Itinerary
Cocktail Hour
Join us on the first floor of AVAM’s Jim Rouse Building for an hour of specialty drinks & hors d’oeuvres, entertainment, theme-inspired décor, and our fabulous silent auction!
Dinner
An incredible 3-course dinner prepared by some of the area’s best chefs, paired with wine, and set amidst an array of incredibly designed tables on the third floor of the Jim Rouse Building.
Table Design Competition
Guests will vote on their favorite table design as the winner of the People’s Choice Award, and our panel of guest judges will determine which tables win the awards for Most Creative, Best Interpretation, and Best Overall (see the gallery for pictures of previous years’ tables and last year’s winners)
After-Party
What better way to complete a musically-themed event than by dancing the night away to live music by theVIPs in AVAM’s Barn-Building-turned-nightclub?
Whether thrilling your guests with memorable hits from the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, or today, theVIPs performance has something meaningful for every age and taste. These talented band members have years of experience, incredible energy, and know how to wow the crowd! theVIPs love to perform anywhere the party is "happening." For example, they recently backed up Survivor's lead singer, Jimi Jamison, at a Disney World wedding. Check out their newest video here.
Our Judges
Duff Goldman
Owner/Baker, Charm City Cakes
www.charmcitycakes.com
Click to Read Bio
Duff Goldman, graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and baker/owner of Charm City Cakes in Baltimore, creates special occasion cakes that blow away boundaries and limitations. Duff’s background includes working at the French Laundry and as executive pasty chef at Colorado’s Vail Cascade Hotel.
While working as a personal chef he began creating “multi-tiered monster cakes” out of his house. Demand for his creations grew so much that he quickly grew out of his house as well as two small bakeries. In 2005 he purchased a former art gallery in Remington and his two-person staff has now grown to fifteen.
In August of 2006, the Food Network debuted Ace of Cakes, a reality show that tracks Chef Duff and the Charm City Cakes staff’s weekly challenges and triumphs in creating over-the-top culinary confections. The show is currently shooting its ninth season and is one of the highest rated programs on the Food Network.
Duff was named one of the Daily Record’s “50 Most Influential Marylanders” for 2008, and the Restaurant Association of Maryland named Duff 2007 Pastry Chef of the Year.
Duff sums up his philosophy simply: If you can imagine it, we can bake it. There are no rules when it comes to cake!
Kelley Freeman, CPCE
Owner/Event Planner, Carte Blanche Events
http://www.carteblanche-events.com/
Click to Read Bio
Kelley graduated from Shepherd College with a degree in Mass Communications and pursued a career in radio and television where she hosted the Morning Drive Show on Maryland’s WQHQ FM. She entered the special events industry fourteen years ago. Spending several years with hotels, she then opened the Dave & Buster’s as a special events, marketing, and public relations coordinator for their 60,000 square foot complex located in North Bethesda.
From 1998 to 2003, Kelley served as the catering manager and wedding specialist for the historic Watergate Hotel in Washington, DC. During her tenure she created a wide range of special events, from intimate affairs for 30 guests to galas for 1000. Kelley has hosted and entertained some of the world’s most famous people, including First Lady Laura Bush, the King and Queen of Sweden, foreign ambassadors to the United States, Fortune 500 company leaders, and a host of well-known political figures.
For the past six years, Kelley has successfully directed and designed weddings, ceremonies, and receptions for brides of all cultures and backgrounds, and has produced successful events for Washington’s most influential decision makers.
Kelley is the immediate past president of the National Association of Catering Executives (NACE) and a member of their national board. She is an active member of the International Special Events Society (ISES) and the Women of Washington.
Since 1998, Kelley has donated her skills and time to produce successful fundraising events for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. She remains active in a number of other philanthropic and charitable organizations. Kelley resides in Washington’s Adams Morgan neighborhood.
