Jennifer and Saurabh

Jennifer and Saurabh chose the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center for their wedding on April 25th. Their ceremony and reception combined Indian and Jewish traditions to honor both of their families. Jennifer wore a stunning pink embroidered wedding gown while Saurabh wore traditional Indian dress. Saurabh's one special request was to recreate the old Toyota slogan and jump with the bridal party. You wouldn't believe how high the groomsmen could jump, and you have to respect a bride who will jump four or five times, in heels on a hot day, to make her groom happy :)

Saurabh arrived on horseback as part of the Baratt ceremony and was greeted enthusiastically by Jennifer's family.

The room was absolutely stunning for both the ceremony, and the reception.

The staff worked quickly and seamlessly to get the room ready for dinner.

Several of Saurabh's cousins honored the newlyweds with dance performances.They were a very talented group.

The night sky was absolutely beautiful over the Reagan Building as it got dark and the wedding guests danced the night away.

Additional photos:

Greer and Dave

Greer and Dave were married on a truly gorgeous autumn day. From the beginning, it was apparent how excited everyone was for Greer and Dave’s wedding day.

A rarely seen photo of Jen on the day, helping Greer with her jewelry!

The ceremony was held at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Georgetown. This church is really beautiful, and its architecture is impressive without being gigantic, thus creating an intimate setting for the ceremony. The aisle is intricately tiled, a feature that I found to be unique. Their ceremony was held at just the right time of day so that the sunlight came in the windows and fell upon the bride and groom on the altar.

Georgetown is filled with brick sidewalks and the fall foliage complimented them nicely. The weather was absolutely perfect and it made for some lovely photos of the couple outside after their wedding.

The reception was held in Washington, D.C. at the McLean Gardens Ballroom . This venue is elegant with a central wooden dance floor bordered by four massive white columns. The ceilings are 40 feet high and there are five chandeliers. There are two fireplaces and a large mirror hangs above each. The walls are a very light yellow, which adds to the warm ambiance provided by the chandeliers. Greer and Dave chose to use mini cakes as the centerpieces for their tables. I thought this was a really good idea - dual purpose! Not only are they cute, but edible, too!

Greer and Dave had their first dance immediately upon entering their reception after which dinner was served with the catering services of 3 Citron . Following dinner were the toasts and the parent dances. We were particularly impressed with the dj services of Chris Laich.  After the cake cutting, the guests and the newly married couple hardly left the dance floor, and such a good time was being had that the reception was extended for an extra hour! At the end of the night, the guests lined the sidewalk in front of the building. Greer and Dave walked out amidst lit sparklers and their family and friends as they ended their night with a special exit.

Below we have posted a slideshow of our favorites from Greer and Dave’s wedding. Enjoy!

WPJA awards

You may remember our blog entry about Jennifer and Sean's wedding a few months ago. We decided to enter one of their beautiful images in the most recent WPJA contest. Although the client's opinion is my first concern, I was thrilled to see it was recognized by the judges as one of the winning images! Here it is:

Green Weddings

It’s always greener...

We are living in an increasingly environmentally conscious nation. Over the past 8-12 months in particular, we feel like the floodgates have opened, and environmentally responsible behavior has become a priority in many facets of our lives. Not to be left behind of course, are brides and grooms as they plan their wedding day. There are a variety of green wedding planning sites and blogs, as well as features in magazines and newspapers, highlighting the many ways to go green on your wedding day.

Today, we were talking about new ways to be green in the wedding industry, and as we were returning from lunch (in the hybrid egomedia mobile in fact), we realized we have actually photographed an extraordinary number of green weddings that really deserve special mention. So we got to talking...

It's a white green wedding

Being as environmentally conscious as possible has been a hot topic all along the Chesapeake Bay watershed for some time now.

I know what you're thinking. You don’t want to wear a dress made from hemp and twigs. You don’t want to carry around some dry grass as a bouquet. You don’t want to inconvenience your guests. You don’t want to host your reception in a recycling center. Simply put, you don’t want to rough it on your wedding day.

We are here to tell you (and show you) that going green for your wedding doesn't have to mean any of those things.

One of the easiest ways to have a big impact on your guests is to select an amazing reception venue. You're looking for a grand view, slick architecture, and plenty of neat places for you and your guests to hang out throughout your wedding day. And of course, one of the biggest ways to be environmentally conscious on your wedding day is to choose a reception venue that has the lowest environmental impact possible.

Enter The Chesapeake Bay Foundation Philip Merrill Center

As it happens, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation built their headquarters - the Philip Merrill Center - in Annapolis, Maryland several years ago. Through a combination of technological and environmental achievement, the Merrill Center became the first building to receive the U.S. Green Building Council's Platinum rating for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. This green building is one of the world's most energy-efficient structures, and has won international acclaim as a model for energy efficiency and water conservation.

Here’s the thing though. The building, in all of its green glory, also has one of the best waterfront locations in all of Annapolis (and arguably in the DC metro area). The building is set slightly back from its huge private beach, and the event space has a massive 180 degree view of the Chesapeake Bay. For 30-40 couples a year (on the rise) the Merrill Center plays host to some really gorgeous and environmentally friendly weddings.

Think about it. The building itself is super environmentally friendly. Ergo you and your guests are super environmentally friendly by default. Although many couples choose to hold their ceremony on the beach at CBF, it is also conveniently located close to a host of stunning traditional ceremony sites like the US Naval Academy Chapel, St Anne’s, and St Mary’s, so driving around is kept to a minimum. The money from your event fee directly supports the Chesapeake Bay Foundation's educational and conservation programs. The composting toilets are totally bizarre and make a great conversation starter for guests. The majority of wedding vendors are also finding ways to board the “green train” and really making concerted efforts to keep their businesses as environmentally friendly as possible. At the end of the day weddings at the Merrill Center are not “green themed”, they are simply sustainable events by their very nature.

