I have this certain friend that just cringes when I say that I love burlap. Mind you she is extremely trendy and loves weddings that have that modern twist.  I would have to say that modern and burlap do not mix, and that’s okay.  When I think of burlap, I envision a very vintage romantic look with a bit of rustic mixed in.   The above table and bouquet were designed by us here at Elements of Elegance.  We were trying to capture that vintage look using mix matched china, gold silverware, antique wine glasses, and a mason jar filled with old buttons with a pomander of baby’s breathe.  And last item that pulled the entire look together was the burlap overlay we made.  I can honestly say we had more compliments on this table, than any other.

Now burlap is not for everyone, but it does have its place in the world of weddings.  Plus burlap is taking off in the world of high fashion.  Below are some examples I found showing off the beauty of burlap! Now I do admit that this is not my style but I know it would look amazing on the right person. Enjoy!!!

Image 1: http://images.nymag.com/images/2/daily/2009/04/20090416_wideitems_560x375.jpg

Image 2: www.flickr.com/photos/sproutandbryan/3364151006/

Image 3:http://images.etsy.com/all_images/0/071/da6/il_430xN.18011362.jpg

This blog has always been about all things wedding, but today I want to talk about something that has affected more than 200,000 women a year, Breast Cancer.  This past weekend I had the honor of being part of a special fundraising event for a dear friend of mine.  Angie is a twelve year survivor of Breast Cancer!

In the past when I’ve been involved in raising money for Breast cancer it’s been in honor of those who have passed on such as my Grandmother.  It was amazing to finally celebrate someone that has conquered the battle and is living life to its fullest!  And Angie is an icon of those who have survived and has educated others on Breast Cancer.  In addition she started her own charity called Angie’s Angels whose main goal is to help raise money to help support finding a cure to Breast Cancer.  And this year, with the help of her dear friends Tammy and Kimberly, they decided to hold a benefit celebrating life! With over a year of planning the most amazing event happened with over 250 attendants! This event would not have happened without the help of family & friends and Mr. Xmas helping with the décor!

For a mere $15.00 guest enjoyed an evening of amazing food prepared by Chef Rick and danced the night away with a local DJ company that donated their time to the cause.  When guest weren’t eating or dancing they were checking out the amazing “baskets” that were being raffled off during the night.  All the “baskets” were donated to the event and they were over the top!! A very special thanks needs to go out to the aunts that took it to the next level!!!    At the end of the evening Angie’s Angels raised $4000 for the cause!!!

Angie, thank you so much for allowing Mark and I to be part of this amazing event! It was so awesome to see so many people come together and celebrate life and help fund a cure.  Next year is going to be even better than this year and I’m so excited to help you in whatever needs you might have! Love you!!!

As we prepare for our first wedding of the 2010 for Dana and Sean next weekend, our office is busy with last minute details and lots of phone calls. And as I sit in my office and thinking about t brides that have chosen not to hire a DOC for their event, lots of things come to mind. So today I decided to post items for brides to add to that to do list to help make their day go smooth.
From the beginning designate a go to person for your wedding day that family, friends, and vendors can come to if there are issues. As a bridal couple you should not be dealing with mishaps.
Go over those contracts to make sure you completely understand what you are getting. You don’t want any surprises on your big day.
Make up a timeline of events FOR THE WEEKEND and send it out to your family/wedding party members and ALL your vendors. It’s best to over communicate verses under communicate.
Two weeks before the wedding start making the phone calls to your vendors to confirm number of guests and make sure they have no questions about your event. This is also an excellent time to communicate any special requests that you have to your vendors such as certain pictures you want captured.
If possible make final payments to all your vendors before the wedding to help ease some of the stress of the day. And also designate someone to distribute any vendor tip envelopes you might have.
Make up a wedding day emergency kit. Aletha from Pearls Events did an excellent blog posting on this today complete with a list of items to consider adding to your kit.
Communicate to your officiate about who is walking with you and how you see your processional happening. As you know there are many ways to get yourself and your wedding party down the aisle. Check with the church to see if they have a ceremony coordinator that can help with this task. If not, ask that favorite aunt if she can be of assistance. It’s important that you as the bride are not taking on this so you are able to relax and enjoy your walk down the aisle.

There are lots of items that need to be considered but these few I see as the most important. And having the opportunity to be a guest to a wedding once in a while, these are the stress items that my friends and family communicate after their big day. Weddings are one of the most important days of your life, so please be organized and enjoy that day!

The one thing I have enjoyed about starting Elements of Elegance is the opportunity to meet and work with some amazing wedding professionals.  I especially love when I’m asked to be part of a fun project that highlights combined talents.  This past summer I had the pleasure to be part of a photo shoot with Grand Rapids photographer Holly Degarmo for a submission she was working on for various bridal magazines.  With the help of talented makeup artist Allison Bower and September’s Bride, some amazing shots were captured. I truly love the edginess of this particular shoot and the freedom to be very creative with my floral designs!

This passed weekend we here at EOE had the great pleasure of being part of Rachel and Drew’s wedding at the Felt Mansion near Saugatuck Michigan. What an event to say the least! My bride had more of a fun modern look going for her wedding! A décor of colorful carnation pomander of egg plant purple, dark pink, lime green, and a bright white decorated the aisles, arches, and the tables of the reception. A signature drink of pomegranate martini dyed the egg plant color greeted the guest as they entered into the cocktail hour… But the special touches did not stop there… Below is just a teaser gallery that the wonderful Sondra of Sondra Ink captured for us that day. In the following days I will bring everyone all the amazing details and the great shots of RMS photography. Plus share who all the amazing vendors were on this wedding. Enjoy!!!

Just a thought:

As much as we all love to add decor, smiles, and elaborate works of art to any wedding, we must remember that in the end a wedding is purely about love and commitment.  My new bride-to-be, Dana, is such an appreciative and kind hearted soul.  She is proving to be a breath of fresh air with her true appreciation for life.  Of course, we all want to entertain our friends and families, but she is one that is able to grasp a happy medium between the atmosphere and the reason of celebration.

In short, I just love when families come together and work with me to surpass their vision.   Planning is what I love to do, but what is even more rewarding is seeing relationships become rekindled and strengthened throughout the whole process.  Because in the end, what you eat and what music is played is not nearly as important as the memories’ that you have made.  A wedding is a celebration of love.  So when possible, my best advice is to try to include the ones you love in this wondrous day.  You won’t regret it.

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!

All photos courtsey of H&K Photography