It's A Beautiful Day! Day-Of Wedding Coordination

Neely & Chris, Revisited (In Motion!)

2011-09-19T18:05:00.001-07:00

Back in May, I was lucky enough to work with a terrific couple - Neely & Chris. They had a fabulous wedding and reception at The Henry Ford in Deaborn, my home town. Beautiful vintage elements, amazing entertainment, and just an overall "really super cool" event.

Their VERY talented videographers, Two Penny Productions, sent me a link to THIS VIDEO clip of their day. Loved it!

I was so very impressed with this videography team; super-professional, and their number one concern seemed to be getting the best quality footage at all times.

Thank you so much, Two Penny!

Happy September Anniversaries!

2011-09-19T17:53:00.001-07:00

Wishing very happy 1-Year anniversaries to our September 2010 couples!

Kara & Nick, photo courtesy of Amanda Williams Photography....

Rachel & Kevin, photo courtesy of Michelle Binge, Studio Blue.....

And Camille & Lee, photo courtesy of Chelsea Brown Photography....

Here's to many more! Thank you so much!

Happy July & August Anniversaries!

2011-08-06T06:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Happy Anniversary to Christine & John, married August 14, 2010. Christine, you are a sweetheart and I am happy to still remain in touch with you :)

(photo c/o Tammy Labar of Tres Jolie Photography)

...and I will never forget LaDawn & Kyle's July 17 wedding last summer on Belle Isle! That was quite the HOT July day but everything was fabulous! (And special thanks to my lovely lady Brandi for the referral, I miss you!!)

(photo c/o Amanda Williams Photography)

Congratulations to both of you, and the additions/soon-to-be additions to the family! XOX!

My apologies!

2011-06-28T16:31:00.000-07:00

Hello Hello!!

As much as I LOVE to write about my wedding experiences and the fabulous vendors who help make it happen, unfortunately time has been a huge factor lately! I am slowly but surely catching up! With summer activities, life commitments, and booked weddings, I am having a love affair with my bed more so than my computer these days!!

Thanks for understanding!

~Rachel

Victoria & Daniel

2011-06-16T17:37:00.000-07:00

Ceremony Location: The Hope Chapel, Shelby Township

Reception Location: Twin Lakes Golf & Swim Club, Oakland Township

# Guests: 160

Wedding Colors: Kelly Green & Black/White Damask

Emergency Kit Items Used: Scissors

Vickie and I met at a downtown Royal Oak Starbucks last winter. We must have talked for an hour and a half, much to the dismay of my parking meter! Both she and Daniel are engineers, and Vickie is also a part-time Arbonne consultant.

The spring day was mild, the ceremony and reception were effortless (much in part to the GREAT staff at Twin Lakes, thanks so much Rebecca and Chris!).

Congratulations & Best Wishes to you both!

This cake stand was really neat!

Tall centerpieces:

Loooove the linens!!

Menu cards, and golf ball/tee set favors:

Whole room shot:

Place cards :)

Vickie & Dan's Vendors:

Hotel - Hyatt Place, Utica

Hair - Shapes Salon, Kim & team

Bakery - Cake Creations by Marie 586-784-8470

Florist - Irelynn Designs, April Oboza 734-818-7135

Linens - CandleLite Linens

Photo Booth - Rock The Booth, Tyson

Videographer - Chad Irvin 734-634-6058

Photographer - Jennifer MacPherson

DJ - Michigan DJ Service, James

Limo - Motor City Party Bus

Shuttle - Lavdas Limos

Officiant - Chapel Services by Christine 248-628-9000

Neely & Chris

2011-06-16T17:36:00.000-07:00

Ceremony & Reception Location: The Henry Ford Museum, Dearborn

# Guests: 180

Wedding Colors: Peach, Champagne, Ivory, Vintage theme

Emergency Kit Items Used: Band-Aids, tape, birthday candles

HISTORY was the theme for this beautiful May day! And what better a location than Dearborn's Henry Ford Museum?!

Nelly & Chris were married in The Henry Ford's Anderson Theatre. The original plan was for the ceremony to be outside in the court yard, but rain from the previous day and a little sprinkle that day had made the ground a bit too soft for the event. For an alternate location, really, it was just as beautiful ~ The ceremony made even more fabulous by a surprise set up by Neely for Chris's former Western Michigan University band mates who performed during the recessional in the theatre balcony in a sort-of "flash mob" feel.

A bagpiper greeted guests as they entered, along with a trio of musicians from Rhythm Society Orchestra. This company ALSO provided a pair of awesome swing dancers who gave guests a lesson later!

Nelly really left no stone un-turned in the planning of her wedding. Every element was carefully selected, from the band, to the lighting, to the escort cards, even down to the charms I witnessed the bridesmaids pulling from a cake at the hotel~ And all came together just beautifully! (More info on the charm tradition here) The Henry Ford event staff turned the room from Museum to Wedding in no time flat. Very impressive! Absolutely everyone we worked with there was helpful, accommodating, and went above and beyond the call of duty! I know I tend to say that often, but everyone (including us) truly appreciates a positive experience.

Oh, and I must mention that BOTH the bride's and groom's birthdays were on their wedding day! How cool is that? For the occasion, we put white candles on the cake and lit them upon the grand entrance, as guests sung happy birthday.

Neely & Chris were such a great couple to work with; I was honored to have the opportunity to get to know them a little better throughout their planning stages. This was one wedding I had been very excited for for a long time, as I am sure the couple was also!

THANK YOU, congratulations, and best wishes! You two rock!

Escort card table and wishing tree "guest book" ....

Escort cards doubled as favors and were small compasses:

Some room shots...not everyone can say that they had a large plane hovering above their reception room!

Captain's table before flowers arrived:

Cake, pre-candles:

Each table's centerpiece was also surrounded by candles, and a few framed family photos. It was no mistake that all of the frames coordinated with the wood of the guest chairs and in the museum:

Neely & Chris's Vendors:

Hotel - Hyatt Regency, Dearborn

Hair - Bridesmaid Beautiful

Makeup - Airbrush by Devawn

Bakery - Iverson's Bakery 313-563-5161

Florist - Viviano Flower Shop

Videographer - Two Penny Productions

Photographer - Siesser Photography

Band - Rhythm Society Orchestra

Lighting - Visionary Sound Productions

Limo/Shuttle - Dearborn Transportation 313-333-6760

Officiant - Judge Mark J. Somers 313-943-2060

Ceremony Music - Rondo String Quartet

Happy June Anniversaries!

2011-06-15T17:52:00.001-07:00

Happy happy 1-Year anniversaries to our June 2010 couples!

Stephanie & Gabe, married June 26, 2010; Photo courtesy of Amanda Williams Photography:

And Alicia & Nate, married June 25, 2010; Photo courtesy of MPK Photo:

Wishing you many more happy anniversaries!

Julie & Gary

2011-06-15T17:08:00.001-07:00

Ceremony & Reception Location: Colony Club, Detroit

# Guests: 170

Wedding Colors: Eggplant, Champagne, Gold

Emergency Kit Items Used: Wire cutters, safety pins

Back to one of my favorite places, Detroit's Colony Club! I always look forward to working with them ~ And as always, they were so accommodating, professional, helpful. I can just never gush enough about this terrific venue.

The entire day and night went terrific-ally! Is that even a word? Probably not ;) Here are a few shots we took, and hopefully we'll be able to post a few professional photos by photographer Emily Dowd soon!

Detroit Popcorn caramel corn favors:

The centerpieces were a variety of tall and short:

Delicious cake!

Full room set up:

Short centerpieces:

The couple's well-adored fur-baby Petey was unable to make it to the event! However, he attended in this form:

Place card table and more room views from the balcony:

Julie & Gary were totally awesome, we had fun working with them and all of their terrific vendors!

Julie & Gary's Vendors:

Hotel - Greektown Casino & Hotel

Hair - M'Bardot Salon, Cassi

Makeup - I Make You Up, Aleksandra

Bakery - East Detroit Bakery 586-776-6450

Florist - Kristi's Flowers 313-231-3792

Photographer - EJ Photography, Emily Dowd

DJ - Memory Makers, Scott

Band - Steve King & The Dittlies

Limo/Shuttle - The Night Move 248-342-7593

Officiant - Secular Ceremony Services, Kirk Haas

Happy May Anniversaries!

2011-05-23T16:14:00.000-07:00

Happy 1 year anniversary to our May 2010 couples!

Jaclyn & Brian married May 22, 2010....

(photo courtesy of Shutterbooth, hope you don't mind I used this one, it was just too cute!)

and Beth & Justin, married May 15, 2010

(photo courtesy of Gauper Photo).

Wishing you many more happy anniversaries to come!!

Happy April Anniversary!

2011-04-07T16:32:00.000-07:00

Happy happy anniversary this month to Cindy & Mike married April 17, 2010! Hope you've had a wonderful year!!

Photo courtesy of Carrroll's Photography.

Amanda & Doug Pro Pics!

2011-03-31T16:17:00.000-07:00

Just a few pro pics of Amanda & Doug's wedding last October. For more, please visit our Facebook page. Enjoy!

Derek of Derek Cookson Photography did a fabulous job! Thank you for letting us use these photos!

Lisa & Phil

2011-02-20T18:45:00.000-08:00

Ceremony Location: Fort Street Presbyterian Church, Detroit

Reception Location: Masonic Temple, Detroit

Wedding Colors: Red, Black & Gold

Number of Guests: 200

Lisa & Phil's "Christmas In The City" wedding took place at the beautiful Fort Street Presbyterian Church in downtown Detroit. The reception took place at Detroit's historic Masonic Temple. This building is absolutely beautiful; I had not been inside since my dad took me to see "Cats" there as a teenager. There are several rooms and theatres inside!

The centerpieces were Eiffel Tower vases with clusters of deep red roses, greenery, and branches dripping with red crysals sitting atop a square of deep red pintuck linen:

Full table setting complete with the Masonic's black & gold China:

Sweetheart table for the bride & groom:

Shot of the entire room, and the balcony above where guest enjoyed cocktails and appetizers before the reception took place:

The escort "cards" were actually holiday ornaments with each guest's name written in gold:

The beautiful tree decked in gold that Lisa's mom put together:

Memory table:

Lisa & Phil's Vendors:

Hotel -Motor City Casino & Hotel

Hair - Salon Lux, Maria 586-709-7429

Makeup - The Makeup Loft, Janelle 734-891-7962

Bakery - Jerry Perhogan (Lisa's father, and the cake was delicious!)

Florist - Irelynn Designs, April Oboza 734-818-7135 (April rocks!)

Photographer - AM & FM Photography, Angelo Simon 248-443-1667

DJ - Jamie Flanagan

Lisa & Phil, I really enjoyed working with you! Good luck always!

Sarah & Will

2011-02-20T18:35:00.000-08:00

Ceremony Location: St. Mary's Catholic Church, Saginaw

Reception Location: Hellenic Center, Saginaw

Wedding Colors: Silver and shades of blue

Number of Guests: 275

Emergency Kit Items Used: Nail polish remover, ribbon, earring back

Sarah & Will's wedding took us all the way up to Saginaw for a pretty, pre-holiday wedding. The color scheme was silver and blue with lots of sparkle!

Will really wanted a monster truck at his wedding, hopefully this was a good compromise!

Memory table:

A sparkly sleigh-full of programs:

The reception room had a mix of round and rectangle tables:

Head table details...

Snowflake ornaments hung from the candles centerpieces:

Sarah & Will's Vendors:

Bakery - Cake Ladies, Lori Campbell 810-655-6036

DJ - Rusch Entertainment, Cori Rusch 989-781-1553

Florist - Swan Valley Florist, Tom Matula 989 781-7673

Limo - Mobile Boogie Bus 1-800-411-MBoogie

Photo Booth - Rock the Booth

Photographer - Enjoy The View, Beth & Mike Severn

Videographer - Shutterspeed Productions, Jamie Ball 517-420-0042

Congratulations, Sarah & Will! It was a pleasure working with you!!

Happy January Anniversary!

2011-01-16T07:49:00.001-08:00

Wishing Heather & Steve a very happy one-year anniversary this month! Heather and Steve's wedding day details here.

Hope it was a terrific year for you and Happy New Year to all!

Photo by Jen MacPherson of Amanda Williams Photography.

Katie & Jeremy

2010-11-09T12:49:00.000-08:00

Ceremony Location: St. Joan of Arc, St. Clair Shores

Reception Location: Grosse Pointe War Memorial, Alger House, Grosse Pointe

Wedding Colors: Purple, Silver, Black

# Guests: 100

Package: 8 hours reception

Emergency Kit Items Used: Scissors, ribbon, glue dots

The historic Grosse Pointe War Memorial's Alger House banquet area is actually a large house, separated in to several smaller rooms. The guests are served an intimate dinner in the main room area, music and entertainment in the library area, cocktail hour in another room off to the side, and the bar on a patio area surrounded by large windows overlooking the Detroit River. This location offers a truly unique setting and beautiful, picturesque grounds.

We arrived to the facility a little early to begin setting up the chair covers and candy buffet containers, both of which were rented by the couple from us. Centerpieces, table letters, escort cards, table runners, votives, menu cards, of course all of their purple-colored candy, and a few other items were soon to follow. The rooms came together beautifully.

Katie and Jeremy and photographers Lynn & Andy Bernardi of West Park Photography arrived with their immediate families, best man and maid of honor about an hour prior to the reception for photographs on the Memorial grounds. After photos, they made their way inside to greet guests and enjoy cocktails and appetizers with everyone.

The War Memorial's procedure is to ring a bell to alert guests and get their attention - the cake cutting was done just before the dinner hour, and as mentioned above, guests were served an intimate dinner together in the main room followed by the cake with ice cream for dessert.

Guests were then summoned to the library where the couple shared their first dance followed by the father/daughter dance. Tunes were spun by DJ Sean McDonnell of All Night DJ's. Later, a special song was dedicated to Katie's parents to celebrate their 34th anniversary, a tune many of us are familiar with: The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. While this may seem an odd song choice, the song has special meaning to Katie's parents and I just love things that celebrate being unique and different!

We opened the candy buffet which was full of candies in assorted bright purples and even some silver items; it was a big hit! Guests later enjoyed a late-night fruit spread and of course, more dancing.

Meeting this couple last August, I knew that Katie & Jeremy's wedding was going to be all about simplicity and intimate elegance. This couple is one who truly focused on what the wedding day was about, their marriage, and their families coming together.

