Adrienne & Brian

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

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

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

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

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!

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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!