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Monthly Archives: July 2009

your wedding reception::dancing

                      the hustle  jelly roll blues band  first dance 

Dancing has been a huge part of my life since I was young.  Throughout high school I spent countless hours in dance class, was on competitive dance teams and even now I’m likely to bust a move down the aisle of any given store.  It’s no wonder I’ve thought a lot about how dancing can be incorporated into weddings. 

Without music there is no dancing.  Given that fact, the first consideration for any bride who wants dancing at her wedding is who will provide the music.  The option for most brides is either a live band or a DJ.  Some brides have a very strong preference for one or the other.  Whatever your preference, be sure to check out their references and even better, see if you can arrange to watch them perform at one of their wedding gigs.  Think about the type of music you would like played at your wedding.  This should help in determining who you hire.  Take time to discuss with the band leader or DJ specific songs you would like played and any songs you do not want played.  Even address your expectation of dress.  If you don’t want them to show up in jeans and t-shirts, tell them.  Finally, plan ahead, book early and get all costs and expectations in writing.

Once you’ve got the music in place it’s time to think about DANCING!  Usually the bride and groom kick the dancing off with their first dance as husband and wife.  You may even consider taking a few lessons prior to your wedding so that you “look good” for your first dance as Mr. and Mrs.  There are many entertaining and ingenious ways to get your guests excited about dancing.  While you may enjoy a traditional wedding waltz for your first dance, many couples are changing the tempo mid-dance and busting out Michael Jackson type moves.  Google wedding dances on you-tube for some very funny and entertaining ideas.  Your guests will love the element of surprise.

You can also get your wedding party involved by choreographing a dance involving the bridesmaids and groomsmen. You’ll have a blast dancing together before the wedding and your guests will enjoy lots of laughs as they watch many of the groomsmen give their first ever dance performance.  Seriously, it’s a great way to get everyone on the dance floor.

It’s your wedding day……dance like no one’s watching!

*Photos courtesy of Stella Event Design

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curtain call marathon::august 30th in st. joseph

You may remember seeing the first video that captured our May Curtain Call shoot here, or seeing some behind the scenes photos here, but you really can’t appreciate how fun this type of shoot is until you’ve done it!

We’re teaming up again with LVL Photography & Ben Pancoast Photography for a marathon curtain call shoot on Saturday, August 30th in St. Joseph! For a cost of only $200 you can join in the fun with 2 photographers, 2 great locations, a professional hair stylist and all of your fun & amazing images on a cd for you to print and use as you like! If you’re interested in joining us, you can hold your spot for $100 and should email me at jessica@stellaeventdesign.com as soon as possible! Below, check out Part 2 of the video highlighting the curtain call shoot in May, shot by All Star Productions!

Curtain Call (part 2) from All Star Productions on Vimeo.

lisa+bart::a beautiful wedding at the blue dress barn in southwest michigan

Saturday was supposed to be rainy with record lows in the 60’s (in July!) but instead, it ended up being the perfect weather for a beautiful outdoor wedding in Southwest Michigan! Lisa & Bart are an absolutely fun, hilarious and stylish couple, and it was a lot of fun to help Lisa bring all of her details together on her wedding day!

The ceremony was held on the grounds of the Blue Dress Barn, with the reception held afterwards in the historic barn. When it comes to a beautiful wedding location, it’s hard to beat the Blue Dress Barn in Southwest Michigan—it has so much charm and detail on its own, you really could do absolutely nothing to it and still have an amazing location! Beautiful photographs courtesy of Kelly Powers Photography
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MORE OF OUR FAVORITE SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN WEDDINGS:

  • Ken+Katy at Basilica of the Sacred Heart at Notre Dame and The Heritage Center in St. Joseph, Michigan
  • Megan+Greg at Mill Creek Barns in Southwest Michigan
  • Yana+Brannon at Shadowland Pavilion and The Heritage Center in St. Joseph, Michigan
  • Kate+Mitch at Shadowland Pavilion and The Heritage Center in St. Joseph, Michigan
  • Stefanie+Jim at Santaniello’s and Weko Beach in Bridgman, Michigan

sneak peek::a beach wedding in southwest michigan

We’ve been planning with Jessica+Bryan for the last 4 months, and this weekend we finally got to see the beautiful results come to fruition at their beach wedding! Full-Service weddings are fun for me, because we get to start with scratch, and for Jessica+Bryan a huge part of their wedding was finding the perfect locations! They wanted to be near the lake and celebrate outdoors with their closest friends and family! The ceremony was held at a local beach in Southwest Michigan and the reception was at The Veranda at the Whitcomb on the bluff in St. Joseph! (check out the picture of the sunset from the Veranda—beautiful!) Jessica wanted every aspect of her wedding to reflect the water and a tropical feeling, from the 3 shades of blue we used in the linens, to the multi-hued blue programs (doubling as fans), to the centerpieces of tropical birds of paradise.
mackcollage3Sand and shells were incorporated throughout the day, from the centerpieces to the sand & shell covered cupcakes! I absolutely loved how natural and bright and fun this wedding was, and we couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful day! Thank you Jess+Bryan for letting us be a part of your special day, and have a wonderful time in Costa Rica!

