For Sale: Brand New Moda Bella Dress

If you're like me, then you're a horrible decision maker. Through the entire planning process, I've spent countless hours weighing the pros and cons of each crucial decision (the color of our cupcake liners is VERY crucial people! Kidding.)

Anyways, when I first got engaged, I really felt the need to get my dress ASAP and that once I had my dress, everything would just fall in to place. I made the huge mistake of rushing into buying it when I wasn't sure what the "feel" of our wedding would be. What happened in the process? Well, I bought an amazingly GORGEOUS dress- fit for a traditional, more rustic venue and wedding. Our wedding? Very modern and simple.

I did end up buying my dream dress back in September and it definitely fits our venue, and wedding "theme" much better than the first one. I often lay awake at night trying to figure out a way to incorporate my first dress into my big day, because I really do love it so much!

So, my lovely readers... I'm selling my first dress! Tear :( My hope is that some other lucky bride will make it her own! Here are the details:

**Moda Bella Size 4, ivory with lace and beading, slight sweetheart neckline, long chapel train, NEVER BEEN WORN OR ALTERED! $450 or best offer!**





If you know someone who might be interested or if you would like more information, please email at wedmichigan@gmail.com. I am happy to ship it to anywhere in the US!

My Vendor List

Happy 2010! Wow. That was long overdue. I know "they" say when you blog to never apologize for the lack of posting and to just continue on like its no big deal. But I think my lack of posting deserves some major apologies!

Now that the holidays are over and the new year is underway, I'm making a commitment to share as many Michigan vendors with you as I can. As I've been planning my own wedding in Kalamazoo- I have come across some extremely talented individuals and companies. If I had an unlimited budget, I'd find a place for all of them in my wedding- but I don't :( So I've chosen the best of the best for what we wanted for our big day. Whether that includes style, price, personality, or just general awesomeness :)

With 100 days to go until our big day, I wanted to share some of these talented vendors on Wed Michigan. I HIGHLY suggest you check them out if you're planning a Michigan wedding!

First Congregational Church
Although I had grand dreams of getting married barefoot in my mother's backyard, we chose to go the traditional route and get married in a church. Downtown Kalamazoo has some amazing historical churches and FCC was an easy choice for us. It sits at the edge of Bronson park, welcomes non-members, and the main Sanctuary is pretty much the most gorgeous room I've ever been in. I heard a rumor that people drive from all over Michigan just to hear the organ. Yeah... we get to become husband and wife in this place :)

Cityscape Events Center
Being one of the last to get married, I've been to many weddings in Kalamazoo. Each were unique and wonderful, but many of them were in the same venues. We chose to use Cityscape and I'm so happy about our choice. Owned by Millenium Restaurant Group (you know- Fieldstone Grill, The Union, Epic Bistro... mmmm), the loft-style event space is located on the Kalamazoo Mall in the heart of downtown and has such a cool vibe. The best part (besides the ridiculous food and the amazing location) is our in-house event coordinator, Renee. It's a bride's dream to have someone as trustworthy and professional as Renee, and I know we will have zero worries on our wedding day :)



Samantha Vanderlist of Shutter Sam, Photography
When we first got engaged, we both agreed that photography wasn't a big deal on our wedding day. We kept saying that we'd just find whoever and not worry about it. Sam- I am admitting to you right now- WE WERE WRONG. I can't tell you how important it is to find a photographer that you connect with and who you know will capture the most important moments of that day. There are going to be moments that I totally forget about, that I miss completely, and that no one will even see, and I know that Sam will be there to document all of those memories. When I met Sam for the first time at a Starbuck's in Grand Rapids, I immediately felt connected with her and realized we had made such a great choice (and she's budget-friendly!). Now if only the rain would stay away for our pictures!


{Photo by Shutter Sam}

Two Penny Productions, Videography
Ok, as soon as you click on their website, you're going to spend hours watching all of their ridiculous videos. So just wait until you're done reading this post or else you'll never come back! I cannot tell you how excited I am for this vendor. First of all, the fact that we're lucky enough to have a videographer... I am thankful every single day. But the fact that we got THIS VIDEOGRAPHER? I'm just going to say it- go ahead and be jealous :)

Shabby Chic Cakes & More
When I met Dena of Shabby Chic, she made us a huge bag-full of cupcake samples to taste. I'm talking 12 cupcakes. Who does that?! We scarfed those cupcakes down in about 5 minutes flat. I'm not going to go into our flavor choices or any of that, but I will tell you that I'm totally craving her cupcakes as I write this. Oh, and she gives you a free Anniversary Cake with your order- somehow I don't think that cake will be making it anywhere near our first anniversary :)



Andylous Flowers
I've always been a little hesitant when it comes to ordering flowers for my wedding day- I had grand dreams of assembling all of our centerpieces ourselves and saving a ton of money. And then I found Julie at Andylous. She is wonderful! Budget-friendly, creative, smart, and- she listens. She understood exactly what I wanted and came up with some crazy cool ideas. I cannot WAIT to see all of the flowers are our reception!



