Pro Pics Teaser {Michele+Tim}

I'm under the weather this weekend, recouping from bronchitis, and becoming addicted to "So You Think You Can Dance," thanks to the marathon of last seasons episodes I've been sucked into all afternoon! Between naps on the courch, I was pleasantly surprised to receive some of the pro pics from my April 19th wedding, courtesy of photog Ben Pancoast. So, to apologize for my absence from blogging while I continue to be pampered by my husband, and hopefully kick the sickness, here are 2 of my favorite photos from the wedding---expect more soon!I love ring pictures, and this one doesn't let me down---I don't know what it is, but I absolutely adore this picture!

Michele+Tim {Sneak Peak}

I didn't get a chance to take a ton of pictures yesterday (due to being crazy-busy and all) but I did snap a few to capture a few details of the day. The whole wedding pulled together simple style, a lot of daisy details, and blue and yellow accent colors, along with a lot of personal touches that we added to the night to really express this fun couple's personalities. There are a ton of fun things I don't have captured, but will be sure to share once I get the sure-to-be-fabulous photos from Ben Pancoast Photography. Here's a little preview:

Some daisy details on the guest book table---you can't tell from this picture, but these vases are a beautiful light blue to tie in the yellow and blue theme, and were a great buy at Pier 1 for $3.99 each! Tip: Always remember to arrange your escort cards alphabetically! Your guest will appreciate it, and you'll avoid a traffic jam at the place card table!

The tables were inspired by a table the couple liked at a bridal expo, and turned out exactly as they had hoped. It took me about 5 hours to string this ribbon on all 40 tables (there was about 10 hours of total setup time for the reception alone), but it was well worth it for an affordable option to table runners. For really affordable ribbon (I bought over 800 yards for around $60, wow!) Check out B.B Crafts. The ribbon was great quality(double sided satin), and arrived in less than a week.

The tiered cake was made by Debbie Karsen, who unfortunately doesn't have a website, but did a fantastic job. The four tiered cake was alternating tiers of light yellow and light blue accents, and was absolutely delicious. And how cute is this cake topper? It was a perfect choice for this laid-back couple. All of the daisies used throughout the decor were provided by Sheri at Beikmann Floral in Niles. She was wonderful to work with, and the flowers were beautiful. Stay tuned for pictures of the girls bouquets!

The Groom's cake was also crafted by Debbie Karsen, to depict the groom's love of flying. His father is a pilot, and the groom is hoping to get his pilot's license soon! Their names and wedding date were scripted across the wing span. Speaking of delicious---the nights menu, provided by the Catering Department at the Vineland Center was absolutely scrumptious. The menu entrees included a raspberry chicken, beef with red arrow wine sauce (my personal favorite) and tortellini. The food was absolutely delicious (and not just by wedding-food standards, but a five-star restaurant quality). An excellent job done by Don Damron and his staff at the Vineland Center.

I can't wait to post pictures from Karaoke for a Kiss. We rented a karaoke system to be hooked in with the DJ's system. Guests were asked to Karaoke through dinner, in exchange for a kiss from the bride and groom. We had some pretty memorable performances, including a rendition of "My Girl (Michele)" sung by the bridesmaids, and dedicated to Michele, the bride. The bridal party also had score cards so that they could judge the performances. It was so fun to watch the bride and groom throw up their "10" sign through the night. Karaoke for a Kiss was so popular, we actually had to cut off the list of singers to start the dancing for the night! It was a very nice addition to this very personal event. The bride and groom hand-selected the songs to be used (we did about 8 different cds) and these are the song booklets we placed at each table---lovingly tied with ribbon by moi:-)

There were so many more fun and unique things done in this event, so stay tuned for official pictures, and more info on the bride's unique alternative to a traditional bouquet, their pre-dinner reception entertainment, and more!

{DIY} Saturday

Sorry, I've been a little MIA lately! Super busy with a wedding coming up this weekend, and I'm doing all the last minute details. This wedding has had a lot more DIY than I normally have with most weddings. I've designed everything from rehearsal dinner invites and decor to hotel info packets, table numbers, guest cards, etc! The whole wedding has been planned in less than 4 months (with a lot of focus on budget), so it's made for a very busy time! One of my projects this weekend was to finish up the information packets for guests staying at the hotel. About 80% of the guests are from out-of-state, so we really wanted everyone to have all the information they needed to feel at home for the weekend. The packets included directions to both the ceremony and reception, maps, listings for local favorites of the couple (for coffee, ice cream, dining, sunsets, shops, etc) and a special card inviting guests to run with the bride the morning of the wedding. We've kept everything very clean and simple to go with the couple's style. I think they turned out wonderful (and hopefully it's not just because I made them, lol!)

(yellow & blue cardstock, rectangle hole punch, printable sticker paper, large heart punch, paper cutter, printer, and ribbon)

I printed all of the info (front and back) onto yellow card stock. I then cut these into cards of different sizes to place in the packets. Each card was a different height, so that you could read the title of each one, so everything was easily accessible.
The packets were made of a 8.5x11 piece of blue cardstock, folded and cut to size. I punched holes with a rectangular punch (these leave a narrow opening which works great for ribbon)

I printed the hearts on sticker paper, and used a large heart hole punch. Tie on some ribbon, and you have a cute and functional guest booklet for your out-of-town guests! You could do this with any style of paper/printing to fit the style of your wedding, but ours was simple and sweet.

I expect to be scarce for the next week or so, but after the 19th hopefully I'll have some great pictures to share, so stay tuned----postings will soon be back to normal, and running as usual

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!