MORE MICHIGAN WEDDINGS BY STELLA EVENT DESIGN:

Megan+Greg at Mill Creek Barns in Watervliet, Southwest Michigan

Lisa+Bart at the Blue Dress Barn in Millburg, Southwest Michigan

Yana+Brannon at Shadowland Pavilion and The Heritage Center in St. Joseph, Michigan

Kate+Mitch at Shadowland Pavilion and The Heritage Center in St. Joseph, Michigan

Stefanie+Jim at Santaniello’s and Weko Beach in Bridgman, Michigan

yana+brannon::southwest michigan wedding at shadowland pavilion and the heritage center

Yana+Brannon were married at Shadowland Pavilion in St. Joseph on Sunday, June 27th with a reception following at the Heritage Center. We started planning this wedding about 8 months ago, and right from the start they knew they wanted to make this an entire weekend their guests could enjoy, since they were all coming in from out of town. The weekend festivities started on Saturday with a “day at the beach” for friends and family, complete with wave runners & refreshments. Guests were then invited to enjoy dinner on the rooftop patios & lounge at Port 412 downtown.
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On Sunday morning the atmosphere was created, draping the pavilion with hundreds of yards of bright pink fabric, and filling the area with orchids. I absolutely love the look of a chuppah, and this one is one of my all-time favorites! Guests were shuttled to the ceremony site and greeted with glasses of sparkling champagne with raspberries. A string quartet announced the brides processional and after a jewish reformed ceremony, guests proceeded to cocktail hour at the Heritage Center. I absolutely love the way the Heritage Center turned out—-chocolate and cerise linens, submerged orchid centerpieces, a vodka ice luge, and pink uplighting on all of the walls. Chocolate martini’s and grapefruit kiss martinis (pink and brown) were served during cocktail hour. Even the food  followed the color scheme with salmon gateau and shrimp cocktail among the appetizers. A delicious meal was served by the Bistro while the band, Me & The Boys, fired up the dinner music! This is the second time I’ve worked with Me & The Boys and they do an absolutely phenomenal job!

The night was full of Jewish & Russian traditions, and you could tell how excited this couples family and friends all were to be together and celebrating with Yana+Brannon, it was truly a joy-filled celebration! Thank you so much to Yana+Brannon for allowing our team to be a part of your big day, and I hope you’re enjoying your honeymoon in Greece!

*All of the beautiful photos are courtesy of the lovely Cindy Corstange of The Open Shutter! You can check out more pictures at Cindy’s blog post!

MORE MICHIGAN WEDDINGS BY STELLA EVENT DESIGN:

  • Megan+Greg at Mill Creek Barns in Watervliet, Southwest Michigan
  • Lisa+Bart at the Blue Dress Barn in Millburg, Southwest Michigan
  • Jess+Bryan’s beach wedding at The Veranda at the Whitcomb in St. Joseph, Michigan
  • Kate+Mitch at Shadowland Pavilion and The Heritage Center in St. Joseph, Michigan
  • Stefanie+Jim at Santaniello’s and Weko Beach in Bridgman, Michigan

wedding beauty::mary kay virtual makeover

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I feel a little intimidated at those mall makeup counters.  I always feel like I get pushed towards certain looks and there’s never an opportunity to just try on a bunch of different colors, which is what I really want to do. So if you’re looking for the perfect makeup for your wedding, you may be feeling the same way.

Check out the Mary Kay Virtual Makeover. I had one of those makeover computer programs when I was a kid and they always turned out looking absolutely ridiculous, but I tried this one out myself and it absolutely looks like real makeup—no one would ever know it was computer generated! Just load a picture of yourself (wearing foundation) and you can start trying out new looks. You can even try different up-dos and add accessories to give you that perfect bridal look!

Plus you can order online and there’s a 100% satisfaction guarantee, so if that lipstick doesn’t look as good as you expected, you can always return it or exchange it before your big day!

stella weddings::kim+jeremy at spring lake country club

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Saturday we assisted Kimberly+Jeremy as they tied the knot in Spring Lake! The ceremony was held at St. Mary’s Catholic church in Spring Lake, and after a full mass, the couple and bridal party boarded a trolley to take pictures in Spring Lake and on the Grand Haven waterfront!

At cocktail hour at Spring Lake Country Club, guests were treated to both indoor and outdoor entertainment, with a pianist entertaining guests who enjoyed cocktails in the foyer, and a bagpiper who performed on the green for guests partaking in the cocktail hour out on the patio. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, and the couple was escorted across the green by the bagpipes as they entered the reception celebration!

