Wedding Planning

What’s Hot This Year 2025 is redefining what it means to get married in style. Couples are embracing creativity, connection, and personalization more than ever before. From florals to fashion, here are the top 10 wedding trends inspiring modern “I do’s.” 1. Surreal Florals Think floating installations, paper blooms, and flower-forward designs that feel straight out of a dream. 2. Basque Waist Dresses This vintage-inspired silhouette is back, offering a flattering, romantic twist for the modern bride. 3. Mocha Mousse Everything Pantone’s 2025 Color of the Year is showing up in dresses, décor, stationery, and beyond. 4. Wellness-Inspired Activities From pre-wedding yoga to spa weekends, couples are prioritizing rest and connection. 5. Vintage Jewelry & Heirlooms Meaningful pieces with history are trending over flashy new bling. 6. Bold Attire for Wedding Parties Think jewel-tone suits, mix-and-match bridesmaids, and statement accessories. …

Provided by Shenandoah Caverns The Yellow Barn at Shenandoah Caverns will present The Yellow Barn Wedding Expo on March 1, 2025, from 11 am. to 4 p.m. The first Yellow Barn Wedding Expo will feature many types of wedding vendors. Caterers such as Happenings, Dayton Catering, See Family Catering, and Early Katering Company, plan to attend and offer giveaways. Photographers Rachel Dodson Photography and Sweet Peach Photography, and dress shops Isabella Grace Bridal and ReWed Bridal, plan to be there as well. Wedding planners, DJs, hair stylists, makeup artists, and many more vendors will be there. There is going to be something for everyone! Whether a couple is newly engaged or putting the finishing touches on their big day, they are sure to enjoy this wedding expo. Couples may pre-register by using this link: forms.gle/LK16saW45Ubaj3vUA, which gives them free admission …

By Rebecca Barnes, Publisher of Brides & Weddings Signup for Bridal Buzz newsletter  Planning a wedding can be a daunting task, especially if you have never done it before. From budgeting to vendor contracts to venue coordination, there are so many details to manage. If you are feeling overwhelmed or don’t have the time or experience to handle everything on your own, it might be time to consider hiring a wedding planner. Here are the top reasons why: You are overwhelmed by the thought of planning your wedding. You have never planned a major event or party before. Budgeting is not your strong suit. You are not organized. Vendor contracts and fine print confuse you. You are planning from afar. You don’t have a lot of spare time. You are way behind schedule. Or you are planning a very short …

Love is in the air, and it’s time to plan your dream wedding. If you’re a bride-to-be looking for inspiration and expert advice, join us at Love Loudoun: A Wedding Showcase. Presented by Visit Loudoun, Love Loudoun is a one-of-a-kind wedding showcase that brings together the best and brightest in the industry. From wedding planners and florists to caterers and photographers, you’ll find everything you need to make your special day unforgettable. The event will take place at the beautiful The National Conference Center, West Belmont Place 18980 Upper Belmont Place Leesburg, VA 20176, on Sunday, March 12th, 2023. Doors open at 11:00 AM, and the event runs until 3:00 PM. Here’s what you can expect: Meet and mingle with top wedding vendors in the area Get expert advice from seasoned wedding planners Sample delicious food and drink from the best …

Provided by Wedding Experience The Wedding Experience is thrilled to announce the return of in-person shows! Here’s the 2022 Wedding Experience show schedule: January 16 EagleBank Arena • Fairfax January 30 Greater Richmond Convention Center April 10 Dulles Expo Center • Chantilly April 24 Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena (UMBC Event Center) • Baltimore August 28 Greater Richmond Convention Center September 18 EagleBank Arena • Fairfax November 13 Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena (UMBC Event Center) • Baltimore weddingexperience.com/

By Amy Falkofske Sponsored by Catering by Uptown Catering by Uptown is not only a caterer, but a full-service wedding planning business. You’ll be in good hands with Catering by Uptown’s team of five wedding planners, whether you’re looking for a small casual wedding or a large elegant wedding. With Catering by Uptown, you also have seven different venues to choose from in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia. Before the Big Day You’ll first meet with a member of the sales team, who will set up a virtual tour at the venue of your choice. They will assist you in writing up a proposal and coming up with a package that meets your needs and your vision for your special day. Once that’s all set, you’ll start to work with the planning team. Catering by Uptown’s planning team is like a …

