I have a love and a personal connection tor “at home weddings”!  Now I admit the only “at home” wedding I have planned was my own, but it’s something that I wish more couples would choose to do.  I find it very personal to be married somewhere that has such meaning to the couple.  But with that being said there is a lot that goes into a at home wedding.  I will be the first to say there so much more planning goes into such an event.

When a couple entertains the idea to have their wedding and reception at home there are many things they need to taken into account to make sure that the site will work perfectly for the event.  First thing you need to look at is the number of people you want to invite and make sure you have the space to accommodate those numbers.  Will you have enough space for your ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception?  When my now husband and I compiled our invite list, I will admit it was quite long between all our family and friends.  Most would say we needed to cut because we could not accommodate the numbers that we had for a formal sit down meal that we wanted.  But we never do things the easy way!!  We designed a plan that we could still have our very intimate wedding and formal reception with just very close family and friends (64 guests) followed by a larger informal reception with our addition guest list the following evening (180 guests).   With some creativity and detail planning we were able to achieve the best of both worlds.

The next thing to take a look at is where on the property would the ceremony and reception be hosted?  Are you going to host the wedding, cocktail hour, and reception all in the same location?  Or are you going to have it split up onto different areas of the property?  We choose to have each part of our wedding in different locations.  Since we live on Miner Lake, it was very important to us to have our ceremony lakeside.  This was then followed by cocktails and hors d’oeuvres on our patio.  And lastly, dinner was served family style in our finished walkout basement.  We choose to have all the guests sitting at one large table so we could capture that true feeling of one huge family eating together.  For the next evening we were able to utilize our large yard, patio, and basement for the larger party. Guest tables were set up on the lawn; cocktail tables and a bar for beer and wine were set up on the patio near the DJ booth; and finally addition guest tables, another bar with wine and liquor, and a buffet of comfort food (and a special table filled with kid friendly food!) was set up in the walkout basement.   And we decided to add another element to the reception to help parents relax a bit during the evening.  We turned our front yard and formal living room into a children’s paradise with games, arts &crafts, and outdoor activities that were manned by teenagers in the neighborhood.

Also an addition item to look at is what you will need to bring in for rental items for the occasion…  This means tables (of all kinds), chairs, linens, dishes, bar set ups, sound system, ECT.  These are all items that you get traditionally with a rented venue.  I will warn you depending on the items you pick, they costs of rentals might be higher than if you had choose to have the wedding and reception at customary venues.  I know our rental items alone made up 40% of our wedding budget between for the two day event.

Another item to consider is back up plans!!  Yes we all need them because we do live in West Michigan and the weather changes at a whim…  If you’re having the ceremony and or reception outside what are the plans for rain?  Our plan was simple.  If it had rained, we would have moved the actually ceremony to our church in Allegan.  And then our cocktail hour would have been in our formal living room with dinner still being served in our walkout.  But the next day was tricky to say the least.  Our backup plan for our second reception consisted of TWO tents.  We had decided that if rain was to impose on our celebration, then we would rent one large tent for our adult guests and a smaller one for the children.  I’m very happy to say we didn’t have to go to Plan B, but it’s better to be ready then not to be.

And finally the last advice I can give you is make sure you communicate to your guest about the formality of your wedding.  Like I said in the beginning of this posting our actual wedding and first reception was very formal, where our second reception was not.  What we choose to do is send out two different invites. Those that were invited to both wedding and the formal reception (along with the informal invite for the following evening) received an invite stating a “Formal Sit Down Reception to Follow”. Whereas the following evenings invited stated “Informal Backyard Reception”. This helped our guest understand how each evening was intended so they could plan on what to pack for their attire the weekend.

Now I could go on forever on all the items that you need to think about, but these were the top ones for us.  If you have any questions about how you go about planning an at home outdoor wedding, please contact me and I will share with you my experience!  Happy Planning!!

Below are some of my favorite shots from the weekend!  Thanks goes out to H&K Photography for capturing some wonderful moments for us!

Being that it’s Earth Week, this morning on the Today Show there was a clip about “Going Green” in your everyday life.  But it really doesn’t stop there; many of today’s brides are “Going Green” for their wedding.  But what does that really mean?  Well here are three examples of what some of our clients are doing to make their wedding more environmentally friendly.

One of the most popular eco-friendly ideas is choosing flowers that we can purchase locally.  The lovely bouquet above was designed by us last year for one of our June brides, Jan.  It was a beautiful lush bouquet of peonies surrounded with variegated hosta leaves.  And all these flowers were grown locally at Ponderosa Nursery located in Hamilton Michigan.   In the summer months, we utilize as many local growers as possible because we then are able to help support our local economy and help give our brides more blooms for their budget.

Another idea that my brides are doing is using is local stationary designer that use eco friendly paper lines such as Marsupial Paper Company.  Again they are supporting a local business and but more importantly they are using paper that is safe for our landfills.  My two favorite local designers are Sondra from Sondra Ink and Abbey from Syd Design. Both do an excellent job and understand today’s bride’s needs.

