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I had the pleasure of sharing my Memorial Day weekend with April and Lindsay as they got married in the beautiful Meridian Hill Park, which is just across the street from Josephine Butler Parks Center, where the reception was held.

April was glowing when she arrived at Josephine Butler to finish getting ready for the ceremony. She insisted on taking this picture with me and my little assistant (who is due to arrive any day now!). All of the awesome photographs were taken by Laurel Jensen of Laurel Jensen Photography.

And there is Lindsay getting on his boutonniere just downstairs. The feathers in all the personal flowers were a great touch. Bethany and Jeanne from Park Florist in Takoma Park, MD really did an amazing job with all the flowers.

April’s bouquet was absolutely gorgeous. Bethany and her team secured a hankie that was April’s Grandmother’s to the bouquet using an antique brooch that April had found. I loved the color scheme for all the arrangements. The colors were romantic, but very appropriate for the laid back feel that April wanted to achieve for her Memorial Day weekend nuptials.

The couple’s family and friends gathered in the park to witness the ceremony performed by A.C. Warden of Capital Ceremonies. A.C. did a great job customizing the ceremony to incorporate all the elements that were important to April and Lindsay.

As we all know, it was quite warm that Saturday, so the couple provided these really pretty parasols for their guests. This blue one really made for some cool pics! Aren’t these two cute!

The park really was a great backdrop for photos. These two are a perfect match and Laurel did a fabulous job capturing the special moments.

The front view of Josephine Butler Parks Center in DC.

There are so many wonderful elements in this shot of the welcome/gift table. April had given the florist a bunch of old scarves, hankies, table cloths and pieces of fabric that she loved and Bethany from Park Florist used them throughout the venue. I love how this particular piece looked under this arrangement, which was contained in an old fashioned mason jar. But the best part is the picture of Lindsay’s grandparents who were married 66 years earlier on the exact same day!

Guests were asked to write a message to the couple and leave it in an old box. Special thanks to both of my assistants that day, Jasmine and Jenny, for helping with all of the set up.

Love this photo of the couple as they enter to join their guests and get the party started!

The reception space is perfect for smaller weddings. If you love a ton of natural light, this is the venue for you!

All of the centerpieces were slightly different and while it is a bit hard to see in this photograph, all of the tables had one of those unique pieces of fabric under the flowers.

Love the lace under this one! I also like the use of the silver julep cups for the centerpieces. The couple served mint juleps as one of their signature cocktails!

Josephine Butler also has this great terrace on the second floor just off the reception space, which is perfect for guests during cocktail hour and throughout the night.

April and Lindsay enjoying a fun moment during their first dance!

Ok, let me just tell you how delicious the food was! As always, Peggy McGuire and the folks at Main Event Caterers did a superb job with all the details. They are always a pleasure to work with.

April and Lindsay didn’t have a traditional wedding cake. Instead, they decided to have some of their friends contribute homemade desserts of their choice.

The Capitol Building….made from white chocolate….yummmm!!!

The couple chose two pies from the selection to cut in front of their guests.

The couple supplemented the homemade desserts with some yummy cupcakes from Hello Cupcake! Each flavor was topped with a monogram. Main Event did a fantastic job with the dessert display.

Congratulations, April and Lindsay! Thanks for letting me be a part of your day!

xoxo,

Felicia

Every so often us wedding planners get spoiled.  Many of the parties and events we attend are purely functional to network with other industry leaders and to promote our business.  Sometimes, though, we are treated to something wonderful without all that “work” nonsense!

Last week we had the fantastic opportunity to join Main Event Caterers for a private luncheon tasting in their showroom.  What a phenomenal culinary event it was.  They presented it like they would for a bridal tasting so we really got to see and feel how our clients are treated.

Here is our luncheon table in the showroom:

They also set smaller tables in the showroom to give clients ideas on new colors and trends.  You may remember these from the last time we visited Main Event.  Here are two that Brian put together:

I’m so in love with this plum chivari chair cushion:

As we sat down for lunch my first exclamation was, “oh!  we have names!”  Everyone thought this was hilarious as I’m known for my ditzy comments.  I really meant that each menu was customized with our names, indicating where we should sit.  Here’s my menu:

First we started off with a sampling plate of hors d’oeuvres.  They presented each plate in a different way!  Each person received the same five appetizers.  It was a nice treat to see the chef’s creativity.  Here’s all the plates:

From the top we have a Portuguese Poached Pears & Brie de Meaux (eveloped in phyllo), then to the right is a Thai Spiced Chicken Salad (gathered in a petite crepe rucksack chive drawstring), below that a Isola di Capri (bocconcini with tiny yellow & red tomatoes, basil, & vintage balsamic), then a Jumbo lump Petite Crab cake (with eastern shore remoulade), and finally a Forest Foraged Mushroom & Camembert buttery tartlet.  MMM!

All of these amazing serving pieces are from our buddies at Party Rental Ltd:

Another fun tidbit!  All the garnish they use on their plates is 100% edible:

This one was set with a large cheese crisp embedded with peppercorns.  We couldn’t resist breaking it up and eating almost the whole thing.  Yum-o:

Next was the soup course.  Yes, a soup course after all those hor d’oeuvres!  This was a sampling of mini soups, including a butternut squash bisque with chestnuts, a very wild musroom soup, and a oyster creme with thyme and roquefort grissini:

On to the entrees!  We got entrees (PLURAL) after all that food.  First up was this beautiful Miro Miso Cured Monk Fish with carrot ginger broth, baby bok choi, and purple potatoes.  Anyone will tell you that I’m not really a seafood fan but this was really light and not ‘fishy’ at all:

Next we enjoyed a beautiful chicken dish.  They described this one as a Goat’s Cheese & Mushroom Plumped Breast of Chicken with glazed turned vegetables & griddled polenta cake.  What a great combination:

Our final entree was a unique spin on a beef.  Most weddings turn to the traditional filet mignon.  Here we were presented with a Braised Boneless Beef Rib with a syrah reduction, cauliflower puree, and tobacco fried onions (named for the spice in the batter):

If that weren’t enough, we were then invited to their wine room for dessert and coffee!  These guys are serious about dessert.  Check out this beautiful display:

Main Event is known for their signature Deep Dark Chocolate Truffles.  You can see those in the bowl in the center of the lower tray.  These little guys are so good they even come with their own warning!  The menu says “caution: may elicit an elation of joy.”  They sure were.  One of my favorites was the Truffle Mousse Cake with Grand Marnier Swirl:

Here’s a small portion of the Main Event crew.  From the left we have VP Nancy, General Manager Cheryl, Creative Director Brian, and Director of Sales Renee:

We really enjoyed our afternoon with Main Event Caterers and hope you’ll take a moment to consider them for your event!  They are a great value for the quality they produce and the people are just delightful to work with.  We hope to see them at more weddings very soon.