Samara and Kyle had a beautiful ceremony at Colonial Avenue Baptist Church in Roanoke, Virginia. The bridesmaids had long, dark purple dresses and gold lanterns were hung from the pews. After the ceremony guests travelled to the Holiday Inn ballroom. Hundreds of candles lit the room with a soft glow, creating a warm ambiance. Roy “Papa DJ” and Russell Prusak of RSP Entertainment did a fabulous job, as always, they know how to keep everyone dancing and put on a great show. The Virginia Tech wedding cake make by Kelly Cakes intrigued all of the guests, and had the most adorable cake topper of two Hokie Birds dressed as bride and groom. Congratulations Samara and Kyle, it was a pleasure to be part of such a special wedding!
Diamond Events has a new look and we can’t wait to show it off! We’ve already updated our twitter page, but soon to come will be our facebook fanpage, wedding blog, website and more! What a great start for 2010.
Sabrina and Rob’s wedding was an experience no one could forget. No matter how creative or organized one is, nobody can stop Mother Nature and illness; a bride’s two worst nightmares. However, not a soul could have handled it better than this loving and relaxed couple. The morning of the wedding, Sabrina fell so ill from food poising that it kept her from having the strength to get ready for her own wedding. To add to the complications, the couple had planned on having their ceremony outside on the beautiful steps of the Jefferson Memorial, but the chance of rain was 100% with no signs of stopping. Her close family and friends were busy by her side coaxing her back to good health. With the help of Rachel Naft of RMN Photography the couple had a beautiful ceremony at Union Station (since they had a D.C. marriage license) and then went back to the Crown Plaza, in Silver Spring, Maryland for the ceremony for their guests and the reception. The impressive flowers were designed by the bride and put together with the help of a volunteer association and Diamond Events. The Groom even set up the lights himself, which were rented from Atmosphere Lighting and really enhanced the room. The DJ, Tony Gaetano of Black Tie DJ’s got the party started with fun music and amusing props for the bridal party to wear. To top the night off, the decorative and delicious candy bar opened for the guest’s to take home a box of their favorite goodies. There was nothing stopping this couple from getting married. They shall love each other in sickness or in health, rain or shine. Sabrina and Rob, you were a true joy to work with.
Last week I had the pleasure of sitting down to chat with videographer Jessica Piscitelli of Jessica Pi Productions. Capturing weddings for over 10 years, she has been noted for being one of DC’s best wedding videographers! Jessica brightens up when describing the way people come to life in a video. The emotions that arise when capturing the bride as she gets ready, walking down the aisle and the words spoken while exchanging vows are a once in a life time experience that you will want to remember forever. “How else are you going to remember the exact words from your vows or the speech by the best man or maid of honor?” Jessica commented.
As budgets get tighter and tighter some couples question the importance of a videographer, sometimes thinking that relatives can handle the responsibility. You can rest assured that hiring Jessica Pi Production to capture and produce your wedding video will be unsurpassable in quality, professionalism and provide years of reminiscing to come.
Khanh contacted Diamond Events just two weeks before her wedding for Day of Coordination services… without a doubt, the shortest amount of time that we have worked with a bride, but you could tell right away that Khanh was different. Having had previous experience herself as a wedding coordinator, the couple’s wedding was full of personalized details, décor and very organized. A Day of Coordinator is exactly what this bride needed to be able to enjoy her big day, but she had to find the person to pass her “baby” off to and we were honored to accept the responsibility and ensure that their day turned out just right.
Both the ceremony and reception were held at historic Whitehall Manor in Bluemont, Virginia. The wedding just happened to fall on a peak day for fall foliage in Loudoun Virginia, making a beautiful backdrop for the ceremony and pictures. The photographer was Laura Burke of Laura Ashbrook Photography, an absolute treat to work with and we can’t wait to showcase her pictures. The aisle arrangements, bouquets and corsages were designed by Holly Heider Chapple, one of Loudoun’s most talented florists. The bridal bouquet had beautiful shades of orange, as Khanh was lucky to have one of the last clippings of the gorgeous dahlias that Holly gets locally.
As the ceremony ended guests made their way inside Whitehall Manor for cocktail hour. All of the food throughout the night was delicious and prepared by Celebrations Catering. DJ, Aaron Hahn of Horizon Entertainment did a fabulous job orchestrating music throughout the entire wedding, from the second by second ceremony entrance to the flawless announcement of the wedding party, a top notch DJ can make all of the difference! The couple chose Connie’s Cake Creations for their wedding cake, a great choice! She offers one of my personal favorites, cream cheese/butter cream icing, to die for, the guests couldn’t get enough! Congratulations Khanh and Ryan on your new life together, you did a fabulous job planning your wedding and it was such a pleasure to be a part of it!
