The Music of Love

2012 started with the biggest and most unique of set ups for a wedding.  We've spent alot of time with this couple.  We've worked with both of them on numerous occasions doing weddings. We had a great relationship with them on a professional level, but now working with them for so long we became close.  So of course, this wedding was important to us on a personal level.

 The groom owns a DJ & lighting company, JJDJ Entertainment. Why use another company when you own a great one?!  So needless to say the DJ setup & lighting was going to be out of this world amazing.

Since the groom owned the company doing the music and lighting the setup was elaborate to say the least. I have to say it was the biggest one I have ever been a part of.  This by far was NOT going to be an average wedding set up.  They went above and beyond!!They setup a huge truss (not trellis-as I called it once ha,ha) with a mirrored ball.  2 large screens set up behind the head table.  Throughout the night is showed pictures and videos to match the music.  The whole room was uplit.  A monogram covered the entire dance floor.  Everything looked absolutely stunning!

The ceremony was set up on the outside patio.   After the ceremony they danced their way back down the aisle.  This definetely set the tone for the entire wedding day.  This was going to be a fantastic & fun wedding.  . 

Music was the theme for their wedding.  How could it be anything else?  It fit them perfectly! The bride did all the DIY projects from escort cards, table numbers to centerpieces she did it all!! She even came up with signature martinis to serve to the guests.  The escort cards were "tickets" with the guest names and tables named after some of their favorite songs. The reception room glowed with pink uplights.  The tables were adorned with black satin linens and Chivari chairs with fuchsia chair ties. Each place setting had a silver charger with a fuchsia napkin folded on top.  The bride made the centerpieces that were 3 cylinder containers with floating candles and stones with pink lights on mirrors.  The table numbers were CD's named after their favorite songs.

No need to mention that the dance floor was PACKED the entire night.  Between the music and the lighting it was quite a party!! The best part is when the bride and groom got up and showed their skills on the turn tables.  The highlight of the evening, we have to say!!

They had 2 cakes.  One was a simple 3 squared tiered cake with fuchsia and black ribbon topped with 2 cute piggies as bride and groom. Something that had a special meaning to them.  The other cake was a surprise for the groom from the bride.  This cake was shaped as a turn table.  Love!!

They also opted to have a candy bar that was made by us, Creations by Brenda.  Decked full of all their favorite candy adorned with black satin linen with pink accents. YUUUUM!  We love doing candy bars!!



Creations by Brenda

This wedding had one of the hardest and longest set ups we have been a part of.  But, we enjoyed every minute of it. This couple is such a great couple, we would have done anything for them. The room was just a blank slate when we got there.  Between JJDJ Entertainment this amazing bride and groom, their friends and family and our staff we pulled off an extraordinary wedding.

 We wish you both all the best and a very Happy 1st Anniversary!!!!  Here's to many, many more to come!!

Fall Country Chic

This last wedding of the season brought us again to Grandale Farms in Purcellville.  We have nothing but nice things to say about this couple.  From the beginning they were a delight.  We've been fortunate enough to have worked with some great couples this year, but this one is by far one of the sweetest.

Shilliday Photography

They had a stunning mix of colors for their ceremony and reception, from yellows to purples. Bright colors to go along with the early changing fall leaves.  The ceremony was held outside, on this gorgeous fall day.  The cold weather held out enough to have a beautiful ceremony.  The white wooden chairs lined the aisles.  The arch was draped with beautiful greenery and mix of flowers.  All the bouquets were done in a mix of colors and flowers.  Almost looking like wild flowers.  The groom grinned as he watched his bride and her parents walk down the aisle.  It was so sweet!  The ceremony had some Jewish touches from her side of the family.  The ceremony ended with the traditional breaking of the glass.

The reception was a tented event.  The linens were ivory floor length with light blue napkins. Each table had  walnut colored chivari chairs.  The centerpieces were all different tiered submerged flowers.  Some were Calla Lillies in different colors and the others were roses in different colors.  Each had a floating candle.  Votives and rose petals finished of the tables.  Favors were assorted candies in organza bags placed at each table setting.

Artistic cake creations

The cake was gorgeous.  A 3 tiered cake with sugar flowers draped from top to bottom.  Surrounded by rose petals at the base on a light blue linen.  This cake was beautiful and yummy!!

