Planning the Perfect Great Gatsby-Inspired Wedding

Along with being the year’s blockbuster movie, The Great Gatsby is also the year’s hottest wedding theme. Brides are going crazy for the theme, and it’s no surprise. The Great Gatsby brings to mind glitz and glamour, vintage beauty, and the excitement of the Jazz Age.

If you’re considering a Gatsby-inspired wedding, there are plenty of ways to bring the theme into your big day. Here are a few of our favorite ideas.

• The Gatsby menu: From flowing champagne and cocktails to high-end luxury foods, like oysters, caviar, and filet mignon, the Gatsby menu is fabulous and fancy. For the real experience, choose a caterer that offers silver or white glove service.
• The Gatsby style: Choose a 1920s style gown for the bride, flapper-style headbands for the bridesmaids, and a dapper suit or tux for the groom’s party.
• The Gatsby venue: You don’t need to go to Long Island to find a perfect location. Look for an elegant old mansion here in Northern Virginia and give it a Gatsby touch with your decor.

Want more tips on planning your Gatsby-inspired wedding? Get in touch with any of our great wedding vendors to find out what they can do to help with your planning!

Tent Wedding? We Know Who To Call

Michael Jordan’s wedding last week set a record for the biggest ever wedding tent. Measuring a whopping 40,000 square feet, the tent was even bigger than the basketball legend’s nearby mansion (which is only 35,000 square feet).

While Michael’s tent might be a bit big for most venues, having a tent for your wedding can be a great idea. It’s a way to have an outdoor wedding without being subject to Mother Nature. It also means you don’t need to be controlled by an existing building’s architecture.

If you’re thinking about having a tent for your wedding, you’ll need to work with a specialist tent rental company. Putting up a normal backyard tent just doesn’t cut it when you’re thinking of your big day. Gibson Rental have been providing tent rentals to Virginia couples since 1987 and have a team of experienced professionals who can make your dream come true.

To find out more about their services, and how you can create your dream outdoor wedding with them, get in touch with them through our member directory or through their website.

Happy Second Anniversary to Will and Kate!

It doesn’t seem possible that the Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton was a full two years ago! The couple’s nuptials are still a big influence on weddings, and it’s no wonder.

When Will and Kate tied the knot in 2011, the ceremony was broadcast around the world. The elegance of Kate’s lace-covered gown gave brides a look that’s still a popular choice. She’s been credited with sparking the big trend towards wedding gowns with sleeves.

Of course, the wedding also sparked a fairy tale theme wedding boom. Brides had a great example for reference if they wanted to have the full princess experience for their wedding day. From the carriages to the first kiss, Will and Kate’s big day certainly showed what a fairy tale wedding could be.

They may be celebrating their second anniversary, but the future King and Queen of England are still influencing weddings all over the world. If you’re planning your own fairy tale wedding, northern Virginia is an excellent location.

To find out more about all the great wedding vendors in our area and what they can bring to your big day, check out our member directory!

Top 5 Reasons to Hire a Hunt Country Wedding Planner

You’re engaged! You’re family is overjoyed. Your closest friends shower you with their congratulations. Everyone is excited to know the details of the upcoming wedding. Now you face the planning aspect of this wonderful occasion.

Here are 5 reasons to hire a Hunt Country Celebrations wedding planner:

1. We know this beautiful area of Virginia known as Hunt Country well. We not only work here but live here too! A Hunt Country Celebrations wedding planner, such as The Finer Points, will give you the inside knowledge of the various locations where you can hold your special event.

2. It’s all about the money. A planner can help you create a wedding budget and stick to it!

3. As members of one of the area’s oldest and most prestigious group of wedding vendors, a Hunt Country Celebrations wedding planner has close relationships with only the best professionals. You can have confidence in the referrals you receive as those of the highest quality.

4. A Hunt Country Celebrations wedding planner will take the mystery out of your wedding planning and will make every step easy and fun. It’s our job to guide you toward your dream wedding!

5. Day-of-Coordination. You’ve come this far – why worry on your big day? A Hunt Country Celebrations wedding planner, like The Finer Points, is on-site to make all of your plans become the wedding you, your family, and friends will remember.

To find out how to have The Finer Points make your wedding an easy and memorable dream come true, get in touch with them at www.thefinerpointsllc.com or through our member directory.

How to avoid family feuds at weddings

 

Let’s face it know matter how hard we try nobody is perfect and emotions do tend to run high during weddings, maybe you respectfully turned down a dress that has been passed down the family or your soon to be mother in law doesn’t agree with the color scheme it’s difficult to please everyone and at the end of the day it is about celebrating the love between you and your partner.

Whilst no one like to upset family it is important to remember that they day is not about them but about you and your partner so make sure everyone remembers that but do try to be considerate whilst you may not like all of the suggestions you are getting, people are only trying to help so just politely thank them and say you will consider it. You may also find that long standing family issues may arise during the planning of your wedding and whilst these cannot be remedied overnight you can do your best to avoid outright confrontations by tactical seating arrangements for example if your Sister doesn’t get along with your cousin for whatever reason it may not be the best idea to have them sitting next to each other during the ceremony or the reception. Whatever issues you face throughout the planning of your wedding Hunt Country Celebrations can help you every step of the way to creating your perfect wedding.