Congratulations, Katie & Jeremy, and thank you for letting us share your day!

Table setup with runners, table letters and centerpieces:

The cake by Josef's Pastry Shop in Grosse Pointe:

The purple candy buffet, containers rented from us, and candy provided by the couple:

The main banquet room before our chair covers:

The main banquet room after our chair covers, huge difference!

Amanda & Doug

2010-11-09T12:45:00.000-08:00

Ceremony Location: Greenmead Historical Church, Livonia

Reception Location: Radisson Livonia

Wedding Colors: Ivory, Gold, Black

# Guests: 115

Package: Reception-only, 6 hours

Amanda and her ladies began their day at Number Six Salon in Farmington Hills for hair, then returned to her suite at the Radisson Livonia for makeup by Jen of Deux Adore. Photographer Derek Cookson of Derek Cookson Photography was already on-hand to capture photos of the ladies getting ready, and more photographs of the groom and his men in the hotel lobby.

Motor City Party Bus arrived to pick up the men, then the ladies, and take them to Greenmead Church. Rental of this location also includes use of the grounds and other historic buildings on the Greenmead property which makes for some beautiful photo opportunities.

I arrived to set up the details such as the candy buffet, centerpieces, escort card table and other items. Linens had been set the previous day by Affordable Elegance. The ivory and gold color scheme looked so timeless and elegant when all was complete.

After the ceremony, guest arrived to enjoy a variety of appetizers and cocktails. Our bridal party arrived and made their grand entrance, and guests enjoyed a plated dinner and cake by Sweet Dreams (586-751-8900) for dessert.

DJ Joe of Ultimate Events Productions, who also did the ceremony music, kept the fun going throughout dinner and dancing. Steve of Volk Video and photographer Derek were there to capture all of the key moments.

Amanda & Doug, best wishes to both of you, and thank you so much for allowing us to be there for your day!

Just a few photos....

Great guest book idea - Guests each took a page and answered a series of fun questions regarding themselves and the couple, to be placed in the main book afterwards:

Escort card table, each guest's name was also atop a piece of delicious chocolate:

Completed room:

Super-cute cake topper:

Candy buffet - each container also had a sign advertising the contents inside:

Tricia & Luke

2010-11-09T12:43:00.001-08:00

Ceremony Location: Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Detroit

Reception Location: The Guardian Building, Detroit

Wedding Colors: Dark blue, gold

# Guests: 100

Package: Reception-only, 8 hours

Tricia & Luke's reception was held in the Rowland Cafe area of The Guardian Building in Detroit. This location is unique in that the building has gorgeous architecture and embellishments, super-high ceiling, and guests are allowed to browse and buy in the Pure Detroit store during the event. Normally this main area is the Rowland Cafe, but all of the cafe's tables and chairs were moved to serve as cocktail tables, and room was allowed for the dance floor and guest tables.

My assistant and I arrived and began setting things up ~ Candy buffet, escort card table, folding napkins, placing centerpieces and favors. 2 Unique Catering's staff was also busy with place settings. Rita of Candlelite Linens had already been in earlier in the day to set all of the linens, chargers, and chiavari chairs, as well as C&N Rentals with all of the rentals such as tables and place settings.

This location is also unique in that clients provide virtually everything from guest tables to catering. 2 Unique Caterers provided all of the food and planning for the linen and other rentals. Carolyn and her staff did an excellent job! The room looked just gorgeous when finally completed!

Guests arrived to enjoy a cocktail hour with beer, wine, two signature martinis (the "Tricia" and the "Luke") and hors d'oeuvres. Those who had never been to this location were clearly in awe of the great space.

The couple and bridal party arrived to their reception and made their grand entrance just underneath this large mural of Michigan:

Table numbers matched the murals in and around The Guardian Building - the backgrounds were actual photographs of the tiles:

Head table:

Guest tables:

These cupcakes from Patisserie Parmentier were tempting us all night with their delicious scent!

Escort card table:

The full room. The rental of this space also included a staffed espresso bar and also and Italian soda bar:

Guardian Building ceiling and outside view:

Music was done via I-Pad and speakers run by a family friend. Photographers Jen Macpherson of Amanda Williams Photography and also photographer Jonathan Stoner were capturing all of the events and details.

Transportation provided by Luxury Limousine of Dearborn.

Everything worked out beautifully! Thanks so much Tricia & Luke!

Happy November Anniversaries!

2010-11-09T12:40:00.000-08:00

Happy first anniversary to our November 2009 brides!

Adrienne & Brian, married November 28, 2009. Photo courtesy of The Shooting Gallery:

Taryn & Brian, married November 21, 2009. Photo courtesy of Amy Boeve Photography:

Also Katie & Frank, married November 7, 2009. Photo not available.

Wishing you many more years of happiness & health!

Angie & Paul, Revisited

2010-10-19T15:48:00.000-07:00

Angie & Paul were married October 24, 2009. Some beautiful fall images, better late than never! I always love seeing the photos that result from our weddings!!

For the rest, please click here.

Thanks Angie! (Pro pics courtesy of Everlasting Images)

Happy October Anniversaries!

2010-10-14T14:07:00.000-07:00

Wishing happy one-year anniversaries to our October 2009 couples!

Jennifer & Michael, married October 10, 2009, photo courtesy of JS Photography:

And Angela & Paul, married October 24, 2009, photo courtesy of Everlasting Images:

Congrats on making it a year with many more to come!

Christine & John Pro Pics!

2010-10-12T14:04:00.000-07:00

A few pro photos from Christine & John's wedding in August, courtesy of Tammy Labar at Tres Jolie Photography. Thanks Tammy!

For a few more looks at her beautiful work on this day, please click here. Looking forward to some of the reception detail pics, hopefully soon to come!

Amy & Daniel

2010-10-05T18:20:00.000-07:00

Ceremony Location: Fort Street Presbyterian, Detroit

Reception Location: Colony Club, Detroit

Wedding Colors: Ivory, Champagne, Black, Gold

# Guests: 185

Emergency Kit Items Used: Eyelash adhesive, pearl pins, scissors

Amy's day-of beauty started very early in the morning at the Marriott-Renaissance Detroit, with Stephanie of Deux Adore doing the ladies' hair, and one of my favorite chickies, Aleksandra Adams of I Make You Up, for air-brush makeup. All of the girls, especially our bride, looked absolutely fabulous! Amy Carroll of Amy Carroll Photography and familiar face John Kerfoot of TriFoot Productions were also present to capture photos and footage.

We stopped by nearby Fort Street Presbyterian before the ceremony on the way to the reception venue for a minor eyelash emergency. The couple had chosen our Package II which is 8 hours reception coordination, but the church was so close that we were glad to have been able to help save the day :)

And then, off to Colony Club. This place has seriously become one of my favorite venues to work with. Not only is it gorgeous, but the staff is so very helpful and accommodating, and will do just about anything for their clients and vendors. They really focus on making the day run as smoothly as possible for all involved. I can not express just how much this is appreciated!

When we arrived, Izabela and her team from GoIzzy were very busy setting up the stunning florals which included 2 types of centerpieces, head table arrangements, and arrangements for the cocktail tables. My assistant and I got right to the inventory of the wedding items and placing them out. LOTS of votive candles to go around, memory table items, escort cards, table numbers, bathroom baskets, favor cards, even a basket of flip-flops for later foot relief ~ And Colony Club staff had so awesomely already set up the gold charger plates and menu cards. The paper details for this wedding were beautiful and much attention was paid to detail.

A view of the captain's table, cake table and some guest tables from the mezzanine level:

A table full of vintage family wedding photos....I love these!

A couple of guest tables with centerpieces:

Delicious cake by Holiday Market. The cake stand and cake knives were also gold (I don't see them in gold too often, usually they are silver-tone), very ornate and so pretty!

Place settings complete with paper goods, and a couple more mezzanine views:

Upon arrival to the Colony Club in their Royal Transportation limo-bus, the bridal party stopped at the Detroit Fire Station across the street from the venue for some photos (can't wait to see those!), and finished just in time to enjoy some of the remaining cocktail hour downstairs where guitarist Tyler Vess (313-445-0150) played some ambiance music for the guests. The couple got a sneak peek of their reception room before guests were ushered upstairs, we got the veil out of Amy's hair, and it was time to get the rest of the reception in full swing!

After toasts, speeches, and a plated dinner with cake for dessert, the wedding band Persuasion really got the crowd out of their seats. The dance floor was literally chock-full of people all night long, it was great! Later guests enjoyed a late-night pizza snack.

Amy, I will miss working with you and your parents; such great people! Thank you so much for your organization and generosity! Best wishes, Amy & Dan, hope you are enjoying Maui!!!

Kara & Nick Sneek Peek

2010-10-04T13:26:00.000-07:00

Amazing sneek peeks of Kara & Nick's wedding day courtesy of Amanda Williams of Amanda Williams Photography. For more on Kara & Nick's wedding, scroll to post below or click here.

Thanks Amanda!

Kara & Nick

2010-10-04T10:07:00.000-07:00

Ceremony Location: Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian Church, Detroit

Reception Location: Colony Club, Detroit

Wedding Colors: Eggplant, brown, gold

# Guests: 165

Emergency Kit Items Used: Blotting papers, safety pins, bobby pins, sticker scraper

Kara & Nick's wedding day was probably one of the windiest days so far this fall! I have not known weather to ruin any of my couples' days thus far though, and Kara and Nick were no exception.

Kara's day of beauty began in her suite at the Westin Book Cadillac with Chrissy from Bridesmaid Beautiful doing hair, and Aleksandra of I Make You Up there for makeup. Photographer Amanda Williams also arrived at the hotel to capture these moments, and everyone of course looked fabulous!

Wyandotte Trolley was the bridal party's means of transportation for the day, picking up the ladies and men separately and getting them to Jefferson Avenue Presbyterian. The ceremony was run by church coordinator Linda Rumon and officiated by Rev. Peter Smith. Videographer Adam of S2R Productions was in the house to get ceremony footage. My package for this day was reception-only, but heard everything went off smoothly as planned.

I began my day at the beautiful Colony Club where tables, linens and chiavari chairs had already been set, and Weber's Floral had been in to do the 3 different types of tall and short centerpieces. The centerpieces had unique stands and even the vases left for the head table matched. Very pretty!

Bertha at Colony Club had already so kindly started setting up the place cards which were cards placed in wine cork halves. (Much appreciated!) I got to setting up the many votives, votive cups, tea lights, and other assorted candles in the reception room, cocktail room & mezzanine levels, plus some other personal items. All of the rooms looked very pretty! Colony Club's main reception room is very ornate with the gold embellishments, high ceilings, mirrors, and wood floors ~ Very stunning!

Their cake by Sweet Dreams (248-737-8900):

Traditional head table before candles lit and bouquets added:

Views from the mezzanine level:

Guests arrived for cocktail hour on the first floor where guitarist Rick Zerndt (734-261-2585) played some light music. In the meantime, Kara, Nick and their bridal party snuck in a side entrance so they could be the first to view the 3rd-floor reception room before anyone else. Guests were then ushered upstairs and we prepared for the grand entrance.

Before dinner, a special event involving a cardboard cut-out of the groom's brother Pete made an appearance. Originally, he was going to be unable to attend the wedding due to military obligations, so Kara had prepared a surprise taped speech from the would-be best man and a full-length cardboard form of him to be placed out during the toasts and speeches. In the last couple days before the wedding, the couple learned that Pete was going to be able to attend and serve as best man after all ~ but the funny cut-out was still rolled out as a joke and surprise. Everyone seemed to get a pretty good laugh out of it!

A delicious dinner was then served, with cake following for dessert. Nick & Kara shared their first dance and dances with their parents, and then dancing began ~ Tunes spun by Kevin Joynt of Mike Staff Productions. Guests also enjoyed having their photos taken up in the mezzanine in the photo booth by Heather at Rock The Booth. Always a big hit!

Thank you and congratulations, Nick & Kara! Hope you are having a fabulous time in Greece!

Rachel & Kevin

2010-09-28T06:56:00.001-07:00

Ceremony Location: St. Patrick's Parish, Brighton

Reception Location: Laurel Manor, Livonia

Wedding Colors: Black & White, with touches of Red

# Guests: 250

Emergency Kit Items Used: Sharpie, Stick Lighter, Scissors

Bride Rachel's (I say this of course because my name is also Rachel!) day began at her home for hair & makeup. The ladies in the bridal party took care of their own hair and makeup, but Rachel's was done by her cousin Heather who was also a bridesmaid and is a former bride of mine. Heather has done my makeup in the past and is fabulous! Rachel looked beautiful!

My day for Kevin & Rachel's wedding started at Laurel Manor where I got to work getting all of the wedding items together and placed. Lots of red rose petals and votives! I also chopped the stems off of quite a few dozen red roses and poked them in to the existing Laurel Manor centerpieces to add a bit of color, and placed the escort cards, lottery ticket favors on each of the approximately 250 place settings, and a few other items.

Laurel Manor provided virtually everything else as part of their package (including cake, centerpieces, lighting, GOBO, and linens), so very few outside vendors were used. The room was ready for all of the final touches when I arrived. Red up-lights and lots of floating and votive candles illuminated the room.

Guests arrived at 6:00 pm to enjoy cocktails and vegetable snacks. A special surprise speech was prepared for the couple by both of the fathers, and then guests were served a plated dinner with cake for dessert.

Kevin & Rachel's first dance as husband and wife was also made further special as it was sung and performed by their best man, Kevin, who did an excellent job. After the father/daughter dance, mother/son dance, and a special dance with the couple and Kevin's grandparents, tunes were further spun by DJ Lawton Lunce of Sweet Sounds. The couple ditched the traditional garter/bouquet events in favor of getting the party started and keeping it going. The guests at this wedding really knew how to party!

Photographer Michelle Binge of Studio Blue (888-556-7510) was also on top of capturing everything that day ~ Looking forward to seeing the finished product!

Thanks so much, Rachel & Kevin! I've said it before and I'll say it again: You rock!!

Table settings with favors:

Unique V-shaped head table:

GOBO monogram on wall:

Yummy cake!