At most weddings we usually we are chasing down either the bride or the groom. Most times they only really get to spend a little time together due to having to greet or "entertain" guests.  This couple was different.  They didn't leave each others' side. They danced the whole night and had a blast.  But the whole time within reaching distance.  We absolutely loved that.  To see them so in love and so into each other. The dance floor stayed packed from beginning to end.  It really could have been at least double the size.  Had we known they would have just partied all night, we would have suggested it.  The DJ played Michael Jackson to Tradition Jewish songs and everything in between.  It stayed packed!! It didn't stop any of them, if the dance floor was packed onto the grass they went.  It was truly a fun, fun party filled night.  Which we are sure continued even after everyone left.

Shilliday Photography

The night ended with us taking some of those submerged centerpieces and making a walk way outside  in the grass to line the way to the bus that would take the bride, groom and guests to the hotel.  Some of the rose ones reminded us of the Beauty and the Beast rose. They just glowed in the night.  As the couple did their departure the guests through rose petals.  It was a great way to end the night. 

We had an amazing time the entire night.  Their families and friends were a pleasure to be around.  Truly a great couple.  We wish them all the best always!!  Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your day!!

Team Jordan Wedding

No not Air Jordan, not Michael Jordan but the newlyweds, Mr. and Mrs. Jordan.  This wedding was special from the start.  The newly married Mr.and Mrs. Jordan were exceptional to work with. We all soon became  known as "Team Jordan".  I still think we should have made some t-shirts.  We slacked on that!! hmmm....is there still time???? Better late than never?!?!

A very cute little church full of charm held the ceremony.  Loose arrangement of roses in glass vases were at the altar, simple elegance.  Bows lined the rows of pews.  The bride was stunning in her dress holding a beautiful bouquet wrapped in antique lace with a pin that was her grandmothers.  Such a lovely touch.

 The reception was held at the Sheraton in Reston.   In the grand ballroom.  Chocolate colored floor length lamour linens adorned the tables.  Complete with gold chargers and Tiffany blue menu folded napkins.  Each place setting had a personalized menu card and a place card.  The favor of chocolate covered Oreos made especially for them by the bride's aunt-DELICIOUS.  So cute they were decorated as brides and grooms.  They were placed in a box with the initial "J" for Jordan.

The centerpieces were tall white centerpieces.  The colors were Chocolate, creams and touches of Tiffany Blue.  You would think that the dark Chocolate colored linens would be too dark for this room.  But it made it look rich and lush.  The cake was beautiful.  One of our favorites this year.  It was half cream and the other half Tiffany blue with a damask print in cream on that side adorned with flowers. The cake topper was a chocolate colored letter "J".  Absolutely beautiful.  They also had a Virginia Tech groom's cake.  It was a little cake with  just the initials and the mascot.  Very cute. Let's go Hokies!! : )  The cake table was topped off with votives, petals and "I Do" in wooden letters.

The best part of this wedding.  No matter any issues that happened throughout the day when it finally came to celebrate the beginning of marriage for these two the love was definitely in the air.  They have a tradition in this family, which I love.  I absolutely love all the quirky type things that a bride and groom can bring into the wedding day.  The brides families' tradition is they have this ugly, very ugly fiber optic lamp that changed colors. Its passed down from one newly married couple to the next.  Each newly married couple has to keep it until the next couple in the family gets married then it has to be presented and lighted at the reception. So, needless to say we all got a kick out of it.  But, it truly is an ugly lamp....but we LOVE it!!!  In this case, it was placed front and center on their sweet heart table.

At the end of the night everyone was extremely happy and tired from all the dancing.  ALWAYS a good sign of a great party.  We were even...um....they really twisted our arms to do this...um...we'll say
dragged, yes dragged, we were dragged out for a few songs by the family. ha,ha! No not really, we loved being a part of their night. It definitely made our night.

We wish them all the best always!!!  Thank you for sharing your day with us!!  We'll always be TEAM JORDAN!!

Pink Splendor

This wedding was a challenge. They came to us about a month out from their wedding day.  All that was booked was the venue.  So we had to hit the ground running and get all the vendors.  First thing we did, print out the invitations.  Got to admit the DIY invite market has gotten extremely better over the last few years.  You can find some really high quality invites and escort cards for minimal cost.  Just need a good printer.  So we did printed, stuffed and tied ribbons for a few hours and got them out.

The bride's vision for her day was a little difficult to narrow down.  She had high expectations but timing issues limited us with vendors and design ideas.  We managed to merge pinks, creams, golds, dolphins, Thailand and other Asian accent all mixed with elegance to make this wedding happen.  Quite a challenge indeed.

