May is Military Appreciation Month. As a salute to all the U.S. veterans and military men and women, we wanted to celebrate their bravery through patriotic event decor. Here are a few centerpieces and other ideas that make you feel patriotic in red, white and blue; perfect for the bride with a military family, political banquet or a patriotic event:
Hello, friends! I am thrilled to join the West Belmont Place Catering Sales Department, focusing on social events especially weddings. I come to WBP with 10 years of corporate and most recently 5+ years of Event Management experience, specializing in social events such as weddings, bat/bar mitzvahs, family reunion banquets and much more. My passion is weddings and everything related to weddings. I have worked with all kinds of brides and there’s one commonality…she is planning the biggest and probably the most important day of her life! That means she needs lots of TLC and guidance through a process that can be full of land mines and let’s face it… stress. My role at WBP is not just to reserve the date but more importantly to be a resource, from providing information on the best place to get a wedding cake to the best websites to search for that unique wedding favor that the bride’s friends and family will be talking about afterwards. I want our brides to feel comfortable asking for wedding planning advice from me as much as they would be from their maid of honor or their mom! There are a million details that go into every event, and my goal is always to make the process as simple and enjoyable as possible all while showcasing No. Virginia’s largest ballroom.
If you’re a past WBP bride, drop me a line and let me know how you liked the experience and if you’re a future bride, I can’t wait to meet you! You can reach me at lmcferren@conferencecenter.com or 703-724-5137.
We’re so delighted to have Lawan join our team. We’ve seen her work at other weddings. We can’t wait to have her producing spectacularweddings and events with us!
If the most you’ve ever experienced Italy is your mom’s spaghetti and meatballs – it’s time to expand upon that experience. At the Loudoun meets Italy Wine Dinner on Thursday, May 17th, you’ll taste more than the basic Italian meal. For $75, the Italian dinner includes passed hors d’ouerves to start, four courses with four perfectly paired Italian wines and knowledge sharing of the local ingredients and wine. Executive Chef Craig Mason, the renowned mastermind behind banquets and dining at The National Conference Center and West Belmont Place will be telling the story behind the local ingredients in each dish. Andrew George, wine expert with Ruffino Estates will be sharing why each Tuscan wine was paired with particular dishes. With each bite, you’ll fall in love with Executive Chef Craig’s Mason’s Italian dishes with a hint of local; and with each sip, we wouldn’t be surprised if you created your own scorecards of 10. Reserve your seats now - we look forward to seeing you with your friends and family! Ciao!
LOUDOUN meets Italy WINE DINNER
Thursday, May 17th, 2012 at 6:30 PM
The National Ballroom @ The National Conference Center
4 course menu + wine pairing $75 per person 4 course menu + wine pairing $45 per person [in-house guest]
You want to start pinning but where do you begin? Brides have taken the Pinterest scene by storm and have given the social channel a rep of being the place to virtually plan your wedding including a way to find wish-list products and businesses to ‘pin’ and save for future reference. Don’t believe me? Read 9 Tips to Boost Your Business with Pinterest.
Originally published in “A Guide to Social Media,” this how-to guide is perfect for wedding vendors on Pinterest:
HOW TO START
Before you can create a Pinterest account you must be invited. There are two ways to be invited: you can request an invitation on Pinterest.com by providing your email address or you can have a coworker or friend that already has a Pinterest account send you an invitation. Once your Pinterest account is set-up, create a name, add a visually appealing picture, and write a brief description of your venue and services. The next step is to think about the different boards that you would like to create. Make sure that your boards highlight the best features of your conference center. When you begin getting a good following, start to engage with your audience. “Like” other pins that other vendors or followers have added to their pinboards. If a follower comments or “likes” one of your pins, be sure to comment back and keep the conversation flowing.
TOP 5 BEST PRACTICES (advice)
Keep your Pinterest boards simple yet stunning. There is a 500 character limit on picture captions, which means your descriptions should be clear and to the point. The #1 thing that users on Pinterest want to see are distinct pictures, not lengthy captions.
Pin on a regular basis. As long as you are pinning regularly, your name is constantly going to be showing up on your followers’ feeds. It is also nice to re-pin pictures from preferred vendors.
