30 of My Favorite Things

To celebrate my 30th birthday, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In no particular order... #30 LAST BUT NOT LEAST... THE FACT THAT YOU ARE MARRIED. I feel so honored to be a part of such a special day. It is the first day of your marriage, not just a wedding. Through Facebook, I have been lucky enough to keep up with quite a few of my past clients. I will get to watch these special people celebrate their anniversaries, welcome their first child, and all of lifes special moments. Having a small part in creating the first day of their lives together is amazing to me. Whether I tied a sash on a chair cover, hand tied the bride’s bouquet, pined on the groom’s boutonniere, or confirmed all of the vendors arrival time; I am truly blessed to do what I love. Thank you!

30 of My Favorite Things

To celebrate my 30th birthday, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In no particular order... #29 A SWEETS TABLE. Every time a bride and groom offer a sweet table and chocolate fountain, guests go crazy. It's a sweet treat to a great night :)

30 of My Favorite Things

I'm a little short of making my June 30th deadline but here we go... lets wrap this up. To celebrate my 30th birthday, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In no particular order... #28 CANDLES. Is there anything more romantic than candles? I always say to invest in candles.

30 of My Favorite Things

To celebrate my 30th birthday, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In no particular order... #27 WHEN A COUPLE SEE THE RECEPTION FOR THE FIRST TIME. So much work goes into creating the vision of our client. I think it's great when all the vendors work together to create the look. One picture that comes to mind when I think of this is the picture that Crystal Gardens in Howell uses, taken by Craig David Butler. The brides reaction is amazing.

30 of My Favorite Things

To celebrate my 30th birthday, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In no particular order... #26 CUPCAKES. Here is a picture from a wedding we did on Memorial Day weekend for Lisa and Frank. The little flags in the cupcakes were used tell which flavor each cupcake was. Lisa... did a fab job making the flags and the chart to go with them. The picture is courtesy of Toole Art Photography.

30 of My Favorite Things

UH-OH... I have 30 minutes to post my last 6 favorite things about weddings. To celebrate my 30th birthday, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In no particular order... #25 CREATIVE TABLE NAMES. Instead of having the tables numbered, try naming them. You can name them after cities that mean a lot to you and you have been to together, the word "LOVE" in different languages, classic movies, favorite love songs through out your relationship, favorite quote, verse or words from the vows you'll take, favorite flowers, islands you'll visit if you are taking a tropical honeymoon, etc.

30 of My Favorite Things

To celebrate my 30th birthday, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In no particular order... #24 WEDDING TRADITIONS. Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, a Sixpense in your shoe, a Grooms Cake. As I mentioned before, weddings are getting further away from a lot of wedding traditions but I think it's nice to incorporate a few here and there.

30 of My Favorite Things

To celebrate my 30th birthday, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In no particular order... #23 The Family Style meal. There are a lot of options when it comes to choosing your menu, buffet, plated, family style, just to name a few. My favorite is the Family Style Meal. It typically offers your guests two meats as well as all of the sides. I think there is something about buffet style that is a bit of a turn off to me. When we are at a wedding, if the bride and groom are offering a buffet to their guests, we will serve the wedding couple. NO BRIDE SHOULD HAVE TO SERVE HERSELF IN A BUFFET LINE IN HER WEDDING GOWN. Buffet was once thought to be a money saver but that is actually not always the case. Most venues have to purchase more food to make sure the buffet stays full. With plated it can be so time consuming to indicate which guests requested the chicken, or beef, or vegetarian, or vegan, or have a gluten allergy... etc. You get the point.

