I was in search of a dress for 6 months and just couldn't find the fit and look that I wanted. After those dreadful months I gave myself a break from looking for "the one". I started to focus on my invitations by attending a free invitation setting. Once there I ended up having light conversation with a wedding planner, she asked all the wedding questions and I answered...the last of course being the dress. I told her my dilemma, being only 4'11" isnt the easiest when you try on a dress for someone who is 5'9"! She handed me a phone number and said, have it made! As if it was that simple...I am no designer by all means, and sure as heck wasnt sure I had the confidence to let a complete stranger make my wedding gown! I listened, called that night and had an appointment at her home the very next. Ramya greeted me at the front door with a giant hug as if I had known her my whole life. She walked me down into her personal studio and as she asked about my fiance and I, I took in all of the gowns in her studio and noticed her name in a few bridal magazines...now that will get a girl excited! I told her all of my "frazzled" ideas, she listened, drew, looked confused, and drew...after 20 minutes she held up a sketch that i thought for sure came from an internet site. She captured every detail that I had in mind...needless to say that was enough for me...I left that night with a glow, while Ramya held the deposit.
I will never forget rambling onto my mother about the most beautiful dress in the world, I was crazy, ecstatic and didnt know what to do with myself. Me, have a designer, for my very own gown! That was back in October of 2009, the fittings started in November, the wedding July 4th 2010. Once every few weeks I would visit Ramya on my lunch breaks, slip into the plain white satin sheet that would someday be my wedding gown. After 6 months or so beading started to get added and my heart started to race. As time sped up so did my nerves, I was at a point where I wasn't sure how happy I was with the dress. It was beautiful, yes, me...not so sure. I was getting married by the water, beachy type wedding, the gown....glitz and glamor. After a few more trips, me politely telling Ramya my concerns, things started on the right path, or I was just telling myself to get over it, whats done is done. Its now June, less than a month away and the dress isn't yet complete, which is very hard for me. Not because I don't trust Ramya to have it finished, but because I needed to see the finished product in order to feel good about it. Two weeks before the wedding I attend another fitting... length, which is a huge factor in my world. 3 days later and I am trying on my 2nd to last fitting. I am nervous, shaking, and not sure exactly what I am going to see. Ramya puts me in the dress, first thought-wow a much better feel now that it isn't 3 feet too long....first look in the mirror...yes, there you have it, those tears... when you know its the one. Crazy, I never thought they would come. Rayma ran to me and wrapped me in her arms (probably afraid my makeup would run on it) and I could feel the relief, the poor woman was soo thankful that I actually was happy. This was the biggest chance I had ever taken, and am I glad I did!
My dress is absolutely stunning, I want to wear it over and over again. Embarassingly enough, it hangs next to my bed where I first left it after coming home from the wedding. I never would have found a dress that fit me so well, was comfortable, and honestly made me look and feel like a princess. Ramya is someone I will never forget, thoughtful, funny, warm, talented and simply just priceless. That woman deserves more than any other designer (that I don't know :).
Sweet Sue's-wow! I randomly picked Sue's after choosing our wedding location at the Chesapeake Beach Resort & Spa, mainly for their location...but my goodness, I never would have guessed that we would end up with an amazing cake. Sue was extremely responsive and the cake, well, there wasn't a slice left! Since our wedding was on July 4th, many of our guests stayed the entire weekend. After knowing where our cake was from, a good amount of them made sure to stop in to Sue's to grab a pastry and a coffee before hitting the road back to their homes. Everything was wonderful, and the cake was delicious. My husband and I have been tempted to grab a bit of the top layer that we have frozen for our 1 year! I highly recommend Sweet Sue's for any kind of dessert for any occasion!
Bob and his father were kind enough to drive out to the Chesapeake Beach Resort & Spa to capture all of the exciting moments of our wedding.
After meeting the two of them (the day of the wedding!) I knew I didnt have to worry about a thing. The two of them were so unobtrusive that most of us forgot that there were even videographers! Bob was extremely easy to talk to and was open to all of my personal ideas for our video. I couldnt have asked for anything more. Our guests were even mentioning how discreet they were, which was a relief. Some folks have had experiences where the camera men were constantly following them around, we for sure didn't feel that way for a minute. We were very lucky to have Bob video our day. Thank you Bob!!
Bill provided his services for our July 4th wedding this summer, and we couldn't have been happier. We worked with Bill over the phone from day 1, him being in Pennsylania and my husband and I living in Virginia. Some thought we were crazy by not getting the chance to make the 3 hour trip to meet with him, but we were confident after our first conversation with him. Not only was Bill extremely reliable, returned every phone call, every email and answered a gazillion questions, but he also was sure to put in his professional expertise. My husband and I had a long list of songs that we both wanted to hear, but were a bit skeptical on how some of them would keep the dance floor full. After several conversations with Bill we had a perfect list. He was sure to let us know his experiences with certain songs and those in which he felt would keep the dance floor packed. Bill provided the ceremony music which was wonderful, and once the reception started to come to an end we couldn't get folks off of the dance floor! He was sure to do everything we could to keep our night nothing but full on entertainment and we couldnt have asked for anything more.
I would like to highely recommend Bill Scheivert for any occasion in which you want to hear great music and be fully entertained!
Talented, Personable...and just FUN! Cicely and Jason are unbelievable. I would highly recommend them for any and every occasion. I can't say enough about them. They worked with my husband and I for our engagement shoot at Glen Echo Park, MD. I actually have family members that have put our photos on canvas prints to hang in their homes. They have such a great eye, and literally make you look as if you belong in a magazine! Their personalities are amazing, and their love for one another shows through so much, it did nothing but make me more excited to get married (and wish my husband and I could go into such a fun business together):) They also provided the photography for our wedding, they were extremely outgoing and able to make it out to the Chesapeake Beach Resort & Spa for a July 4th wedding. Our guests can't stop talking about how unobtrusive they were during the reception, and how artistic they were with all of our portraits. We have only received a few highlights thus far and people are begging to see more. I am looking forward to working with Cicely and Jason again, hopefully during baby time :) I came across them at the Dulles Bridal Show, took a chance since I didn't know of them previously, and haven't regretted it for a minute. They are outstanding, if you are looking for creative, natural, along with fun photography, this is the couple! I couldn't have asked for more during such an important moment in our lives!