The wedding was at Evergreen Country Club in Haymarket.  The ceremony was going to be outside but the August heat forced us to bring it inside.  The arch was covered in lush flowers.  Flowers lined the aisle and 2 large floral arrangements in gold urns on pedestals lined each side of the arch.  The ceremony room never looked as nice.

The reception was in the ballroom.  The tables were adorned floor length champagne colored satin linens with flowered sheer ivory colored overlays.  They had a combination of tall floral centerpieces with clear trumpet vases and small floral centerpieces in gold urns.  Ivory chair covers and blush pink chair ties finished the look. Favors were either turquoise or pink dolphin shaped salt and pepper shakers.  The bride brought those back from Thailand. The real show stopper of the reception was the lighting.  Bright pink uplights, monograms and other lighting was all provided by JJDJ Entertainment, LLC.  Great company to work with.  Amazing lighting and DJ services.  They took exactly what we described she wanted and made it happen.  She was beyond ecstatic-as were we!

Cake was a 3 rounded tiered cake.  2 tiers placed on on top of each other an the top tier was separated, it was filled with flowers.  The cake topper was a bride and groom hugging, the groom picking up the bride in the embrace--cute!  Right before the cake cutting the bride and groom both changed into traditional Thai outfits.  Absolutely stunning!  All the bridesmaids changed as well.  They all danced to traditional Thai music. It was mesmerizing, really beautiful.  It was breathtaking.  You couldn't help but smile.

We loved this wedding for the challenge and the unique cluster of ideas we put together.  We had to really work closely with the bride to get her vision exactly how she wanted.  The bride and groom, bridal party and guests made this wedding an event to remember.  It was a great wedding.  We wish them all the best always.

Heavy Metal Sling Shot Wedding

 The name says it all. Or does it?  I know it sounds strange.  But they managed to combine heavy metal (and other genre of music), sling shots and tons of fun with elegance. This was one of the funnest (is that a word?) weddings I've done in a long time.  The bride and groom were absolutely a blast!  They kept me on my toes with all the little surprises along the way.  This bride was very detail oriented.  A month before the wedding, she had everything done, marked and packed up for me.  I was in awe.  That never happens.  I absolutely adored her for it.  It made my life 1000 times easier.

The ceremony and wedding were both at Evergreen Country Club in Haymarket.  Ceremony was outside in the Stone Garden.  Beautiful ceremony.  Gotta admit, got a little teary eyed.  I was so happy for them.  Such a great couple! She looked stunning in a flowing white dress walking down the aisle. Her bridemaids in black strapless dresses.  All looked beautiful.

The reception was inside the ballroom. Their colors were black and white with pops of green.   Each table had floor length white linen with black overlays.  Free standing Calla Lillies on a black bases were the centerpieces.  Each one had a light in it.  So they "glowed" in the dark.  Very cool centerpieces.  Very modern and almost edgy but at the same time elegant. Unfortunately, the photos just don't do it justice. The escort cards were placed on a board that her father made.  Very impressed.  The bride and family made all the programs, escort cards & board & table numbers. The table numbers were different musicians from different genres of music.  Aerosmith, Ray Lamotagne, Led Zeppelin and even Eminem to name few.  Very unique and personalized. The favor...seeds to grow beautiful wild flowers as a symbol of their love blooming.

Artistic Cake Creations

Artistic Cake Creations

They had 2 cakes.  Hers was simple elegance, timeless.  4 squared tiers adorned with pearl dots, black ribbon and Calla Lillies.  Beautiful!  The Groom's cake was a drum set from Metallica.  Very cute and so fit their personality.  The best and very unexpected part.  Was after they did the traditional cake cutting the matron of honor and the best game in blowing a whistle and music changed.  They grabbed the groom sat him down and put goggles, rain poncho and held a target behind his head.  The bride was then given a tray with cake and a sling shot.  Hmmmm...you can guess where this is going.  She then proceeded to shoot cake into his mouth.  It was absolutely hilarious!!  LOVED IT!

Shelley Miller Photography

The dance floor remained packed the whole night.  The bride & groom, their family and friends were absolutely a pleasure to be around.  They were so much fun.  This wedding is going down in the books as one that will never be forgotten.  Thank you for allowing us to be a part of you day.  We wish you all the best always!!

