Yum!

The DCist blog reports that Tangysweet’s Dupont Circle location will be offering free mini cupcakes from Red Velvet Cupcakery from noon until closing tomorrow (Friday, 31 July 2009).

Swing by and start your weekend with a little something sweet!

Are you still looking for the perfect wedding venue?  This coming Sunday, February 8th, may be your lucky day!

Eighteen local Marriott and Renaissance hotels are opening their ballrooms for a huge open house event.  You don’t need to make an appointment; just visit any of the participating properties between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.!

And it gets better:  At each property you visit, you can enter to win one of four pretty amazing grand prizes:

• A $1000 gift certificate to Adorn Brides
• Manolo Blahnik shoes for your wedding day
• 250,000 Marriott Rewards^® points to use toward your honeymoon
• An engagement photoshoot with Bella Pictures

We’ll return to our series on how to start planning your wedding in our next post, but I had to take a short break today to tell you all about the upcoming DCCWC Couture 2009 Bridal Show! The DCCWC is the DC Couture Wedding Consortium, and its members are among the most stylish and sought-after in the Washington wedding community.

This year’s DCCWC wedding show is scheduled for Saturday, January 31st, from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. The location is the beautiful Decatur House on Lafayette Square in Washington, DC. Admission is free but limited, and you must preregister if you plan to attend.

Don’t miss this chance not only to meet some fabulous wedding vendors, but also to take a look at Decatur House — it might be just what you’ve always imagined for your wedding!

Head on over to the DCCWC website to register and learn more about the show.

And thanks, Sara, for the heads up! (Sara Bauleke is the fabulous wedding planner behind Bella Notte. If you don’t hire us, then be sure to give her a call!  We promise you’ll love working with her.)

Okay, so maybe it’s shallow, but among the many other more worthy things for which I give thanks (family, friends, food, shelter… the big things), I also give thanks for sales. And I give thanks for (and to!) those who clue me in to the really good sales. It’s no secret that the total bill for a bride’s gorgeous attire can add up pretty quickly, so in my book, a bridal salon event is really, really good.

In the spirit of giving, I’ve spent the morning hunting down sales happening between now and the end of the year at DC-area bridal salons. Some of them are even starting the day after Thanksgiving. And it’s not just about the bride: There are some good sales happening on bridesmaids’ and flower girls’ dresses as well. What better way to spend the day after Turkey Day than to hit the bridal salons? Leave the boys at home with their football games and take your bridesmaids out for a day of shopping.

Read, clap with glee, then get on the phone and start making appointments as necessary. You can thank me later.  :)

Blueberries Bridal, Kensington, Maryland
Now through November 30th, 2008
10% + $10.00 off Suri bridesmaid dresses

Now through December 1st, 2008
10% off little girl dresses

Dharma & Leopold’s, Warrenton, Virginia
(super-cute clothes for your flower girl and ring bearer)
Valid through December 24, 2008
Coupon worth 15% off any one item

Distinctive Designs Bridal, Rockville, Maryland
Now through December 31st, 2008
Sample Sale (up to 75% off!)

Formalities Bridal, Winchester, Virginia
Now through December 23rd, 2008
Bring in a toy to donate to Toys for Tots and get 10% off any dress purchased that day

Hannelore’s, Alexandria, Virginia
Going on now!
Sample Sale (up to 50% off!)

TLC Bridal Boutique, Frederick, Maryland
Going on now!
Sample Sale (many gowns priced at $99.00!)

David’s Bridal, locations throughout the DC area
November 26th – December 1st, 2008
Sample Sale (50% off select styles)

The Barn, Bunker Hill, West Virginia
November 28th, 2008
50% off all out-of-stock wedding gowns

Promise, Bethesda, Maryland
November 29th – December 31st, 2008
Winter Sample Sale

Carine’s Bridal Atelier, Washington, DC
December 7th, 2008
Sample Sale (up to 75% off!) at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner

Last week I had the pleasure of lunching at the Carlyle Club with Arlene Hewitt, who generously invited me for a visit.

The Carlyle Club is a relatively new venue; however, you’d never know it.  It’s a painstaking recreation of a 1930s supper club that immediately transports you back to the swing era. No art deco detail has been spared, and Arlene explained that many of the decorative items — including the carpets! — were imported from Europe. The supper club atmosphere doesn’t stop at the decor: Our lunch was served at a table with white linens and lovely china by a tuxedoed waiter who unobtrusively attended to our every need. It was nice to enjoy the kind of service that, for better or worse, is becoming something of a throwback in our rapid-paced society.

My spinach salad with chicken was delicious, and Arlene’s plate of squash ravioli looked pretty yummy too. The special events menus feature a wide range of possibilities, and I’m sure they’re all equally tasty.

After lunch and a great conversation all about being businesswomen in Alexandria, Arlene took me on a brief tour of the club.  In addition to the main dining room, there’s a private VIP room, a beautiful bar, and a luxurious bathroom that would be a nice getting-ready area for a bride and her maids.

