Thursday, October 28, 2010
Max+Eunji tied the knot at a private residence in Sawyer on August 28th. This couple was so fun, the property was amazing, the details were beautiful and they had so many personal, unique touches. The ceremony took place in the gardens, where family & friends gathered to hear the couple exchange vows under a beautiful lace chuppah. The aisle was lined with blue mason jars filled with baby’s breath and lavender and draped with colorful fabric bunting from etsy. After the ceremony, guests moved into another area of the garden for cocktails and h’ors doeuvres, before proceeding to the reception tent for dinner and dancing.
Centerpieces were set atop of wood slices and included vintage tea tins and glassware collected by the bride and filled with sprigs of hydrangea, lavender and baby’s breath. Napkins were crafted from paled shades of calico fabric and the whole look was eclectic and absolutely adorable. The dessert table was filled with cake stands made from vintage china plates set atop candlesticks. Friends & family brought handmade desserts including cupcakes, tortes, delicious mini macaroons, cookies, and more delicious sweets than I’ve seen in my life!
Max & Eunji, thank you for letting us be a part of your very special and beautiful wedding day! Beautiful photos by Belle Rempert Photography
On September 18th, Brigid and Benjamin tied the knot in South Haven, Michigan. Although it rained off and on all morning, the sun came out just in time for the outdoor ceremony at Stanley Johnston Park. The reception was held at Foundry Hall, just minutes from the ceremony site, and the close proximity of the two made a “wedding parade” possible. Guests walked from the park to Foundry Hall waving colorful ribbon wands as an accordion played and Brigid and Benjamin led the way with a “Just Married” sign. Absolutely adorable (not to mention an eco-friendly way to get guests from point A to point B! The little details made this wedding one-of-a-kind!
From the bunting that was hung at both the ceremony and the reception to the gladiola arrangements placed on the bar in memory of Benjamin’s grandmother, to the hand-crafted guest book and escort cards to the ceremony music written by the groom himself, this event was both unique and personal.
It was truly a pleasure to be a part of this special day. Thank you Brigid and Benjamin! Photography by Jason Lazarus
Coordinated by Brittany Johnson
This weekend we’re celebrating our 3 year “business birthday” because, let’s be honest, even businesses deserve a great birthday party! In honor of 3 years of fabulous brides & grooms, beautiful weddings and exciting changes, we’re going to give YOU a little present!
Visit our facebook page and leave a comment with 3 WORDS THAT DESCRIBE YOUR WEDDING STYLE! We’ll randomly choose a winner who will receive a COMPLIMENTARY 30 MINUTE CONSULTATION with Stella Event Design (in our office or via phone). Do you have etiquette questions? Wonder what time you should have your outdoor ceremony? Who are some of our favorite vendors? What are some easy tricks to cut your budget? You’ll have 30 minutes to pick our brains with all of your wedding-related questions. You have until Monday at noon, when we choose the winner!
Take me to Facebook—I want to win!
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
If you’re planning a Grand Rapids wedding, or are tying the knot in West Michigan, be sure to stop in and visit us at the Grand Rapids Wedding Affair this Friday, October 15th from 5-9pm at the Grand Rapids Public Museum in downtown Grand Rapids! Not only is the museum a beautiful and unique location you can consider for your event, but you’ll get to meet tons of great vendors on all 3 floors of the museum! We’ll be right at the top of the stairs on the 3rd floor, so be sure to come up and say hi to Brittany and I!
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
After a beautiful ceremony at Shadowland Pavilion, guests were invited to enjoy a beautiful tented cocktail hour on the lawn of the Silver Beach Center, before heading inside to Shadowland Ballroom. Escort cards were nestled into wooden trays filled with pebbles and succulents, and the tables were beautifully appointed with gorgeous centerpieces from Modern Day Floral. When I first sat down with Jenn at Modern Day and we talked about Brittany+Scott, what they were like, their style, and the concept I had in mind, she not only got it, she made it even better and she is so much fun to work with! Beautiful manzanita (very reminiscent of driftwood) was used in several of the reception centerpieces and focal pieces, and the bright white flowers with all of their beautiful fresh green stems paired with tons of candlelight were just perfect! I loved it not only because it was beautiful, but it was absolutely perfect for Brittany+Scott—elegant, natural and reminiscent of the beach, but not overdone!
And the dessert table? One of my favorites! There were 6 different cupcake designs in 4 delicious flavors, whoopie pies, blue gummi bears (the brides favorite) and other assorted bites of goodness! A huge thanks to Dee’s Specialty Cakes for the delicious cupcakes and whoopie pies! Brittany+Scott had a fabulous band, the Dave Ivaz Orchestra who had people dancing all night…and boy did they dance…this group got right out on the dance floor at the first song and never left—it was a great party!
Brittany+Scott, thank you so much for trusting us with your special day, and for being such an absolute pleasure to work with! If you’re curious about their sailing adventure, you can live vicariously through them (like I am!) by following them on their blog at http://www.windtraveler.blogspot.com/!