30 of My Favorite Things

To celebrate my 30th birthday, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In no particular order... #22. A LOUNGE AREA. It's natural for guests to get up and mingle, it's nice to offer them somewhere else to stand and catch up other than in line at the bar or "stealing" another guests seat. A lounge area can be as simple as a cluster of high tops with and small low tables with seating or you can go as elaborate as a full space sectioned off with drapery, couches, tables, and of course candles.
I found this picture on Special Events Rental's website and LOVE IT!

http://www.specialeventsrental.com/

30 of My Favorite Things

To celebrate my 30th birthday, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In no particular order... #21 SKIPPING ESCORT CARDS AND PLACE CARDS AND USING A SEATING CHART. Save yourself the time and energy. You can create a design on Microsoft word, publisher, or an Adobe program if you are super computer savvy and have it printed at Kinkos for around $30 or $40.

30 of My Favorite Things

To celebrate my 30th birthday, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In no particular order... #20 A SIGNATURE DRINK. It's a super cute way to add another personal touch to your day. I love this idea I found online. The bride had a back story to why she chose the signature drink she offered at her wedding.

The note says "We are pleased to offer a signature cocktail based on a family wedding punch recipe. Miss. Knit's Grandma served this punch at both of her daughters weddings. In honor of Grandma Knit, who can't be here to celebrate with us. Please enjoy a glass. Wedded Bliss is a modern marital interpretation of the family wedding punch"
HOW SWEET!!!

30 of My Favorite Things

#19 A GOOD BEST MAN OR M.O.H. SPEECH... I have heard a lot of speeches, good, bad, wonderful, and awful! The key points to a good speech are the following... make it short and sweet, make it about the couple, not about your relationship with them, never include embarrassing stories or worse, stories that are only funny to 5 other people in the room. Follow these simple steps for a great wedding toast.

30 of My Favorite Things

Lots of catching up to do... To celebrate my 30th birthday, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In no particular order... #18 THE LATE NIGHT SNACK. It's a nice little surprise for your guests and if you time it right with last call, can help them sober up before the ride home. The Inn at St. John's has a wonderful midnight snack/ afterglow menu. http://www.stjohnsgolfconference.com/weddings.html

30 of My Favorite Things

To celebrate my 30th birthday, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In no particular order... #17 The Anniversary Dance. I am not one for cheesy traditions for weddings... NO DOLLAR DANCES PLEASE!!!!!!! I am a fan of the Anniversary Dance (but not to Kenny Rogers "Through The Years", that's cheesy) What you do is have all of the married couples out on the dance floor and then the band or dj counts down the years starting with couples married 5 years or less. Those couples have to leave the dance floor. Then couples married 10 years or less have to leave the dance floor, etc. At the end of the dance will be the couple married the longest and (if they're willing) will offer some wedding advice to you and your new spouse. Very sweet! It's also a great way to incorporate another one of your favorite songs.

30 of My Favorite Things

To celebrate my 30th birthday, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In no particular order... #16 VIDEOGRAPHY. Photo albums are great, they require no work once they are done. You can set them on your coffee table and look back at the pictures any time you want to take a walk down memory lane. A lot of couples say "we'll never sit down and watch our wedding dvd". That statement might be true but live video catches moments in your wedding day in a way that nothing else can. I saw a wedding trailer once where the father saw his daughter in her dress for the first time. He was fighting back the tears, as he went in for a hug, you couldn't see his face anymore, as the camera moved around to see her father, you could see that he lost his battle to hold back his tears and they were streaming down his face. He was beaming with pride. My hubby said it best when he said "just because you have a subscription to Sports Illustrated, you wouldn't cancel ESPN"
Some of my Favs...
http://www.coastline-studios.com/
http://www.videomagicpro.net/wedding.html
http://www.epicmotion.com/

30 of My Favorite Things

To celebrate my 30th birthday, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In no particular order... #15 STATIONARY. From your wedding invitations to the menus at each place setting, stationary is a fun way to add some amazing detail to your wedding. I think fun little touches help to tie everything together.

