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