Story by The Diva Wedding Planner Photos by B & S Photography Shauntavia met Jamie in the 10th grade. He came to her hometown (Hemingway, SC ) with his cousin for a girls and boys basketball camp, he was already out of school just trying to find his way, came down just to help his cousin with the camp. From the Bride:  I was all into basketball and did not even have boys on my mind. So, Jamie approached me and asked me for my number. At first, I was like nope, I don’t want any boyfriend and he was like okay cool. The next day at camp Jamie asked again, and once again I turned him down. Jamie was determined to get my number so, he asked again, and I finally gave it to him on the last day …

Story and photos by Haley Shandro of Shandro Photo When Shanika and Abir met, Abir was working as an intern at the Royal Brisbane Hospital in Brisbane, Australia in the Psychiatry ward, and Shanika had just started her Psychiatry placement as a third-year medical student in the same ward. Their impressions of each other when they first met were quite the opposite of how they actually feel about each other now. However, their senior colleagues felt that they had a ‘natural chemistry’ and that chemistry developed into a relationship a year later, once they got to know each other better outside of work. Abir proposed on Shanika’s birthday weekend. He surprised her by organizing a romantic date night at the Stanford Plaza in Brisbane, which is situated near the Brisbane River and the Botanical Gardens. The evening started off with …

Photos and story by Ariel Moriah Photography Shai and Jacob’s romantic waterfront garden wedding was an absolute dream! Located in the heart of Virginia, these college sweethearts tackled all obstacles of the pandemic and celebrated their love with their closest family and friends! Shai and Jacob Q&A: Q: Let’s start at the beginning. How did you two first meet? A: Jacob and I met at the beginning of our first year at the University of Virginia. We were both attending an event for a Christian fellowship called Cru. Even though we met during the first week of classes, our friendship truly began later that year, and we didn’t start dating until the Spring of our third year. Q: What makes your relationship special? Tell us some things that you both value in your time together. What makes your relationship unique? …

A Wedding Give-Away   Join Brides & Weddings publisher Rebecca Barnes as she speaks with Lisa Gloff of The Rosy Posy Studio and Lisa Havard of L Havard Events about their amazing Wedding Give away! www.dclovegoneviral.com The Rosy Posy Studio www.therosyposy.com 808 722-2301 LHavard Events www.lhavardevents.com 703-408-8874

By: Tania Hossain I never thought there would be a perfect time to talk about elopement weddings. If it weren’t for a certain sadness that is carried around with the thoughts of six feet apart and social distancing, most of 2020 has become elopers dream come true. Having said that, elopement weddings are some of my favorite ones. Having done a few of them, I find that it has very little to do with saving money and more to do with this is how couples decided to start their life of togetherness in marriage. Christian and Mariana’s elopement at the Spanish Steps in Dupont Circle – a Washington DC Wedding followed by honeymoon in Rome, Italy right after. Yes, that’s right. They got married in the early afternoon and caught a flight to Rome that evening! How about that for an elopement …

By: Alyssa Glorioso The wedding that you’ve been carefully planning won’t happen the way you envisioned (and frankly, a few months ago, expected it would).  All you’ve been building toward is being shifted. In an already emotional and stressful process, this is so much more than you bargained for in planning your wedding. And you’re allowed to be upset about that.  But luckily, this is not the end of the story.   I recently heard someone describe this time as one of anxiety but also hope.  And how much do we need hope these days! In this period of “not quite the light at the end of the tunnel” and several weeks in, I think we also need the practical: how do we navigate the process today?  How do we approach decisions and plans from a healthy mindset today?  I called …

by Lisa Beth Miller Ready to start searching for your dream dress? Of course, you are. You may notice some bridal salons advertising “designer trunk shows.” These mysterious in-store events may sound like a confusing concept, but a trunk show could be the key to you finding the perfect wedding gown! So how does a trunk show work? A designer may decide that some unique designs are not getting quite enough attention. The dresses may be cutting-edge styles that bridal boutiques were afraid to purchase, dresses in alternative colors, or dresses at a different price point than typically featured in a shop. Sometimes trunk show dresses are brand new designs that literally no brides have seen yet! The designer ships the collection to a bridal shop for a limited time (usually in boxes, rather than in a trunk, but you …