30 of My Favorite Things

To celebrate my 30th birthday, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In no particular order... LUCKY #14 LIGHTING!!!!!!!!! Ask your photographer and videographer what they think of special event lighting and they will tell you that you HAVE to have it. Special lighting adds s...o much depth and richness to your event and your photos will look amazing!!!!! Check out our preferred lighting vendor The Lighting Guy.
http://www.thelightingguy.net/

30 of My Favorite Things

To celebrate my 30th birthday, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In no particular order... LUCKY #13. Skipping the favors for a donation to a charity. In the most recent Knot Michigan Magazine it highlighted a couple that donated to the Michigan Humane Society and they even had pictures of a few animals that were helped by the donation.

30 of My Favorite Things

To celebrate my 30th birthday, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In no particular order... #12 A BARN WEDDING... There are so many possibilities with a barn wedding. You can go casual, laid back, bbq and serve sweet tea from mason jar or you can go with a vintage chic loo......k, chandeliers, lace, parasols, long rows of banquet tables with amazing centerpieces running down the center. The sky is the limit with a barn wedding. ♥ ♥ ♥

http://www.mistyfarmevents.com/

http://cobblestonefarm.org/index.php

and of course the ever popular Blue Dress Barn on the other side of the state. There are plenty of other barns to choose from too, but these are a few of my favs!
http://www.bluedressbarn.com/index.html

30 of My Favorite Things

To celebrate my 30th birthday, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In no particular order... #11 THINKING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this new concept. It is an amazing way to capture your wedding from up to 3 days before to the day after. This is a new company that is launching and they are a preferred vendor of All Things Creative. I will keep you posted on the full launch date (expected for August or September) Also stay tuned for the first "Wedit" wedding trailer.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Wedit/119756401373391

30 of My Favorite Things

To celebrate my 30th birthday, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In no particular order... #10 LINENS!!!!!!!!! or as I like to call it the cherry on top! I have finally converted my hubby. His favorite thing to say to me was "Bue, people know they are sitting on chairs, y...ou don't need to cover them" It isn't about "hiding" the chairs, it's about giving your facility the final touches. It makes your photos look soooo much better and adds to the oohs and ahhhs when your guests walk into your reception site.

30 of My Favorite Things

To celebrate my 30th birthday, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In no particular order... #9 PHOTGRAPHY!!!!!!!!! I LOVE A GOOD WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER! Some of my favs include... Melissa Patterson Gallery, Dana from Dana's Creative Photography, Tamara from Silver Thumb, and... the hubby/wifey team from Toole Art and Jean Smith (just to name a few) Enjoy these pics from Jean Smith and a wedding we did almost a year ago.
http://www.jeansmithphotography.com/blog/?s=jessica+and+Joe

30 of My Favorite Things

To celebrate my 30th birthday, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In no particular order... #8 "The story of us" It's nice to have some sort of story of the two of you as a couple, especially if you have friends and family that are out of town or aren't familiar with your story. Something other than just a traditional slide show of pictures. We are proud to offer a "Story of Us" service for our couples to share at their wedding. This can play during the dinner portion of your reception, after dinner leading into your first dance, or playing as your guests walk into the reception facility. The story would include pictures, music, and an interview of the two of you telling your story as a couple through your eyes. I found this clip on the internet about a couple that discovered they crossed paths at Disney World as children before they ever met. Funny enough, my husband and I recently discovered that he took one of my classmates to our homecoming dance (we went to different schools) I wonder if we saw each other that night.

30 of My Favorite Things

I have some catching up to do...To celebrate my 30th birthday, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In no particular order... #7 SHUTTERBOOTH!!!! I have never been to a wedding with a photobooth that didn't have a line. There is no way your guests will leave your wedding without a smile on their face, a photo strip in their hand, and a memory of a great evening that you provided them. The best part is that Shutterbooth can serve as you favor too.

http://shutterbooth.com/

30 of My Favorite Things

To celebrate my looming 30th birthday tomorrow, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In no particular order... #6 CUTE SHOES. It's a lot of fun to see a bright pair of peep toes under the brides dress. Wear a pair of blue shoes for your something blue. :)

30 of My Favorite Things

I have some catching up to do... To celebrate my 30th birthday, I am sharing "My 30 Favorite Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In not particular order... #5Ceremony Music. I think my favorite is a string quartet or trio, especially when they can play a song like "All You Need is Love" by the Beetles. It's a nice spin on a classic wedding tradition to have them play Coldplay, Josh Radin, or David Gray. The music is B.E.A.utiful!

