Stella Event Design::Michigan Wedding & Event Planner

real wedding sneak peek::a modern wedding on the lake shore

Jessica Pennington — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 13:00:12 +0000

When bride Abby contacted me and said she wanted us to help her design her tented wedding in Holland, I was thrilled, because meeting with her and looking at her inspiration photos, I knew this would be fun! She had a fantastic color palette of marigold and gray in mind and had already picked out her bridesmaids dresses from anthropologie, so we had some great inspiration! And no wedding is complete without the perfect floral designer, and for this wedding I knew that had to be Modern Day Floral in Grand Rapids. When it comes to unique designs, Jenn at Modern Day Floral can always deliver! With the bride planning from another state, Jenn and I sat down and plotted out our plan of attack…unique and vibrant yellow flowers, sleek white containers, lots of adorable craspedia (those fuzzy little yellow balls of goodness shown below that I’m in love with!) and gorgeous gray tuscano linens from La Tavola. Simply lovely. And of course, a huge thanks to Kara Purtell who captured it all so beautifully—you can see more photos on her blog!

press::inframe bride “inspired dining”

Jessica Pennington — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 13:00:17 +0000

When we were asked to do a tablescape photo shoot for the 2010/2011 issue of Inframe Bride magazine, it didn’t take me long to know that we wanted to design something that was not only unique, but also something that was feasible for brides to recreate at their own weddings. Our inspiration was the Blue Dress Barn, and the result was a garden-esque tablescap with a vintage flair. We mixed and matched white china, used a mixture of vintage tea tins and a variety of lush, textured blooms, and accented the table with old books and colorful vintage glass candles.
We shot the tablescape on the patio of the Blue Dress Barn, and used their cute wrought iron patio set for unique seating! On a cute vintage metal tea cart, we set up a unique “guest book” area where guests could fill out vintage postcards (tucked away in an adorable vintage jewelry box) and post their “love notes” on an antique frame. We used different patterned fabrics throughout our design, in the napkins, “love notes” board, and as tops to our homemade orange marmalade favors in tiny canning jars. We collected vintage broaches at our local antique market in St. Joseph, and tied them with thin ribbons around the napkins. We have to give a huge thanks to Crystal Springs, who provided our centerpieces, the Blue Dress Barn for letting us spend hours upon hours shooting on their beautiful patio, and Taylor Rental for use of their linens and flatware, and of course Ben Pancoast Photography for helping us bring the whole thing to life! Below are a few more of our personal favorites from the shoot!

lake shore wedding walk & dream wedding giveaway::sept. 19, 2010

Jessica Pennington — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 14:34:46 +0000

The Lake Show Wedding Walk and Dream Wedding Giveaway is fast approaching! We have 30 local vendors lined up—-from photographers to wedding planners to gelato carts and harpists, and they’re all ready to show you what they can do to make your wedding in southwest Michigan amazing! And while you’re meeting with vendors and visiting 4 fabulous venues, you can also enjoy interactive events like local wine tastings, ballroom dance classes, and runway-style fashion shows!

Brides & grooms who attend will also have the chance to win an all-expenses-paid dream wedding on September 17, 2011 at the Veranda at the Whitcomb, featuring food by CK Catering, photography by Jennifer Mayo Studios, wedding planning by Stella Event Design, custom stationery from Cloud Nine Design, videography by All Star Productions, a delicious artisan gelato cart by GelatoSmith and more! You don’t want to miss the chance to win this amazing wedding!

You can find more info on the website — use promo code “bridegroom” today (9.8.10) and you can get your bride & groom tickets free!

new for 2011::full service destination ceremony services

Jessica Pennington — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:00:08 +0000

This summer we had 2 lovely brides who contacted us to help them plan destination weddings on the beach in early July! Both of them were planning from out of state, over the course of just a few months and wanted assistance pulling together everything they needed to host a beautiful destination wedding on the beach, followed by intimate dinner receptions at local restaurants. We are beach wedding pros, so we put custom services together for them, and now we’re excited to offer those services to future brides—because we loved helping these ladies relax and enjoy their engagements while we planned their perfect destination wedding on the beach!

If you’ve considered a ceremony in the Caribbean but want to stay closer to home so you can have friends & family join you, then consider hosting your beach ceremony in Southwest Michigan, and we will make it simple and fun for you by providing everything you need for a fantastic beach ceremony—from finding the perfect beach for your ceremony, to your flowers, music, officiant, photography and more—it’s all included!

