Congrats Your Engaged! Why it's the perfect time to hire a Wedding Planner?

 

Favored by Yodit Events has an Engagement Season Gift Just for You!

Did you know? 28% of proposals take place between December and February—making it the most popular time of year to get engaged. The winter holidays are filled with family and love, so it’s only natural that this time of year is among the most popular for engagements. If you’re a lucky couple who recently got engaged, congratulations! As an engagement gift to you, we’re going to share the first five steps you should take from here:

1. Let everyone know the big news. Don’t instantly announce your engagement on social media and let everyone find out that way. Instead, reach out personally to your friends and relatives to share the big news. This is also a great time to ask wedding attendants if they’ll stand up for you (if you already know who you want to ask). 2. Set the budget. The first big step of wedding planning is setting the budget. You can ask your parents if they intend to contribute anything to the wedding so you can include that money in the final amount. Once that number is set, don’t stray from it! 3. Finalize your guest list. Yes, we mean finalize. Before you know how much money you can afford to spend on any of your wedding services, you need to know how many guests you’ll have to feed. Pare that list down as much as possible to help stretch your budget. 4. Get a wedding planner. Whether you work with a professional planner or go the DIY route and hire a coordinator, stay organized and on a timeline to make the planning process as stress-free as possible. 5. Find a venue. It may seem more logical to set a date before selecting a venue, but being flexible on your wedding date can actually help you find the perfect venue because you’re willing to book your wedding when the venue is available. The venue may also offer discounts on certain days of the week or times of the day, so your flexibility can allow you to take advantage of those.

These five steps will kick-start your wedding planning. We hope that you enjoy this special time of being engaged. The big day will be here before you know it!

If you have questions about this or other wedding-related topics, please leave a comment or email yodit@favoredbyyodit.com so we can get back to you.

Source: Perfect Wedding Guide

How long did you date before the question was popped?

Statistics show that the average couple will get married after about 2.5 years of dating. While that may be true, the good folks at Bride Box want to know why 2.5 years is the magic number for brides and grooms. We have a hunch that age and location do play a contributing factor to why couples get married around 2.5 years of dating, but we would like to do a little digging.

Bride Box is conducting this survey to answer the following questions:

1: How long does the average couple date before they get married?

2: Do couples in different geographical locations tend to date more or less than others?

3: At what age were they proposed to?

With this information, they will create a blog post and infograph to inform brides and grooms. For answering this survey, you will be the first to know the answers to the stated question.

Real Engagement​: Janira and Kwame

July is a peak season for weddings and engagements so Im excited to share a new Real Engagement Story from two love birds that flew into my heart a couple of months ago. Being from the area I'm used to working with lots of friends from school, work and just seeing people around the area at events and today's featured couple is no different. I have known and worked with the soon to be groom, Kwame for many years through special events  with his company J&K Productions and mine, TALK OF DC in the past and always admired how calm and collected he was under pressure. So I was elated when he asked to assist  his fiance, Janira and him on planning their 2015 wedding here in the D.C. area.

Working with them has been similar to how I remember Kwame in the past, very easy going, fun and organized. They trully are a great team and have each others back no matter what which is so important in marriage and I couldnt be more happy to see a friend so truly in love. Since the couple is based in Texas, we have utilized lots of email and phone calls to go over much of the wedding details for decor, vendors, venues, etc. So I'm excited to have our first couples meeting in the next few months when they visit the area to meet with possible vendors.

Below is a snippet of the submission that Kwame sent to Amber Studios for an Engagement Photoshoot Contest, that the couple actually won thanks to all their friends and family voting on social media! His sweet words were definitely deserving for the picture contest. Enjoy!

Engagement Story:

Praise The Lord she said “YES!”

"My morning began after a restless night of tossing and turning in anticipation for the day to come. I couldn’t stop thinking about how my best friend, Janira Teague, is truly the love of my life. I was also very concerned about every detail of the proposal I was about to deliver later that day. I just wanted everything to be perfect. So, I went to the restaurant, CoCo Sala to put my plan in action. Coco Sala, is where we had our very first date and a where Janira mentioned she wanted to one day get married. Not in the restaurant of course, but up on their beautiful rooftop overlooking the Nation's Capital.

On that rooftop the restaurant’s manager helped me decorate the space with a single table, candle, 2 glasses of champagne, my sweethearts favorite sweet… a red velvet Georgetown Cupcake and 22 pink roses. The flowers represent her favorite color and the number of months we dated, 22. A few hours later, Janira and I enjoyed a wonderful date night at the Coco Sala Restaurant. She had no clue about the proposal, but after dinner she asked me if I thought the manager would let us check out there rooftop venue. Of course he said yes and I took her up to the stars to begin the rest of our life together.

Just thinking about that day makes me realize how lucky I am to have found my soul mate. God blessed me when he brought Janira into my life and he continues to strengthen our relationship every day. My beautiful fiancé brings out the best in me, helps me to be a better person.

Now I would love to show the world how wonderful her spirit  shines from the inside out and I’m confident that “The Amber Studio” photography will beautifully capture that essence.

Gratefully,

The Happiest Man On Earth

-AKA- Kwame White

 Check out Amber Knowles with The Amber Studios here.

Submit you Engagement and Bridal Photos to Engaged! Magazine

Hey brides and future brides! Have you ever looked through your favorite bridal magazine or website and wondered how brides got there wedding and/or engagement published? Well here is your chance! Dust off your wedding album and pick out your favorite photo for a chance to be published in Engaged! Magazine! See below for all criteria.

