Stella Event Design::Michigan Wedding & Event Planner »

I know there are a lot of 2010 brides out there that are just getting started on planning, so this week we will do a whole series on kick-starting your wedding planning! First up, picking your wedding date!

Picking a date can be very exciting. Often, couple’s find the perfect venue and immediately pick a date without too much consideration, which can lead to trouble down the road. Before you pick your date, consider the people and places around you—do any of the “key players”—you know, the important people like your parents, bridal party, and siblings—have prior engagements? You don’t have to completely rule out a date because one potential bridesmaid won’t be able to stand up, but if she’s really important to you (or 3 or 4 of your bridesmaids will be MIA) then you may want to consider another date. Will you have relatives unable to come because you’ve chosen a date that correlates with high school or college graduation, or because their kids are finishing up school?

Secondly, consider the places around you. Do you live near a major university, sport facility, or festival location? Here in St. Joseph we are roughly 40 minutes from Notre Dame—however, many couples are surprised to find that on home game Saturdays during football season, a hotel room in the greater St. Joseph area is extra expensive, if not elusive all together. The same goes for the annual Venetian Festival in July, which brings in more than 100,000 tourists to the town and hotels. So if the venue you love is booked for the entire year, and has ONE hot date available….take a closer look, and make sure that you’re not missing an important event or activity that will throw a wrench in your plans. I’m definitely not saying to rule out those dates all together, just make sure you have all of the information before locking in that date with a hefty venue deposit!

Holiday Weekends
Since we work with so many couples planning destination weddings, I’m often asked about holiday weekends. Many couples consider a holiday weekend to give their guests a 3 day weekend to travel in for their wedding from out of town. While holiday weekends can sound great in theory, there are a few things to take into consideration:

• Hotels will be more expensive. Along the lake shore, where hotels can already be pricey in the summer, room costs skyrocket on holiday weekends leaving your guests with a $190 hotel room (with a group discount). And hotels are not likely to let you block as many rooms at discouted rates, as well.
• Guest count is likely to be lower on holiday weekends. Many people have yearly traditions planned well in advance, travel to visit family or will want to utilize their 3 day weekend.

I love that Southwest Michigan has some amazing wedding venues. From barns to vineyards to elegant historical buildings, the lake shore area has a lot to offer to brides looking to plan an amazing Michigan wedding. However, just a word to the wise that these venues fill up fast. If you’re a 2010 bride, now is the time to secure that dream venue! So get out there, make some visits, and find that special place that will make your wedding day everything you’ve hoped for!

If you need some help finding your perfect Michigan wedding venue, feel free to contact us, we love to help brides and grooms find wedding location in St. Joseph, New Buffalo, Saugatuck, South Haven, Holland, Grand Haven, Spring Lake, Muskegon, Leeland, and beyond!

**Blue Dress Barn Photo By Monika Caban Photo, Heritage Center by Stella Event Design, Veranda @ The Whitcomb by Zdanis Photography, MillCreek by Stella Event Design

To follow up to yesterday’s post, I wanted to share some cocktail recipes you could use for your wedding! These are just a few I like, but feel free to use any drink you love!

(Left to Right::Grapefruit Gimlet, Key Lime Margarita and Royal Blush)

Grapefruit Gimlet::A refreshing drink for a beach-inspired wedding
Ingredients

• 1/4 cup Charbay Ruby Red Grapefruit Vodka
• 1/4 cup vodka
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons Simple Syrup (see below)
• Ice cubes
• 2 lime slices

Preparation
Place first 4 ingredients in cocktail shaker; fill with ice. Cover and shake quickly and vigorously for 8 seconds. Strain into 2 Martini glasses. Garnish with lime slices.

Key Lime Margaritas::For the fun & spunky couple
Ingredients

• 1 Key lime (optional), quartered
• Kosher salt (optional) for rims of glasses
• 3/4 cup Cointreau or other orange-flavored liqueur
• 1/2 cup reposado tequila
• 1/2 cup fresh Key lime juice
• 2 teaspoons superfine granulated sugar (optional)

Preparation
Run a lime wedge (if using) around rim of each of 4 (6-to 8-ounces) glasses. Put salt (if using) on a small plate and dip glasses in salt to lightly coat rims.

Blend liqueur, tequila, juice, and sugar (if using) in a blender until combined. Serve over ice (in coated glasses).

