Classic weddings will always take the cake in my book. They’re the kind of weddings I dreamed about as a little girl and crossed my fingers to come true. They’re weddings just like this gorgeous St. Regis soiree that brings every dream to life thanks to Holly Chapple and Karson Butler Events. The ever-so-talented Vicki Grafton captured the whole day that’s just waiting to be swooned over right here.
From Amber of Karson Butler Events…Courtney’s happiness the morning of her wedding literally brought me to tears. I wanted to bottle up her positive energy and sell it to all brides everywhere. I thought “THIS is exactly how you should be on your wedding – glowing, calm, beautiful and HAPPY. Truly HAPPY.” The minute I walked into The St. Regis bridal suite that morning and felt the wave of the best energy a planner can ever hope for, I knew I had made the right decision. You see, Courtney and Moshe married on September 2nd which happened to be my own five year anniversary. We already had another wedding booked that holiday weekend, and I had planned to take the 2nd off to celebrate. But, when we met Courtney & Moshe, we just clicked and I knew we were the right planner for this very special couple.
Courtney made the decision to truly just be a participant on her wedding day and trust the wonderful vendors on her team. It wasn’t that she didn’t care about all the details – she did, and we had so much fun leading up to the wedding designing all the wonderful elements – but she actively decided when the time came the week of the wedding she would let go and trust the team. All that was left for her was to enjoy the day. She focused on her new husband, her family and friends – exactly what a wedding is all about. And as a wedding planner, there isn’t much more to hope for than just that.
From the bride… I first met Moshe while both of us were visiting Chicago with friends in the summer of 2010. Moshe was living in Washington, D.C. at the time when I was living in Ann Arbor, MI. We did long distance for a few months before I decided to make the move to D.C. Four months later on July 3rd, Moshe proposed at The Inn at Little Washington.
We originally wanted to do our wedding in Charlottesville, VA because we truly fell in love with it during our many trips there. However, coordinating a wedding from D.C. and trying to figure out how family and friends were going to get there from all over the globe became a little tricky. We finally decided to have the wedding in the heart of Washington, D.C. The date was set for September 2, 2012, wedding and reception booked and Save the Dates were ordered. However, it became very clear during these decisions that we wanted to truly enjoy the whole day and not worry about the little details. Hiring the “Dream Team” was the key to success.
We met with so many planners before we stumbled upon Amber & Emily (Karson Butler Events). A&E were an obvious choice for us in so many ways. The best part of them is that they are twins (perfect for being in two places at once!). These two are truly the most easy going, fun, creative and organized people. Perfect combination for any bride to be. A&E gave us a name of a few photographers to call. Vicki Grafton was one of them. In looking at Vicki’s photography and in speaking with her it was a no brainer. Vicki use to be a wedding planner before she ventured into photography and has an eye for capturing special moments. A&E also introduced us to Holly (Holly Heider Chapple Flowers) who we fell in love with when we first met her. Her arrangements are absolutely breath taking especially her Chuppah!
We had so much fun leading up to the wedding day giving our ideas to our vendors and watching it all fall into place. The day of our wedding was absolutely the happiest day of our lives and we truly can’t thank our “Dream Team” enough. Without them it would have been impossible to pull off the day.
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Wedding Photography: Vicki Grafton Photography | Wedding Design + Planning: Karson Butler Events | Venue: The St. Regis | Floral Design: Holly Chapple Flowers, Ltd. | Linen and Rentals: DC Rental | Cake: The St. Regis | Invitations: The Dandelion Patch | Programs: Little Bit Heart | Calligraphy: Meant to Be Calligraphy | Band: Rhythm Nation | Strings: Perfect Harmony | Wedding Dress: Modern Trousseau | Bride’s Shoes: Nina | Hair and Make-Up: Victoria Styles | Lighting:PSAV