Use relevant keywords when writing captions for your pins. This will give your content a better chance of being found by users who are searching that keyword and increase the traffic on your page.
Pinterest generates a lot of traffic! Embed links when uploading images so that users can click on them and be taken straight to your website.
FOR CATERERS OR VENUES: If you take pride in the cuisine that your chef makes, make a board that shows pictures of your conference center’s food and beverage. Other board ideas include pictures of weddings and special events at your conference center or a board that highlights interesting and appealing images of local scenery and landmarks.
[Climb the Creative Ladder]: Integrate your Pinterest with other social networking platforms. Add a “Pin It” button to your website. If you go on the Pinterest website and click on “About” at the top right corner of the page, you will be directed to the “What is Pinterest” page. On the left-hand side, click on “Goodies”. Scroll to the bottom and you will get directions on how to add a “Pin It” button to your website. This will allow current and potential customers to pin your products on their Pinterest boards.
If you’re a wedding vendor, how are you using Pinterest? Have you made new connections with clients?
It’s your wedding day, essentially you’re treating 100+ of your closest friends and family to a meal that costs upward $60-$150 per person. So, when it comes to wedding favors – should you skimp or should you splurge? Wedding favors should be something sentimental to the bride and groom, their family and/or representative of the new marriage. The wedding favor should have a long lifetime, meaning your guest won’t toss it when they get home. In my personal opinion, wedding favors should be anywhere from $1-$3, depending on the size of the wedding. Splurge on photography, videography, the venue, or a honeymoon, but not on wedding favors (please).
These inexpensive, yet creative wedding favor ideas are courtesy of… you guessed it, Pinterest!
CD of the Bridal & Groom’s Wedding Playlist
Glasses or tumblrs with the wedding date has a long lifetime!
To personalize the glasses, print the bride and
groom’s name on the arm of the shades.
For the latino bride or groom, add your culture’s flavor!
The new trend – a candy buffet
If you’re planning a wedding and haven’t joined Pinterest yet, it’s a great resource for ideas and DIY projects. For brides who like the idea of a candy buffet or want to learn more, check out our post The new meaning of candy bar: a bar full of candy. Tell us what you think should be spent on wedding favors (in the comment box below).
At the Hunt Country Bridal Show last month, brides learned A LOT about wedding trends, smart planning tips and met reliable vendors in Northern Virginia. Susan Waits, the Senior Associate Editor of The Knot came all the way from New York City to attend the Hunt Country Bridal Show. She spoke about some of the upcoming bridal gown trends, and most will probably surprise you -
How do these trends stack up to your wedding dress style? Tell us below. Interested in learning more about the vendors who spoke at the Hunt Country Bridal Show? Read the LIVE blog from the bridal show in our National Ballroom.
3:32 PM: First Dance Impressions are back at again showing us their dancing moves. Alex and Kim are a great dancing duo!
3:24 PM: There were a two guests who weren’t allowed into the National Ballroom but we gave them plenty of attention outside. Horses with Harmon’s Horse Drawn Carriages and Hayrides. The horse carriages took couples for a stroll around the property. They were so gentle they allowed me to take this up-close and personal photo.
2:32 PM: Pastry Chef Jason Reaves of Market Salamander and the Food Network’s Lego Cake Challenge is talking about cake trends. Right now, Reaves says popular is textured buttercream frosting. It’s a home-style cake that looks like your mother or grandmother made it. Vertical lines and horizontal lines with the textured buttercream is also popular. In the last couple of weeks, Reaves says he’s met with a lot of brides who want small display cakes. There is also a trend in cakes that are tall and narrow – 6″ and 4″ inch tiers is a big trend. Ruffled cake is what Reaves plans to get into this bridal season and he’s sketched some designs for brides. If you’re wondering, Reaves says the traditional topper is out, now they match your personality and/or the wedding theme. And, he also designs grooms’ men cakes which he says couples are serving as dessert at the rehearsal dinner (good idea for saving money!)
2:04 PM: Catwalk at the Hunt Country Bridal Show put on by Anna Lee’s Formals. The gowns ranged from full back-length cross-stitch to lace sequined. Anna Lee’s Formals has fitting for grooms tuxedos and dresses for the mother and mother-in-law as well. Watch the video for a preview.