Floating candle centerpieces:

Whole room:

The other centerpiece:

Camille & Lee

2010-09-22T16:47:00.000-07:00

Ceremony & Reception Location: Cobblestone Farm, Ann Arbor

Wedding Colors: Royal Blue, Chocolate Brown, Ivory

Number of Guests: 145

Emergency Kit Items Used: Straight pins, scissors, ribbon, flower cutters, Uncle David's hammer

September 11, 2010 was a very rainy day, an important day to Americans, and rain seems only appropriate. Unfortunately, Camille and Lee's plans for an outdoor wedding forced us to have to use Plan B and rain is the last thing most couples want to see on their wedding day. It is imperative that one has a Plan B when planning an outdoor wedding knowing how nutty Michigan weather can be!

The couple's original plan was to have their ceremony on the grounds of Cobblestone, dinner inside the barn, and drinks & festivities beneath the tent they had rented back outside on the grounds. With the rain, we moved all of the chairs and ceremony decor underneath the tent, and instead held the ceremony there.

We arrived to Cobblestone Farm where Camille's parents were busy unloading items. (For those not familiar with the location, Cobblestone is a venue in which the barn and surrounding grounds are rented, and most everything else must be contracted out. It is a lot of work, but the location is unique and the photos turn out beautifully, especially in the fall.) Camille's uncle was at work under the tent hanging strands of lights and lanterns. The band members (Kendal Strachan Band) were arriving and setting up under the tent, and all personal flowers had been delivered by Thrifty Florist. We got to work sorting through many boxes of wedding items and getting them to which areas they needed to go.

While Camille and her ladies were busy with hair and makeup, my assistant and I laid the linens (provided by the caterer) and skirted the cake, gift, registration and head tables. We then assembled the centerpieces, which were lanterns sitting on top of a round oasis to be filled with water, then surrounded by Spanish moss and flowers. Among many other items, wreaths were hung on the doors, escort cards were placed and garland hung. For the ceremony space, Mason jars filled with white hydrangea were hung from shepherd's hooks. The Mason jars were later repositioned and holding candles to illuminate the outdoor area a bit (when the rain finally stopped!).

The theme for this wedding had a touch of wine and travel - Specifically, Paris. I must note that Lee proposed to Camille IN Paris. Yes, the Paris in France! (Super romantic, wow! Try topping that one, gentlemen!) This lead to some personal touches such as Eiffel Tower table number holders and garland made of post cards (these were actually the guest RSVP cards from their passport-themed wedding invitations). Camille clearly put a lot of time and thought in to her many DIY items!

I also must note that Lee is a chef who attended Schoolcraft College, so he had some sweet hook-ups for catering and server staff. Aaron Cook of Cook's Catering (810-516-8629) headed the food and service, and they all did an impressive job. The couple's cake was also provided as a wedding gift from another fellow Schoolcraft student and friend.

Pastor David Martin arrived to officiate the ceremony, with Chelsea Brown and her assistant of Chelsea Brown Photography and also Tom Santilli of Complete Video Solutions ready to capture everything. Having moved to the tent, the ceremony was actually made very intimate so it was absolutely not so bad, after all!

After the ceremony, many of the ceremony chairs were removed from the tent and a few round tables were moved in. Guests enjoyed some snacks and cocktails, including two types of homemade Sangria that looked delicious. The rain was still coming down a bit, so some guests used this time to find their seating assignments inside the barn, and sign the thumb-print tree (see below).

At dinner time, Camille, Lee, and their bridal party made their grand entrance and cut their cake. Toasts and speeches were made as bridesmaids and groomsmen toasted in monogrammed beer mugs and wine glasses. Guests were then served a buffet-style dinner and cake for dessert.

Later, everyone was moved back outside where dancing and wedding events ensued - including their first dance together, and parent dances. My assistant and I used this time to clear up and pack up everything inside in the barn.

Despite the rain, everything was still pulled off nicely. (Yay for Plan B!)

Camille and Lee, thank you so much for sharing your day with us! And, I fell in love with ALL of your grandparents! They were cute, hilarious, and wonderful to talk to. Congratulations and best wishes!

The thumb-print station and tree mounted on canvas and an easel. Guests were to dab a finger or thumb in ink, then place it on the tree as a "leaf" and sign their name. By the end of the evening, the tree had many "leaves"!

Their ADORABLE cake topper bought on Etsy, and a sugar Eiffel Tower for the cake:

A view of the room and head table once most setup was complete:

The centerpiece lanterns with Spanish moss and flowers, and the cute Eiffel Tower table numbers:

Instead of pitchers of water, the water was served on tables in these wine bottles:

View from the loft in the barn:

The barn, pre-decor:

Happy September Anniversaries!

2010-09-15T10:23:00.000-07:00

Wishing very happy anniversary months to our September 2009 couples!

Austin & Lisa married September 19, 2009....photograph courtesy of Daryl Akers.

And Melissa & Bode married September 13, 2009....photograph courtesty of Kate Lees - KBL Photography.

Best wishes and congratulations on your first year! Wishing you many more happy ones!

Christine & John

2010-08-20T10:46:00.001-07:00

Ceremony Location: Longacre House, Farmington Hills

Reception Location: St. Mary's Cultural Center, Livonia

Wedding Colors: Red, Black, White

# Guests: 170

Emergency Kit Items Used: Glue, rubber bands, bobby pins, clear tape, super-sticky-extra-duty outdoor tape (I don't think that's the technical name for it though, but it worked!)

Christine and her girls began their day of beauty at 6 Salon in Birmingham. After all of their appointments, everyone headed to Longacre House in Farmington Hills for makeup by Aleksandra Adams and her team from I Make You Up. Longacre House is actually an historic home with various rooms set aside for different things. The home has a nice bridal suite with a private bathroom, and a similar room across the hall for the groom and his guys to get ready in.

While the girls were getting dolled up, my assistant and I arrived at St. Mary's to inventory all of the wedding items and begin set-up. We draped tulle and icicle lights from the head table, got the cookie buffet containers ready (the escort card table was to later be transformed in to the cookie buffet table), and set up the memory table. Jessica of Elegant Linens arrived to place the chair covers and tie the red sashes.

On to the ceremony site! Boy, was the air conditioning working over-time that day there, and everywhere in Metro Detroit! It was a HOT one. We had some hot July days, but this August day was a killer ~ One of those days where you walk out from a comfortably air-conditioned space and the heat and humidity hits you like a ton of bricks!

This was not to destroy Christine and John's day, however! The threat of rain during their outdoor ceremony was also no match for this wedding. It started sprinkling about 10 minutes before the ceremony was to start, but the show went on. Luckily it never reached downpour status and the ceremony went off as planned, and beautifully I might add!

We added shepherd's hooks to line the aisles, and hung pretty potted plants with white flowers, red flowers, butterflies and some greenery added by Christine's sister. Programs and unity sand set were placed, and also two large red bins with bottled water iced down - much needed and appreciated on this very hot day.

Rev. Kirk Haas officiated, with music by family friend Joann Wright. While the ceremony was underway, my assistant and I spent some down-time loading LOTS of trays of cookies in to our vehicles. The cookies were home-baked by members of Christine and John's families, and would later be used at the reception for their "cookie buffet".

After their ceremony ended, the couple exited to their Harley-Davidson F350 limo by Millenium Limousine to spend a few moments together. (Nice ride!) In a few minutes, they returned for formal photos with their photographer Tammy Labar of Tres Jolie Photography on the Longacre grounds and gardens. Our goal for the brief limo break was for the couple to leave and guests would hopefully then disburse and head back to their hotel or to the reception. However, I think a lot of guests thought that the reception was also to take place at Longacre inside the house, so they lingered for a little longer than we expected!

My assistant was sent back during the ceremony to make the final touches on the room. When I arrived at St. Mary's, Kathy of Floral Expressions by Kathy had the centerpieces in and was also making her final touches. DJ's Misty and Charles of Bigfoot DJ's had also arrived, and the wedding cupcakes had been set up by Just Baked.

Guests arrived to enjoy appetizers and the couple's signature drink, "The Dirty Fergie", one of the best signature drink names I have witnessed to-date! The name was fitting, considering that the bride's new last name was to be Ferguson.

My assistant and I served the bride and groom their salads and dinners, and everyone else was served buffet-style. Ice cream was served for dessert, and cupcakes in different flavors were taken from the cupcake tower. During dinner, we snuck out to the lobby and put the cookie buffet together. It was a huge hit; we were re-filling the cookie jars all night long!

After dinner, dancing ensued ~ and the couple was even treated to what seemed to be their own private rainbow in the sky! How perfect is that?! I cannot wait to see the photos of that one!

Christine and "Ferg", thank you SO much for letting us be a part of your day! Special thanks also to your sister Stacy and her partner Sue for all of their help, humor, and great conversation through the day and night! Hope you are having a fabulous time in Tennessee!!

Escort card table and signature mat ~ later the cookie buffet table:

Illuminated head table:

Memory table, special candles made for both of Christine's parents who have passed:

Cupcakes & Cupcake tower by Just Baked in Livonia:

All of the red, the candles and head table lighting created a romantic mood ;)

Centerpieces, candles, table numbers and red napkins:

Looking forward to the pro photos (Psst - Tammy....hehe)! I had to take these photos with my Blackberry camera!

Stephanie & Gabe Sneaky Peeky!

2010-08-17T06:41:00.000-07:00

Just a few amazing sneak peeks from Stephanie & Gabe's wedding in June!

Photos courtesy of Amanda Williams of Amanda Williams Photography who is not only fabulous and fun to work with, but also truly one of the best friends a chick could ask for. Thank you Amanda!

Alicia & Nathan Pro Pics!

2010-08-12T15:23:00.000-07:00

Alicia & Nate were married June 26, 2010 at Fern Hill Golf Club in Clinton Township. Enjoy this sneak peek of their pro photos by Mark Kelly at MPK Photo!

More can be viewed here.

The navy & pink came together beautifully!

Beautiful ladies with their parasols!

Memory table:

A personal favorite! I am a fan of fleeting moments captured!

Happy August Anniversaries!

2010-08-09T14:46:00.001-07:00

Sending very happy one-year anniversaries out to our August 2009 couples!

Kelle & Victor married on August 8, 2009. Congratulations are also in order as they are expecting their first child this winter! (Photograph courtesy of Kreativ Imaging) This couple's wedding details here:

Sabrina & Nate married August 9, 2009 (photograph courtesy of Sam Sarkis) This couple's wedding details here:

Jackie & Brad married August 21, 2009 ~ Also expecting their first child, this month! (photograph courtesy of KBL Photography) This couple's wedding details here:

Nicole & Terrence, married August 22, 2009 (photo courtesy of Amy Boeve). This couple's wedding details here:

More photos from most of the weddings above can be found in our Facebook Fan Page albums!

LaDawn & Kyle

2010-08-08T20:12:00.001-07:00

Ceremony Location: Anna Scripps Whitcomb Conservatory, Detroit @ Belle Isle

Reception Location: Belle Isle Casino, Detroit

Wedding Colors: Pale green , pale yellow & metallic gold

# Guests: 280

Emergency Kit Items Used: Scissors, tape, Ibuprofen

Wow, what a gorgeous but HOT July day it turned out to be in Detroit! LaDawn & Kyle's wedding day for me was also a throwback to my childhood in a way, taking me back to memories of visiting Belle Isle ~ the zoo, the conservatory, the beach, the aquarium. Belle Isle has quite a lot of history, both the Casino and Conservatory designed in the early 1900's by well-known Detroit architect Albert Kahn.

Prior to this wedding, I had not been to Belle Isle in years. At our first booking last winter, the island seemed so quiet and grey as anything does in the winter. But, at our final meeting and on this summer day, it was just blooming, pumped full of life and activity once again!

LaDawn and her court of ladies began the day at the Marriott Renaissance getting hair and makeup done. Likewise, Kyle and his men also got ready there in a different suite. With a bridal party of twenty-eight persons (yes, 28!), preparations needed to start very early!

My assistant and I arrived on the island around noon where the Casino building was opened for us. This is where the transformation began! Party Time Rentals started setting up the tables, and this is the room we started with:

Needless to say, we knew we had our work cut out for us, but we were confident that everything would get done! Belle Isle Casino is basically a building rental type of reception site. Therefore virtually everything needs to be contracted out and brought in from tables (the building has some round tables and also chairs which we used, but our bride really loved the look of long tables so these were rented) to flatware to plates to bartenders and servers. We love a good challenge!

Stephanie and her crew from Stephanie's Wedding Creations and Melissa from Irelynn Designs arrived with the linens and florals. Also, Jordan of AV7 set up uplighting, a GOBO monogram, and uniquely placed an uplight on the lower floor of the Casino directly under the glass block floor upstairs, which would later be serving as the couple's dance floor.

Slowly but surely, the room really began to look like a wedding reception would be taking place soon. Personal wedding items were placed, a candy buffet was set up, place settings and menu cards arranged, bar items unpacked. Everyone worked extremely hard to take this room from zero to wedding in just a few hours!

Meanwhile, preparations were also being done at the Conservatory building. Due to the nature of the reception venue and all of the work that had to be done there, the couple wanted us to focus on the reception. A close family friend and really sweet lady, Lenora Benvenutti, was on-board specifically to remain at the Conservatory to coordinate the ceremony along with a team of hostesses. The ceremony got off to a bit of a late start but went off as planned, complete with a dramatic exit for the newly married couple: a horse-drawn carriage to escort them around the island for post-wedding photos!

Guests then began filing over to the Casino building for cocktail hour out on the patio complete with a singer and festive music. Here they were served some light appetizers and fruits, lemonade, and two refreshing signature drinks sporting the wedding colors of yellow and green.

When all of the water glasses were filled, candles lit, and finishing touches made, the reception room was opened to the guests. The hostesses received guests and let them know their table assignments, and everyone made their way upstairs.

Photographer Jen MacPherson of Amanda Williams Photography and videographer Adam of S2R Productions arrived at the Casino building with the bridal party to get a few more photos and footage, and then the reception could get underway! LaDawn and Kyle decided that for the grand entrance, small groups of 3-5 wedding party members each would be announced together versus the traditional couple-after-couple kind of entrance. Seven groups were rounded up and entered the room on either side of the stairs, each with a different song to enter to. Also, the couple's first dance and cake cutting were done immediately following their entrance ~ a good idea for those who want to get some of the formalities and photo ops taken care of early-on, so that they may enjoy more of their reception later.

On to dinner and dancing! CJ of CJ's Catering (248-615-9254) and his staff did an excellent and professional job with dinner. The cake was provided by Chene Modern Bakery, and was cut and served for dessert. Bridal party and guests then hit the dance floor with sounds spun by DJ Byron (313-622-1080) and visited the photo booth by Rock The Booth.

