Sincerely Ginger weddings

Real Weddings :: Becca & John

0 · May 19, 2016 ·

August has been on my mind a lot lately. It really is a beautiful month to get married in, although it’s also a reminder that summer all too soon will be coming to an end. Becca and John got married in August. It was the most picturesque day. The heat of summer was all around with the breezes to Lake Michigan there to keep it in balance.

St. Joseph played host the celebration, with the nuptials being held at his parent’s beachside residence that ended up only being partially completed by the big day. But in the end, it didn’t matter that everything wasn’t perfect. It didn’t matter that construction schedules ran behind. What mattered was their love. It was on this same property that he had proposed to Becca one year prior, in the town where both had spent the summers of their youth, so in the end, it really was perfect.

It was a Jewish ceremony with a custom made birch chuppah. It was brought to my attention that the four open sides of a chuppah represent open doors and hospitality. Becca and John’s home will always be a place of welcome for friends and family. I love the tradition of being married under a chuppah all the more now. And theirs was extra special as it was adorned with Becca’s grandfather’s pray shall. Don’t forget to add just a little sentimental value to your wedding day.

After the ceremony, the celebration continued at The Heritage Center, where guests were wined and dined and danced the night away. A live band, a cupcake truck and a sparkler exit complete with a pedicab driven by the best man for the getaway vehicle of choice. Warm summer nights like these will live in our memories forever.

You can also see this wedding featured on Style Me Pretty here.

Featured :: Nautical Lake Michigan Wedding on Style Me Pretty

0 · Dec 11, 2015 ·

On the sand in St Joseph, Becca and John said I do. From the flowers to the ribbons to the setting, the entire day was picaresque. Lake Michigan will always hold a piece of my heart, no matter how far my travels may take me. The soft tones and nautical touches were some of my favorites from this past wedding season. The fact that the celebration remained unplugged made nature’s beautiful shine all the more. And today you can see the entire celebration featured over on Style Me Pretty.

Simply Blue Weddings

0 · Mar 2, 2015 ·

Home is where the heart is. Do you believe in that sentiment? Have you ever longed to go home – even though you’re sitting in your own house, apartment or whereever else you might currently reside?

I live in Grand Rapids. I suppose I should call it home. But my soul is wondering free somewhere near the shores of Lake Michigan and it is without doubt that I can say if one where to search for my heart, they would find it in Lake Leelanau. Every time I make the 3 hour journey north, I feel like I’m headed home. It’s for this reason that I love networking with the local wedding vendors, feel a flutter of delight every time I get an inquiry for a Leelanau destination bride or can hardly convince myself that I should charge a travel fee since in reality my clients are doing me a favor and allowing me to come home. I have access to a studio location in Lake Leelanau, I have coolers and work space and so naturally I advertise my services to the Northern Michigan bride.

A couple weeks ago I was fortunate to play a really small part in the relaunch of Simply Blue Weddings. My dear friend Rachel, of Sincerely, Ginger Weddings, is the proud new owner of the fabulous blog which caters to the “up north” bride. Her and Margaret have refreshed the space, bringing new life to the Northern Michigan resource and reminding us why we love it so much. The new blog site launched yesterday, but some us who have experience and passion for working with Northern Michigan couples got the party started a little early, and last month had a coffee and conversations date in Traverse City – which I had the honor of providing blooms for! It was so fun meeting some of the faces that I “know” through social media, of who’s work I might have been drooling over for awhile but have never truly mustered up the courage to say “Hello.”

Photography: Northern Art Photography | Event Planning: Sincerely, Ginger Weddings | Floral Design: The Day’s Design | Venue: Kirkbride Hall

The region has so much to offer, if you’re considering a Northern Michigan celebration, let’s connect! And in the meantime, go check out the brand new Simply Blue Weddings.

Fell in Love in Fishtown

0 · Jan 22, 2015 ·

Don’t you just love Northern Michigan? The Leelanau Peninsula is one of my absolute favorite places on earth. There’s something so quaint and simplistic about the area and yet it holds on to a sophisticated splendor that locals and travelers from near and far can appreciate. It’s no wonder that the beaches have received national recognition for their beauty and its bride’s love to plan their summer weddings there.

But life on the peninsula almost comes to a halt as soon as the first snowflakes begin to fall. The Fishtown shanties board up their rickety doors and the world becomes quiet. I think it’s a shame. The magic of the region doesn’t stop just because the weather turns colder. Last winter, Rachel of Sincerely, Ginger Weddings and I dared to dream about what it would be like to elope on the shores of Lake Michigan with ice and snow all around. We imaged the cool beach color palette paired against rustic touches. We loved the concept of freshwater nautical. We thought of the practical-ness of a toboggan serving as the getaway car (and a fabulous cake table!). We imaged what it might be like if the couple were to get ready together, the bride taking a moment to adjust his tie and place his handkerchief. It would be a vision all about the couple, about their romance and a place where love is enough to keep them warm.

We were also honored to have this inspiration shoot featured on Style Me Pretty earlier this month. You can see this feature here. Want to get married in Leland? No matter what the season, I’d love to help you plan it!

Featured :: Style Me Pretty Midwest

0 · Jan 12, 2015 ·

Last winter Rachel, of Sincerely Ginger Weddings, and I were inspired to create an inspiration shoot based on this scene.

We’re all so familiar with Lake Michigan’s summer views, but the winter is just a breathtaking. We thought about the soft lilac tones which subtly shift from periwinkle, to sky blue until they reach the boldness of a navy nighttime sky. Leland made the most perfect backdrop anyone could ask for and today you can see the shoot in it’s entirety on Style Me Pretty Midwest.

Enjoy!