2013 Wedding Trend: Patterns and Colors

You might have your wedding colors narrowed down, but what about your wedding patterns? Many brides are including a pattern as part of their wedding design alongside the more traditional color aspects.

Patterns such as stripes and polka dots have been a big part of vintage inspired weddings over the past few years, but can be used in a wide variety of ways. They are also great for the art deco influence of The Great Gatsby.

Of course, it isn’t all harsh lines in this year’s popular patterns. Brides are taking inspiration from art and nature in their patterns. Floral patterns, line drawings, and wave prints are all big this wedding season.

Another big pattern trend for 2013 is going to be typography. While typography has been used in a lot of weddings over the last year or two, the artistic quality of type is taking center stage this year. This is being used on everything from cakes to decorations, too.

Here in Northern Virginia, brides are already using this great wedding trend. The early wedding season is already full of beautiful patterns mixed in with solid colors.

To find out how to incorporate patterns into your wedding, get in touch with our members. They can turn your wedding dream into a reality!

Leesburg Wedding Venue: Raspberry Plain

Last weekend kicked off the spring wedding season at Raspberry Plain, a gorgeous venue in Leesburg. The house, set in a stunning 50 acres, dates back to Colonial times and is a perfect choice for indoor or outdoor weddings.

Raspberry Plain also had one of their weddings featured on United With Love. The wedding of Becca and Kyle can be an inspiration to couples who want to see how gorgeous a Raspberry Plain wedding can be.

Of course, every wedding here is a stunning affair. We thought we’d share a few photos of another recent wedding at Raspberry Plain. Katie and Hans were married last fall, and they had a beautiful day.

To find out how to book your own wedding at Raspberry Plain, get in touch with them at their website or through our member directory, where you can find all the vendors you need to make your Northern Virginia wedding something truly special.

Get Your Name In Lights

Hire a professional lighting company to provide your name in lights, says Laura Macario of Artistic Concepts Group. ACG, one of Hunt Country Celebrations’ members, knows all you need for how to get this great effect at your wedding.

A projection of a pattern or a  gobo (or GOBO) derived from “Go Between” or “Goes Before Optics” is a physical template placed in front of a lighting source used to control the shape of emitted light.

Gobos are often used in weddings and corporate events to add a personal touch to the look of an event. Project the happy couple’s names or faces, a  company logo or just about any artwork turned into a projected image – the possibilities are endless.

ACG can make the custom gobo in as little as a week. Common locations that custom gobos are projected in corporate/wedding situations are: the wall behind the head table, the center of the dance floor, on the floor in front of the main entrance, and the most dominant wall.

“Standard” gobo patterns are also widely used for events. These often are stars or foliage projected onto the ceiling or walls to set a mood in the whole room.

Stained glass to simulate church windows are also popular when using a ballroom that the bride and groom want to seem like a chapel.  You can also hide plain air wall panels with overlaid standard gobos.

To find out more about what ACG can do for your event, get in touch with them through their website or through Hunt Country Celebrations.

White Mares for South Asian Groom’s Processions

The Hunt Country area of Northern Virgnia is a wonderful place for a wedding, and Hunt Country Celebrations member Harmon’s Carriages offer more than just horse and carriage services.

Harmon’s Carriages also provide the white mares (female horses) for the Groom’s Procession, or Baraats, for South Asian Weddings.

The mares are saddled, bridled, and wear an ornate brocade horse costume, and are accompanied by one of Harmon’s staff who leads the mare safely through the procession.

The mares have been conditioned to the music, drums, flying scarves, and dancing of the Groom’s family and friends who precede the Groom in the Baraat. The procession dances for 25 to 30 minutes until they meet the bride’s family at the entrance to the wedding venue.

The mares have been doing Baraats for years and are very safe for the Groom to ride.

The mares can be seen on the South Asian Weddings section of the Harmon’s Carriages website. Harmon’s Carriages can be contacted at 540-825-6707 or weddings@harmonscarriages.com.

Fauquier Wedding Vendor Spotlight: First Dance Impressions

If you’re planning a Fauquier wedding, you’ll want to work with First Dance Impressions for your first spin on the dance floor as a married couple. First Dance Impressions, based in Warrenton, is a great help for your Fauquier event.

Fauquier Wedding Dance Lessons From First Dance Impressions

Most Northern Virginia weddings feature a couple’s first dance, as well as a father-daughter dance. You might also want to consider a mother-son dance for the groom and his mom. These dances are symbolic of the transition from being your parent’s child to your spouse’s partner.

Dances also add great entertainment to your wedding day. However, many couples are nervous about their first dance. Most of us don’t regularly dance in front of all our friends and family, so being in the spotlight can be a bit stressful.

However, when you take lessons from First Dance Impressions, you’ll feel far more confident. You’ll be able to practice your first dance, and even learn a few moves for the rest of the wedding reception.

Whether you’re planning a Fauquier wedding or just want to learn to dance in Warrenton, First Dance Impressions offer you the instruction you need. You can get in touch with them through the Hunt Country Celebrations Members list!