The late start of the ceremony did not alter the flow for the rest of the evening; everything still got done as scheduled and the couple, their families, friends and bridal party had plenty of time to really enjoy the reception. In LaDawn's own words, this wedding was no cake-walk, but all of her planning and hard work paid off in the end.

Best wishes, LaDawn & Kyle! Thank you so much for letting us be a part of it all!

(Very special thanks go out to Melissa from Irelynn Designs, she really went above and beyond to help us out that day!!!!)

The long tables set up:

Place settings complete with linens, florals, candles, chargers, flatware, menu cards:

Cake table:

One half of the room after table set-up:

Gobo behind main platform of head table:

More table set-up:

Candy buffet with candies in shades of green and yellow:

Beth & Justin, Revisited!

2010-07-18T22:06:00.000-07:00

Beth & Justin were married May 15, 2010. I think Ryan & Holly Gauper of Gauper Photo captured my favorite bride photo to date...

"Beth, Tresemme' and Jesus"...

Beth & Justin's gorgeous memory table....

Place settings including well thought-out paper details...

Delicious cake ~

So many candles!

Another colorful personal favorite!

For the rest of the photos for Beth & Justin's day, please see my Facebook fan page album. All photos courtesy of Gauper Photo. Thank you!

Congratulations again, Beth & Justin!

Availability 2010

2010-07-15T13:41:00.000-07:00

We still have some terrific dates available for this year!

Available 2010 Dates (Saturdays listed only; please inquire for Friday and Sunday dates):

August: 21, 28
September: 25
October: 9, 16, 23
November: 6, 13, 20, 27
December: 4, 11, 18

Please send me an email TODAY if you would like to book yourself some peace of mind on your wedding day!

Stephanie & Gabe

2010-07-13T15:03:00.000-07:00

Ceremony Location: Holy Cross Hungarian Church, Detroit MI

Reception Location: Laurel Manor, Livonia MI

Wedding Colors: Dark purple & silver

# Guests: 160

Emergency Kit Items Used: My vehicle ;) , scissors

Another toasty but great summer day began with Stephanie and her girls getting dolled up by a family friend Debbie doing the bridesmaids' hair, and Kristen from Bridal Beauty On Location doing Stephanie's hair plus makeup for she and her mom. Stephanie's hair was mainly down and it looked just gorgeous; I love it when brides choose this over an up-do if they normally wear their hair down most other days!

This couple opted for our 8-hour reception package while a family friend handled the ceremony at Holy Cross Hungarian Church in Detroit. So, our day began a couple of hours prior to reception start time at Laurel Manor. When we arrived, Heather from MPE Events and her crew really transformed the space in to something spectacular! Half of the centerpieces were birch tree branches holding purple roses and small votive lanterns, and the other half were purple roses submerged in varying heights of cylinder vases which we surrounded with small votive candles. They had hung an ivory backdrop with deep purple swag behind the head table, and strung twinkling lights across the front. Adding to the ambiance were purple uplights around the entire room, and table numbers in lead crystal frames. MPE also did the chair covers with deep purple satin sashes, and all of the florals for the ceremony and reception.

Stephanie & Gabe's favors were personalized shot glasses with assorted candies inside, each in a cute box tied with purple ribbon. We also set up the place cards, and a small children's activity table complete with a tea set and a basket of various activity books and crayons. The children at this reception, however, seemed to enjoy the dance floor most of the night!

When the reception room doors were opened, guests were treated to cocktails, and a lovely table of hot and cold appetizers. Famous and fan-tabulous photographer Amanda Williams of Amanda Williams Photography, and videographer John Kerfoot of Tri-Foot Productions arrived with the bridal party after off-site bridal photos and our night began!

Guests enjoyed a plated dinner and then cake by a family friend Kathey Fox for dessert. Later, DJ Aaron of A-Team Productions got everyone out of their seats and on to the dance floor!

We did have a little bit of drama later in the evening, but it was on purpose! In order to celebrate their Hungarian heritage, the couple opted for something similar to a dollar dance but with a little more background. Stephanie and Gabe danced with guests as their maid of honor and best man collected the dollars on plates. At some point. our bride was "kidnapped" by a male guest and was held ransom, while Gabe and his groomsmen enjoyed a shot at the bar and got a game plan together. The money from the dance was taken from the plates and used to "buy back" the bride. Once she was rescued and brought back in, the groom broke the plates and together the couple swept up the broken pieces. Reading more on this part of it, I found the following from this source:

"This tradition has its roots in two superstitions; that chips bring happiness and the newlyweds show a will to cooperate by jointly sweeping the chips away and their marriage will therefore be harmonious"

With all of that excitement over, guests then danced the night away and enjoyed the rest of their time together.

Thank you so much for finding us, Stephanie & Gabe, and trusting us with your day! Congratulations and good luck!

Heather & Steve, Revisited

2010-07-12T18:33:00.000-07:00

Heather & Steve were married in January 2010. I fell in love with the deep teal, silver & black color scheme and all of the pretty winter details! Pro photos by Jen MacPherson of Amanda Williams Photography.

Heather & Steve's wedding details here, and for more photos please see my Facebook fan page album, Heather & Steve, January 2010. Enjoy!

Yummy cake by Elite Sweets!

Pretty flowers!

Wedding rings in a crystal tree:

Signature drink ~ Snowball Martini!

Head table, two tiers!

Gorgeous brooch added to her bouquet:

Downtown Plymouth....

Happy July Anniversary!

2010-07-11T22:09:00.000-07:00

Happy happy one-year anniversary to Ashley & Trevor Sheldon, married July 10, 2009. Ashley & Trevor's wedding details here.

Photograph courtesy of Amanda Williams Photography.

More photos from their orange and pink wedding located in the albums of my Facebook fan page under Ashley & Trevor July 2009. Enjoy!

Alicia & Nathan

2010-07-07T12:29:00.000-07:00

Ceremony & Reception Location: Fern Hill Golf Club, Clinton Township

Wedding Colors: Navy Blue & Fuchsia

# of Guests: 190

Emergency Kit Items Used: Super Glue, pins, tape

Alicia and her girls began this day with hair done by two of Alicia's bridesmaids, and makeup done by airbrush artist Aleksandra Adams. They all looked just terrific!

My assistant and I arrived to Fern Hill where the basic room setup was pretty much finished, all linens and chair covers done by Fern Hill. Photographer Mark Kelly of MPK Photo and videographer John Kerfoot of Trifoot Productions were ready and waiting for the arrival of our bride and her girls. Florist April Oboza of Irelynn Designs had also arrived to set up her beautiful floral centerpieces and all of the bridal flowers. Shortly thereafter, Nathan and his guys arrived and we began pinning bouts on them.

We then set out all of the wedding items...lots of candles and memory table, and even a basket of "dancing shoes" (flip flops that guests could later take when their feet got sore!). Alicia and Nate would later have Rock The Booth photo booth at their reception, so their escort cards were inside frames that would later hold the photo strips. Great idea!

The couple also opted for a "Captain's Table" over the traditional head table which goes straight across. I LOVE captain's tables! The entire bridal party (and in this case, their dates or spouses also) gets to sit together and have better views of each other while they dine.

The ceremony was on the Fern Hill grounds in their gazebo area on the golf course. There, we set up shepherd's hooks with fuchsia tissue pomander balls hanging, and instead of a unity candle they opted for a letter box. The letter box was locked and contained a letter written by each of them and is meant to be opened only when a reminder is needed of the reasons they chose to be married.

Guests then headed to the Crown Room for some appetizers and cocktails, then a buffet dinner and cake for dessert made by Nathan's sweet grandmother, Loretta. DJ's Josh and Charles of Bigfoot DJ lead dancing and MC'd for the evening.

All in all, a great day and night! Thanks Alicia & Nathan, so glad to hear your time in Mexico was great! Congratulations!

Adrienne & Brian, Revisited

2010-06-29T15:23:00.000-07:00

Adrienne & Brian were married in November 2009. I am just now getting to asking photographers for the pro pics for my fall 2009 and winter/spring 2010 couples. It's been a hectic past few months!!! Please bear with us as it's "wedding season" right now and I know photographers are very busy people this time of year!

Photographs by the amazing Dionne Haglund of The Shooting Gallery. For the rest of the photos, please visit my Facebook fan page. Adrienne & Brian's wedding details here.

Enjoy!

Jaclyn & Brian

2010-06-29T12:48:00.001-07:00

Ceremony Location: St. Fabian Catholic Church, Farmington Hills

Reception Location: DoubleTree Hotel, Dearborn

# Guests: 190

Wedding Colors: Berry, Eggplant, Silver

Emergency Kit Items Used: Tape, pins, scissors

What a gorgeous spring day for a Tigers game perhaps, or maybe a stroll in downtown Detroit? This was the general theme of Jaclyn & Brian's wedding from the table "numbers", all named for Detroit landmarks and places, to the baseball-playing bride & groom cake topper and catcher's mit/baseball groom's cake.

We began the day at Doubletree Hotel where Estelle of Uptown Weddings had already completed the linens and chair covers. The lobby of the hotel was being prepared for cocktail hour with pretty silver paper lanterns hung from the trees and we cut deep red roses to place in short square vases for the cocktail tables. Florist Joan Claypool set up the beautiful tall and short centerpieces in the reception room, again using seasonal spring florals to compliment the color scheme. Many votives were placed, table numbers, scattered crystals and flower petals, and a terrific silver light-up crystal tree that Jaclyn had made and was so very proud of! There were also Detroit-native snacks and tourist guide books to be placed in a separate "hospitality room" that the guests would be able to take advantage of later on.

At the church, Brian and his groomsmen had already arrived and were dressed. Florist Joan arrived shortly after with some floral wreaths that were set up outside the church doors, and the personal flowers. I got started on pinning the mens' boutonnieres on while videographers Daniel & Adam of Mike Staff Productions got set up and began getting some footage of the groom and groomsmen. I then finished up the ceremony decorations which included bows and pomanders for the pews, an aisle runner, some memory table items, bubbles, and their framed papal blessing.

Photographer Rene Rodriguez of Studio One Creative arrived to get some photos of the men, and then we had to make sure Brian was hidden. Shortly after, Jaclyn and her bridesmaids arrived to hide in the social hall area of the church. Jaclyn looked just beautiful! Hair and makeup had been done by BridesMaid Beautiful and her dress was this gorgeous silvery color, not the standard white or ivory. I wheeled Jaclyn's super-sweet grandma from the bride's room to the ceremony room, and we were ready to begin.

Once Grandma was seated and situated, the ceremony began on time. It went smoothly and the couple made their grand exit as guests blew bubbles. The final fun surprise was a butterfly release done by Jaclyn and Brian once they made their exit. These butterflies had spent their travel time in a somewhat groggy state of "sleep" (if butterflies even sleep!) and had to be removed from their chilly storage place to "thaw out" about an hour before release. When released, they get to fly around and find themselves new homes in the Farmington Hills area :)

Back at the reception site with my assistant, AV7 had been in to set up the gobo with Jaclyn and Brian's monogram lighting the dance floor, Shutterbooth photo booth had arrived, and Heidi of Lakes Cakes brought in the wedding cake and the baseball glove groom's cake. Meanwhile, guests had started to arrive and partake in the hors d'oeuvres and cocktails (including a signature drink the couple had named "Something Blue" that guests raved was delicious) in the lobby.

When Jaclyn & Brian arrived to DoubleTree from their off-site photos, the hotel staff served them signature drinks and hors d'oeuvres in a waiting room and allowed the bridal party to get prepared for the grand entrance soon to follow.

Guests were served a delicious plated dinner followed by cake for dessert, while wedding singer Gary Sacco entertained with Frank Sinatra songs. He was a big hit! Later, DJ Kevin Joynt of Mike Staff Productions spun some tunes and guest enjoyed the photo booth and last but certainly not least, a special guest appearance by our very own Detroit Tigers mascot, Paws!

The day and night were packed full of great surprises and fun for the wedding guests. Thank you so much Jackie & Brian, I thoroughly enjoyed your wedding and know your guests did too!

Congratulations & Happy Anniversaries!

2010-06-26T09:39:00.000-07:00

Happy 1-Year anniversaries to my June 2009 brides! Chris & Kristin McKay married June 6, 2009....

....annnnnnd Kevin & Shelby VerHulst married June 20, 2009!

Special congrats also to Chris and Kristin on the arrival of their baby girl, Alexa Anne!

For more photos of their beautiful weddings, see the albums on my Facebook fan page. Enjoy!

Kris & Chris photo courtesy of JS Photography. Shelby & Kevin photo courtesy of Shutter Sam.

Last-Minute Booking Specials & Package Update!

2010-06-21T18:16:00.001-07:00

Book peace of mind for your event today! Our packages have been re-structured to better fit the needs of our brides. Please make note that this will not have any effect on existing contracts or existing contract pricing. Check our website for new package details!

There is still availability for some great Summer 2010 dates!! Many Fridays, Saturdays (July 10, 24, 31, August 7, 21,28) and Sundays also available; please inquire for availability.

Package I for a JULY or AUGUST 2010 dated event will cost only $150 with the mention of this blog.
Package II for a JULY or AUGUST 2010 dated event will cost only $200 with the mention of this blog.
Package III for a JULY or AUGUST 2010 dated event will cost only $350 with the mention of this blog.

Please check our website (http://www.abeautifuldayeventsmi.com/) for package details or to schedule an appointment.

NOT A JULY OR AUGUST 2010 BRIDE? No worries! Any new date booking for September, October, November and December 2010 dates will be given $50 off package pricing.

* Offer starts now and ends 8-31-2010.

* New bookings only
* Wedding & reception must take place in Metro Detroit or Ann Arbor area. There will be additional fees for travel outside Metro Detroit

Beth & Justin

2010-06-19T09:56:00.000-07:00

Ceremony Location: Hillside Wesleyan, Clyde MI

Reception Location: Fore Lakes Golf Club, Kimball MI

Wedding Colors: Pale Yellow, Ivory, Black

# Guests: 215

Emergency Kit Items Used: Straight pins, Shout Wipes

Details, details! Beth & Justin's wedding had LOTS of them, much care was taken in all of the DIY paper items and "little things". It all tied together beautifully and looked beautiful!