Royal Blush::For a chic & swanky lake shore wedding
Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon cherry purée (note: recipe below makes 3/4 cup)
• 3 tablespoons (1 1/2 ounces) vodka
• 1 1/2 tablespoons (3/4 ounce) fresh lime juice
• 1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) simple syrup
• 5 fresh mint leaves
• 1 cup ice cubes
• 1/4 cup (2 ounces) dry sparkling wine, such as brut Champagne, chilled

Preparation
To Make Cherry Purée:
In a bowl, purée frozen cherries or all-fruit spread with water. In general: 1 cup of frozen cherries (6 ounces) puréed with 2 tablespoons of water makes approximately 3/4 cup purée. To make purée using all-fruit spread, combine 3/4 cup spread with 3/4 cup water. Any extra can be used to make smoothies or sauce for ice cream.

To Make Cocktail:
Transfer purée to chilled martini glass. In chilled cocktail shaker, combine vodka, lime juice, and simple syrup. Tear mint leaves in half and add to shaker. Add ice and shake vigorously for 15 seconds. Slowly strain into martini glass without disturbing purée, then top with sparkling wine and serve.

**All drink recipes from Epicuious.com. Check them out for tons of great drink ideas!

Offering signature cocktails at your wedding is a great way to infuse your personality into your wedding reception! There are a few approaches you can take to this when selecting your drinks.

His & Hers::Choose a bride’s drink and groom’s drink to offer guests! Choose your favorites, present them beautifully (a cute garnish never hurts) and re-name them, if you’d like, to be more wedding-esque!

Wedding Colors::Offer drinks that coordinate with your wedding colors. For a green and yellow wedding, offer up a lynchburg lemonade and mojitos, garnished with mint! For pink and brown, serve guests Chocolate maritinis and a champagne spritzer. Display them in a cute and fun way, and you’re all set for a fun cocktail hour!

Non-Alcoholic::If you’re not serving alcohol, you can still have fun with your beverages! In the summer an iced tea & lemonade bar or punch bar are lots of fun for guests, and in the fall you could offer cider, complete with mixes people can stir in to make their own spicey blend! Garnish with lemons, limes & apple slices, and you’ve got a good-looking and tastey drink selection!

Check out Part 2 for some of our favorite signature drinks!

Last Wednesday I had the pleasure of meeting a fun group of wedding professionals when I attended an MWEP meeting in Kalamazoo.  I’m happy to showcase one of those lovely ladies today! Carrie Miles and her husband Dave are a husband and wife photography team, and Carrie was nice enough to share a recent Lake Michigan wedding with us, and answer some questions!

How did you get into wedding photography?
I’ve loved weddings  ever since I was a little girl – every summer my family went on a camping trip and my mom would take out a stack of wedding magazines from the library.  I would pour over those images and dream of my happily ever after!  I took a photography class in college and started taking pictures at my close friend’s weddings.  Several times the brides liked my images more than the ones they had paidd a professional to do.  The rest is history!

What do you like most about being a husband & wife photography team?
Two sets of eyes are so much better than one!  We can be in two different places at once, and are able to give equal star coverage to the bride and the groom.  I hang out with the bride & her maids while Dave chills with the groom & his men before the ceremony.  We are able to get more creative – different vantage points throughout the event enable us to truly tell the story of each couple’s wedding day.   I also really love being able to share the whole experience with Dave and spend time with him while we are working!  We are newlyweds ourselves and can really understand & relate to everything that goes into a wedding.

Do you have any tips for brides searching for their perfect photographer?
It’s vital to find a photographer who’s personality is a good match to you & your future mate’s.  They should be flexible and a calming presence as well as a lot of fun!  They are there to serve you and your guests, make you feel comfortable and capture your true personality through beautiful images.

What’s your favorite wedding cake flavor?
We are both huge cake fans!  Secretly, I tend to judge each wedding on how great the cake tastes!  I love vanilla w/ butter cream frosting.   Dave’s favorite is chocolate cake wtih white icing.  We had marble w/ butter cream frosting at our wedding – the cake topper is in our freezer, its 3/4 of the way eaten and we haven’t reached our 1st anniversary yet!

What do you enjoy doing when you’re not hanging out at weddings?
I love home decorating, reading, writing letters, gardening, camping, craft projects, knitting, making gifts, and taking naps in our hammock.   Dave loves to draw, read, geocache, bike, camp, play video games and do projects around the house.

Thanks for sharing Carrie, it was lovely meeting you last week! To check out more photos from Carrie Miles Photography check out their website and blog!