All-inclusive beach ceremonies start at $2000 and are customizable to meet your needs! You get the dress—we’ll do the rest!

real wedding sneak peek::amy+dave at shadowland ballroom

Jessica Pennington — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 00:29:23 +0000

Last weekend we coordinated 2 beautiful weddings in St. Joseph! Here is a little sneak peek from the wedding of Amy+Dave and their soft, romantic reception at Shadowland Ballroom in St. Joseph. I absolutely loved Amy’s gown, her pale and romantic flowers by Crystal Springs, the beautiful overlays and chair covers by Simply Elegant Memories, the delicious truffle boxes from the Chocolate Garden, their fun (and addicting) Mod Photo Booth…and pretty much everything else! And to top it all off, add in a super sweet bride & groom, family and a great group of vendors!

Congratulations Amy & Dave, and thank you for letting us be a part of your special (and very beautiful) day! And thanks to Jennifer Mayo Studios for a sneak peek at their very lovely photos!

Win a free engagement session from Jennifer Mayo Studios when you register to attend the Lake Shore Wedding Walk by September 3rd! We will announce the winner on September 7th and can’t wait to see you all at the Lake Shore Wedding Walk on Septmeber 19th!

real wedding sneak peek::lisa+justin

Jessica Pennington — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 14:00:01 +0000

Last Saturday, we had the pleasure of seeing another of our full-service weddings come to fruition this summer as we watched Justin+Lisa tied the knot in St. Joseph! Lisa had a beautiful and unique vision, and I was so happy with how it all turned out! Like many couples we work with, Lisa+Justin originally contemplated having a destination wedding in Mexico, but wanted to be surrounded by many of their family and friends who would not be able to travel, so opted to have their destination wedding in Southwest Michigan!

From the beautiful coral garden roses and pearlized shell napkin rings (hand crafted by the bride) to the oversized paper lanterns, elegant silver chiavari chairs and gorgeous La Tavola linens, I loved how this wedding reflected the brides Caribbean beach-chic syle.

Due to scattered showers, we moved the beach ceremony inside to the Krasl Art Center, which was stunning with a mahogany chuppah draped in white fabric and a gorgeous orchid & crystal chandelier by Beikmann Associates Floral! At the reception, Drop35 kept people dancing all night long as guests enjoyed the beautiful evening weather at the Veranda at the Whitcomb—an open-air, lake-view venue in downtown St. Joseph!

All of these gorgeous photos were captured by St. Joseph wedding photographer Ben Pancoast. We had a stellar group of vendos working on this wedding and also have to say thank you to CK Catering, ‘Lil Fox bartending, Davone Simon (cake), Pro Show lighting and All Star Productions video!

Lisa+Justin, thank you for letting us help you plan a beautiful destination wedding in SW Michigan and many wishes for years and years of happiness!

find wedding inspiration

emily — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 21:53:19 +0000

If you’re having trouble finding inspiration for the look of your big day, don’t think you have stick to the traditional two color wedding concept to tie all the elements of your wedding together. There are lots of other areas you can draw inspiration from, so don’t be afraid to get creative— after all, it is your day! Here are a few different types of unique inpspiration to get you on the right track…

Era-Inspiration

Draw inspiration for your wedding from an era, like recent couple Megan+Will. They chose a 1950’s garden party as the theme of their wedding and reception. All the details, from her dress to the table arrangements were 50’s inspired (and many pieces were vintage!) and it made for a beautiful and one of a kind event! (Photos by Ben Pancoast Photography)

Geometric-Inspiration

Use geometric shapes as the focus of your wedding, just like bride (and Stella Event Design friend) Amanda! With her polka dot dress as inspiration, she she carried her love of polka dots through all aspects of her wedding from the cake to the escort cards. There were even polka dots on the brides maid’s bouquets! (photos by Nicole Dixon)

Textile-Inspiration

Be inspired by fabric, or a pattern you love. A great example of this is from April Foster, of April Foster Events! She recently entered the Inspired Creations Contest hosted by Elizabeth Anne Designs and The Sweetest Occasion. She incorporated a blue and green fabric pattern into her design concept, from the dessert buffet to the table setting, making for one perfectly tied together display, and it’s a great example of a modern twist on the two-tone wedding! (Photos by Megan W Photgraphy)

So, when it comes time to choose your theme, don’t be afraid to step outside the box and find inspiration from an unexpected place. Incorporate your personality into your special day, and you’ll make it as unique as you are!