Planning your wedding involves so many moving parts. You need a venue, a dress, a tuxedo, flowers, a cake and music. And that’s just scratching the surface of the vendors you will want to make your big day the best it can be. What if you could shop for all those vendors under one roof in one fun event? This promises to be the best bridal show in Washington D.C. you have ever attended! Wedding Salon will be at The Liaison Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. on September 16, 2019, from 4 to 8 p.m. This show combines top national wedding vendors with the best local industry pros. Who Will Be at The Wedding Salon? If you’re planning a destination wedding, you’re in luck. You will meet reps from Aruba Tourism Authority, Jamaica Tourist Board, O’ahu Visitors Bureau, Conrad Cartagena, …

By Lisa Beth Miller As you plan for your big day and search for your dream venue, it is important to pay attention to what assistance is offered at each venue. If the venue itself provides a coordinator, you may not need to hire a separate event coordinator. Confused about the differences between the two types of coordinators? Here are some tips regarding the roles of venue coordinators and event coordinators: Venue Coordinators: When you’re picking out your wedding venue, one of the first things you should ask is whether or not there is an on-site wedding coordinator at your disposal. If your venue offers a coordinator as part of its package, that means there’s no added cost for this added benefit. A venue coordinator works for the venue, not directly for you. They’ll act as a liaison between you …

by Lisa Beth Miller If you are addicted to the show Say Yes To The Dress like I am, you may have noticed a shopping trend. Many brides seem to find it necessary to gather a large posse of friends and family members to join in the fun of wedding gown shopping. But is it really wise to bring so many different people along for this momentous shopping occasion? My answer is no. Here is why: Save the surprise! Your wedding gown is special and unique. It will have much more of an impact on your guests if they see it for the first time as you walk down the aisle. Isn’t this fashion moment the real reason why the bride walks slowly and deliberately down the aisle? Not everyone knows fashion. Let’s be realistic here. Uncle Phil and cousin Carlton are …

by Lisa Beth Miller Wedding invitations should always include a hint as to how formal the event will be. As a bride, groom, or guest, you need to actually understand this terminology in order to appropriately select what you and your guests will wear. Here are some helpful guidelines: Semiformal daytime- This level of formality indicates that men will wear suits, usually in a color such as charcoal or navy if the weather is cooler, or in shades of white or khaki if the weather is warm. Four-in-hand ties are also traditionally worn (this means long ties, not bow ties). Women would usually wear daytime-appropriate dresses or suits for a semiformal daytime wedding. Semiformal evening- At this type of wedding, men may wear dark suits or tuxedos with ties and vests. Women would wear cocktail style dresses. Everyone would look a bit more dressed up …

by Lisa Beth Miller This week, I was approached with a question that I thought was important enough to be addressed: What exactly should a dad wear to the wedding of his son or daughter? Seems simple enough to tell dads to dress up, but should they match the actual wedding party? No! Dads are not to be dressed exactly like the groomsmen, as they are not technically members of the wedding party. The key here is to dress dads in keeping with the appropriate level of formality for the event. So if the groomsmen are in black tuxedos with green accessories, dads should wear tuxedos, but not the same one and not with the exact same accessories as the groomsmen. The dads are also not required to match each other. So using the previous scenario (black tuxes and green vests and ties for the groomsmen), perhaps the …

by Lisa Beth Miller The adorable little flower girl! Who could possibly be cuter? This special little girl plays an important role in the wedding day and deserves to be dressed like the princess that she really is! How does the bride go about deciding how to dress the flower girl? Well, there are two schools of thought on this issue. One trend suggests that the flower girl should be dressed in a child-sized (and child appropriate) version of the bridesmaids’ dress. The bride can either ask if the bridesmaid dress designer also makes a child’s version, or simply obtain color swatches of the bridesmaids’ dress and shop with a designer who makes children’s dresses exclusively. The second possibility is to take the approach of dressing the flower girl as a mini-bride, in a white or ivory dress that coordinates more …

Saying ‘Yes to the Dress’ is the highlight of wedding planning for most brides. It also sets the mood for the entire wedding after you have selected your venue! Here is are the best bridal boutiques and dress shops in Northern Virginia. Amy’s Bridal Boutique “Why should I consider Amy’s Bridal?” you may ask. Well, for starters, it’s been a staple in the community since August 2008 and has developed into a one-stop boutique for all your wedding needs. Amy Domenech, the owner, has thought of everything and eliminated a lot of unnecessary steps in the process. Amy’s Bridal Boutique has the resources and capabilities to take care of you, the groom and the bridal party. “My boutique has all sorts of things to offer,” Amy says. “I love many aspects of weddings and we are ever changing. Wedding gowns are my specialty. However, we also offer bridesmaids dresses, tuxedo rentals, gown preservation, accessories, …