If you missed Part 1 of Britt+Scott’s wedding, check it out here! All photos are by talented duo Ben+Mindy Peterson of Studio623
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
We plan several full-service weddings each summer…these are couples we get to work with from start to finish to plan every detail and aspect of their weddings, and we usually get to work with them for 6-12 months! When I met Brittany+Scott for the first time last November, I knew this was going to be a fantastic wedding with a fantastic couple, and it was going to be so fun to plan! Brittany+Scott are from Chicago, but they’re 2 sailors who happened to meet in St. Joseph during the Tri-State Regatta, so having the wedding in the same city where they met was the perfect choice for them. They wanted a beautiful wedding that was elegant but casual, beachy but not overdone. Working with Brittany was amazing, because she gave me direction and an overall feel, and she let me run with it! (I’ll be sharing another post later this week showing how a wedding develops from inspiration to the finished product).
The ceremony was held at Shadowland Pavilion on Silver Beach, which overlooks the St. Joseph River and lighthouse, and is right across the river from the yacht club where they met—the perfect place to tie the knot with sailboats drifting by behind them! The photo lower right shows Brittany opening her wedding present from Scott—a flag for their sailboart, named Rasmus! Just a few weeks ago these 2 embarked on a sailboat trip around the world which will keep them out on the water for several years—-a pretty incredible journey for these adventure-seeking newlyweds!
Despite torrential rain the entire morning of the wedding (and I mean serious, ‘will it ever stop?’ rain) the storm clouds parted and the skies were dry and blue for their afternoon ceremony. They walked down a gorgeous custom aisle runner adorned with a dune grass pattern that coordinated with all of their stationery items from Save the Dates to Welcome Bag maps! The father of the bride surprised them with personalized golf umbrellas for guests in case of rain, and also, to stay optimistic (which paid off) hand held motorized fans with the couples names! It was blazing hot by the time the ceremony came around, so guests were so appreciative and they were a great little memento!
I’ll share more on the florals and decor in the next post, but check out the ceremony arrangements and those gorgeous bouquets! The amazing team at Modern Day Floral absolutely rocked out these bouquets—-elegant, earthy and unique—just like this couple! Stay tuned later today for more on their reception and details!
All photos are by talented duo Ben+Mindy Peterson of Studio623!
I think the pictures say it all with this wedding—-super crafty, talented bride with an amazing vision. Check! An amazing location. Check! Beautiful flowers and an AMAZING color palette. Check! Kate+Bretts labor day weekend wedding at Mill Creek Barns was absolutely stunning and the credit on this one all goes to Kate—a beautiful bride with an eye for beautiful details, and some amazing DIY skills! Mary had the pleasure of coordinating this wedding and helped to pull together all of the details. And there were A LOT of beautiful details—-check them out below!
The bride did a great job of mixing modern design elements with country details, and everything was a perfect fit in the beautiful MillCreek Barns! Flowers were crafted by the very talented Sheri Beikmann of Beikmann Associates, and the buttery yellows were just delicious! A delicious meal was provided by CK Catering (we love those guys!), the beautiful cake was crafted by Bit of Swiss Pastry Shop in Stevensville, and all of this lovely eye candy is courtesy of Miss Cindy Corstange at The Open Shutter! This post is long, but it was hard to narrow down the pics—I could have done 3 posts!
Kate+Brett, congratulations on your special day, and thank you for allowing us to be a part of it! We wish you many more beautiful days as you start your lives together!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
September is one of my favorite months for weddings—especially outdoors! The weather cools down, beaches clear out, and fall weddings lend themselves to so many rich and vibrant color choices! When Michele+John decided to host their ultra-relaxed and intimate wedding at Mill Creek Barns on September 25th, I knew it was going to be fantastic. They are a laid back and super sweet couple, and I could tell from their first email that I was going to enjoy working with them!
We plan a lot of beach weddings throughout the summer, but September is my favorite month for lake shore nuptials! With kids back in school, the beaches are deserted and we are able to have a pristine, beach go-er free backdrop for ceremonies on Lake Michigan! Michele+John had a beautiful ceremony, with beautiful crashing waves, and despite just a bit of chilliness, it was an absolutely gorgeous afternoon! Guests were greeted with baskets of flip flops so they could slip off their formal shoes before hopping in the sand and Michele’s dress….absolutely gorgeous! Instead of a unity candle or sand ceremony, they planted a rosemary bush, adding soil and water from vintage blue mason jars, symbolizing the love they will nurture and help to grow.
After the ceremony, guests headed over to Mill Creek Barns where they were greeted with passed h’ors dourves, lemonade and iced tea, hot cider , delicious apple donuts and old-fashioned yard games like croquet and bocce ball! Vintage blue mason jars filled with bright and cheery sunflowers adorned the tables, and guests were given tiny glass jars filled with orange, yellow and green chocolate-covered sunflower seeds. A vintage window pain strung with twine and clothespins held “wishes” from guests…so many adorable details
Friends and family enjoyed a delicious family-style meal before dancing the evening away and enjoying a lovely bonifre. All of these lovely photos were captured by Amy Carroll (who we were so excited to get a chance to work with!) and you can see many, many more on her blog!
Michele+John, thanks for letting us be a part of your special day—it was a personal and beautiful day and we were so happy to be there!
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Last August we had the pleasure of helping Ken+Katy as they planned their destination wedding in St. Joseph, and this Fall it was featured in the newest issue of InFrame Bride Magazine! Ken+Katy had a beautiful ceremony at the Basilica at Notre Dame, followed by a reception at the Heritage Center in St. Joseph, Michigan. All of the lovely photos are by St. Joseph Wedding Photographer Ben Pancoast!
