Alexandria Living Magazine is excited to present the 2022 Alexandria Wedding Showcase, coming up April 10 at The Alexandrian hotel in Old Town Alexandria. The event starts off with a bang, with a VIP brunch with none other than style expert Monte Durham of “Say Yes to the Dress – Atlanta” and Salon MONTE in Old Town Alexandria.
We’re sitting down with some of our vendors, including Juli Valentine of Completely Coordinated, to get the dish on all things weddings. Come to the showcase and meet Juli and other vendors to plan your perfect wedding day!
ALM: What wedding trends are you looking forward to seeing this wedding season?
Juli: What we’re most looking forward to is a return to bigger events — we loved the intimacy of 2020 and 2021 weddings, but can’t wait to see families and friends who might not have seen each other the past few years reuniting safely and enjoying each other’s company. That, and more flower guys! While flower girls and ring bearers are always adorable, seeing how seriously grown men take throwing flower petals always makes for a memorable opening to the ceremony.
ALM: Why is your business a great option for couples in Alexandria and elsewhere?
Juli: We provide planning services at coordination prices! We understand how much it costs to live and get married in this area, so we certainly don’t want to add to our couples’ budgets. In fact, we love to help them find ways to save wherever possible. We are based in D.C., but our team is spread out all over the DMV so we can provide referrals for all sorts of venues and vendors in Alexandria and the surrounding area.
ALM: At what point in the wedding planning process should couples start working with you?
Juli: As soon as possible! The earlier we are involved in the process, the earlier we can mitigate any problems that might be coming down the pike by reviewing contracts and creating a preliminary timeline. That said, we meet our couples wherever they are so we can provide a more hands-on approach with any who book us a year or more out and can also catch up with couples who have booked all their other vendors and just need us to get them to the finish line.
Q: Do you have any need-to-know advice for newly engaged couples?
Juli: Enjoy being engaged! Then, when you’re ready, start thinking about the style and location of venue you would like to get married in because you don’t really have a wedding date until you have a venue. Call us when you’re ready to book the rest of your vendors (or even before if you want assistance with the venue search) so we can provide you with referrals!
Q: What’s the best wedding you’ve ever been to and what made it so great?
Juli: Is it too cliche to say my own? It was honestly the perfect day, filled with personal touches and was what prompted me to get into wedding planning. My goal is to make sure every one of our couples has as great a day as my husband and I had. The best weddings we work are those where the couples fully trust us and the process we’ve put into place to make sure their day goes smoothly. These couples and their wedding parties tend to be so much fun to work with because they know they can completely relax and enjoy the day!
ALM: How do you get inspiration and new ideas?
Juli: We are always looking for new inspiration and ideas on Instagram, as well as from the creative and talented vendors that we work with. And honestly, we are always taking notes when one of our couples comes up with something new and unique to be able to suggest it to future clients — imitation is the highest form of flattery, after all!
ALM: Why is Alexandria a great wedding destination?
Juli: Alexandria has the perfect combination of history, charm and proximity to a variety of wedding weekend activities to keep your guests interested and entertained. There’s plenty to do in Alexandria itself, but you’re also close to D.C., Northern Virginia wineries and more. Additionally, it has something for everyone as far as venues go — river views, city views, historic mansions, hotels, gardens, art galleries — so couples shouldn’t have any trouble finding the perfect spot to get married.
ALM: What is the most unique work you’ve done for a wedding?
Juli: Each couple brings their own unique view and personality to wedding planning and that’s what we love about it so much! No two weddings are exactly alike and we love helping our couples showcase the big and little things that make their love sing. I will say having to track down a groom’s cake that suddenly went missing (due to a well-meaning guest wanting to make sure it was kept safe) is up there for most unique challenges we’ve faced lately!
ALM: How can couples prepare to have an incredible experience working with you?
Juli: Couples should come into the Completely Coordinated experience with a willingness to follow the proven process we have in place to make sure they are successful, which includes filling out forms and answering a lot of questions. We can only help with the information we’ve been given so let us know anything and everything you want to happen on your day and we’ll get it done. We provide unlimited communication to all of our couples and when we say call, email or text us with any question, concern or pros and cons, we mean it! The value of that service is what you get out of it, so take advantage!
ALM: Where can potential clients find you?
Juli: Check out our website, our Instagram or Facebook, or our storefront on The Knot.
