its best life right now. Use it in a unique way such as serving shots in Himalayan salt shot glasses engraved with guest’s names and their table number.
7. Stumped for a gracious way to tell people the party is over? Use this idea: at the end of the night, bring out a hot pretzel 🥨 bar with a sign that says “Don’t be salty, the night’s not over! Head to the after party at ____”
8. Ditch the post-its and poster board – we’re in the digital age now! Use allseated.com for table seating planning, it’s free and Arney swears it’s the best tool out there now.
PS: I also linked the super gorgeous earrings from Tuckernuck that I received in my goodie bag at the end of the night!