And finally some of my brides are forgoing buying a new wedding gown but instead buying used or even renting a gown.  Companies such as Light in the Box provide brides choices of multiple styles and colors of both bridal and bridesmaids gowns.  Another suggestion for a bride that is looking to purchase a previously worn gown is talking to other brides on forums that can be found on wedding planning sites such as The Knot and Wedding Wire.

The above are the most popular with our clients, but there are so many different ideas out there.  Please share your ideas with us; we would love to hear them!

After spending the most of the afternoon weeding in my gardens, I could not help but think about outdoor weddings and my love for them.  As some may know when I married my husband we had an outdoor ceremony and cocktail hour.  We decided to forgo the traditional church wedding because we wanted to get married where we loved, which was our home and the lake we live on.  But when you decide to have your wedding and/or ceremony at outdoor, there are lots of things you need to consider that you normally would not have to. Below are some items to consider when making those decisions.

When picking your wedding date you must consider what the weather might be during that season and have a backup plan in place.  If you are planning on a ceremony outside, then consider having a tent on reserve in case of rain or severe heat.  Also just in case there is a major rainstorm that comes through, have even a third back up plan such as a local church.  There is nothing worse than having you and your guest walking through puddles and mud.

Also think about your guests comfort during the ceremony.  I always suggest that if you are having an outdoor wedding during the warmer months to have bottled water available for your guest.  Also think about having parasols available to shield them from the sun.  And finally think about those pesky little flying bugs.  I suggest having a bug service come out and spray a few days before the ceremony.  This will not eliminate the bugs completely, but will help with the problem.

If you are considering having your reception also outdoors there are many things to think about.  The main one is being rental items.  At a traditional reception venue, they provide you with tables, chairs, and usually basic linens.  In having a reception outdoors you will need to bring in all these items along with a tent and dance floor unless you have a structure you are able to use.  In addition you will need to consider weather again and decide if you need to have sides for the tent on reserve along with heaters or air condition system to help with the climate control.

And finally think about transportation and parking for your wedding.  Do you have an area large enough close to both the ceremony and reception that your guest can easily walk to? What I suggest that if you have to have your guest park away from the ceremony and reception is to provide them transportation.  It can be by travel bus, a trolley, or as we did, rented 12 passenger golf carts.  Make sure you communicate this to your guest prior to the wedding and you have responsible drivers set up prior to the wedding.

Now there is so much more to think about if you are having your wedding at home such as we did.  In the coming weeks I will blog the “to do” list I made up for this and things to consider when deciding to have it at home. Happy Planning!

Photo courtesy Angela Brooks Photography

Anyone who knows me knows my love for animals, especially for my two boxers, Homer & Sophie.  So when I have a client that would like to incorporate their dog into their wedding, I get so excited! But a commonly asked question is how?!?

Well there is the idea to have them walk you down the aisle or being the “flower dog”. You can find the most amazing garments to adorn your furry pet in. From elegant silk bridal gowns, to sassy flower pups dresses, to adorable tuxes all made especially for your four legged family member.   But there are a couple things to think about when you want to have them be added into your wedding party.  First of all make sure the venue will allow this.  I know it sounds crazy that someone out there would be opposed to you bringing your baby to the wedding, but not everyone loves them as much as we do.  Also please make sure they are well trained pups if you are going to have them be part of the ceremony.  There is nothing worse than muddy puppy paws on you beautiful gown.

Another idea is to make them part of your wedding stationary.  Nothing cuter then having your dog’s “mug” looking up at you on a “Save the Date” card asking your guest to be part of your day.  Or having them pose with different numbers so you are able to incorporate them in the table numbers. Or my personal favorite is a cute “doggie” treat cookie in honor of the couple’s pet.

No matter what you choose to do, they will feel the love you have for them.  What other ideas do you have?  Please share with us; we would love to hear about them!

Design Palette 1: The Bridal Blog Design Palette 2: The Bridal Bar

Floral:: Elements of Elegance

Photography:: Lizzie’s Photo’s

Stationary and Invites:: Sondra’s Ink

DJ Service:: Thunder Mountain DJ Service

Ceremony and Reception:: Castle Farms

Linens:: Special Occasions

Bridal Gown:: Bridal Lane

Bridesmaids and Bridal Accessories:: September Brides

Make- up Artist:: Rainbow Shades

Hair:: Body Perfection

Lodging:: Grey Gables Bed and Breakfast

The EOE team this year has been very fortunate to have planned three full planning weddings along with our partial planning packages and our DAY OF Services.  But I have to say this particular wedding was a favorite of mine.  Dana and Travis were and still is a very special couple to the EOE team to say the least.  I can still remember Dana’s mom called me the first time to talk about her daughter’s wedding and the excitement in her voice.  The couple was so excited to get married that they decided they didn’t want a long engagement.  So with the help of the EOE team we pulled off a beautiful UP North wedding in a short 12 weeks.  Below are the details of Dana and Travis day…

This wedding was amazing in some many ways.  From the great couple to the touching vows that left everyone in tears.  No detail was forgotten and I loved Dana’s vision of her wedding day.  Deep Chocolate Espresso, Mango Tango, and Ivory were the color scheme.  She really had an eye for details and like me, loves things to flow.  So from her personal flowers, stationary, to the ceremony reception flowers, and linens, everything fit together perfectly!

