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Archive for May, 2009

~Hughes and Palermo Wedding~

Tuesday, May 26th, 2009

Hughes and Palermo Wedding
May 16th, 2008
Grand Ledge Michigan

Ceremony & Reception Venue :: The Opera House
Caterer :: Adeline Leigh Catering
Day of Coordinator :: Elements of Elegance Event Planning and Floral
Floral :: Elements of Elegance Event Planning and Floral
Photography :: H&K Photography
DJ Entertainment :: Music by Dan Braiser
Table Runners :: Special Occasions

This particular wedding had very special meaning to me because this was a day that my good friend Alan got married! We have been friends for such a long time and I along with my husband were so excited when he announced that he found the girl of his dream and was getting married!!! He and Karen planned a very intimate and special wedding that was filled with so much emotion and special touches of that truly reflected them… And what started out as a cold and rainy morning turned into a wonderful sun filled afternoon perfect for their outdoor wedding.

Ceremony & Reception Venue

The Opera House is a gem for the city of Grand Ledge. What a cute and wonderful venue. It was a true fit for the décor and feel for this wedding. Alan and Karen held their outdoor ceremony on the beautiful patio that was surrounded by the beautiful lawns. They then held their cocktail hour and reception in the wonderful lower level that was the perfect size for their 100 guest. Not only was this site lovely but it was one of the best customer service I have had the pleasure to work with. I highly recommend this site to any couple looking for something on the east side of the state.

Décor

Alan and Karen went for a very elegant design pallet. Karen love’s the color red so we choose all red flowers. Her and her sister’s, who was her Matron of Honor, bouquets were a mix of roses, Gerber daisies, tulips, ranunculus , and red berries tied with a black and white paisley print accented with black satin buttons. We then complimented their bouquets with the most darling flower girl basket that was painted white and had the same black paisley print ribbon weaved into the basket and over flowing with red rose petals! For the table décor they decided to go with two different table designs. The first which is very popular this wedding season was red orchids submerged into three different size vases that were surrounded by red rose petals in middle of a black table runner. The second design was a large arrangement of roses, Gerber daisies, tulips, berries mixed with Salal and red leaves placed onto of a cylinder vase with bear grass wrapping around the inside.

Food and Drink

Well as many couples today, food and drink were very important to the couple and they choose a wonderful caterer. Adeline Leigh Catering did a wonderful job and the food was great! It started out with an amazing salad of mix greens and dried cherries then was complimented with a choice of prime rib, stuff chicken, or a portabella mushroom entre. And the meal was then topped off with a wonderful cake from a local bakery. And with them both having a love of wine, they had a wonderful selection behind the bar for their guest to enjoy along with a full bar.

Entertainment

I joked with Alan that he was the luckiest groom ever. Not only was a marrying a wonderful women but he had so many friends in the wedding business. The DJ, Dan Braiser was a friend to both Alan and I and it was really great to finally work a wedding together. And WOW what a great job he did. Dan helped with the ceremony music and then did a wonderful job MC’ing the evening while getting everyone out on the dance floor. I look forward to hopefully working with him again.

Photography

As always Tony and John of H&K Photography did a great job! They caught all those great shots that every couple (and planner) wants and then were so creative in the rest of the shots. They work so great together as a team capturing every detail and are always open to suggestions. I was lucky enough to see some of their shots through out the day. My favorite by far was when they had me spell out the words “Thank You” in rose petals! I can’t wait to see the portfolio of this wedding.

All those special touches!!!

I love couples that decide that their wedding needs to reflect themselves and this is exactly what this couple did. I fell in love with their escort “boats” which Alan handmade out of wood. They put each guest’s name and table number on the mast of each sailboat and were placed on a mini marina slips. What a great idea and it reflected their love of sailing which is what they are planning on doing for their honeymoon this fall. And their guest favors were so them! Karen choose high heel shoes that were bottle openers for the gals. Alan choose mini Stanly tape measurer with their name and wedding date for all the guys. But I think the most touching moment is when Alan’s father did a Celtic prayer and then presented a ring to Alan that has been given to the first son to get married for three generations. It left the entire room in tears!

Thank you Alan and Karen for allowing me to part of your special day! I look forward to many years of great memories together!

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All photos courtsey of H&K Photography

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Remembering those you love

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

A lot of times when I’m meeting with couples, whether it be for planning needs or floral , my wonderful couples want to remember those who are no longer with them. I feel this is a very heartfelt idea and really shows how much family and friends mean to that couple. So with that said here are a few ideas on what you can do to show rememberance to those loved ones who have passed.

