As a huge sports fan, I can appreciate any bride that plans a sports-themed wedding. Jen + Ian McKnight created a wedding which reflected their passion for baseball, and were able to keep it elegant and classy! Jen and I met as undergrads at Michigan State (Go Green!) and I was so excited when she agreed to feature her wedding on Wed Michigan!!! Jen designed every aspect of the wedding including the invitations, baseball ticket escort cards, and even created a custom sports-themed "logo" in lieu of the traditional monogram. We'll be sharing some of her DIY projects in a follow up post so don't miss it!
VENUE: Ann Arbor Marriott Ypsilanti at Eagle Crest
Beautiful venue, everything outside was just gorgeous. The food was pretty good, and the service was also good. Barb was very sweet and fun to work with, but she had a lot going on so sometimes it was hard to get a hold of her. Other than that, everything turned out nice. We chose to have our reception in their outdoor tent facility, and unfortunately that meant our reception had to end at 11pm. That was our choice though, and I really liked the tent....but I would probably think twice about it again given the time limit. Overall, the place was great, and I really have no complaints.
PHOTOGRAPHY: Mike Greer Photography
They really did a great job of telling the story of the day. The day of the wedding went by so quickly that it was hard to remember some things, and their photos really did capture some great moments that might have been forgotten. They took beautiful pictures, but in hindsight I would have reserved more time in between the ceremony and the start of the reception to take more fun bridal party pictures. He took a lot of time setting up shots, and unfortunately this really limited the amount of shots that were able to be taken. I wasn't expecting so much set up time, but that's not really their fault. Also, in all fairness it was a bright sunny day, and the lighting was quite harsh so I am sure that didn't help any. Unfortunately, in order to get a few shots of Ian and I they had to pull us away from the reception for a few. Overall I would say the images were good...but the bridal party shots could have been better.
MUSIC: Prime Time Entertainment DJ
They did a nice job keeping the party going. I had a couple of specific requests that they did not adhere to, but overall it was minor. The main negative was that their microphone kept cutting out during the reception introductions and during the speeches. However, they were very reasonably priced.
FLOWERS: Flowers by Amore
I didn't really have any flowers at my reception, so I just had them supply the bouquets and boutonnieres. I was really disappointed when they delivered the flowers an hour later than I asked (they showed up at 3:30 and the ceremony started at 4), and they also did not bring the flower girl pomanders that I had ordered. And since they showed up late we had to scramble and have the girls walk down the aisle with flowers that were originally meant for someone else. Also, oddly enough they threw a few fake flowers in my bridesmaid bouquets (which were just made of Calla Lillies). However, they were fairly inexpensive in comparison to the other florists that I talked to--I guess it goes to show the old adage stands true--"you get what you pay for". (Side note: When I called after the wedding, they did refund my money for the flower girl pomanders.)
MY DRESS: I Do Too, Bridal & Rhonda Errigo (seamstress extraordinaire)
My dress was purchased from I Do Too, Bridal, (where the staff was very nice) but the real magic happenend with my seamstress. She completely transformed the dress (originally Casablanca #1881) into something that I actually didn't mind wearing--and coming from a non-dress kind of girl that's really saying something. She actually took over 50" out of the skirt portion of my dress, as it was far too much fabric for my taste. She also made my veil, which was simple and perfect.
MEN'S ATTIRE: Men's Warehouse Tux
The tuxes looked great. I thought they were a tad expensive, but in the end I let that be Ian's call. :) It was convenient because our groomsmen were scattered throughout the country and they could be measured at their local MW Tux. There were a couple of snags getting a hold of one of our out of towner's tuxes, but we were able to get it in time. Everything seemed to be pretty nice quality.
CAKE: Heritage Bakery
I hated the idea of paying hundreds and hundreds of dollars for a wedding cake. I don't even really like cake all that much, and it just wasn't something I wanted to spend a lot of money on. I have to admit the cake design wasn't my idea, that it was my bridesmaids' idea. They had that cake at my shower and I loved the look so much that I called the same bakery and had them make the same one for my wedding. I also had them make the little side baseball cakes-- to supplement they also supplied a couple of sheet cakes that were cut up behind the scenes. I didn't eat any myself, but I heard good things. Also, they were very very reasonable with their prices, and were very accommodating on short notice.
Congratulations to Jen + Ian McKnight and thank you for sharing your big day with Wed Michigan!!!
{Photos by Mike Greer Photography}
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