The first time experience in Booth-O-Rama’s Photo Booth is so much fun and I thought I would share our experience. Daniel Nakamura of Booth-o-Rama was such a pleasure to work with. Their service includes a hi—resolution 4×6” print out with a personalized border, an on-site attendant, password protected online gallery of all of the photos and more!
As you step in the booth the suspense builds as the numbers start counting down, 4-3-2-1, #!Flash!#, “HaHaHa… what are we going to do next????”. The red curtain that separates guests from the reception and their 30 seconds in the Photo Booth, creates an experience that captures all of your guests as themselves (and sometimes more). A great addition to any event!
Daniel Nakamura of Booth-O-Rama Booth-O-Rama
Daniel Nakamura www.Booth-O-Rama.com
info@Booth-O-Rama.com
301-587-3700
The weather the week before the wedding had been unusually rainy and cold for October in Washington D.C. and that Saturday the constant rain didn’t let up for even a second, but you would have never had known by looking at Susan and Tom’s face. The couple chose St. Mary’s Catholic Church in historic downtown Alexandria, Virginia to hold their ceremony, a beautiful church with arched ceilings and stained glass windows. Afterwards guests travelled to the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center on the Potomac River in National Harbor, Maryland right outside of Washington D.C. The reception was held at the Moon Bay Restaurant in the atrium of the Gaylord. The wedding party crossed over the bridge to make their grand entrance. Guests then found their place card votive and made their way to their seats. Gorgeous floral arrangements were designed by Belinda Cooper of Floral Society and the scrumptious cake was made by Alexandria Pastry Shop. Guests were treated to a delicious dinner buffet, endless sides, salmon, filet, lobster, and chicken, there was something to please the taste buds of each guest. Pat Curran of Davis DeeJay’s did a great job keeping the reception flowing and getting everyone on the dance floor. At the end of the night the festivities continued to the rooftop, Pose Lounge and Nightclub. Congrats Susan and Tom, thanks for sharing your day with us!
Diamond Events have been working with Glicer and Noe for over a year now and it has been such an easy going experience. Glicer was so organized and ahead of schedule, not once was there a moment of panic. Glicer really focused on picking local vendors that made the experience easier for all of their wedding party, family and friends! The ceremony was held at St. Stephen-Martyr Catholic Church, just blocks from the reception, held at The Fairmont Washington D.C. The ceremony was a very traditional Spanish Catholic wedding, a beautiful blending of the two families. Afterwards guests walked to The Fairmont for a cocktail reception in the loggia. Guests impatiently waited for the reception to begin in the grand Colonnade room, rumor of the photo booth by Booth-O-Rama quickly spreading. Cute centerpieces with pink roses and orange lilly’s were created by Christi of Bergeron. Pink wire that swirled the vase came through the top of the centerpiece to hold the table number, so unique! Tables alternated with pink and orange napkins, and candy tin favors. Michael Liang of Precious Moment Wedding Photography moved around the round room capturing guests in a photojournalistic style. DJ Leon Sidbury kept everyone dancing all afternoon, lots of Salsa to show off Noe’s dance moves! As the afternoon came to an end, guests were not ready to leave, many of them reconvening downtown to continue the festivities. What a fun reception! Best of luck Glicer and Noe!
Andrea and Ashley’s whimsical fall wedding was beautiful and elegant. Andrea had a specific vision of her ceremony at the Virginia Tech Duck Pond Amphitheater. Almost a hundred candles lined the amphitheater walls and three large candles were placed in the middle for their unity candle. The aisle was covered in leaves that the bride preserved herself and beautiful flower arrangements by Best Wishes were placed on the side columns. A horse drawn carriage provided by Dori Dell, brought the bride and her father to the ceremony. Afterwards all of the guests moved to the back of the amphitheater where photographer, Magnifico Photography, captured a group photo that documented each guest at the wedding, a great memento for years to come.
The carriage dropped off the new husband and wife at Virginia Tech’s Owen’s Banquet Hall where the reception was held. Grand fireplaces on both sides of the room, detailed wood work and black medieval style chandeliers, the room had the perfect feel to complete the Robin Hood wedding theme. Just as guests were finishing their cake they received a surprise visit from the Hokie bird! The Hokie Bird stayed for an hour taking pictures, dancing and joking with guests, especially the UVA fans. Guests danced through the evening as DJ, Kerry Taylor played a variety of music, inspiring the groomsmen to put on their own performance. At the end of the evening, Magnifico Photography set up the bride and groom for his special sparkler picture, a fun way to end the night! The best part being they get all of their photo’s on a disk the next day, now that’s a quick turn around!