Planning!

Dana and Travis choose to hire the EOE team under our Full Planning Package. This package was great for the two of them considering they both have demanding careers.  We set up their budget, picked out best vendors; set them up with a great location and all those detail; and even tracked all their RSVP’s and help them do their table assignments.  With us doing all the big things and most of the little things, they were able to sit back and enjoy their engagement.  But we did include them in the fun tasks like making up welcome bags and designing the program.

Where!

Dana and Travis really wanted their wedding to be something special and a place their guest could really enjoy.  After hours of searching for different venues they came up with Castle Farms in Charlevoix Michigan!  What an amazing spot within Michigan.  The town is adorable and Castle Farms is beautiful space that really fit the feel of their wedding.  What is wonderful about this space is that we are able to have both the wedding and the reception within the same location.

All about the paper!

When it comes to invitation and all stationary needs, there is only one place I send my clients, that’s to Sondra of Sondra’s Ink.  She designed the most beautiful invite that I have ever had the pleasure of receiving!  And then she followed up by designing to die for escort cards, menu cards, and table numbers for our couple.  We also utilized her full service program which includes her designing, assembling, and even mailing out the invites.  Dana choose a deep chocolate espresso pocket fold with stunning ivory paper placed on a dark rust backer.  And then topped everything off with a stunning monogram that we carried across into our decor design.

Flowers and Décor::

The Bridal bouquet was so very important to Dana.  She had been envisioning her bridal bouquet since she was just a little girl.  So when that day finally came we presented her with her dream come true bouquet!!  She carried 50 Flame Calla Lilies with a corset tied satin handle with a pearl accent.  It truly reflected her style and feel for the entire wedding.  We designed a beautiful hand tied bouquet of cream calla lilies and hydrangeas for her five bridesmaids to carry alongside her. We forgo the traditional corsages for the mothers of the couple and instead made up dainty nosegays of calla lilies and a rose for each mom to carry.  And the boutonnieres were made up of Fiddle Ferns and berries for a more of a manly look for our gentleman of the party.  They loved them and apparently they’re also tasty!!

For the décor of the ceremony, we choose to go with very simple but elegant designs.  Dana and Travis were married in the beautiful Queen’s Tavern that was beautiful on its own.  We only add some simple flowers for the chairs, two beautiful arrangements, and wreath for the Alter.

For the reception we dressed the tables in the Knights Castle with stunning Chocolate Espresso Pin Tuck linens matched with simple mango tango chair ties and specialty folded napkins that had a single bloom in each center.  The centerpiece designs were just as elegant as the setting itself.  Our first design was a cubed vase with three calla lilies submerged in water for a simple elegant look to the table.  Our second design had wonderful tall candle stick with a monogram candle in the center and three vases of terracotta roses with glass holly/winter berries.  These tables were my favorite of the year!

All those Great VENDORS!

What I loved most about this wedding is being with us some of the best vendors from West Michigan.

Our photographer Lynell was and is AMAZING!!!  She captured such feeling in all her pictures… Plus she made everyone feel so comfortable and made sure everyone was having fun.  Her talent is displayed below!  I can’t wait see the rest of them!

Our Make Up Artist Patti was flawless!  She made each and every person she touched that day feels beautiful and special!

Rachel and Stephanie our hair stylist were FAB!  I was amazed on how the girls’ hair did not move all day and continued to look beautiful despite the rainy weather!

Thunder Mountain DJ service is one of the BEST in West Michigan.  Dave and Deb have worked many weddings with the EOE team and as always their service was top notch!  They had the dance floor packed all night!

All those special touches!!

Dana and Travis really went out of their way to make their guests feel loved.  From the moment they arrived they were greeted with welcome bags filled with Taffy from Taffy Barrel based right there in Charlevoix and all kinds of information about the city and surrounding areas.  But it didn’t stop there.  They wanted to make this a weekend people would never forget.  And I believe they achieved this goal.  From vows written from the heart; a program that showered love to their bridal party; to their Signature drink “Kiss the Bride” martini; to the amazing candy and desert bar for their guest to snack on all night; and  ending with a the most heartfelt toast to their guests that left me in tears.  They truly were an amazing couple that I can call my friends now.  Congrats Mr. & Mrs. Travis Gurd!

~ 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.