Andy Kushner
Owner/Entertainment Producer, Andy Kushner Entertainment
www.andykushner.com
Click to Read Bio
Honored as one of Modern Bride's Top 25 Trendsetters of 2009, multi-award-winning Entertainment Producer Andy Kushner turns simple ideas into extraordinary celebrations. Fellow Trendsetter Colin Cowie agrees, naming Andy as one of his elite Fabulous Friends. Attention to quality, scale, budget, and personalization are hallmarks for all of Andy Kushner Entertainment’s bands, DJ’s, MC’s, dancers, and other acts. In fact, Washingtonian Bride and Groom Magazine currently lists Andy’s mega ten piece party band, SoundConnection, as the event industry’s favorite. His other bands include: Marquise, SoundNation, and theVIPs. Andy has earned multiple awards, including Entertainer of the Year and Best Entertainment Production.
Erik Deatherage
Morning Show Host/Senior Producer, 89.7 FM WTMD
http://wtmd.org
Click to Read Bio
Erik started hosting WTMD's Morning Show in October 2005. As a kid growing up in Columbia, MD, his early radio influences included Jon Miller broadcasting Orioles games and the seminal playlists of original 99.1 FM WHFS.
Erik lived in England during a fertile time in music that formed the his core tastes, including artists such as The Police, The Clash, Peter Gabriel, The Jam, and Kate Bush.
A love for flying put Erik on his first career path and he enrolled in aviation programs at Catonsville Community College and the University of North Dakota. While in Grand Forks, ND, Erik signed on as a news reader with KJFM, Northern Lights Public Radio. Later, he hosted an afternoon drive, free-form, alternative, acoustic show at the station.
After graduating from UND, Erik returned to the east coast and worked in the airline industry before joining WTMD as a weekend host. It may seem cliché but it’s true that meeting TMD listeners and supporters, is Erik’s favorite part of his job!
Jennifer Charles
Co-Founder/Design Director, Something Fabulous
http://www.somethingfab.com
Click to Read Bio
Jennifer Charles is a trend-setting event designer and co-founder of Something Fabulous (www.somethingfab.com), an award-winning boutique event design and planning company that focuses on telling the stories that make each client’s event unique. She, along with her sister (co-founder Kimberly Allen) and their staff, provide clients with creative vision, extraordinary service, and close attention to detail to ensure each event is truly one of a kind and something fabulous. With offices in metropolitan Detroit, Washington DC, and Boston, Jennifer is available for event planning and design nationwide or internationally for weddings, social or corporate celebrations.
Since the 7th grade, Jennifer had dreamed of becoming a fashion designer and living in New York City. It was no wonder that, after high school, she left the Midwest to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in lower Manhattan's fashion district. During her studies at FIT, Jennifer had the opportunity to work at ABC's Good Morning America and NBC's Today Show. The experience opened her eyes to a whole new industry. After flirting with the idea of fashion design and merchandising, she completed her degree in Advertising and Communications. With a new taste for television, Jennifer returned home to attend Wayne State University and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in radio television and film.
Jennifer’s degree and experience in television led her to Miami, where she worked on music videos, commercials, and film projects, until a phone call from Kimberly presented her with the opportunity to work with her sister in event management and production. After her first event, Jennifer was hooked and, today, she couldn’t imagine doing anything else – her passions for fashion and production are perfectly combined in this one dream job. Among other things, she is inspired by fashion and draws on her experience in TV and film production to create exceptional, stylish experiences. Her enthusiasm and eye for the latest trends contribute to Jennifer’s role as lead designer and style-maker at Something Fabulous.
Kudos for Something Fabulous include awards from the Greater Detroit Chapter of the National Association of Catering Executives for 2009 best wedding and table top design, and nationally for event design and production; being named among the best of event design and planning by The Knot in 2007; and selection as one of the 25 best women-owned businesses in the country by Working Mother Magazine in 2008.
Something Fabulous has collaborated on, designed, and planned events for celebrities including Kid Rock, Tiffany Trump and Marla Maples, Jessica and Leon Hall (NFL Bengals), and Fatima and Rasheed Wallace (NBA Detroit Pistons). In 2006, their work was featured on MTV’s My Super Sweet 16. Something Fabulous has also been honored to plan and design the charity preview afterglow event for the North American International Auto Show and Detroit local NBC affiliate for multiple years as well as the screening party for the Nickelodeon Viewer’s Choice Awards. in 2008. Jennifer is currently on the board of the Greater Washington DC Chapter of the National Association of Catering Executives.