The ballroom was opened for dinner and it was absolutely stunning with embroidered ivory overlays, 38″ high centerpieces of white and blue hydrangeas, peonies, roses, and gardenias. and tons of candles. The ballroom overlooks Spring Lake with an entire wall of windows as a backdrop for the bridal party! The delicious (and beautiful!) 5 tier cake was created by Sweet Cakes Designs, along with the MSU-themed groom’s cake (a nod to the 2 MSU alums!)

Scott with Complete Music kept the dancing going all night and Wade of Shutter Booth was on hand to create a scrapbook-style guest book for Kim+Jeremy. Mary and I had to check it out, but those photos will come later:-) Mike and Tori of M-Buck Studios were capturing every minute, and even had a slideshow of the day ready to put out at the reception! This was such a fun idea and guests loved getting to see what had happened earlier in the day (especially since the bridal party got to cruise around town in the trolley having fun!)

A big thanks to Kim+Jeremy for letting us be a part of their day! Kim was one of the most organized and detail-oriented brides I’ve worked with, and had such a clear vision of what she wanted (which is wonderful for a planner!) It’s so fun to see that vision come to life, and I hope you both have a wonderful honeymon in Maui!

MORE MICHIGAN WEDDINGS BY STELLA EVENT DESIGN:

Megan+Greg at Mill Creek Barns in Watervliet, Southwest Michigan

Lisa+Bart at the Blue Dress Barn in Millburg, Southwest Michigan

Jess+Bryan’s beach wedding at The Veranda at the Whitcomb in St. Joseph, Michigan

Yana+Brannon at Shadowland Pavilion and The Heritage Center in St. Joseph, Michigan

Kate+Mitch at Shadowland Pavilion and The Heritage Center in St. Joseph, Michigan

Stefanie+Jim at Santaniello’s and Weko Beach in Bridgman, Michigan

stella weddings::kate+mitch at shadowland pavilion on silver beach

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What can I say, this was a fun wedding! Kate+Mitch booked our day of & design services almost 18 months ago, so I’ve had a lot of time to get to know this awesome couple and their family, which makes a wedding all the more special to be a part of. Kate chose an elegant color palette of sage & brown and incorporated small details throughout every aspect of the ceremony and reception. The ceremony was held at Shadowland Pavilion on Silver Beach and the decorations there were simple and clean with white chairs, an arch made by the groom, and a small aisle formed by tin buckets of hydrangeas. Guests were provided with cold water for the hot day, and their programs were fans which is always appreciated by guests at an outdoor ceremony!

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Kate and her mom ordered bulk flowers of hydrangeas, hypericum berries and lemon leaves and we created simple centerpieces for all of the tables which were accented by small damask overlays in brown and sage. I love doing floral arrangements when we get the chance, and we’ve gotten to do several weddings this summer so far! The bouquets for the gals were created by Beikmann Associates and they were absolutely beautiful! Kate & Mitch offered Mojitos as their signature drink and used the lime theme in several other places including 2 large glass vases of limes at the bar, and limes used to display their escort cards! The beautiful wedding cake was created by Dee’s Specialty Cakes, and it was delicious as always! Dee’s also created the sailing inspired groom’s cake (I especially liked the sign Kate made to go next to it that said, “Mitch, will you be my first mate?” Too cute). Each table was named after a landmark location in Chicago that was special to the couple, and table numbers had a picture of each location. They also incorporated their love for the windy city (where they both live) by capping off the night to “Sweet Home Chicago.”

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Throughout the day, beautiful moments were captured by Jen of JK Photography and her 2nd shooter, Dustin Francis. To see all of the amazing pictures from the day, check out Jen’s blog! She’s always got fabulous eye candy to check out, so if you haven’t tied the knot yet, it’s a great place for inspiration!

The  dance floor was packed all night and everyone kept dancing thanks to the band, Drop35. They did a wonderful job of keeping guests on the dance floor, and the whole place was packed right until midnight! At the end of the night we passed out sparklers so that guests could light their way out! Kate & Mitch, thank you so much for letting us be a part of your day, and for being so much fun to work with—have a great time on your honeymoon in Florida!

MORE MICHIGAN WEDDINGS BY STELLA EVENT DESIGN:

  • Megan+Greg at Mill Creek Barns in Watervliet, Southwest Michigan
  • Lisa+Bart at the Blue Dress Barn in Millburg, Southwest Michigan
  • Jess+Bryan’s beach wedding at The Veranda at the Whitcomb in St. Joseph, Michigan
  • Yana+Brannon at Shadowland Pavilion and The Heritage Center in St. Joseph, Michigan
  • Stefanie+Jim at Santaniello’s and Weko Beach in Bridgman, Michigan