The best part of this whole deal is that so far all of this greenness requires almost no work to make a rather large impact. You can go wild if you want - recycled invitation materials, organic ingredients for dinner, locally grown produce, organic flowers, the whole nine yards. Regardless of the rest of your decisions, you can rest well knowing that your location and vendors alone are going a loooong way to making your wedding a very green event.

On to the show...

We hope that our rambling and images illustrate that you can have really stunning events that are also incredibly environmentally friendly without sacrificing a single iota of style, glamour, or fun.

Tidbits and Factoids

Some of the key green features of the Merrill building include:

• Solar hot water systems resulting in an annual savings of nearly $4k.

• Energy sense, including a building designed for maximum southern exposure, prevailing winds, and natural daylight.

  
• Natural sensor-activated ventilation which reduces the need for air conditioning. 

  
• Water technology (including composting toilets!) which lowers the Merrill Center's water use to 90 gallons a day - 92% less than a conventional building.
  
• Large rooftop cisterns capture rainwater which is used in the building for hand-washing, fire suppression, and irrigation of the surrounding vegetation.

  
• Incorporation of a wetlands habitat on surrounding land to support native vegetation and wildlife.
Recycled and renewable building materials, including cork flooring and wall panels; bamboo; recycled steel; and recycled wood fiber.
  
• Smart parking design utilizing light colored gravel to reduce harmful runoff, as well as reserved parking for hybrid vehicles (which egomedia gets to use because we have a hybrid!).
  

If you are interested in learning more about having an event at the Merrill Center, call them. The Merrill Center is in high demand, with many couples booking the facility as far as 12 months before their wedding day. Ask for Chris Gorri. He is a good friend and truly one of the nicest people you will meet involved in the wedding industry (he seriously is, this isn’t just some shameless plug :-).

Other Green Wedding Sources

Portovert

I Do Foundation

Eco chic weddings

Earth friendly weddings

Everything Green Weddings and More

Ecofabulous Green Wedding Guide

WikiHow - Have a Green Wedding

The Daily Green - 7 Tips for Planning Your Green Wedding

Kate & Rocco at the Meridian House

Kate and Rocco had a gorgeous wedding at the Meridian House in DC. They handled their wedding plans perfectly - during the planning they considered all the little details, picked great vendors like us :D LOL, and then on their wedding day they relaxed and let everyone do their jobs while they enjoyed their beautiful day.

The Meridian House is an absolutely fantastic site for an event. It's very peaceful there, and large parts of the grounds are shaded by a canopy of tall trees. Kate and Rocco had their ceremony in the garden area behind Meridian House.

Inside and out, the venue was elegant and comfortable. Khoa Le from Festive Foods did an excellent job overseeing all the details of the setup and the food and drinks. Everything was absolutely delicious, and set up well ahead of time! Efficient and professional!

The yellow linens were unique and worked beautifully with the abundant flowers and the colors of Meridian House. Kate and Rocco decorated outside with colorful chinese lanterns of different shapes and sizes. The atmosphere was perfect. Everyone absolutely loved the afrofunk band Chopteeth - I don't think I've ever seen so much uninterrupted dancing!

Want to see more photos from their wedding? Visit their gallery or click any photo.

Kristen & Peter

Kristen and Peter had their ceremony and reception at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The weather was beautiful, and though there was little relief from the heat, this did not stop Kristen, Peter, and their guests from enjoying the day. Always prepared, Peter brought three different shirts to ensure that he looked his best throughout the night!

The beach at CBF looks particularly beautiful at sunset, and we were able to get a few photos of Kristen and Peter walking along the beach after their ceremony.

Throughout the day, Kristen had an army of nieces helping with all the little details. Their pre-ceremony roles included make-up artist and hairstylist, and during the reception they joined together and sang a song in honor of Kristen and Peter. What a talented group!

In planning the reception, Peter and Kristen took special care to ensure that their guests were entertained. Bruce Jacques, was a performer/actor/singer/musician extraordinaire. He came fully equipped with costumes and props which he used to act out a variety of songs for his audience. Seriously - he was hilarious!

The dance floor remained packed for the duration of the reception. At the end of the night, guests danced their way to the front of the building to send Kristen and Peter off with a sparkler exit.

Escorting your guests

Just a quick comment...I notice things at weddings and they nag at me later, so I'll be posting about them here :D LOL

Something that I've been noticing quite a bit lately at weddings is that many brides and grooms ask their ushers to escort women who are considered VIPs to their seats - grandmothers, great aunts, and of course, moms and stepmoms. This makes a lot of sense for the mother of the bride, as many times her husband is the bride's father, who may be waiting to walk her down the aisle. He can't be in two places at once.

The sentiment is very nice...however what brides often don't consider beforehand is what happens to the woman's husband (if she has one) while she is being escorted! Well, most of the time he walks behind her and the usher. LOL a little awkward, don't you think? So here's the poor husband (a VIP as well, like your grandfather, uncle, stepdad, etc.) walking behind his wife while another man escorts her!

I would suggest that if you are having your ushers escort female VIPs, you may want to let those who have husbands be escorted by them, rather than asking them to enter on the arm of an usher :) Obviously if someone needs extra help due to a physical impairment, you should use your best judgment.