When we arrived at Fore Lakes Golf Club, Affordable Elegance had already been in to set up the linens. The ivory sashes set against the black chair covers along with ivory tablecloths and black napkins looked really classy! Natalie from Beautiful Beginnings was also in setting up gorgeous floral centerpieces in tall and short vases.

Next step, inventory all of the wedding items and start getting things set up. It's amazing how so many brown boxes and plastic bins can be unwrapped and the pretty setting results. Among other things, boxes of delicious truffles were set, menu cards tucked in the napkin at each place setting, memory table items, and many many clear glass candle holders of of assorted sizes and heights to go on the 2-tier head tables and cake table.

Leaving my assistant at the reception site, I headed to the church to help Hillside Wesleyan's ceremony coordinator Sherry. More details including the DYI programs that were just too pretty and floral pew decor looked terrific in the church. The only minor thing that went "wrong" at the ceremony was that a bee had gotten in to the lobby and Sherry and I chased it around to shoo it out. Bye bye Mr. Bee! Everything else flowed as planned and Beth & Justin did a bubble exit which can make for some amazing photos and video. Photographers Ryan & Holly of Gauper Photo (see some pro photos here) and videographers Mark & Sherry of Sondey Film were in position ready to catch the moment.

In the meantime at Fore Lakes, the cake by Jeanne's Cakes had arrived, also the photo booth by Rock The Booth, and DJ Kyle of Magnificent Entertainment. Finishing touches were made on the room and items brought from the church were set or packed away, and we were ready to go! I must mention that the staff at Fore Lakes was phenomenal! Absolutely professional and willing to help out in ANY way!

Guests were treated to hot and cold appetizers and cocktails upon arrival while the bridal party went off to take some photos on the golf course premises. The reception was underway! A plated dinner was served with cake for dessert, and a pizza snack later.

Thanks again to Fore Lakes for being so easy to work with, and especially to Beth & Justin for letting us be there for your day! Beth is a gracious and generous person and your parents have been in my thoughts. I hope everything worked out and that you were still able to enjoy your honeymoon in St. Lucia. Thank you so much!

Cindy & Mike

2010-05-25T09:56:00.001-07:00

Ceremony Location: Our Lady of the Woods, Woodhaven MI

Reception Location: Orlando Familia, Riverview MI

Wedding Colors: Celadon Green & Ivory

# Guests: 230

Emergency Kit Items Used: Tea Lights, Sewing Kit

This chilly April day began at Orlando Familia in Riverview, MI with lots to do! Each centerpiece had 5 candle holders of varying sizes atop a foam platform and a mirror, surrounded by celadon green rose petals. We also set place cards, and photo sharing info cards which went at each place setting. I got my assistant John set up to finish the rest of the room while I went over to the ceremony location to pick up the memory table items and check on things.

Cindy and her girls looked beautiful with hair & makeup done by Via Bella Salon in Woodhaven. The ceremony went well according to Bev at Our Lady of the Woods Catholic Church, and the bridal party was then off for photos with Entertainment Express Limo.

Back at the reception hall, everything was coming together and we were finished a little earlier than planned (yay!). The only thing left to do was light lots and lots of candles!

Cindy and Mike arrived with their bridal party and greeted guests in the lobby while waiting for their grand entrance. In the meantime, I had to bust out my sewing kit to re-sew some buttons on to the tuxedo jackets of Mike and one of his groomsmen. It may sound kind of warped, but I love using items in the emergency kit! Makes me feel needed, haha!

Guests were served a buffet dinner and the food at Orlando Familia was delicious, especially the Italian Sausage! The staff was efficient and everyone had their dinners in no time ~ Very impressive considering the number of tables to be served. Cake was served for dessert (Cakes By Kara) and later DJ John Frasson of DJ & Music kept the crowd going. Lots of family group photos were coordinated later on taking place on the staircase of the lobby at Orlando Familia with photographer Will Carroll of Carroll's Photography. Cindy & Mike each seemed to have doubled their already-large families!

All in all, the day went as planned and I must give much of that credit to Cindy. She was organized and really had things together which made the whole day very easy for us! The staff at Orlando Familia helped out a lot at the end gathering all of the candles for the centerpieces for us to pack up quickly.

Cindy was so easy to work with and one of my first bookings many, many months ago. She had faith in me long before I was able to show her more weddings under my belt and I appreciate that. I was also so glad to finally meet Mike who was very easy-going and such a nice guy! I wish you both the best of luck! Thank you so much for trusting us to help with your day!

Heather & Steve

2010-02-09T18:09:00.000-08:00

Ceremony Location: First Presbyterian Church, Plymouth MI

Reception Location: Plymouth Manor

Wedding Colors: Teal, black, silver

# Guests: 185

Emergency Kit Items Used: Wire cutters, tape, static spray, tea light, pink Sharpie (the guest book markers died and I usually have black on me but could only find my hot pink one, lol!)

I think this day had to be THE coldest day of the year so far, bitter cold and windy! However, this did not stop bride Heather from glowing! She was radiant, happy, and so calm.

Heather is a makeup artist (as a matter of fact, she did my makeup for a trash the dress session back in October!) and she and her girls started off at her employer, Visions Spa & Salon in Novi for hair and makeup. Everyone looked terrific!

My assistant and I arrived at Plymouth Manor first to set up the reception room. Magnolia Florist of Plymouth -and- our groom Steve had already been in with centerpieces: half were floral and half were DIY assembled earlier that day by none other than the groom himself with the help of groomsmen! (Normally this is included in part of our set-up, but the Heather said she was putting her husband-to-be to work that morning!) We set up the standard items (cake knives, signature mat, framed photograph, signature drink menu, toasting flutes, etc)....they also had individual frames acting as both favors and place cards, menu cards for each place setting, crystal trees for the two-tiered head table, and lots of votives. The room looked really pretty with linens by Maya of Sposa Seating complimenting the whole look.

At the church, we set up the unity candle, programs, and vase with flowers in memory of some of Heather's family members. Jen MacPherson of Amanda Williams Photography (love them!) was there and ready to go (some pro photos here). Church coordinator Janet works for First Presbyterian Church and knows her facility, in which case my assistant and I hung back and were available to assist her in any way. After briefly losing one grandma along the way (!!!!), the ceremony went off beautifully.

DJ Lawton Lunce of Sweet Sounds was ready for the couple's grand entrance to, "It's All Been Done" by Barenaked Ladies which was a unique choice for an entrance song. I love it when couples dare to wander even a little bit off the 'norm' with their song choices! Lawton kept the dance floor going crazy all night!

Guests enjoyed signature drinks, a plated dinner, and delicious Elite Sweets cake (another personal favorite!) for dessert.

All in all, a great first wedding for my year 2010. This wedding and reception were right in my neighborhood and about a 5 minute drive from home also! I love it!

Heather and Steve, you were AWESOME to work with and I wish you the best of luck! I know I'll see you again soon too! XOXOXO!!

Adrienne & Brian

2009-12-14T18:40:00.001-08:00

Ceremony & Reception Location: Colony Club, Detroit

Wedding Colors: Burgundy & Gold

# Guests: 190

Emergency Kit Items Used: Double-sided tape, white ribbon, tea light

Adrienne is quite possibly one of the biggest sweethearts I've ever met! I was looking very forward to this one after meeting her once again, and spending quite a long time chatting at the good old Town Pump downtown a couple of weeks prior to the big day. She was soooo organized that she even made up a booklet for me that was chock-full of all of the wedding details. No information is bad information and I SO appreciate everything I can get my hands on!

This was my first wedding at Colony Club and it's a gorgeous venue. The main ballroom is just breathtaking with all of the mirrors, high ceilings and balconies. I was a little worried about parking, being downtown and all, but they have a nearby parking garage that is free for wedding guests and vendors.

The day was a bit chilly but still overall good (no snow storm at least!). We arrived to Colony Club and began setup. CC staff had already set out all of Adrienne's gold charger plates which saved us a ton of time!

The cermony was also to be in the ballroom where the reception was being held. Silk Thumb Florist arrived at the same time as us, and got busy setting up some beautiful arrangements with gorgeous black magic roses. Half of the tables had arrangements, and half had these really cute burgundy feather trees with gold glitter. Another festive touch were the placecard holders which were holiday ornaments. I am so sad that I forgot to take mine home! It is not neccessary for the bride to make up a place card for little ole me, but it makes me feel extra special when they do :)

There were so many pretty things to be set up and they all looked just beautiful in the room. The gold Chiavari chairs and ivory linens really tied everything together. There was a definite "wow factor" seeing everything put together!

Adrienne, Brian, the bridal party, immediate family and of course the famous Dionne Haglund of The Shooting Gallery (some pro photos here) met in the room prior to the ceremony for formal photos. Great idea! This allowed the couple and bridal party to attend and enjoy their cocktail hour immediately following the ceremony.

The ceremony went well, with Rev. Stephen Goodrum officiating, and Panache Entertainment accompanying. As mentioned, immediately following the ceremony, guests enjoyed cocktails and appetizers on the first floor while myself and the Colony Club staff got the ballroom changed over to complete the reception setup. Instead of a traditional long "head table," the couple opted for a "captain's table" in which they and the bridal party sat all around a large rectangular table versus all in a long straight line. It turned out beautifully once setup was complete.

The room was then once again opened up after the cocktail hour for the reception to begin and for Adrienne & Brian to make their grand entrance. Dinner was absolutely delicious. I've never had a piece of steak I could cut with a butter knife. A butter knife! It was perfectly cooked.

Bertha and Eric at Colony Club were absolutely accomodating and professional, thanks to both of you! I have two more couples who have receptions booked at Colony Club for 2010, so I am looking forward to working with their staff again.

Dave Lavasseur of Mike Staff Productions kept bodies on the dance floor all night, playing some great tunes. It was fun to be able to watch everything from the mezzanine/balcony area.

Other vendors for the day included Aleksandra Adams for makeup, Jason Meyers (248-626-9900) for hair, Cakes By Stephanie, and Adam of SR2 Productions doing video. Invitations by Kate at Custom Paperworks.

Congratulations, Adrienne & Brian! Hope Jamaica was WARM and relaxing! Adrienne, I will miss talking to you, keep in touch!

Taryn & Brian

2009-12-07T13:12:00.001-08:00

Ceremony & Reception Location: Bavarian Inn, Frankenmuth MI

Wedding Colors: Red, Gold, Brown

# Guests: 130

Emergency Kit Items Used: Safety pins

I was looking forward to this one, as I have not really been to Frankenmuth in years. It also turned out to be a lovely day weather-wise!

We arrived at Bavarian Inn and stopped in to Taryn's suite where her makeup was being done by Jen at Deux Adore. She was energetic, happy, and looked so pretty! We then trekked around to the banquet room area to locate everything and began setup. The banquet lobby at the Bavarian Inn was decked out for the holidays with an impressively HUGE Christmas tree and all sorts of other holiday decor. It looked gorgeous.

Marcia at MK Designs did the florals and centerpieces, and Maya from Sposa Seating was ready with her team to begin the chair covers.

The room really came together after all was complete. Taryn had some of the cutest table numbers I've ever seen, and the DIY Jones Soda bottles (also slightly unique to them because this is also her married last name now) were a huge hit! A soda bottle was placed at each guest setting, on top of a small square placemat in the wedding colors, and we then also placed a ribbon tag on each bottle. We also set up the placecard table and all of the other items for both the reception and the ceremony (which took place at the same location in a different room).

In the ceremony room, even hotel guests could watch it from the balconies of their rooms that looked out to the area. It went smoothly and Taryn & Brian gave each other a cute "high five" after they were pronounced!

Guests headed to the reception room lobby after the ceremony for some appetizers and cocktails. Bavarian Inn served beer, wine and some assorted punches that were delicious.

The dinner buffet to follow was huge and seemed never-ending! There were so many choices and all were tasty! Bavarian Inn staff was very accomodating and on point, even bringing drink orders right to guest tables.

Later the party got started with DJ's Ed & Jason of E & J Entertainment. They did this really cute "Newlywed Game" with Taryn & Brian that everyone got a kick out of, and later a traditional German wedding event called "Sie Leben Hoch" in which the newly married couple are raised in to the air on chairs to be cheered and wished well.

It was also great to work again with photograher Amy Boeve. She does beautiful work and is so easy to work with (some pro photos can now be seen here). Jamie of Shutterspeed Productions was also there to do the video ~ I saw the sneak peek preview and it was great!

Congratulations Taryn & Brian!

Katie & Frank

2009-11-15T20:47:00.000-08:00

Ceremony Location: North Congregational Church, Farmington Hills

Reception Location: Dearborn Inn

Wedding Colors: Navy Blue, Light Blue, Ivory

# Guests: 130

Emergency Kit Items Used: Absolutely none! A first!

Talk about perfect weather this day - wow! For November, it was sunny, mild & just all-around a gorgeous day for a wedding! I know I often start my blogs with how the weather was, but this was simply a beautiful day.

My assistant and I started out at Dearborn Inn to check on all of the couple's wedding items and make sure everything was there. Due to another event the Dearborn Inn had going on that day in the Alexandria Ballroom, vendors were unable to get in to the room for any setup until about 5:00 pm. Had it been another venue I might have been worried, but having done two other weddings at Dearborn Inn in recent months, I knew they would do an absolutely fine job of getting the items set up correctly while we were off at the ceremony.

After checking in with the bride and groom, we went to the church to prepare for the ceremony. Katie was amazingly calm and looked beautiful. Hair and makeup for she and her bridesmaids was done by Posh Brides.

Not a lot had to be done at the church as far as decor, it's a large and beautiful church all on its own. Fortino's Flowers had already been in and tied some lovely ivory pew bows with some greenery, and placed some floral pieces on the candelabras at the altar. The ceremony went off beautifully with the church's organist Kim Marlinga and Rev. Mark Jensen.

And, I was absolutely right about Dearborn Inn. We arrived after the ceremony to find that all items had been placed as we had specified. Katie's favors were small tins of chocolate-covered dried cherries; she also had place cards, some wonderful framed photos of her and Frank's parents' and grandparents' weddings (this is a personal favorite thing of mine to see, I looove looking at old wedding photos), toasting flutes, cake server, table numbers, personalized stir sticks for the bar and cocktail napkins. Fortino's Flowers had also been in and did a beautiful job with florals for the centerpieces, cake, and head table. We also brought the candelabra flowers back from the ceremony and placed them on the head table. The cake was done by Pastry Palace and chair covers and cocktail table linens by Affordable Elegance. Everything looked just gorgeous!