Posted by:: Emily (event assistant)

real wedding::caitlin+nathan tie the knot in st. joseph

Jessica Pennington — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 13:00:43 +0000

Back in March, we were contacted by BRIDES magazine to share our ideas on planning an intimate and unique wedding reception hosted at an art gallery, on a budget of $10,000. It was a lot of fun to brainstorm and design, as we’d never planned a wedding in an art gallery! Then, of all things, a few months after we turned in our ideas to the magazine (and just before the story actually came out) we were approached by a fun & funky couple, who wanted to plan an intimate wedding reception at our local Krasl Art Gallery! Enter Caitlin+Nate and their fun and fabulous wedding 4th of July weekend…

All of their lovely photos were captured by Genevieve McKeiver Photogaphy, and you can visit her blog to see many more!

real wedding::50’s inspired garden party at mill creek barns (part 2)

Jessica Pennington — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 18:00:29 +0000

Megan+ Will’s beautiful wood rings were made by a Chicago artisan, and Megan’s was set with Moissanite, a diamond alternative. After learning that Megan & Will had spent 2 years in Africa, I wasn’t surprised that they had opted for a conflict-free diamond alternative. You can also find eco-friendly conflict-free rings at greenkarat.com!

When Megan and I met for her first consultation she told me that she wanted her wedding to be more like a fun, family gathering than a traditional wedding reception. They wanted people to have time to enjoy and interact with one another, visit with them, and have a great time. So, after the ceremony, while the couple took photos around the beautiful property of Mill Creek Barns, we set out lawn games for the guests to enjoy: croquet, bocce ball, corn hole/bag toss and my favorite–super size Jenga! People enjoyed the games both before and after dinner and it was a fun way for everyone to enjoy the beautiful day! Giving guests a little extra entertainment during cocktail hour also allowed them to enjoy their photos without worrying about getting back too quickly! After a delicious meal by CK Catering, a beautiful (and yummy) cake by Cocoa Bean, guests enjoyed dancing, a colorful candy bar, and at dusk, we fired up the bonfire for guests to enjoy some s’mores! All photos were captured by photographer Ben Pancoast!

real wedding::50’s inspired garden party at mill creek barns (part 1)

Jessica Pennington — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 13:00:51 +0000

Megan+Will tied the knot on Sunday, June 27th at Mill Creek Barns. When we arrived to setup at noon we were quickly greeted by an onslaught of rain that lasted for at least an hour. But by the time the bride arrived, the groomsmen were getting dressed, and the final touches were getting put on, the skies cleared and gave way to a beautiful clear sky for their 3:00 ceremony! I love those kind of days!

Megan chose a 50’s garden party as the inspiration for her wedding design, and it was a great fit with the venue, and a fun change of pace from traditional wedding decor! The color combo of Red & Turquoise was just fabulous, and all of the little details she incorporated really tied the whole design together! When you choose to do something very stylistic for your wedding (such as an era-inspired wedding) you really have to go for it, and Megan went all out, from the clothing and flower choices to the accessories, centerpieces and fabrics, and it was stunning.

One thing that made this wedding so special was the fact that the bride and her family and friends were extremely involved in the planning, as well as the creation of many of the DIY Details. See all of the details of the DIY loveliness below!

DIY DETAILS

The Dress::Megan bought her dress on Ebay and added her personal flair with some custom alterations. As you can see, it was absolutely beautiful and very unique.

The Flowers::Megan made a stop at A New Leaf in Chicago, before heading to Michigan, and created her bridesmaids bouquets out of vintage carnations, zinnias, hypericum berries and artichoke. Her bouquet was a beautiful combo of lambs ear, peonies and hydrangea.

Centerpieces:: The beautiful paper flowers were made by the brides mom and a slew of her friends recruited to help! They were placed in vintage soda bottles, and milk glass vases that Megan had collected, and we incorporated vintage broaches, necklaces and candy dishes amongst the tables!

Escort flags:: I loved these, and of course, they were hand-crafted by the bride! Very unique, colorful, and a perfect complement to the colorful candy buffet!

I’ll be honest, I pretty much loved everything about this wedding, and when it came down to sharing photos from Ben Pancoast Photography, it was hard to choose! So look for Part 2 later today!