Question of the Day? Yes, please!

I decided I'd like to try out something new...I'm guessing I don't have many regular readers on this new blog, but who knows---let's give it a whirl!

Each day, I'm going to post the "question of the day," related to weddings (most of the time). Trends you love? Trends you hate? The best favor you've gotten at a wedding? Or seen in a magazine and wish you'd gotten? Worst wedding dress? Your favorite ice cream flavor?

You get the idea. Anyways, I hope everyone plays along, and leave a comment if you'd like to add your 2 cents to "question of the day." I promise to make it fun:-)

So...here's the first question of the day: What is one wedding trend you think is overdone, out-of-style, or just plain BAD? Do tell! (and if you have alternatives, let us know!)

Spotlight: BARNS, Part II

For the "high-spirited" couples out there (yes you, with that glass of white zin)
may I offer this...
The Round Barn Winery is located in Baroda Michigan. Built in Indiana by the Amish in 1911, this barn was saved from demolition by Round Barn Winery’s Moersch family, who carefully took it apart and moved it to their Michigan vineyard. The lower level features the "Copper bar," which is exactly what it sounds like---a beautiful copper-topped bar! It's fully stocked with their private label wines and estate vodka (for the tastiest cosmo you will EVER have!). The second floor houses the dinner and dancing, and can accomodate up to 150 people.
The Vineyard also offers tented outdoor receptions, as well as outdoor ceremony locations.

Spotlight: BARNS..yes, I said Barns...PART I

(Photo courtesy of BorterWagner Photography)

If you're not in, or near, a country area, you're missing out on a hot new wedding trend. One of the fastest growing hot spots for wedding receptions (and ceremonies) is far from the main stream reception halls of yester-year, or even the trendy "industrial-esque" atmospheres of recent popularity.

These aren't your ordinary barns:

(Thanks to friend & bride Molly Rea, for use of her beautiful wedding pics!)

This is the Blue Dress Barn in Millburg, Michigan (just outside of St. Joseph/Benton Harbor). The barn was orginally a dairy barn, owned by the House of David, which was a religious commune back in the early 1900's. It has since been lovingly renovated by artist amy briske and her husband. The barn can seat a maximum of 280 people, and offers a kitchen, bar, stage for live music, 3 balconies, as well as fire pits and a ceremony site. The Blue Dress barn is truly a unique and beautiful venue that you just have to see to appreciate! (I'm picturing some delicious cherries on the tables!)

(the outdoor ceremony location--behind the barn)

The barn books up about a year in advance (or sooner for the popular fall months!)

Check it out!

Just my taste!

(photo courtesy of the winter edition of Martha Stewart Weddings)

What a cute idea! As appetizers, or souvenirs---Cherries will add a sweet touch to a beautiful summer wedding in Michigan! A few other ideas...put them in simple brown or white bags with your monogram, names, or a seal. You could also put cherries in smal mason jars, with fabric over the lids (ala grandma's canned fruit!) and of course, incorporate your wedding colors! Why not do the same with other bite size fruits like delicious michigan blueberries or strawberries! For a little splash of summer color, try out some queen anne cherries, which are a beautiful mix of yellow and red! Delicious!

Spotlight: Guest Books

I came across one of the most unique "guest book" ideas today. It's a large floral arrangement shaped like a cake, and it's gorgeous! The bride and groom supplied guests with cards and pearl-tipped pins to attach their best wishes for the couple.

I love it! (photo courtesy of The Knot)

Here are some other fun guest books I've come across, including a guitar for guests to sign--Rock On with the awesome guest books!

April, April, when will you come!?

Last night I met with my April 19th couple, Michele & Tim. For a quick bio on the wedding, they are having a very quaint 350+ wedding in St. Joseph, and we mailed out over 250 invitations last week! They are very laid back, and are adding a lot of very personal touches to their wedding, like "Karaoke for a kiss," (no clinking glasses---you have to karaoke for the couple to kiss!) and cocktail hour trivia to occupy guests while they wait for the bride and groom. It will be a lot of fun. The bride and groom are both physicians, which means the whole event is like a huge medical conference---I've never seen so many Drs on invitations, so hopefully no one in the SW Michigan area will be sick that day! But, that aside, they are so much fun, and such a sweet couple. We are down to just the final details, and I'm so excited for April to be here---I love wedding season!

How does a girl choose from ONLY 12 Dresses?

Well, if you're Jenna Bush, they're not your ordinary 12 dresses! I saw this on another blog and thought it was quite interesting, so I'll share.

According to The Blue Orchid, "Twelve designers were asked to submit sketches of a wedding dress for first daughter Jenna Bush's upcoming May nuptials. The collection of results is below."
Personally, My favorite is #6, which I think is classy, but still young and fun like the young bride. Don't we all wish we had stylists preparing our "top 12" of personal wedding gowns!

Saturday at the Vineland Center

Saturday I visited the Vineland Center in St. Joseph, MI to attend their grand opening. My first wedding of the season is taking place there on April 19th, but I had yet to see the facility set up for a wedding, as it recently opened late this fall. The owner, Don Damron, invited to me to stop by to tour the facility, and taste the food prepared by their in-house catering company, appropriately named "The Catering Department." Everything was wonderful.

In addition to taking in the beautiful decorations and great
food, I also got to catch up with a few of my favorite local
vendors. Sue Luther, from With A Twist! was on hand to serve up drinks to thirsty future brides, and was as friendly and helpful as always. If you haven't worked with Sue before, you are missing out, because she is so easy to work with, and her service can't be beat!

Also, I got to catch up with Dee Appleman of Dee's Specialty Cakes in Stevensville. Dee's created an absolutely amazing Nintendo-themed groom's cake for my October 6th wedding at the Heritage Center and it got rave reviews! If you're looking for a unique cake for your wedding cake or groom's cake, check out her website.

Blog on the move!

I have decided to move the Stella Event Design blog from my old program, which was internal to my website, to Blogspot. I hope that Blogspot will be more verstile than what I had before (and user friendly) and will allow me to post pictures, which is something I was unable to do before! I have lost all of my old postings, and apologize, but hope you will stick around to read some new ones. These are the ramblings of an event planner and wedding addict.