(an excited picture for an excited post, courtesy of Chad Bosma)

The Smart Planner is one of my favorite resources for savvy business tips specifically for wedding & event planners. I’m so excited to be featured today, so go check it out, and if it’s not already on your blog list, be sure to add Blue Orchid and The Smart Planner to your daily reads!

Posted on Friday, November 7th, 2008 No Comments »

(Photos courtesy of Chad Bosma)

I apologize for the tardiness on this post, but I was so busy that day I didn’t get a chance to snap a single picture, and wanted to wait for pro pics to share! Saturday, October 11th marked the end of our 2008 wedding season, and we couldn’t have asked for a nice day, and a nicer couple! I’ve been working with Megan for the last couple of months to help her pull together all of the details for her wedding. Friday we began setup at the hall, and once things got started I left Becca, my assistant for the night, behind and headed to the rehearsal. The rehearsal (and ceremony) were at the absolutely beautiful Centre Meeting House on Morris Farms. It’s the cutest little wedding chapel I’ve ever seen!

Megan’s aunt Pat, who is the mayor of a local city, officiated over the ceremony and the 2 of us spent about an hour running everyone through the ceremony and making sure everyone was ready for the big day!

Afterwards, Megan+Scott headed to the rehearsal dinner and I headed back to the hall to finish the decor setup.

Saturday morning I headed to the rental company to pick up the table for the unity candle and a few linens for the reception hall. I arrived at the meeting house to setup a few things before the bridal party arrived. The Flower Cart dropped off some beautiful arrangements for the church and I proceeded to pass out all of the corsages, boutonnieres and bouquets. Megan chose small bouquets of roses for the mothers which I thought was a beautiful alternative to the usual corsages. Renaissance Strings provided absolutely beautiful ceremony music, and their ceremony was very sweet and personal. My favorite part was Megan’s grandfather reading “Blessing of the Hands,” which I will share in another post.

After the ceremony the bridal party headed out for pictures with Chad Bosma and I loaded up flowers from the ceremony and headed over to the reception where guests had already arrived and began to enjoy appetizers as Mark from Music Express provided dinner music. After dinner was served the dancing began, I sliced up the cake and everyone had a ball dancing and celebrating Megan+Scott!

Thanks again Megan+Scott for letting me be a part of your day!

Posted on Monday, October 27th, 2008 No Comments »

(Megan+Scott, tied the knot 10.11.08)

I have been a horrible blogger lately…I can’t even believe I’ve been away so long! Life has been crazy between moving my home and office, and keeping up with new 2009 weddings. Expect a great week of blogging starting tomorrow with a recap of our last wedding of 2008!

*Photo courtesy of Chad Bosma

Posted on Sunday, October 26th, 2008 No Comments »

Sorry about the delay on this—I was trying to figure out why I hadn’t heard from the winner of the book and realized the post never went live! Apologies!

The winner of the Party Basics for New Nesters book giveaway is comment #4, Amanda! Amanda, shoot me an email at Jessica (at) Stellaeventdesign (dot) com to claim your prize! Thanks to everyone who commented!

Posted on Thursday, October 9th, 2008 1 Comment »

I love free stuff! Check out the Love is Blooming Blog to comment and win a free custom fragrance set for your big day! There are so many fun and creative ways you can diy to make your wedding special—so while you’re crafting those custom invites and creating fabulous table numbers, take a few minutes to think about your wedding fragrance. Personally, I think it’s wonderful to do a new scent for your wedding—one that will always remind you of that special day! So why not create your own fragrance with these freebies from Urban Botanic!? Check out the blog for all the details and comment on your own favorite wedding diy to enter!

Posted on Wednesday, October 8th, 2008 No Comments »

(Mr+Mrs Pennington, Est. October 6, 2007)

I don’t normally post much information here on my personal life outside of wedding planning, but today we will bend the rules a bit (plus it’s wedding related!)

It’s official, today is my one year wedding anniversary! Brides-to-be should believe people when they tell you that the time will fly! We celebrated over the weekend with a wonderful mini-vacation and this week we are busy busy busy as we prepare to move next weekend! Or, should I say, as I prepare for Megan+Scott’s wedding on Saturday while my husband prepares to move us! What a good sport he is! Stella Event Design would not be possible without his love and support as I run around here like a crazy lady, doing what I love! So, today is my official Thank You to the hubby for putting up with his crazy wedding planning wife for a full 365 days!

Oh, and my very fabulous wedding present is a tiny Flip Video Mino, which takes up to 60 minutes of video, and snaps right into your computer to upload videos! I tried it out this weekend, and it’s amazing, so expect videos to come to the Stella Blog soon!

Also, posting will be light this week as we pack up the office and move out! I can’t wait until Saturday when the beautiful wedding of Megan+Scott takes place at the oh-so-adorable Morris Farms in Niles! Their historic meeting house is too cute for words, and is going to be a beautiful backdrop for their ceremony, so stay tuned!

*Photo copyright Ben Pancoast Photography

Posted on Monday, October 6th, 2008 2 Comments »

The winner of the fun & funky pink cards is Jess, with comment #2! Please shoot me an email with your mailing info so I can get you your cards! Thanks to everyone who participated and commented for last week’s give aways—we’ll definitely be having more!

Posted on Monday, October 6th, 2008 No Comments »

Check out the Fall edition of Martha Stewart Weddings to see Southwest Michigan’s very own Blue Dress Barn! The October 27, 2007 wedding of Kelly & Jeremy is featured, and this brides beautiful diy’s are something you just have to check out!

We’re coordinating several 2009 weddings at the Blue Dress Barn, and I’m excited for the rustic charm and beauty that it lends to a wedding. Each and every wedding I’ve seen at the Blue Dress has it’s own personal style and touch of creative flair—it definitely attracts the creative, unique and detail-oriented bride!

Posted on Sunday, October 5th, 2008 1 Comment »

I saw this video on Jessica Claire’s blog and thought it definitely got the point across in a great non-partisan style, so I had to share!

The election is right around the corner (November 4th) and whether you’re a democrat, republican, libertarian, or you march to your own political drummer—you’ve got to vote to make your voice heard!

Get detailed information on your state’s deadline and requirments!

Just a friendly reminder from your friends at Stella Event Design!

Posted on Friday, October 3rd, 2008 No Comments »

Mill Creek Barns is a new venue (opening in 2009) brought to you by the owners of the beautiful Blue Dress Barn. I know  Mill Creek will have just as much character and charm as the Blue Dress, and I can’t wait to see it for myself! Until then, check out the MONIKA PHOTO blog for a sneak peek!

Posted on Wednesday, October 1st, 2008 1 Comment »