Cocktail hour began in the ballroom lobby with ceremony organist Kim now playing the beautiful piano Dearborn Inn has. Guests enjoyed a rather nice spread of hot and cold choices and of course, cocktails.

The Alexandria Ballroom was then opened to the guests and a little while later the bridal party made their grand entrance. Music and MC was done by The G-Daddy's. Anyone who knows me knows that I absolutely adore live music! And yes, I also realize that this day was not about me (haha) but of course I enjoyed the band. The G-Daddy's did a terrific job with appropriate music for dinner and all of the special dances, and great live music later on with the dance floor overflowing a bit most of the night!

Special thanks to Joan Verla at Dearborn Inn; she was wonderful and extremely helpful. As always, Dearborn Inn did an absolutely professional job. I am a bit sad that I do not yet have any 2010 brides with this venue. We also thoroughlly enjoyed working with photographer Duane Orris of Orris Photography and his 2 assistants.

Katie, Frank and their entire bridal party were so good to us and fun to talk to and work with. Congratulations Katie & Frank, we hope you are having a fabulous time in Hawaii!

Angie & Paul

2009-11-02T11:48:00.000-08:00

Ceremony & Reception Location: Fox Hills, Plymouth

Wedding Colors: Chocolate Brown, Latte, Orange

# Guests: 100

Emergency Kit Items Used: Shout wipes, scissors

What a unique room for a fall event! Fox Hill's Log Cabin Room at Fox Classic was rustic and warm. The fireplace plus lots of votives burning, and all of the warm shades of brown table linens, chair covers (done by Erica at EcoPosh Events), with burst of fall colors, really gave the reception a strong fall feel.

Fox Hills staff was excellent and so very accomodating, even assisting me with the setup of all of the couple's wedding items: lots and lots of candles, unique fall-themed candle centerpieces, shot glass favors, and many silk fall-colored leaves. Instead of a traditional guest book, the couple had guests write a message on paper fall-colored leaves and place them in a 'wishing bowl'. The registration table was beautiful with all of the assorted fall items and candles.

Despite the rain, chilly air, and the need to switch to the backup indoor ceremony plan, Angie & Paul's ceremony was beautiful. I could not get over how gorgeous her dress looked - it was a deeper warm ivory color, loved it! It is disappointing when you have your heart set on an outdoor ceremony and it can't happen due to weather, but Reverend Victoria Kowaleski (victoria@ministeratlarge.com) wrote and performed the ceremony beautifully and professionally. It even made me tear up a little, and I don't do that too often.

Sam & Nicole from Everlasting Images (http://www.everlastingimages.biz/) didn't miss a beat. They were on-point and in position for anything and everything that happened. I really enjoyed working and talking with them and look forward to the professional photos! Music was done by DJ John Davis of Davis Entertainment; Photo Booth by Mike at MC Entertainment.

Paul's mother had made a cake for cutting, but also many many apple and pumpkin pies - a few of which were displayed on the cake table on assorted stands - that were later served for dessert. I tried the apple and it was delicious!

All in all, the day and evening ran beautifully and on-schedule. A special shout out to Metro Cars due to a near catastrophe with the couple's hotel shuttle - even though it was solved in the end, I thank you for your flexibility and for taking my frantic phone call!

Congratulations to Angie & Paul and your beautiful family! I really enjoyed working with you!

Jennifer & Michael

2009-10-14T09:06:00.000-07:00

Ceremony & Reception Location: Canterbury Castle, Lake Orion

Wedding Colors: Red, Black, White

# Guests: 63

Emergency Kit Items Used: Shout wipes, packing tape, Kleenex

(Some pro photos located here)

Considering the cold, rain & wind the previous day, Jennifer & Michael's wedding day turned out to have GREAT weather! Both the ceremony and reception were at Canterbury Castle in Lake Orion; what a unique location!

The King Henry ballroom was decked out in red, black & white and looked absolutely cool. Chair Covers & Linens did an excellent job on the linens, as did Beth at Amazing Petals on all of the bridal florals and centerpieces. Instead of tent place cards, Jennifer had little trees on the registration table, with guest names hanging on cards. I took a photo, but today my blog is not cooperating with me to be able to show you any more photos!

Jennifer & Michael were so easy-going and completely adorable. Their ceremony was simple and to the point and went off smoothly despite poor Jennifer shedding some heavy (but happy!) tears immediately before her mom walked her down the aisle.

Ron and his assistant at Night & Day Productions (http://www.night-and-day.com/) kept the dance floor going all. night. long. This surprised me since this was a smaller crowd, but Ron knew exactly what to play and when to play it - so much so that the couple hired him on the spot to stay even later than he was originally contracted! It was also great working again with Jason at JS Photography (http://www.photosbyjs.com/), he does gorgeous work and really knows how to get the job done quickly and beautifully.

Guests were treated to appetizers on arrival, and later a yumy buffet dinner, so good. I also must say that the cake by Flour To Flour was delish, especially the frosting! I love me some good frosting and have become a cake conaisseur of sorts lately!

Other than a stain on Jennifer's dress and me suffering a minor stab with boutonniere pin (ouch!), the day went off without a hitch! *Of course* I always attribute this certainly not only to myself, but also to a great team of vendors who cooperate with each other.

Congratulations Jennifer & Michael!

Spittin' Image Photo Booth Fun!

2009-10-14T08:55:00.000-07:00

On Friday I had the fun experience of working with Derak at Spittin' Image on the launch of their new photo booth at the Downriver Italian-American Club in Wyandotte. It was strange not to be coordinating, but what a fun time!

Congrats to Tara & Rob, hope you enjoyed looking at your scrap book as much as we enjoyed making it!

For more info on Spittin' Image, please visit http://www.amandawilliamsphotography.com/.

Making final adjustments to the curtain rod which will now be all black:

Last-Minute Bookings, Fall & Winter Package Sale!

2009-09-27T20:09:00.000-07:00

I still have availability for some great 2009 dates!!

My SAPPHIRE package for a 2009 dated event (Saturday) will cost only $150 with the mention of this blog.

A FRIDAY or SUNDAY in 2009 will cost only $100*

(2009 Offer will not apply to holiday dates - see website for my list of holidays)

Dates for JANUARY, FEBRUARY or MARCH 2010 Saturdays: $200 for Sapphire package* APRIL 2010 Saturdays $250*

Fridays and Sundays in JAN-FEB-MARCH 2010: $150* APRIL 2010 Fri/Sun: $200

(2010 Offer will not apply to holiday dates - see website for my list of holidays)

Please email me for availability and check my website (http://www.abeautifuldayeventsmi.com/) for package details!

Deposit and contract must be received by 10-31-09. Please see our website for package details and contact us for a consultation!

* Wedding & reception must take place in Metro Detroit or Ann Arbor area. There will be additional fees for travel outside Metro Detroit.

Lisa & Austin

2009-09-22T11:48:00.000-07:00

Ceremony Location: Our Shepherd Lutheran, Birmingham

Reception Location: Ritz-Carlton, Dearborn

Wedding Colors: Chocolate Brown, Ivory, Yellow

# Guests: 70

Emergency Kit Items Used: Safety pins, pearl pins, blotting papers, lotion

Another beautiful post-fall day began at the Dearborn Ritz-Carlton where Lisa and her girls were chilling in her suite with hair and makeup by Rashida from The Glam Doctor and Nicole Pizzini. Nicole actually did my hair for my wedding too, and does my hair on a semi-regular basis; I love familiar faces!

Lisa was amazingly calm! I think a good portion of this can be attributed to her totally awesome and sweet Matron of Honor, Carrie. Carrie was excellent in communicating and contacting me all day and night. We gathered all of her reception boxes to take down to The Gallery ballroom downstairs. I made a few trips hand-carrying the centerpieces, as I am not sure how they'd fare on a porter's cart and we wanted them all to make it in one piece. Lisa DIY'd her centerpieces (and ALL of her flowers, actually) with yellow calla lilies and they looked terrific!

Guest favors were silver heart-shaped bottle openers, personalized in a box with a band noting the bride & groom's names and wedding date, placed on top of the napkin on each charger plate:

The Gallery ballroom was both a gorgeous and intimate setting for the couple's 70 guests:

Rather than standard rectangle banquet tables, The Ritz had a beautiful wood credenza in the lobby for Lisa's signature mat and escort cards: I loved the extra detail on the escort cards.

Arriving to the church, we quickly realized that the church was also holding an Oktoberfest event on their grounds that day! Luckily they had saved parking for the wedding guests though! Tammy, the church coordinator, was cooperative and easy to work with. Thanks Tammy!

The ceremony went well with a special appearance by Brooklyn, Lisa and Austin's 2 year old daughter. She was adorable, as were all of the flower girls! The couple was pronounced, and exited the church to guests blowing lots of bubbles.

Getting back to the reception site was challenging for us and guests due to the closure of Southfield Fwy southbound (cannot wait until construction "season" is over in MI!!!) but we made it back in plenty of time to check the reception room and do some last-minute touches. Guests were treated to and open bar and a terrific buffet with plenty of wonderful food options, including a full dessert spread and the wedding cake (Cakes by Stephanie 730-240-CAKE). The Ritz staff were professional and very accomodating to our needs and provided excellent service all-around.

Music for the evening was provided by Dean at Thomas & Thomas DJ's and was a good mix of Jamaican sounds and of course, popular US dance tunes. Lisa's heritage is Jamaican, and some of the guests and family had traveled from all over to attend this wedding. BTW, thanks for your help Dean!

Congratulations, Lisa & Austin! XOXOXOX!

Melissa & Bodie

2009-09-14T19:46:00.001-07:00

Ceremony Location: First United Methodist Church, Farmington
Reception Location: St. Mary's Cultural Center, Livonia
Wedding Colors: Black, Orange, Dark Red
# Guests: 215
Emergency Kit Items Used: Hair spray, super glue, tape, place cards

Sunny and not too hot, a bride's dream wedding day!

Our day began at St. Mary's Cultural Center in Livonia. We had many boxes of things to get through, including a colorful candy buffet. While I love the color-coordinated candy buffets too, this colorful one looked so FUN and inviting, and you have a lot of options as far as candy choices when you are not limited to certain colors. The couple also had a very thoughtful memory table planned, floral centerpieces, table runners and head table swag lined with candles and rose petals, along with all of the usual wedding accessories, lots of votives, and even some sparkle for the cake table! Keith and Sam at St. Mary's were super-accomodating and the kitchen staff was very welcoming when we needed access, which makes my job 10 times easier!! Thank you, guys!

We arrived to the church to make sure the ceremony decor had arrived and started hanging the DIY tissue pomanders which looked so cute on the pews. First United has ceremony coordinators on-site, and Linda and Maureen were great!

Melissa arrived in her limo looking absolutely stunning! The bridesmaids were in black and the orange and deep red flowers they carried (all by Irelynn Designs) looked gorgeous against the gowns. Additionally, Melissa's bouquet was all deep red roses, Black Baccaras and Freedom Roses, so pretty!

We got to work again with the wonderful Kate Lees of KBL Photography (http://kblphotography.carbonmade.com/). Her associate and brother, Paul Briles, was the videographer. Kate has a great attitude and both were so easy to work with. Pro pics will hopefully land on my website and Facebook fan page soon! (Update - check out some photos here!)

There ceremony went off as planned, although I do believe we had one shy ring bearer who did not feel that day was the day to walk down an aisle. This seems to happen fairly often though (I had another shy ring bearer last month). Little ones can be unpredictable :-)

The bride and groom made their church exit to the guests blowing bubbles. I love love love the photos that result from this and cannot wait to see them. I think bubbles make some of the neatest church exit photos.

Melissa and Bodie had a slightly unique entrance planned, as Melissa's heritage is Middle Eastern. The bridal party was announced and waiting on the dance floor, and the newlyweds entered to a traditional Arabic song and many guests then joined them on the dance floor. At one point Melissa was lifted up in the air on a chair ~ she looked like a queen and Bodie quite obviously adores her. It was really a cool thing to see both families all together on the dance floor in celebration! (Music done by Michael Shea at Shea Sounds)

St. Mary's served delicious food, including a fatoush salad (love fatoush!). Catfish was one of the more unique entree choices and it too was delicious! The cake (http://www.cakesbykara.com/) was later served with ice cream, and the colorful candy buffet was opened. Cookies made by the bride's family, and also some other cookies and brownies, were available on the candy buffet as well.

All in all a successful day and night... Thanks, Bodie & Melissa, for allowing us to be a part of everything! Congratulations and enjoy JAMAICA! (jealous over here!!)

The candy buffet before some of the refrigerated things were added:

Nicole & Terrence

2009-08-23T10:50:00.001-07:00

Ceremony & Reception Location: Eagle Eye, East Lansing

Wedding Colors: Fuchsia, Black & White Damask

# Guests: 205

Emergency Kit Items Used: A few safety pins, antacid, packing tape

(Small collection of pro photos located here)

Well, Saturday it was back to East Lansing for Nicole & Terrence's wedding and reception at Eagle Eye. The facility is fairly new with absolutely beautiful grounds and an outdoor ceremony garden. Familiar face Corine from Sebesta Designs had already set the centerpieces up (which consisted of about 3-4 different varieties of fresh floral designs, tall and short, just so pretty!) and was outside at the ceremony site decorating the pergola with fuchsia fabric and more florals. (Go to http://www.sebestadesign.com/ for more info). Nicole's aunts were also starting to set up the candy buffet which was, in one word, extensive. SO many varieties of candy and cookies, everything in pink shades, white, and chocolates.

The theme was certainly everything damask, even down to the cake (which was DELICIOUS!) done by Rhonda at Tasty Layers http://www.tastylayers.com/.

We got right to setting up the rest of the room, including the place card table (the place cards were packs of tiny mints, really cute), memory table, cake table ~ and also the ceremony garden with shepherd's hooks & pommanders, unity sand set. Nicole had a large basket of pink, white & black flip flops available for tired dancing feet later on. The attention to detail and adherance to the color scheme from the programs to table runners to bar napkins, even some of the votive candles, was impressive!

I am looking very forward to seeing the detail pro photos done by Amy Boeve (http://www.amyboevephotography.com/). There were just so many beautiful things to notice at this wedding!