~ A memorial candle
~ A memorial bouquet of flowers displayed
~ A special poem or bible reading during the ceremony or reception. Below I have shared one of my personal favorites

He Is Gone

You can shed tears that he is gone,
Or you can smile because he lived,
You can close your eyes and pray that he will come back,
Or you can open your eyes and see all that he has left.
Your heart can be empty because you can’t see him
Or you can be full of the love that you shared,
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday,
Or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember him and only that he is gone
Or you can cherish his memory and let it live on,
You can cry and close your mind be empty and turn your back,
Or you can do what he would want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.
~Anonymous~

~ Choose a certain flower to be used in both the personal flowers and décor that represents that loved one
~ A table set up at both your ceremony and reception displaying pictures of those loved ones

Whatever you decide, make sure that you put a notation in your program or have your Master and Mistress of ceremony let guest know the meaning behind your expression of love.

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~Haynes and Phillips Wedding~

Monday, May 11th, 2009

On May 2nd I had the great honor of being part of Holly and Justin Phillips wedding. Not only was I able to work with such a great couple but I was able to work with a great group of Vendors:

Wedding Ceremony Venue :: Dewitt Chapel

What a wonderful chapel that has so much natural light within it. Also it has a great courtyard that was wonderful for outdoor pictures!

Reception Venue :: Alumni House

This has to now be my favorite venue for a reception. The room is beautiful and fit into our décor of cottage wedding. But more importantly the staff was amazing!! If there was anything that we needed they found it for us. The staff went out of their way to make sure everything was perfect. Huge KUDOS goes out to Michelle! I have to say I would love for her to become part of our team here at Elements of Elegance! Please note that to rent the Alumni House you must have a affiliation with the university.
Caterer :: Classic Fares GVSU

Aimee and her staff did a great job! The food was amazing and the service was excellent! Many complimented the couple on the great food!

DJ :: Complete Music

Chris and his assistant from Complete Music had the room rockin! From the moment the couple arrived until the last song, they had the guest involved! No one was bored and all were dancing! That is a true sign of a great DJ!

Videographer :: Complete Music & Video

Again a great team! Complete Music & Video actually upgraded Holly and Justin package! They sent two wonderful gentleman and we are very excited to see the final product!

Photography :: Rivercity Photography

Ginny and her second shooter did a nice job of capturing the moments! We are looking forward to see the proofs in the near future…

Decor and Planning :: Elements of Elegance Event Planning and Floral

We were hired for décor and DOC. We had such a great time picking just the right items for this wonderful couple.

Floral Service :: Elements of Elegance Event Planning and Floral

We were hired for personal flowers and floral arrangements for both the ceremony and reception.

Linen Rentals :: A-1 Rental

As always Sue and Aaron did a great job finding me the perfect color buttercup yellow. They are one of two rental companies that Elements of Elegance will use. Their customer service is wonderful along with their prices!!

Wedding Candelabras ;; Wedding Candelabras and More

At first I was a little taken back that my bride wanted candelabras until I saw them!! Kevin and his team carry a wide variety of items that are unusual and fit today’s brides’ style.

Bartending Service :: Bars by Butch

As always they did a wonderful job! And their bartenders are always so personable and easy going.

Cake :: Suzi’s Cakery

The cake was amazing and tasted wonderful!

Hair and Make-up :: Allure Hair Boutique – Liz Smith

What can I say about Liz??? How about how wonderful she was! Her hair and make up designs were out of this world and I would highly recommend her to anyone of my brides.

Limo :: R. Verhey Limo Service

Right on time and actually found us! R. Verhey sent a wonderful driver and he had as much fun as the bridal party!

What a beautiful wedding! There were so many little touches that truly made this wedding amazing and heartfelt. From the table names of places that had a special meaning to the couple to the handmade card box the bride’s grandmother made. The bride’s family is from Canada and in Canada it is customary to actually sign the marriage certificate during the ceremony. It was very touching and something very new for us here at Elements of Elegance. For the design elements, Holly and Justin had chosen a color scheme of buttercup yellow, bright white, and a sliver of a silver accent. They also wanted a very cottage and spring feel to their wedding. We accomplished this with lots of daffodils and tulips as part of their personal flowers and décor of both the chapel and the reception venue.

Best wishes Mr. and Mrs. Phillips and I can’t wait to see you when you get back from your honeymoon!