30 of my Favorite Things

To celebrate my looming 30th birthday tomorrow, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In no particular order... #4 THE FIRST DANCE
I think music is amazing. It's also pretty cool that there can be a song to sum up your relationship or that marks a certain point in your relationship together. My husband and I have quite a few songs which I am happy to share a couple here with you. I feel honored every time I watch a couple take the dance floor for their first dance. It is such a special moment and I can't believe I am so lucky to be there to witness it. These are some of my favorite songs. ENJOY!!!!

30 of my Favorite Things

To celebrate my looming 30th birthday this Saturday, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In no particular order... #3. WORKING WITH MY PREFERRED VENDORS. There is nothing like the feeling I get when I meet with a bride for day of coordination and she says these amazing six words... "I am working with Mike Staff" It's like the clouds part and the angels sing! There is nothing like working a wedding with a Mike Staff productions DJ. I KNOW the evening is going to be amazing. The Mike Staff DJ's are so professional and they know what they are doing. I had the pleasure (fyi... bold italics is serving as a "sarcastic" font for this post) of working with a limo company this past Sunday for a wedding. They were NOT a preferred vendor and they did an AWFUL job. They sent a bus with no a/c and the temperature was pushing 93 on Belle Isle. The maid of honor got so hot she almost passed out. Once the ceremony began, the bus died. The driver assured me they would have another one within 30 minutes. TWO HOURS after the ceremony ended, the new bus arrived. The bride and groom missed their cocktail hour.
Prior to the wedding day, the limo company originally told me they would provide a shuttle at a discounted rate to take guests to the hotel after the reception. Once the bride and groom agreed and I called to book this service , the discount was no longer available, we passed. Due to the complications with the bus breaking down, they did provide the shuttle to try and compensate the bride and groom. I made sure to call this company this week to express my extreme disappointment and have not had my phone call returned yet. I was also greeted on the phone by a very rude receptionist.
THE REASON FOR THIS RANT...THERE IS A REASON I RECOMMEND THE VENDORS I RECOMMEND.
We have a quote we say at All Things Creative "Price is what you pay, value is what you get" I KNOW there are vendors out there that charge less than some of my preferred vendors. Peace of mind is priceless! Knowing that your day is in professional capable hands is the best gift I can give you.
My poor bride sent me a text message from the hot bus on her way to the reception site that said "I wish I would have listened to you" I felt AWFUL! I wish I could have changed it for her. If you would like to know the name of the company, feel free to call.... Here is a clue... "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit"

30 of My Favorite Things

To celebrate my looming 30th birthday this Saturday, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June. In no particular order... #2 THE WEDDING PARTY. I LOVE to see old friends reunite and get together for such a special occasion. It is a rare occasion that the groomsmen don't have me laughing every few minutes. I like hearing all of the old stories about how everyone met. There is always one bridesmaid that would do ANYTHING for her friend, the bride on the day of the wedding. I enjoy doing it for her so she can actually relax and enjoy the day with her best friend. Friends and family are an important part of such a special occasion so make sure to spend it with the ones you love!

30 of my Favorite Things!!!

To celebrate my looming 30th birthday this Saturday, I am sharing "My Favorite 30 Things" (for weddings of course) everyday this June.
#1 is FLOWERS, FLOWERS, FLOWERS!!! They are so romantic and you can do anything with them! The help to set the tone for your special day.

Happy Planning,
Rachel