After everything was set up and the bride had arrived (Nicole, you seriously looked like a MOVIE STAR!), it started to sprinkle a little bit but not enough to rain it out. Light sprinkles, but luckily they did not last through the whole ceremony.

Guests enjoyed a cocktail hour immediately after the ceremony with signature drinks, a beautiful fresh fruit, vegetable and cheese spread, and once again a photo booth by Rock The Booth (two nights in a row, woo hoo!). Dinner was delicious, and the mad stampede to the candy buffet once we opened it was a little crazy, but in a good way!

Music for the evening was done by Jon Hermann at Real Deal DJ's (http://www.realdealdjs.com/). I cannot express enough how easy and terrific he was to work with. Carol at Hawk Hollow was also helpful and accomodating. I've said it once and I will say it again and again: I love teaming up with great vendors!

Nicole's mother and aunts were absolutely wonderful ladies. I appreciate the organization of everyone, especially the bride, as it helps me out a ton on the day of the wedding. There were so many small details and things but I drove home from this one fairly confident knowing that no stone was left unturned - and I owe a lot of that credit to Nicole's organization of all of the wedding items and her family's support. I know we are simply strangers that were hired to do a job, but it's so touching when a family welcomes you with open arms as if you were always part of the family. BIG THANK YOU!

Best wishes, Nicole & Terrence (who left for their Caribbean & Puerto Rico cruise at 3 this morning)!! Hope you enjoyed your cookies & candy on the plane perhaps?

Special thanks to my assistant Lisa who helped me out tremedously! XOXOX Leese! "She works for ME!" Woot!

Jackie & Brad

2009-08-23T09:48:00.001-07:00

Ceremony Location: Redemption Lutheran Church

Reception Location: Imperial House, Clinton Twp

Wedding Colors: Hot Pink & Champagne

# Guests: 251

Emergency Kit Items Used: Pins, 1 Tealight :)

Jackie & Brad were married on August 21 at Redemption Lutheran Church in Sterling Heights. I have known Jackie for a while now and was excited to have been asked to handle her wedding.

Friday was a little warm but luckily not stifling hot. We began the day at Imperial House and started setting up Jackie's DIY centerpieces. She had two varieties ~ tall glass vases filled with crystal beads and silk orchids atop a mirror surrounded by votives, with an LED light beneath the beads to illuminate it. The second centerpiece was a bowl filled with water, with floating candles and floating orchids on top of a mirror. Jackie's aunt came in to set out the favors which were homemade cookies in the shape of fish (I do believe Brad is a fisherman!).

The cake table was decorated with lots of shiny faux diamonds, very sparkly!

We arrived to the church and went over some things with the church coordinator Joe. He was very helpful and appreciated having the extra assistance, as he usually doubles as both the coordinator and the organ player at Redemption Lutheran.

Jackie and the girls arrived in the limo and we then asked all lingering guests to go inside so absolutely no one would see her. She looked beautiful! Her hair and makeup were done by friends Kendra and Lisa, with bridesmaids' hair and makeup done by Jen and Steph at Deux Adore. ALL of the ladies looked just terrific!

The ceremony ran pretty smoothly. I missed a bit of it handling some things regarding the DJ, but was finished just in time to see the couple pronounced!

At the reception, guests were having fun in the photo booth done by one of my favorite vendors, Rock The Booth (www.rockthebooth.com) who was also creating a scrap book of the photo strips. The food at Imperial House was very good, especially the roasted potatoes :) The kitchen staff and manager Vicky were also so friendly and helpful.

Dinner was super special for Jackie, as her dad had coordinated a surprise for her at dinner time. Her brother, who is serving in the US Air Force, is currently out of state and could not be at the wedding. Jackie's dad had set up a television & speakers and we all 'tuned in' while her brother was able to give his sister a wedding message live from across the country. Great idea and very touching!

Kate Lees of KBL Photography (http://kblphotography.carbonmade.com) photographed the event and she was so fun! I cannot wait to see how the professional photos turn out. (Small collection of pro photos now located here)

Congratulations Jackie & Brad! Have fun in Traverse City!

Special thanks to Mara for turning on all of the LED's while I was at the ceremony site, and to all of the great women I have met through my own wedding planning process. (Oh, and also my husband of course, who puts up with me when I am in "work/on-duty mode" which means he does not always see me in the most patient state :S)

Sabrina & Nathan

2009-08-12T15:04:00.001-07:00

Ceremony Location: MSU Alumni Chapel

Reception Location: MSU Union, East Lansing

Wedding Colors: Gold, Dark Teal, Fuchsia

# Guests: 136

Emergency Kit Items Used: Talcum powder, lotion, Band-Aids, gum

Sabrina & Nathan live in California and were in need of some additional assistance on their wedding day to make sure everything was set up and in place. This was a rare situation in which I did not meet the couple until their wedding day, but no worries!

And what a hot day it was! It had to be at least in the mid to upper 90's! My assistant and I arrived first to MSU Union where Corine Sebesta of Sebesta Design (http://www.sebestadesign.com/) was already setting up the chair covers and florals. Corine is absolutely professional, does a beautiful job, and really has her act together. Looking forward to working with her again in a couple of weeks!

On to the setup....Sabrina had a personalized CD made for each guest that we placed on the chairs as not to interfere with the table settings. Actually there were two CD versions ~ one for the younger crowd, and a "clean version" for the rest of the guests. Lots of votives surrounded the centerpieces, with some really pretty scrapbook paper placed under each centerpiece, and we draped tulle (over skirting) and lights (under the skirting) to make the 2-tier head table look extra special.

For the cake we added the flowers left for us, then surrounded the table with petals and gold votives.

The ceremony took place at MSU's Alumni Chapel and let me tell you, they really have their weddings down to a science. Up to 3 ceremonies can take place there in a single day and they really run smoothly. I was recently there in June also, and the ceremony coordinator, Sarah, is super sweet and so organized. As before, Sabrina & Nathan's ceremony went off without a hitch. Guests were offered progams of course, and these adorable fans that Sabrina's step mother had brought from China. The Alumni Chapel is air conditioned, but the fans came in handy for everyone outside and later on at the reception when everyone was hot from dancing.

At the reception, the plated meal was delicious. Guests were then served cake for dessert. The Union staff (especially Patrick) was so very professional and accomodating to anything I requested of them. Sabrina's father and step-mother were also an especially big help, and even agreed to bring the altar flowers to the reception site from the church for me. I had wanted to leave them in the church so they could be in the background for photos, but since the reception was immediately following the ceremony, we had to get back to the reception site to make sure things were set for guest arrival. Thanks, Ted & Alanah!

Sabrina and Nathan's wedding was photographed by Sam of Sam Sarkis Photography (http://www.samsarkisphotography.com/); the preview pics I got a chance to see were beautiful. Video was done by MK Video, and DJ "T" at Tunes By T (http://www.tunesbyt.com/) kept guests on the dance floor all night long. I had been in touch with Sam and T prior to the wedding day and both were very cooperative and stuck to the timeline so that we were on-schedule the entire evening. I love working with great vendors!

THANK YOU and congratulations, Sabrina & Nathan! Enjoy HAWAII!!!

Kellie & Victor

2009-08-10T16:16:00.000-07:00

Ceremony Location: Ford Memorial Methodist Church, Detroit

Reception Location: Oakbridge Suites, Wayne

Wedding Colors: Pewter, Fuchsia, All shades of PINK!

# Guests: 192

Emergency Kit Items Used: Blotting papers, double-stick tape, pins

(Pro photos located here)

One word, rain. And lots of it! What a wet way to start a wedding day! Regardless of what anyone might say to make a bride feel better, I think most brides would understandably be a little bummed to have rain decide to rear its head on her wedding day. Kellie was a trooper and hung in there though.

Miss (now Mrs!) Kellie holds a special place in my mind, as she was one of the first brides to book me and it means a lot when someone has that kind of faith in you. I will also mention that she is one of the sweetest people you will ever meet. Even with an unfortunate incident just a couple weeks prior to her big day, she looked beautiful on Saturday and you'd never have known.

We started the day early at Oakbridge Suites and began setup. Boxes and boxes were unloaded, with everyone involved getting a bit soaked. There was a lot to do, so we got right to work. First her centerpieces were set up, square vases and bunches of hot pink roses were cut and placed, with candle votives all around. Votives and lush petals (not shown in photo, petals were placed later on) surrounded the sweetheart and cake tables. Next came the candy buffet with candies in all shades of pink. This candy buffet was just the kind I'd love to partake in as a wedding guest: lots of containers chock full of great candies, pretzels, and mini cupcakes. The room was finished off with some pretty pink uplights which really added to the room ambience.

At the ceremony site, Pastor Kenneth Bryant (who is Kellie's uncle and quite possibly one of the nicest people I've ever met) gave me a run-down on some things. We then got to pinning boutonnieres and making sure things were set for the ceremony. The aisle was lined with candles and lots more rose petals in pink shades. The ceremony ran a bit late which was actually a good thing, because the rain finally stopped a few minutes before the end of the ceremony so that the bride and groom could make their church exit in a somewhat dry manner!

Reception time! We headed back to the reception site to get to putting out loads of rose petals and lighting all of the votives and uplights. The night ran pretty smoothly and on time. Guests enjoyed food by the caterer, Chef Anthony Brock ~ And later, a delicious moist cake done by Cakes By Angelique (Gist). After tasting it a bit later, I was wishing I'd known about her when I was looking for my own wedding cake!!

Others who were part of the Kellie-Victor Team that day were Kris from Kreativ Imaging (who set up a slide show later with some images he had taken through the day, great work! http://www.kreativimaging.com/), DJ Orlando DeJesus of PRP Productions, and Jay Fontaine from Your Bartender (http://www.yourlibations.com/) who really was a HUGE help to me through the entire night. Kellie & Victor's mothers and some other family members were also a great help during setup and throughout the evening. I can't say enough about how everyone came together and made it happen.

Kellie, if you are out there reading, congratulations! I really hope that despite the rain and things that your day was everything you had hoped it would be. Lastly, I read your card and choked up a bit. You are such a poised, well-spoken, beautiful young woman. I enjoyed our emailings leading up to the wedding and I thank you for the faith you had in me and for allowing us to be a part of your day! Congratulations and best wishes!!

DOC Package Sale!

2009-07-19T19:33:00.000-07:00

I still have availability for 2009 dates!! My SAPPHIRE package for a 2009 dated event (Saturday) will cost you only $150 with the mention of this ad. A FRIDAY or SUNDAY in 2009 will cost only $100*

2010 Dates for JANUARY, FEBRUARY OR MARCH Saturdays: $200 for Saphhire package. Fridays and Sundays in JAN-FEB-MARCH 2010: $150*

Additionally, any bookings for other 2010 dates will receive 15% off package pricing. Please email me for availability and check my website (http://www.abeautifuldayeventsmi.com/) for package details!

Deposit and contract must be received by 8-31-09. Please see our website for package details and contact us for a consultation!

*Wedding & reception must take place in Metro Detroit area. There will be additional fees for travel outside Metro Detroit.

Ashley & Trevor

2009-07-12T19:50:00.001-07:00

Ceremony & Reception Location: Silver Garden of Southfield

Wedding Colors: Hot Pink & Orange

# Guests: 100

Emergency Kit Items Used: Scissors, Advil

Ashley & Trevor were married in July, with both the ceremony and reception taking place at Silver Garden of Southfield. All weather reports had claimed it was to rain that day, but we lucked out big time and the day ended up being completely clear. Not a drop all night! Ashley was able to have her outdoor wedding at Silver Garden's gazebo on the grounds (phew!!!).

Ashley sported a huge smile ALL day and ALL night. Both the bride's and groom's families were so very kind and welcoming.

Her wedding colors were hot pink and orange, and they really popped in the room. Silver Garden has pretty neutral decor that can work with most any color scheme. Linens were already set and ready to go by the time I arrived, The Linen Closet (http://www.thelinenclosetllc.com/) did a beautiful job on the sashes, chair covers, table runners, and table swag. I then got to setting out all of the wedding accessories, centerpieces, favors, and lots of pink & orange petals.

I also got to work with the fabulous Amanda Williams (http://www.amandawilliamsphotography.com/); she was my own wedding photographer just a few months ago and we love her. The woman literally drops to her stomach or lays on the ground spontaneously to get the shots she wants....and on this day, she was even able to get up on the roof to get some ceremony photographs. I can't wait to see how those turn out! (Update, see some pro photos here)

DJ Larry Nichols of DJ By Design kept the crowd dancing all night long. I don't recall too many moments after dinner where the dance floor got a break.

Ziad, Mo and Kari at Silver Garen were also very helpful and accomodating whenever anything was need it. Mo even helped me later on, at 11:00 at night in the dark when I was on my hands and knees picking up all those pink & orange flower petals!! Thanks, all of you!

All in all, it was a great day. Best wishes, Ashley & Trevor! (They are en route to Europe as I type!)

Website Seedling

2009-06-29T15:55:00.000-07:00

I've got a lot to add to it still of course, but finally something has been started.

Thanks SO much to everyone for your support thus far; it means a lot!

Bookmark me and keep the referrals coming! I am so touched that others believe in my abilities and potential enough to recommend me to others!

http://www.abeautifuldayeventsmi.com/

If that does not work yet (it may not be pointing my domain name to to proper domain yet) try this:

http://www.abeautifuldayevents.vpweb.com/

Shelby & Kevin

2009-06-21T18:48:00.001-07:00

Ceremony Location: MSU Alumni Chapel

Reception Location: University Club, East Lansing

Wedding Colors: Purple & Green

# Guests: 140

Emergency Kit Items Used: Tape, Pins, lots of Kleenex!

This one was a special one to me because not only are Shelby & Kevin clients, but also friends. I had been on-board to do Shelby's wedding months ago, but in the meantime we became wedding planning friends and then friends "in real life". My husband Dan and I were invited to this wedding as guests, so I readily put him to work for me that day instead of bringing an assistant. I am not sure how much he enjoyed that, but he had no choice in the matter :-)

The day started out bright and early, and we had lost power at home so we started off to East Lansing a bit earlier than planned, dog and all. The reception location, University Club, has Candlewood Suites attached which is where we were to stay that night. I have to give them major thanks for being so accomodating once I told them our situation (no power) and allowing us to check in so much earlier than usual with no additional charges. They also gave me a discounted pet rate.