Wedding Color Palettes

0 · Aug 7, 2014 ·

Photo by Eliza Jean Photography

There’s this old way of thinking that some brides still fall prey to when it comes to choosing wedding colors. Pick 2 colors that you like and that go together. 2 colors – that’s all you get. For everything. Flowers, linens, dresses, ties – everything!

I don’t know where this originated from the 80’s or 90’s or maybe sometime before – all I can say is it was long before I became a wedding planner and I remember thinking this rule was true when I was a little girl playing dress up. Friends, I think it’s time that we abolish this rule FOREVER!

Actually, I know this rule is on it’s way out the door, no doubt. But I still come across the occasional bride that tells me she’s having these two colors, end of story. So you’re dreaming of a blue and white wedding. That does not mean everything has to be blue and white. I will not dye flowers into an unnatural shade of blue for you. It’s just not meant to be. Consider adding some natural purple blooms, a pop of blue thistle and maybe a couple of white buds with some greenery. Create a color story. Consider not focusing exclusively on the colors themselves, but the overall feeling of the event.

And then consider you’re space. Like it or not, the room, venue, or area you decide to get married in, take pictures in, and dance the night away in will have a HUGE impact on the overall color scheme and the mood that is set with your event. That hideous burgundy carpet – you will notice it. Find a way to make it work and blend with your scheme. Sometime ignoring it will make it stand out even more. It’s like those pictures where one of these things is not like the other…

Trust your designers to make everything flow together and be open to slightly “outside of the box ideas”. They know the touches that make the biggest impact and have an excellent eye for color – or at least I like to think I do! Colors just make me happy and I want you to be happy too!

I am 29!!!!

0 · Mar 6, 2014 ·

I just had that “Holy crap, I’m 29!” realization. Now here’s the thing, I’ve been 29 now for almost 2 months but suddenly I feel like I’m 29… and next year…{gulp} I’ll be 30.

So what does this mean? I’ve been out of high school for over 10 years. I can’t even pretend that I understand “today’s teenager” or that I can even come close to competing with their technology and pop culture understandings. I sound like an old lady. And while I might try to improve upon this a touch, I’m still going to jam to my oldies radio.

On the plus side, I’m finally starting to get comfortable in my own skin. I have figured out my dream job and while I’m still tweaking it a bit, I’m on a good, solid path. I still love fashion – but fashion my way. I’m a mom. That doesn’t mean I’m going to pull out the “mom jeans” anytime soon, but it also means that I don’t feel like I need to adhere as much to the “Mean Girl” practices of high school. And I’d like everyone to like me but that’s really not realistic. So just stick to your guns and be who you are – I know I’m going to make someone mad along the way, they’ll get over it.

At age 29, I still don’t know everything. Even though when I was a teenager I thought I had most of it figured out. This morning I had to Google what an ampersand is… all I can say is thank goodness for Google, where were you when I was in school?

If only I could have told myself 10-15 years ago that all the weird, quirky and unique traits that I had would come in handy today. Maybe I wouldn’t have tried so hard to bury them and “conform”. Oh the lessons learned!

So here’s my 29 year old self, making some pretty for an event – or at least supervising while Rachel does all the work! Thanks for the laugh, Eliza Jean Photography!!

Steering Away from Negative Town

0 · Feb 3, 2014 ·

Last week was a burst of fun! I played in the snow with some gorgeous flowers and Heather Cisler (while also freezing my tushy off – there’s a fun little preview from her below). I traveled up north with my hubby and baby girl to meet my dear friend Rachel and we collaborated on a little project that makes me giddy all over! I was able to spend time with my Grandpa, meet some new vendors and have a lovely dinner with family and brunch with friends. Plus I put together even more flowers and I ate a donut with sprinkles… sound like the perfect week, right?

And then Sunday came. We had perfect weather for travel (which has not been easy to come by lately) and made a couple of stops to pick up ingredients to make a simple and yummy dinner while we watched the Super Bowl. That was the plan anyway. What actually happened is a whole other story. I opened the door to our home and immediately was greeted by the sound of dripping water. About two feet in front of me was a huge crack in my dining room ceiling which was leaking. Thankfully, it had managed to soak the rug beneath but no other furniture or flooring was damaged. Needless to say, our original plan for the night was shot.

Today I have a giant hole in our ceiling, where the wet and rotted drywall once sat. I also have 3 buckets, a ladder and a huge garbage can decorating my no longer functional dining room. And due to the odd layout of our house, this also means that our main entry is not usable either.

Oddly enough though, I woke up today in good spirits. The sun is shining and life will move on. Then I made the mistake of logging into Facebook. Negative comment, horrible status update, grumbles, complaints and other rants flooded my newsfeed. Yes it is Monday… we all may have the case of “the Mondays” however, move on! This just brings others down with you!!

Logging out. While I did not make any definite New Year’s resolutions this year, I did promise myself that I would steer away from anything that made me feel negative or poorly about myself. This might mean un-following certain people on social media, not comparing yourselves to others – either in personal or business situations, and trying oh-so hard to focus on the positive (like the fact that I’m going to have some amazing pictures to share with you really soon!)

When I feel these negative thoughts creep in I like to turn to writing. Sometimes this is where my encouraging blog posts stem from, I write them for me. Many of them also go unpublished, as at times it might be better if you didn’t know all of the crazy details running through my head. And then I play with flowers. Because who can be sad while playing with something so pretty?

There will be storms to survive. There will be mountains to climb. There will be battles to fight. We’re only in month two of 2014 and these worlds could not be truer. It can only get better from here – I say with lots of hope and anticipation for the future!

Happy Monday!!

Sincerely Ginger weddings

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