Simply elegant country chic

This wedding was a pure delight to help plan.  We initially started the planning process with the mother of the bride via long distance.  When we finally met her as well as the bride, we were complete awe.  Such a wonderful family to work with.  The bride and groom absolutely delightful!  The bride made us a little nervous only because she was so easy going.  Sometimes we don't know what to expect and when a bride is so easy going we always are expecting an outburst of some sort. Not this bride, so sweet from beginning to the end.  LOVED IT!!

The wedding was held at Grandale Farms in Purcellville.  The ceremony took place outdoors near the orchard with an amazing view of the mountains in the distance.  A rustic arch with minimal flowers in blues, purples, yellows and white.  Beautiful!

The reception was held under the tent.  The tables had floor length light blue linen with a sheer white overlay. Flowers were in galvanized buckets with a very pretty palate of purples, creams and yellows.  Simply elegant country chic!  The best part of the tables were the favors.  Homemade strawberry jam, made by the   mother of the bride.  Absolutely delicious!!

The cake was white 3 tiered squared cake with some blue flowers.  The best part of the cake was the cake topper.  Specially made for the bride and groom.  2 bobble heads that looked like them.  It was hilarious, but so cute.  It fit them very well.  Another great addition was they added a game of corn-hole to the wedding.  The guests really enjoyed this.  It was a surprise and fun addition to the wedding.  Nothing like seeing a bride in her wedding dress playing.  Loved it!!

As beautiful as this wedding it was it wasn't a "stuffy" one, the bride and groom were so down to earth.  It was like a huge family event.  They were fun loving and had made all their guests feel so welcome, everyone really enjoyed themselves. We wish them the very best in their journey together as husband and wife.

All you Need is Love

There just isn't one word to describe this wedding.  We couldn't figure out how to name this one.  It was colorful, unique, beautiful, DIY projects galore, fun, creative, elaborate, beautiful...the descriptions could go on and on.  Let's just leave it as All you Need is Love.  Since this wedding had touches of The Beatles from beginning to end, it seems only fitting.

Both the ceremony and reception were held at the bride's parents house.  The ceremony was held in a wooded area across a little stream.  The Bride's father made a set of doors for the guests to walk through and a bridge to cross over. It was a great way to separate the space and show the entrance to the ceremony. It made it a unique entrance to an outdoor event.  Bird seed in fuchsia, turquoise or purple organza bags were set out on all the chairs to throw.  The bridal party walked into Beatles songs sang and accompanied by a few of the couples friends.   It was so beautiful.  The bride looked absolutely stunning walking through the doors and down the daisy lined aisle with her father towards her groom. She carried the most unique bouquet.  It was made of tons and tons of brooches.  Absolutely gorgeous.

Close to 300 guests joined them under a HUGE tent.  The tent was a little further up from the ceremony location.  The  tables were adorned with orange, fuchsia or turquoise silk floor length linens.  Napkins tied with DIY ribbon in assorted colors.  The centerpieces were beautiful large vases in either fuchsia, turquoise or purple with DIY flowers on branches.  During dinner the bride surprised the groom with 2 belly dancers.  It was a great way to start the evenings festivities.

They opted to do a cupcake table instead of cake.  But, let me just say the cupcake table was huge!  We placed a large "tree" stand with cupcakes stacked all the way to the top.  They made 2 tall DIY stands both topped with Fondant daisy covered cakes.  It looked like a Daisy flower ball.  It was gorgeous. Each cupcake was decorated with a Daisy made out of fondant.  Beautiful! They had little white boxes with various Beatles album pictures on them for guests to take home cupcakes.

They had a photo booth for the guests to enjoy and doubled as the favors. They thought of everything for their guests to enjoy the evening. From frozen Margarita machines, great entertainment, booming music, dollar dances with jello shots and great company--it was an unforgettable night.

We hung painted doors throughout the tent showing the bar, DJ, bathroom trailer and cupcake areas of the tent.  For example:  near the cupcakes it said " love is sweet"  Near the bathroom:  "love stinks"   They partied on the black and white dance floor well into the morning hours.  Way after most of the vendors had left for the night.

This wedding was one of the most unique ones that we have had the privilege of being a part of.  We were able to assist from the beginning and saw this great event emerge from scratch.  From just the beginning ideas to the actual day, we had a blast all the way.  Its hippie meets elegant vibe was absolutely beautiful.  We couldn't think of anything that would fit this couples' tastes better.  Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your special day. We will never forget the both of you or your wedding day.