Dan and I arrived to the MSU Alumni Chapel just as Horrock's was delivering the flowers, so I checked all of those and started pinning bouts on the guys. It is a pretty ceremony location, and as I understand, only MSU alumni (ahem, both Shelby & Kevin are very proud Spartans!) and a select few others are able to use this church. The gorgeous bride arrived a little while later and in good spirits. As she and the girls were getting dressed and ready, my "assistant husband" and I got to attaching pew bows and setting out the other decor/accessories (unity candle, initial letters to hang from the church doors, garland, guest book, programs, rose petals).

The ceremony site coordinator, Sarah, was professional and ran things exactly as needed. In many cases with ceremony sites, intervention by an additional coordinator is not neccessary. As always, I am on-hand and available to step in where needed, but my purpose is not to step on toes. I provided Kleenex for our tearful bride pre-ceremony, fluffed her dress, and off she went. The ceremony started on time and was tearful but very pretty. Upon exit, I had guests take handfuls of fresh flower petals. The bride and groom made their exit as we all tossed the purple rose petals. I cannot wait to see those photos. I am a huge fan of exiting with the rose petals; I really love the photos that result from this.

After cleaning everything out of the church and getting the couple off in their limo, we then headed to the reception site. We were greeted by Janice at University Club and began the setup as discussed. Shelby had a candy buffet, purple uplighting, and 8 miniature angel food cakes with sugar flowers on top of a glass cake stand as her centerpieces. The initial letters we used at the church were attached to the head table. Also, we placed another great floor monogram from Right On The Walls to the dance floor.

Instead of a memory table, two place settings were set with an empty plate and a red rose in memory of Kevin's father and brother who are no longer with us. A very thoughtful touch. We could not find the two red roses anywhere (as it turns out, someone forgot to bring them) so I sent my dear husband out to get some roses. He was a trooper for me that day!!

The University Club staff (Janice and Tricia) were a HUGE help and so very accomodating to anything we needed. It is much appreciated when reception site staff works with the coordinator rather than against them and I could not have asked for more cooperation. They were terrific.

Everything ran smoothly and as planned. There was a minor emergency regarding the music, but luckily we got that problem solved quickly as well. Many thanks to the guest with the IPod!

After the rounds of special dances and some candy buffet refills, I was able to relax and enjoy the party as a guest for a couple of hours. Moonlighting :) Later came pack-up time and we got that done in a flash with a little help from a couple friends and family. Totally not neccessary, but so very appreciated!

Shelby & Kevin, thanks a million for giving me this opportunity to be a part of your day, for welcoming us also as guests, and special thanks to Shelby for all these month as a friend who sincerely cares about people. You are truly one of a kind. Have a WONDERFUL honeymoon in Europe!

* Photographer Samantha Vanderlist of Shutter Sam (http://www.shuttersam.com/); DJ Sean Bouchard of Complete Music DJ's; cake by Roma Bakery * (Update ~ Some pro photos can be seen here)

The happy groom with a wedding gift....

Kristin & Christopher

2009-06-07T13:20:00.000-07:00

Ceremony Location: St Aidan Catholic Church

Reception Location: Dearborn Inn

Colors: Hot pink, light pink, black, silver

# Guests: 140

Emergency Kit Items Used: 2 Advil :)

Well what more can I say here ~ Kris and Chris are a gorgeous couple and soooooo nice. The day was sunny and bright for the most part, and by the time it rained, the reception was already in full swing so no worries!

Emerald City was working hard when I arrived and I must say, they really do a beautiful job. EC had provided and set up full-length table linen, chargers, floral centerpieces complete with scattered gems for some sparkle, table numbers, head table swag, pink uplighting, and a full pink rose on each place setting. I was just in the same ballroom at Dearborn Inn two weeks prior and it looked completely different! The uplighting really adds to the atmosphere and makes me wish I'd done some at my own!

Kris had a large floor monogram (http://www.rightonthewalls.com/) that nearly gave me a heart attack, but luckily one of the kind Emerald City workers helped me get it down there. Thanks so much guys!! She also had a framed seating chart done by Kristie at So In Love Invitations, a photo guest book, the photo card box (http://www.theperfectcardbox.com/) some really pretty DIY blinged-out toasting flutes for the bridal party (on top of some GORGEOUS Swarovski ones for the bride & groom), and place cards with cute little logos I believe she also had Kristie do. These logos determined what plate each guest was to have for dinner and they were so cute. I overheard quite a few people, including the DI wait staff, commenting on them.

Again, the Dearborn Inn staff was thorough and professional as always. They don't miss a beat. Everything ran smoothly and on time. The only minor snag of the evening was in regards to the hired cocktail hour pianist; hopefully the company who was to provide them will compensate and resolve the issue as needed.

Thanks to Kris's mom, she was a real doll ~ and also to Ed and Adrienne from Memories of Yesterday Video (http://www.memoriesofyesterdayvideo.com/), it was SO nice working with then, they were terrific and SO nice to talk to! Families and vendors like them are part of the reason I LOVE doing this! Also part of the "team" that night were Matt Candela (another great DJ from Mike Staff Productions) and photographer Jason Samkowiak (some pro photos now located here). Thank you, thank you, thank you! The lovely bride and groom seemed SUPER happy with everyone.

Congratulations Kris & Chris, have FUN FUN FUN at Sandals Whitehouse in Jamaica!! I wish I could sneak in your suitcases! ;-)

Jane & Craig

2009-05-27T19:53:00.000-07:00

Ceremony & Reception Location: Dearborn Inn

Wedding Color: Clover Green

Guests: 140

Emergency Kit Items Used: Clear nail polish, on myself, I ran my nylons!!

Some pro photo peeks located here.

Jane & Craig were set to get married outdoors on the Dearborn Inn grounds by the gazebo, and she was worried about rain. What a beautiful day it turned out to be, no rain at all! Dearborn Inn has beautiful grounds and gardens, and a terrific area for photos with all of the replica homes that surround the gazebo area. For the ceremony, we set up shepherd's hooks down the aisle, and hung Jane's DIY pommanders from them. I had a bit of trouble getting some in to the ground in some areas, they just wouldn't budge. But, after some rearranging, I finally got them to line up fairly well, though some just refused to go in to the ground any further. I guess I am a little nutty about things lining up just right sometimes!

Jane had a very extensive candy buffet, lots of containers! This took a majority of the time to set up and I was glad we had plenty of time. Jane had made it very easy by putting the candy she wanted in each container IN the actual container, but bagged so it would not fly loose and spill in the storage boxes. Ladies, if you do this, it's SO HELPFUL and makes the candy buffet set-up so much easier for me (much appreciated!), but you might want to pack some extra stuffing material to be used later when it's time to pack the containers back up. I had re-bagged the candy at the end of the night but was lacking stuffing material to put inside the containers later...because, of course, the candy stock was significantly depleted through the night :-)

People seemed to have a blast with the candy buffet though, the candy cigarettes were snatched up quickly! "Retro" candy seems to bring back a memory of childhood in some, and it's fun to watch people enjoying something so much.

Also for the decor, Jane had purchased some thundersticks at the last minute, an idea she had gotten that very week from another bride. To be quite honest, I wasn't exactly sure what "thundersticks" were!! Ah, those noise-makers that are popular at sports events, got it! (I am not a huge sports event attendee, obviously!) A set of thundersticks were criss-crossed on each guest chair and a little note of directions for them was placed on each place setting. Upon bride and groom arrival, the guests made lots of noise! Very neat idea, I can see this becoming a very popular trend when others catch on.

Dearborn Inn really has their ducks in a row when it comes to hospitality. There was a banquet captain in the room all night and also the booking manager was there until around 10:00 p.m. In a case like this, I prefer to allow them to do what they do best while still remain on-hand "just in case", but DI truly needed no "babysitting". They coordinated all of the events of the night as needed and my assistance at the reception was limited / not as neccessary. My time after dinner was filled by replenishing the candy buffet and watching guests enjoy their evening. A coney hot dog station was rolled out in the bar area later which people seemed very excited about.

The other vendors of the night had great personalities and were easy to talk to: Rafael of Memories Forever, Kris of Kreativ Imaging and his really sweet assistant, and Ron of Disc Jockey Productions.

Jane & Craig, I hope you are having a wonderful time in Jamaica at Sandals Dunn's River! This is the same resort we went to in April and we didn't want to come home! Congratulations!

Current Bookings/Unavailable Dates

2009-05-12T09:36:00.000-07:00

I know, I know....I need to get a website started :-) This is all in the works; I just didn't expect things to happen so quickly here!!

Thanks so much for your patience!

I am currently booked or unavailable on the following dates:

5-22-09 (Fri)
5-24-09 (Sun)
6-6-09 (Sat)
6-13-09 (Sat)
6-20-09 (Sat)
6-27-09 (Sat)
7-10-09 (Fri)
7-17-09 (Fri)
8-8-09 (Sat)
8-9-09 (Sun)
8-21-09 (Fri)
8-22-09 (Sat)
9-13-09 (Sun)
9-19-09 (Sat)
10-10-09 (Sat)
4-17-10 (Sat)

I will try to keep this updated and get a website up and running real soon!

Reception Package!

2009-04-29T16:11:00.001-07:00

While I can certainly assist at your wedding ceremony if needed, many ceremony sites provide a coordinator on-site as part of their contract to you. Also consider your ceremony time, which could possibly overlap with the time needed for me to set up items at your reception site. Please also consider the 10-hour package and that it will probably take about 30 minutes to an hour after your reception ends for me to pack things up, depending on what items need to be put away. Additional time is absolutely an option as well.

With the reception package, I will arrive at your reception venue early (time all depends on how extensive the set up is, and what time the venue will allow vendor entry) to set things up. I will make sure your vendors have arrived as specified in your contract with them. I will light all candles and walk through the reception room to make sure everything has been done as you have specified.

I will handle many other assorted situations as they arise, and try to solve any minor issues within my power. You will likely not know about some of these issues until after your wedding night, as this is your day and I will do my best to make it as stress-free as possible for you!

Here is an example of what the reception package includes.

Initial meeting consultation, plus one additional meeting to finalize
10 Consecutive hours of service on wedding day*
Unlimited phone & email communication from date of contract
Contact vendors to confirm any details as needed
Assist with wedding day time line
Manage vendor decor and setup at reception site
Set up basic items (table numbers, place cards, cake knives, etc)
Coordinate entertainment & announcements/events during the reception
Distribute any balances or tips to vendors
Take down/pack up any personal or rented items used at reception
Ensure event is running as close to time line as possible
Provide Bridal emergency kit (lint roller, sewing kit, etc)

* More hours available at additional charge

** Centerpieces or extensive decor may require more time and therefore may be subject to additional charge

Stephanie & Daniel

2009-03-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

Ceremony: White House Wedding Chapel
Reception: Crank's Catering
Colors: Hot Pink & Black
Guests: 175

Saftey Pins Used: 2

Stephanie had expressed a need for limited assistance the day of her wedding, lighting all of her candles (and boy were there a lot of them!!), making sure vendors arrived, and also packing up at the end of the night.

Stephanie did not need any help with the venue setup of her wedding decor/accessories and the ceremony site had its own coordinator. She and her bridesmaids had set up all of the favors, centerpieces, etc, the Friday prior to the wedding.

I arrived at Crank's around 4:00 p.m. just go look around and get a feel for things. I was pleased at the clothing I had chosen that day, I had un-knowingly matched Stephanie's wedding colors! Since I came in to this late in the game for her, I was not able to visit the site ahead of time, but it really wasn't neccessary since the assistance needed was limited. As mentioned, she had been in there the day before the wedding to set up her table decor. I found a water glass missing here, a napkin there, a knife turned the wrong way here....no major mistakes, easily corrected. I also made sure the 2nd head table was more centered as Stephanie had requested, and fixed the flower petals and centerpiece on it after the staff had moved the table. What I didn't remove before the table move had shifted gotten a little messed up.

As the guests arrived, I greeted them in the lobby by the place card table, encouraged them to write a message for the couple's "wishing bowl", let them know where the coat room and restrooms were. Since Stephanie had nice chair covers on her chairs, I think it's nice to encourage guests to hang their coats in the coat room instead of on top of the chair covers.

The bridal party arrived as scheduled and were announced and the night began as it should. Stephanie and Daniel were a fairly low-maintenance couple. I approached them a few times to get them drinks (at my wedding after talking to so many people, I was hot and parched, and wished someone would have thought to grab us some drinks occasionally!). Later on there were some family birthdays to celebrate which Stephanie had her baker to make 2 extra small cakes for, stored back in the kitchen. I coordinated with the staff and DJ to bring the cakes out and announce the surprise. I had birthday candles in my "emergency kit" but Crank's had these neat sparkler-like candles they could provide, so we used those instead.

Later on in the night, the hallway to the bathroom was pitch black when it had been lit earlier, so I asked the staff to check on that. Turns out both light bulbs had blown. The ladies room had a stopped up toilet and one stall had run out of paper, and I asked the staff to correct that too. Other than that, no major problems or disasters happened. I was mistaken for banquet staff a few times which is understandable. But, I had spoken with some of the staff members ahead of time to let them know that I was there to help, and absolutely not to step on their toes or make unreasonable demands. I am not a big fan of people on a power trip myself! We all should have one common goal, which is the satisfaction of the couple who just got married!

I was very glad to have been able to be there with Tyson from Rock The Booth. RTB did the photo booth for my own reception just a week prior. It was fun seeing the booth in action and the guests having such a good time with it. It was also nice to have a familiar friendly face to chat with through the night during down times. The DJ Kerry from Mike Staff Productions was great to talk to as well.

Congratulations Stephanie & Daniel!

Hello and Welcome!

2009-03-20T07:26:00.000-07:00

Testing, testing! Well here I am :-)

Currently for 2009 dates, I am offering a deep discounted rate for a basic 8-10-ish hours to be your very own whippin' girl on the day of your wedding!

(Please note that my sense of humor is slightly sarcastic and I have a laid-back approach to most things, but I take events pretty personally, and certainly seriously. I also understand that sometimes personalities just don't mesh, so please don't be afraid that you will hurt my feelings if you decide I am just not the right person to work with you!!)

We can meet in person for a consultation for however long is neccessary to go over the details of your event. Unlimited emails and phone calls are also available.

I love weddings, and I would be honored and thrilled to be a part of your beautiful day!

Please feel free to email me at abeautifuldayevents@yahoo.com with any questions you may have. Stay tuned, I will have a contract and reception package available soon!