Event: Tacori & Mervis Bring Large Jewelry Trunk Show to DC this Weekend

For brides on the hunt for the perfect wedding bands and jewelry, Tacori holds a can’t-miss event this weekend. Known for swoon-worthy sparklers, worn on various red carpets by the likes of Nikki Reed, Katy Perry, Katherine Heigl and Kate Beckinsale,Tacori takes over Mervis Diamond Importers on April 27 and 28 to host its biggest trunk show ever.

The event, held simultaneously at Mervis’s Rockville, DC, and Tysons Corner locations, will feature the largest selection of Tacori bridal and fashion pieces worldwide and showcase baubles from Precision Set, Verragio, Martin Flyer, JB Star, and Ritani. Overwhelmed by the idea of so many options? Tacori representatives and Mervis Diamond experts will assist and guide brides-to-be in finding their ideal wedding rings and accessories.

For grooms in need of some ring-shopping motivation, a complimentary Tacori sport band—a durable band built to withstand fading and tarnish—will be added to every purchase of the brand’s gentleman’s wedding band. Another bonus: Customers who spend $1,000 will have a chance to win gift cards for future purchase.

To attend the epic trunk show and score some major bling, RSVP online.

1700 K St., NW, 202-293-0600; Tysons Corner, 800-437-5683; 1775 Rockville Pike, Rockville, 301-231-0030.

Source: Washingtonian by Irina Grechko Photo credit: Mervis Diamond Importers

Joel + Clarissa’s Engagement Photos: A #DMV Love Story

There's a saying "You know real love when you see it" and since the day I met Joel and Clarissa for the first time together at the Tasting Room at the National Harbor I knew they had something special.

A couple of months ago Clarissa reached out to me for wedding planning services and I immediately told her I would love to help! After our initial vision session, multiple phone and email conversations I knew she was a "Girl's Girl" like me and this was not only going to be a memorable experience for the bride-to-be, but for me too!

Since their wedding theme is a surprise to guest, I cant indulge in any details, but I can say it will be gorgeous!  And I'm very pleased to be able to share these amazing engagement photos taken by the renowned Rodney Bailey Photography! They are one of the finest wedding photographers in Washington D.C. with a pure passion for the art of photojournalism and I cant wait to work with them on the couple's wedding day.

Favored by Yodit Events is so happy to be assisting with the planning of their wedding which is scheduled for October 2013. Nothing makes our team happier than to work with people in love and being able to be apart of such a memorable time of their lives. Thank you Clarissa and Joel and continued blessings to you and yours!

#Favored Facts:

Clarissa adores her family, her soon-to-be hubby (Joel) and nice things!

Joel is laid back and will do anything to make Clarissa happy, a great quality to have in a partner.

Photo Credit: Rodney Bailey 

Adam + Renee's Engagement Photos: Laughter Meets Love!

Adam and Renee met in college at Salisbury University in the fall of 2003. Introduced by friends, the couple did not officially have their first date until February 2004. One thing I found so cute about their story was that Adam (being the jokester that he is) told Renee that he would fall in love with her because of her hair (which is gorgeous!!!) which she probably gets from being Chinese Jamaican. A great friendship grew and Adam continued to make Renee laugh and find more reasons to love her.

Since Renee is from Miami, the couple decided to make a trip and Adam made the necessary arrangements to pop the question! Adam found the perfect lighting + got down on one knee in front of Renee's family to propose. He said a few sweet things, she cried (a lot), her parents and brother screamed, and passersby clapped + cheered.

These two are getting married this weekend in Rivera Maya, Mexico and wish nothing but the best for this beautiful couple! Congrats :)

#Favored Facts:

Adam is a Wine Enthusiast + loves to cook (check his intagram @ad_renaissance)!

Renee loves dance + photography! 

Photo credit: CKJ Visuals 

Chris + Jay Ell's Engagement Photos: Norfolk...Where It All Began!

 

Its always special witnessing the happiness of a dear friend. And today is no different as I share the gorgeous engagement photos and love story of Chris and Jay Ell (my college gal pal who I adore)! Last night the couple unveiled their much anticipated wedding website and it goes without saying these two were meant for each other! Im also excited to be in their bridal party of close friends & family.

The couple pays homage to Norfolk, Virginia, the city where they both were raised and eventually locked eyes first as they attended Poplar Halls Elementary School. How cute right? But this isn't your average local girl meets local boy and become an item...right away!

As they grew up, their distance became greater, and interactions even less. Chris attended and graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University while Jay Ell joined myself and most of her bridesmaids at George Mason University! After four years of great memories at George Mason Jay Ell headed back to Norfolk in order to plan for graduate school in Richmond at VCU, Chris' Alma Mater. But as fate would have it months later, the two rekindled their friendship which grew into a serious relationship and will become a holy matrimony in the presence of God, their family, and friends on October 19th 2013. 

Love you guys and cant wait to celebrate your beautiful new beginning as one!

Photo Credit: Brandon Mitchell Photography 

Complimentary Engagement Session from Claudia Oliver Photography

Receive a free Engagement Session with Claudia Oliver Photography when you book your wedding package before March 31, 2013. Call (202) 370--7907 or go to www.claudiaoliver.com for more information.