Shabby Chic Glitter Mason Jars

DIY Glitter Mason Jars

Since I have such a knack for everything that has a girly shabby chic feel to it, I decided to create these adorable glitter jars. This country chic decor combines lovely glitter with the rustic touch of the ever so popular mason jar and the best part is...all the details are left up to you! This DIY project is incredibly easy and sure to dress up any table scape. 

Step 1:

Be sure to buy Mod Podge and a foam brush

Step 2:
Buy any color glitter that matches your theme

Step 3:

Paint the glue onto the bottom part of the jar and sprinkle the glitter on top of it. Then make sure to place the jar upside down to dry. 

Step 4:

Fill the jar up with either water or white sand and gently set the tea light on top. Top it off with a pretty silky ribbon and tie it around the neck of the jar! 

And there you have it - VOILA! 

Until next time...happy crafting.

Washington Bridal Showcase

This past weekend Tricia and I went to the Washington Bridal Showcase to meet some of DC's newest brides. The Bridal Showcase always seems to blow my mind. From wedding planners like us, to dove releases, to carriage rentals, to home insurance, every type of vendor is there.

Our good friend Morgan of Petals and Hedges donated some beautiful floral arrangements to help bring a pop of color to our booth. Her designs are always out of this world! We love working with her and thinks everyone else should too ;) We also brought in a couple of our rental pieces to finish off the look, and believe it to be our best design yet.

We had so much fun meeting new clients and meeting new vendors. Below are a few pictures of our space!

all photos via iPhone

Till next time, happy planning!

Some of our Favorite Pictures of 2012

AVE has been rocking and rolling like crazy this year. We finally got around to adding some of our 2012 weddings to our website and thought we'd share a couple of our favorite pictures from that year on the blog!

photo credit Freed Photography

photo credit Natalie Lane Photography

photo credit Carly Arwine Photography

photo credit Brian Tripiano Photography

photo credit Carly Arwine Photograpy

photo credit Natalie Lane Photography

photo credit Brian Tripiano Photography

photo credit Natlie Lane Photography

photo credit Carly Arwine Photography

photo credit Natalie Lane Photograhy

photo credit Brian Tripiano Photography

More pictures will be coming once I finish uploading the rest of the weddings!!

Till next time, happy planning!!

AVE's newest rentals!

This past weekend St. John's Episcopal Church, in the heart of Georgetown, was getting ready to dump two antique church pews. I love anything old, and especially old things out of a church! Ours need a little TLC before I post pictures ;) Pews are all the rage for outdoor ceremonies and I totally dig them too!

photo credit: Tec Petaja Wedding Photography 

photo credit: Jose Villa

photo credit: Jose Villa

photo credit: Desi Baytan Photography

Till next time, happy planning!

Happy Birthday Kate Middleton!

Happy 31st Birthday to Kate Middleton! I have to admit, she is one of my biggest role models, with a straight head on her shoulders and an impeccable fashion style! What I would give to raid her closest!!

This was one of my favorites :) 

photo credit: uknown

Till next time, happy planning!

Happy New Years!!

From all of us at AVE, we wish you the happiest New Year!

photo credit: Whimsy Boutique

And always remember...

Till next time, happy planning!!

Old Town Alexandria's Fashion Night Out!

by Ashlee

I hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend! The hubs and I headed up to Ocean City for a surprise party. Can you believe in my eight years of living in VA that I had never been to Ocean City during the summer? I have been there two times, but both in the off season. Boy is there a HUGE difference in the off to peak season :) I am lucky to have friends that live there year round. I felt like such a celebrity heading to Secrets by boat ;) Can you imagine having this view year round?

I also found my new second favorite drink (behind Sweet Tea vodka of course)- Birthday Cake flavored vodka! How have I never heard of this before now!?!?!

Enough about my wannabe P.Diddy lifestyle...Last night Trish, AVE's newest planner, and I headed out to Old Town to check out their first Annual Fashion Night Out. We are both huge Old Town lovers. We chose Alexandria for two reasons- 1. We love Alexandria's traditional, preppy vibe, and 2. We both REALLLY wanted to meet Monte from Atlanta's Say Yes to the Dress. Unfortunately both of us were tied up with event stuff and got there about 2 hours later than we anticipated. We arrived right at the start of the Fashion Show so our chances were ruined of a meet and greet...tear :'( Luckily Trish got a picture during the show!! I'm thinking he wasn't a fan of what the model was wearing...

After checking out the Fashion Show, we headed to a few of our favorite shops to score some sweet deals :) Our favs in Old Town are- The Lucky Knot, 3 Sisters, Lou Lou's, and Ben and Jerry's! I scored a super cute purple blazer from 3 Sisters which has me uber excited for fall! We had such a good time and wish we could have gotten there earlier. Already can't wait till next year!

The next few weeks are insanely busy so I will try to keep up with blogging! Remember you can always follow us on Twitter too!! 

Lastly, we will be at the Patriot Center Bridal Show this Sunday so please come by and say Heeeyyyy!!!!!

Till next time, happy planning!!