Stella Event Design :: Michigan Wedding & Event Planner » Press

press::michiana brides magazine, “backyard brides”

Jessica Pennington — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 20:24:05 +0000

One of the most popular posts on our blog this year was “The Reality of a Backyard Wedding,” where we outline some of the cost differences between hosting a tented wedding at your home vs. a traditional wedding reception. Because, contrary to popular belief, it is usually pricier to hold it at your home! A few months ago, Michiana Brides magazine asked us to be an expert for their article on the same topic and it recently came out in print. This is a great read! It gives some tips and info on all of the major considerations when planning a backyard wedding from backup plans and restroom needs to landscaping and rental costs and showcases a real at-home wedding and the problems & solutions they found to make their backyard wedding a reality!

Read the entire article online at michianabrides.com!

press::inframe bride real wedding feature

Jessica Pennington — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 15:58:44 +0000

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!

press::inframe bride “inspired dining”

Jessica Pennington — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:00:17 +0000

When we were asked to do a tablescape photo shoot for the 2010/2011 issue of Inframe Bride magazine, it didn’t take me long to know that we wanted to design something that was not only unique, but also something that was feasible for brides to recreate at their own weddings. Our inspiration was the Blue Dress Barn, and the result was a garden-esque tablescape with a vintage flair. We mixed and matched white china, used a mixture of vintage tea tins and a variety of lush, textured blooms, and accented the table with old books and colorful vintage glass candles.
We shot the tablescape on the patio of the Blue Dress Barn, and used their cute wrought iron patio set for unique seating! On a cute vintage metal tea cart, we set up a unique “guest book” area where guests could fill out vintage postcards (tucked away in an adorable vintage jewelry box) and post their “love notes” on an antique frame. We used different patterned fabrics throughout our design, in the napkins, “love notes” board, and as tops to our homemade orange marmalade favors in tiny canning jars. We collected vintage broaches at our local antique market in St. Joseph, and tied them with thin ribbons around the napkins. We have to give a huge thanks to Crystal Springs, who provided our centerpieces, the Blue Dress Barn for letting us spend hours upon hours shooting on their beautiful patio, and Taylor Rental for use of their linens and flatware, and of course Ben Pancoast Photography for helping us bring the whole thing to life! Below are a few more of our personal favorites from the shoot!

press::BRIDES magazine, “4 unique weddings under $10,000″

Jessica Pennington — Mon, 10 May 2010 16:22:23 +0000

A few months ago we were approached to help with an article in BRIDES magazine, about creative wedding receptions for under $10,000. Four event planners were each given a creative location, and we were asked to plan a reception at an artists gallery! I had to decide how we would most effectively spend our $10,000 on the venue, food, entertainment, decor and more!

This was a lot of fun, and about a month after writing my section, we were actually contacted by a couple to help them plan their quirky and fun reception at a local art gallery, so now we are getting to bring this article to life! I got my copy in the mail on Saturday, but it comes out on newsstands tomorrow, and you can read all about how you can plan a fun wedding for under $10K in a unique location.

press::michiana brides magazine

Jessica Pennington — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:56:04 +0000

I was so pleasantly surprised today to find that two of our 2009 couples were featured in Michiana Brides Magazine…August bride & groom Kellie+Kevin were featured on the cover (lovely photo by JM Studios) and July bride & groom Jessica+Bryan graced an interview we did on beach weddings!

Jessica+Bryan’s fantastic beach wedding in St. Joseph was photographed by the fabulous Brooklyn Photography, and we were so excited to contribute tips & tricks on planning a beach wedding! On far right, more beautiful beach wedding photos by the talented Leda at LVL Photography! Southwest Michigan is the perfect location for a beautiful wedding on Lake Michigan—you just can’t beat the sun, sand and beautiful natural scenery.

Also, check out the article on grooms cakes…as I said in the article, they are a great way to show the grooms personality, and can be a fun surprise for him at the reception! Next week we’ll be featuring some of our favorite groom’s cakes, so look for more on these fun confections on Monday.

Check out the E-dition of Michiana Brides!

press::herald palladium spring brides special

Jessica Pennington — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 16:34:42 +0000

We had a lot of fun contributing to “Planning the Perfect Reception,” an article featured in today’s special ‘Spring Brides’ section of the Herald Palladium, here in Southwest Michigan, and we also have 2 lovely couples featured in the section! On the cover, our Fall 2009 couple Meaghan+Greg at The Blue Dress Barn, and inside, fabulous February bride Dee and her husband Michael riding the carousel at their Shadowland Ballroom wedding! Check out the special section today—there is lots of information on planning the perfect wedding reception.

(Meaghan & Greg dancing at their Fall 2009 reception at Blue Dress Barn, photograph by Ben Pancoast Photography)

(Dee & Michael on the carousel at Shadowland Ballroom, Photo by Parker Photographic)

shore bride online

Jessica Pennington — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:23:13 +0000

Shore Bride Magazine is one of my favorite regional wedding magazines, so I was absolutely thrilled when they asked me to write a monthly piece for their new website, ShoreBrideOnline.com! You can check out my first article today!

Shore Bride Magazine always has great articles and inspiration, so if you’re planning a wedding in Southwest Michigan or Northwest Indiana, be sure to check out the new ShoreBrideOnline.com!

press:: “weddings across america” in BRIDES magazine

Jessica Pennington — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:29:56 +0000

Last fall we were contacted to contribute to a “Weddings Across America” article featured in the newest March 2010 issue of BRIDES Magazine, and I was blown away to be able to contribute to one of my favorite wedding magazines. The magazine came out this week, and after months of waiting to see it, I was thrilled to receive my copy in the mail!

We shared some of our favorite things about Midwest weddings, including where Midwestern brides are getting married, what food & drinks they’re serving their guests, what personal favors they love, and what they do to make their weddings unique! I really enjoyed reading the articles on what unique elements make up each regions dream weddings, and you can find the article on page 363 of the March issue of BRIDES!

press::weddings and the economy in shore bride magazine

Jessica Pennington — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:00:00 +0000

My favorite local bridal magazine, Shore Bride, has its Fall issue out and they have some great articles (and beautiful pictures) featured! A few local retailers who I know carry Shore Bride are Moxie’s Boutique in St. Joseph, Harbortown Cafe in Benton Harbor and Kilwin’s in St. Joseph! Below is an article Stella Event Design contributed to, addressing weddings and the economy!

Winner::WeddingWire Brides Choice Award

Jessica Pennington — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:19:31 +0000

I was so excited to find out today that Stella Event Design was selected as a recipient of the 2009 Bride’s Choice Awards presented by WeddingWire! Thanks to all of our past brides & grooms who have shared their planning experiences and kind words on our behalf

The Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes vendors that demonstrate excellent quality of service, responsiveness, professionalism, value of cost and flexibility. Unlike other awards in which winners are selected by the company, the Bride’s Choice Awards are determined exclusively by recent newlyweds (brides and grooms) through surveys and reviews.