Studio 6.23
I want to give a special shoutout to Mindy and Ben of Studio 6.23 for our AMAZING engagement photos. We wanted to capture Boston and how our relationship grew in such an amazing city, and they did exactly that. I am so thankful that they traveled out East and took the time to drive up to Beantown to do this for us and I am so thankful that we will have these pictures to cherish forever!


{Photo by Studio 6.23}

Lila Designs
Ok, shameless plug :) I had to add this one in there. As you know, I started doing custom stationery work this past Fall and of course, am designing all of my own wedding stationery :) I just had to add Lila to the list! :)


{postcard photo by Studio 6.23}

So there you have it- these are our main vendors. Like I said before, we talked to so many awesome vendors when making our decisions, but chose who we did based on our budget and what fit in with our personalities and criteria. I can't wait to see how our wedding comes together with all of their contributions and help!

All I Want For Christmas...

...is the new at-home Quickutz Letterpress Machine. Thanks, Mom :)



{Image from Paper Source}

Petal and Forrest: Guardians of Good Taste

What do you get when you take four talented ladies, a passion for event design, and gorgeous flowers? You get Petal and Forrest! I've spent the morning drooling over their beautiful flower designs are and I had to share! A big thank you to Dawn Hall for taking the time to answer these questions and share these fabulous photos with us!



What is your current favorite wedding trend?
Mixing organic elements with traditional elegant elements. For example, one couple has a long family history with the grain & farming business. So we designed an "Agri-Chic" wedding. Pairing wheat stalks with rich satin fabrics in copper & gold shades. Another example included in pictures from Magdalena & Martin's wedding--pairing moss & grape vine with elegant vintage glass & romantic blooms. Love the contrast! We also love all of the great details that are returning. From vintage lace, to pearls, to crystals. We love it! You only get to be Cinderella once and you need a little bling!



What unique services do you offer?
We truly try to capture the vision of our brides' big day. We spend time talking with each bride about their personal style & taste. How they want the day to feel and look. We then design a wedding and/or reception that will hopefully capture that. We are more than just flowers--our quotes often include linens, lighting, music, & additional decor---we sometimes even help choose the tux and bridal attendant dress colors. We work with and suggest other vendors that will help pull the entire day together.



What other Michigan vendors do you love working with?
A Piece 0' Cake, Jessica Cornman Photography, Kate Elliott Photography, Paisley Quill, The University Club, The Lansing Country Club, Eagle Eye Golf & Banquet Center, The English Inn



Can you share some great decor cost-cutting tips for those couple's that might not have a large budget?
Choose the same color/variety of flower and repeat thru-out the ceremony & reception. Buying in bulk saves money. Or, create one or two dramatic focal points. You can then play down the other areas. Finally, choose a reception site that includes linens & chair covers in their packages.



What is your favorite part about living in Michigan?
I love the change in seasons!

{Photos by Kate Elliot Photography}

Support Adopt More!

The FABULOUS Ksenija Savic of Ksenija Savic Photography in Birmingham, has a heart of gold. Seriously- she's an amazing photographer and takes time to support an amazing charity, Adopt More. Recently, Ksenija took a two-week adventure overseas to Italy (jealous!), where she captured some truly inspiring images. Check some of them out here!

On Friday, November 13th, she'll be exhibiting her photos from Italy at an art show to benefit Adopt More. If you're in the Royal Oak area, I suggest buying a ticket and heading over to Vintner's Cellar for this great cause!

Happy Halloween!

One day I am totally dressing as The Corpse Bride!


Have a fun and safe Halloween from Wed Michigan!!!

Can We say "Proposal of the Year?!"

I was inspired by this post from one of my favorite yummy baking blogs, Bakerella. Sometimes, I spend my mornings drooling over her cake pops, cupcakes, and amazing creations!

But a particular post caught my attention- an actual wedding proposal on the site! How cool would it be to be reading one of your favorite blogs, only to realize that the post was actually about YOU and you were getting engaged?!

Maybe someday, Wed Michigan can assist some special and creative guy in his proposal, but I might need to learn how to bake some delicious desserts first:)

Go here for the full proposal!

And PS. I'm SO making cake pops as a thank you gift for the hostesses of my bridal showers... you've been warned :)