I tried to take some photos to share, but most of them turned out pretty awful (I’m still learning my way around our new DSLR).  Here’s a picture of the bar:

There are many other great pictures on the Gallery page on the Club’s website.

The Carlyle Club can accommodate up to 250 people, although a smaller group would probably allow for better use of the dance floor. The Club features a large raised bandstand and a beautiful parquet dance floor your guests will love. Their A/V capabilities include an excellent sound system, some special lighting, and even video! Parking for your guests is available in a nearby garage, and the Club can arrange valet parking service for a very reasonable rate.

Like any good supper club, the Carlyle Club is open for lunch and dinner almost every day, and frequently hosts local and national dance bands. Check them out for your next date night, and if you’d like a bit of a vintage, classy atmosphere for your wedding and reception, then be sure to add the Club to your list of venue possibilities.

Last night’s rainy weather didn’t dampen the fun at the First Annual DC Cupcake Contest one bit! Those of you who missed it, I’m sorry to say, missed out on a sweet evening.

In my excitement over the cupcake onslaught that was to come, I completely forgot to pack my camera (bad blogger!), but a few of the other judges were better prepared in that area and I’ll link to their pictures as they’re posted.

A note about judging a cupcake contest: Nothing could have prepared me for the sugar coma brought on by sampling nearly 30 different cupcakes in less than two hours! I love cupcakes, and even I was relieved when my fork sank into the last one. I was pretty sure I’d never want to see another cupcake, but you know what? I was wrong. I just don’t want to see 30 cupcakes all lined up with my name on them again for a while.

On to the important stuff: Who won?

In the professional category, which was a very close competition, top honors went to Nostalgia, a soon-to-open Annapolis cupcakery. Owners Robert and Sharon White brought fine examples of their basic chocolate with white icing and yellow with chocolate icing cupcakes — both were delicious. Their signature cupcake, though, rocked my cupcake-loving world: It was a chocolate cupcake with a mound of bittersweet frosting on top and just the right amount of bittersweet chocolate goo melting out of the center of the cake. It would totally be worth the drive from Alexandria to Annapolis just to get another one.

I happened to be standing right behind the Whites when we were getting our cars from the valet, and they were thoughtful enough to leave a big plate of cupcakes in the valet’s office. That makes points with me, too: Nice goes a long way.

Nostalgia hasn’t launched its website yet, but you can read all about the bakery and catch an interview with Sharon White at Danielle Buckley’s Delleicious blog, which should be required reading for all cupcake lovers.

In the amateur category, the winner by a wide margin was Mollie Ohlhaut. Her signature cupcake was a very yummy chocolate cupcake with raspberry filling, topped with chocolate frosting laced with raspberry liqueur, and decorated with a fresh raspberry and a chocolate wafer. (That single fresh raspberry was the healthiest thing any of the judges ate all night!) Her other submissions were just as delicious. You can read more about Mollie and her cupcakes at www.molliecakes.com. It looks like she’s opening a business, and we wish her every success!

A big thanks to the fabulous Washington Club for opening its doors to this event, to all the wonderful waitstaff who kept the event running smoothly, to the competitors for their delicious submissions, and of course to organizer Jenni Collins! Thanks, Jenni, for starting such a tasty new DC tradition.

Don’t forget: DC’s first annual cupcake contest is tomorrow night! It’s shaping up to be a fun event you won’t want to miss. And I’m honored to report that I’ll be one of the five judges helping to crown Washington’s first cupcake king or queen. (Yeah, my job is really tough sometimes…)

I had the opportunity today to talk with Jenni Collins, the creative force behind the contest, about cupcakes, weddings, and how the contest came to be:

Why the contest? You’re already busy planning your wedding. What prompted you to take on yet more planning right now?
I have a tendency to bite off more than I can chew sometimes – this time it happened to be a cupcake! Seriously though, my wedding planning is pretty buckled down so that really isn’t that big of a factor at this point. I was originally planning to have cupcakes at the wedding in place of a traditional cake, so cupcakes have been top of mind for me all summer. Additionally, I am surrounded at work by a plethora of cupcake connoisseurs and we often try new cupcakeries. Since several new ones have opened in the wake of Georgetown Cupcake’s momentous debut, we debate which ones we each like best. That is pretty much how the idea started and it kind of took off from there. I really had no idea that I would get such tremendous response as I have.

Why are you interested in cupcakes instead of cakes?
Honestly, I don’t like cake. I know that sounds a bit crazy! With all the recent hype over cupcakes, I have decided to tip-toed toward cake again and cupcakes are just baby-steps on the way until full cakehood. Plus, they are a lot cuter. I have until May (my wedding) to re-acquaint myself fully with cakes. In the meantime, bring on the cupcakes!

What other special, personal touches are you adding to your wedding?
Can’t divulge at this point in time.

What’s your favorite cupcake flavor?
My favorite cupcake flavor – that’s hard!! I have to say that I do love PattyCakes (Bryn Mawr, PA) TastyCake cupcake – its peanut butter and chocolate – who doesn’t love that?!? I also really like the strawberry cupcake at Baked & Wired here in DC. And, of course, pumpkin with cream cheese icing. I’m hoping to find a new favorite flavor at the 1st Annual DC Cupcake Contest.

