eleanore + breck, a southern, bay wedding

Oh, where to begin on this one? This, out of just about every wedding I've ever done, was the largest labor of love on record. Bride and groom lived in Chicago, parents of the bride and hosts of the night lived in D.C., the bride's parent's property and venue for the wedding was in Gwynn's Island right on the Chesapeake Bay and I'm in Richmond. Needless to say, the sheer logistics of getting everyone together to plan once in a while was just about impossible. But we did it--several times!

Eleanore's parents are art and architecture enthusiasts, and their Bay property certainly displayed no different character. Built on a six acre property right on the Chesapeake Bay, nestled in pine trees and perfectly manicured lawns and gardens, was basically heaven for me. There was a blank slate and I was so stoked to tackle it! To plan and design an entire weekend of events, including a Friday evening party for 70 guests, a bridal luncheon, pre-ceremony cocktail hour, ceremony and cocktail hour, reception, post-reception beach party and a Sunday afternoon bluegrass and BBQ event, I was surprised to be standing straight by the end of May.
It was the best possible experience only because I had a huge support system at home, Phil (manfriend, we'll detail him later!), my family, my amazing staff and some seriously trusting clients. It truly went off without a hitch. I mean it--nothing went wrong! [Well, except for that time I forgot the steamer after two SUV loads of things brought in from Richmond and about 6 lists of inventory and items. A STEAMER?! But lovely intern, Anna Michelle saved the day with steam from the iron.]

So enough of my gushing over the truly amazing and unforgettable experience--and on with the details! Eleanore and Breck had a clear idea of colors they loved. Words were thrown out like natural, organic, unstructured, wood. We were able to incorporate their love for travel with an atlas garland hung over their chairs and a framed map identifying the places they've traveled together behind a vintage card catalog full of old postcards. Gwynn's Island is Eleanore's family's second home and it's overflowing with local resources--crabs, cheese, oysters--and residents that want to help! We packed welcome bags with TONS of information about this tiny 15 mile long Island, we had local cheeses brought in for cocktail hour, the caterer grew her own mint and basil for our signature cocktails and we even had an oyster shucker on site! The menu was also carefully crafted to include Texas, Chicago, and Virginia roots.

The Flower Cupboard, based in Williamsburg, truly created Eleanore's vision. Buckets and old planter boxes lined the aisle. The tree arbor was adorned with huge flower buds in just the perfect spots. Farm tables were topped with vintage lanterns and eclectic flower-filled vases.

Truly a stunning and breathtaking wedding. And the icing on the cake: WE WERE FEATURED IN SOUTHERN WEDDINGS! One of my most favorite blogs--I mean a southern girl can relate right?? Absolutely an honor, so I encourage you to check out their feature on Eleanore and Breck too!


Lastly--my girl, my homie and friend Laura Gordon takes the most incredible photos. Never even meeting the happy couple until the day of their wedding and she rocked out on capturing their real emotion and love. Take a minute to check out her full post and shout out as well!


photo: laura gordon
event planning and design: LK events and design
flowers: the flower cupboard
entertainment: the blue tips
farm tables, chairs, linens, glassware and china: classic party rentals of va
tent, lighting, tables: special event rentals
hair and makeup: catie starr

goal, set, match!

"Yyeeeeeeeehhhhhaaaawwww!!!"


(pathetic, but enthusiastic sound of me diving back into this blog!)


I have been truly blessed with a very busy and amazing year. LK has had the most incredible and generous clients--makes me smile just thinking about it. But I'm smiling with my feet up because I'm officially spent. Spending more time in the office and less time on-site means tackling the blog. I swear "write blog posts" has been on my to-do list since last year. I'm not even ashamed to admit that. With that being said, here are MY goals for the rest of the year:

Get personal. Yes, that's exactly what I mean. I want my readers and my clients to know me, my family, my life.

Allow my staff to have a voice. You'll occasionally get to read posts and stories from the LK team--past and present. Hey, they are the ones who got me here. Truly cannot do my job without them!

Share the amazing, incredible, beautiful work of the fabulous photographers that we were so fortunate to work with this year.

Give you inspiration for all aspects of life. Naturally we are smitten over weddings, but keep your eyes peeled for recipes we've tested and love, clothing that has us swooning for bigger closets and products that just look darn cool.


Now I'm not promising a daily return, but I truly hope you'll stick around and enjoy my best attempt at tackling clients, running a business and enjoying life!

do you cuke?

We're back today with an oh-so-refreshing cocktail from one of LK's summer interns Courtney! She's here to tell you how to beat the heat with her creative Cucumber Orange Cocktail!

"To continue the theme of delicious and refreshing cocktails here is a recipe for a refreshing and tasty drink involving cucumbers, oranges, vodka and ginger ale. The overall cucumber flavor of this drink is surprising and tasty.

Here's what you'll need:

2 oz of Vodka

A quarter of a Cucumber

Juice from one Orange slice

3 oz of Ginger

Place a cucumber spear or wheel in the glass and fill to the brim with ice.

Add the Vodka

Add the Ginger Ale

Squeeze orange slice into glass and toss or garnish.

Adorn with a drink flag and enjoy!"

Do you have any special drinks you concoct to beat the heat? How about any summer sizzlers?

stir it up!

We're continuing cocktail week with some inspiring ways to feature these special concoctions! From homemade labels, drink flags to paper straws. All of these ideas are a great way to show off your creativity and delicious drinks!

How about these amazingly beautiful beer-packaging ideas? MYOB (in other words known as Make Your Own Beer) is becoming increasingly popular in households these days. Plus, what better way to put your groom to work? You could do this as a favor or as a way to serve beer at your wedding.

Cocktail flags are all the rage.

How about these personalized drink flags? You could create ones with a cute love quote, your wedding date, or a simple monogram.

A simple and beautiful way to accent your drinks is to purchase paper straws that come in a variety of colors. Etsy is a great resource to purchase these!

{from top to bottom: Elizabeth Wilson via Eat Drink Chic, Our Labor of Love via OnceWed, Morning by Foley, Cake Events Blog}

Are you creating a fun cocktail for your big day? What are you using to spice up the presentation? Labels, straws, flags?

ginger lime margarita

Signature cocktails are a huge trend in weddings. And while most signature cocktails are seasonal and appropriately themed, who says they have to be? We've served margarita's for a fall wedding!

Over the next week, we will give you some exciting and refreshing ideas for signature cocktails and other summery fun details for your big day! To beat this heat and tickle your taste buds, how about this mouthwatering Ginger Lime Margarita featured on Design Sponge?

Here’s what you will need.

> juice of 1 lime

> juice of ½ orange

> juice of ½ Meyer lemon

> 2 ounces tequila

> 1 ounce Cointreau

> 3” stems of ginger (more if desired)

> 1 tablespoon sugar

And for the garnish you'll need:

Ground graham cracker mixed with sugar and lime zest.

Are you ready to make this glorious margarita? Here’s what you need to do.

1. Squeeze all juice into a glass or small pitcher.

2. Add tequila, Cointreau and sugar.

3. Stir well.

4. Zest fresh ginger over the glass or pitcher (omit or add more to taste).

5. Strain the mixture with a fine sieve into another cup or a pitcher full of ice.

6. To garnish, rub lime wedge along the rim of your glass and dip it into the graham cracker sugar mixture. Sprinkle sugared lime zest on a lime wedge and add to the glass rim.

Take a sip. Experience and enjoy. Repeat.

Do you have any plans for a signature cocktail at your reception? If so tell us about them!