1:44 PM: Susan Waits of The Knot spoke about wedding fashion and what’s in. She says capes, boleros and even crop tops are in for wedding dresses. And, she says sleeves are also IN and great for very religious weddings and brides self-conscious of their arms. Slits in your dresses are perfect if you don’t want to wear a traditional dress or a short dress but want to show off your ankles and your legs. Brides, if you don’t want to wear white or don’t look good in white, you can add color – wear peach, lilac or tan. Wear textured dresses or add a bow. She says you’ll look 10 lbs lighter with a bold-color sash by defining your waist.
“Put a jammin’ necklace on or a sparkled shoe, IT’S YOUR WEDDING DAY!” – Susan Waits, editor of The Knot
1:09 PM: Jonathan Mervis of Mervis Diamond Importers teaches you everything you need to know about purchasing wedding bands for the first or second time. There are several types of rings. A soltaire ring is great because anything matches – you can do a plain band or something with diamonds. A Pave Set rings has lots of small diamonds lined up against each other – if you get an engagement pave then you want a wedding pave. With Halo rings, brides love it because it makes the diamond look bigger. There’s also the three stone ring which is also popular. In terms of time, start looking at rings six months before the wedding; special orders can take 4+ weeks.
12:42 PM: Alex and Kim give dancing demonstrations from First Dance Impressions. They danced to Smashmouth and then to a waltz to demonstrate they can teach you how to dance to any song. Kim played the role of the man for both dances. She says she can teach couples in 15 hours how to dance to anything. They emphasized no matter the song, it needs to be one that means something to you (the bride and groom).
12:28 PM: Brides walk around to sample different foods and speak to possible vendors for their wedding. The house is packed already. Many brides are with their friends, mothers, grooms-to-be and even a few dads have come along.
12:01 PM: Doors open and I’m off to sample the food. Jason Reaves of Market Salamander and Food Network’s Lego Cake Challenge is giving away a voucher for a four-tiered cake to one lucky couple today! Caterers include Purple Onion, Market Salamander, Ala Carte Catering, Better Events, Culinary Delights by Fiest, Wanda’s Cakes, West Belmont Place, and Green Alchemy.
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We are jumping from our seats in excitement for this Sunday’s Hunt Country Bridal Show and Special Event Expo. It’s at the perfect venue (wink wink) and we couldn’t be happier to welcome 100+ brides and their guests into our ballroom for an afternoon. Brides can stroll to different booths and visit with the most-acclaimed wedding vendors in Northern Virginia.
Sunday, March 18th 12:00 PM – 04:00 PM
West Belmont Place
18980 Upper Belmont Place Leesburg, VA / 877.363.3108
Register here. Admission is free to brides, $15 for guests.
If you can’t make it, that’s okay. We’ll be LIVE blogging all the action right here on Westbelmontplaceblog.com. We’ll even reveal some of the best tips revealed by The Knot, Premier Bride, The Perfect Wedding Guide and Mervis Diamond Importers, who will be speaking in the bridal seminar. Stay tuned this Sunday to receive LIVE information from the show!
If you can remember back to last August’s post on Kacie & Anup’s beautiful summer Indian wedding, we featured photos from photographer Eli Turner. In passing, we came across photos from the second photographer at the wedding and couldn’t help but share these gorgeous images from Kirth Bobb.
We asked West Belmont Place’s Executive Chef Craig Mason for a fun cocktail and mini treat to enjoy at weddings and events near St. Patrick’s Day. He suggested the Leprechaun Leap as a fun cocktail paired with a wedding staple, pigs-in-the-blanket. Leprechaun Leap is a mix of Ketel One, and Domaine de Canton with kiwi and is perfect for any time of the year.
In a mixing glass muddle Kiwi until it’s pulpy. Add the remaining ingredients (use less simple syrup if your Kiwi is sweet and slightly more simple syrup, if tart) and give a vigorous dry shake. Add ice and shake again for 30 seconds. Strain into a V-glass and garnish with a slice of Kiwi.