What are your favorite wedding planning resources?
My favorite wedding planning resources? Hmmm – that’s a great question. I’d have to say the blogosphere. I voraciously read multiple wedding planning blogs – I’ve got them all loaded into my Google Reader and I keep adding more. Outside of that, I do love the Knot’s budgeting and invitation management software on their site. Its the best I have found. I’ve abandoned the paper bound planners available at all the bookstores. None really fit my needs perfectly. That might need to be my next venture…

Don’t miss your opportunity to be a part of DC’s newest tradition! The First Annual DC Cupcake Contest takes place tomorrow night, September 25th, at the beautiful Washington Club at Dupont Circle. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. You can find all the details, including a list of participating bakers, at Jenni’s blog.

A couple of weeks ago I had the opportunity to spend an afternoon visiting with one of my favorite DC area makeup artists, Marti Wright at Tica Beauty.

Marti is amazing: She’s a talented makeup artist with years of experience. One day she decided she’d like her clients to have access to professional quality makeup at reasonable prices, so she started her own line of makeup! Now that’s what I call initiative. So not only can Marti make you look even more beautiful than you already are for your big day, she can also provide you with the tools and know-how to keep up the look every day — because, really, isn’t every day a big day?

Marti provides on-location makeup services for brides and wedding parties, and she can apply either traditional or airbrushed makeup. Of course, weddings aren’t the only special occasions in life (although they’re my favorite): Marti also provides makeup services for proms and other big days. If you’re just looking to brush up on your own makeup skills, then Marti will sit down with you and teach you what you need to know about applying makeup to enhance your own natural beauty.

Besides being talented and professional, Marti’s one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. Her bubbly personality and quick laugh make her exactly the kind of person most brides enjoy working closely with on their wedding days.

When you get ready to choose your makeup artist, give Marti a call, and be sure to tell her I said hello!

Replacing the traditional wedding cake with a tower of cupcakes is a trend that looks like it’s here to stay, and for good reason:  Cupcakes are fun, delicious, and often less expensive than a more traditional multi-layered wedding cake.

While hunting for information about cupcakes for one of my brides this afternoon, I stumbled upon this blog post about a cupcake contest to be held right here in DC next month!

It sounds like all the details aren’t yet in place, but here’s what’s posted so far:

Date:  Thursday, September 25th, 2008
Time:  TBD, but sometime after working hours
Place:  The Washington Club at Dupont Circle

Entries will be accepted from professional, amateur, and out-of-town bakers, in the following categories:

•  Vanilla with chocolate icing
•  Chocolate with vanilla icing
•  Wildcard – where creativity counts

Now, I’m not suggesting that all you brides-to-be (or grooms-to-be) get started on developing the Great American Cupcake Recipe, but this sounds like a really fun opportunity to see what area bakers have to offer in the cupcake department!  Plus it’ll be a fun night out for you and your fiance, or for your and your bridesmaids.  And the Washington Club is a lovely venue that’s available for wedding receptions — maybe you’ll find the perfect cupcake and the perfect place to serve it!

While we’re on the subject of cupcakes, they’re not just the new wedding cake. Cupcakes make excellent wedding favors, are a delicious addition to an out-of-town gift basket, and are a welcome surprise when brought in for your guests to enjoy as a midnight snack at your reception.  I’m sure you can think of other great ways of incorporating cupcakes at your event.

Back to the cupcake contest:  I think Mr. Husband and I will try to make it to this. Anybody else in?

A few weeks ago Mr. Husband and I drove out to Herndon with Baby D for my dad’s surprise birthday dinner, and as long as we were out that way we decided to drive a little further so I could stop in at I Do Wedding Essentials in Leesburg. We took a nice leisurely walk through the store (well, as leisurely a walk as an antsy baby will allow), and had a very pleasant chat with Kristin Crosby, the owner of the store. Even Mr. Husband, who doesn’t get at all excited about “girly” things like wedding accessory stores, expressed his disappointment that we didn’t have a store like I Do nearby when we married in Texas.

So what does I Do have? In short, just about all the little things you need for a wedding! Kristin carries wedding accessories by Weddingstar, Kate Aspen, Event Blossom, Carlson Craft, Lillian Rose, and Mindy Weiss.  Check out what Mr. Husband and I deemed the Great Wall of Mindy:

From cake toppers to favor boxes, you’ll find it in the store. We also found wedding planning binders, “Bride” and “Groom” flip-flops (great for beach weddings or honeymoons!),

and a great selection of wedding invitations.

Next time you’re out in Loudoun County, stop by for a visit. I Do Wedding Essentials is located right in the heart of downtown Leesburg. Tell Kristin we said hello!

Ed. Note: I just learned that I Do Wedding Essentials has closed its brick-and-mortar location in Leesburg, but they are still open for business online. Be sure to visit their website at www.idoweddingessentials.com.
09.01.2008