So Much To Be Thankful For....

Merry Christmas Eve Eve Everyone!

I was sitting here tonight thinking about the past year and everything I have to be thankful for.  I have a wonderful, caring, supportive husband and have been extremely blessed with two beautiful daughters.  My family is extremely supportive and I wouldn't have gotten through 2012 without them!  My husband has good work, there's food on our table and I'm so fortunate to have a successful business in Beautiful Day Planning!  In fact, 2012 was the best year BDP has had yet!

Clients -
Twelve 2012 Weddings Completed - our highest year yet! (and that was with 2 months off when my daughter was born!!)
Eight 2013 / 2014 Clients Signed - the highest I've had starting out a new year!
Four 2013 Out of State Clients!  Word about BDP is getting out of Michigan!

Awards -
Wedding Wire Rated for the third year in a row!
2012 Wedding Wire Bride's Choice Award
2012 WINNER, Best Wedding Planner in Metro-Detroit; Click on Detroit 4 The Best
2012 WINNER, Best Wedding Planner in Detroit, Detroit A-List

Thank you to my family & friends for your continued love and support, this wouldn't be possible without you!  Thank you to my clients - past and present - for allowing me the great honor of being involved in such an important event in your lives.  And thank you to my outstanding preferred vendors (and all the new ones I've met) - you all help make this job even more enjoyable!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful Holiday Season!
Here's to Life. Love. Laughter. Happily Ever After.

Merry Christmas & God Bless
Jennie :)


** Stay tuned in January for an exciting announcement regarding the future of BDP.  Let's just say that I've hit a great problem... I have too much work to do alone....  **

Winter Wonderland

This past Saturday I had the honor of acting as the day-of coordinator for Daniela & Steve's wedding.  I originally met Daniela when she was a bridesmaid in Michelle & John's wedding this past October and was SO excited when she asked me to help make her day special!

The ceremony was held at the stunning Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church in Detroit.  The church happens to be the oldest in Michigan and is amazing with it's high vaulted ceilings and numerous paintings of various Saints.  The ceremony was touching and special, highlighting the fact that the couple has been together since High School!

However, as beautiful as the church was, nothing could come close or surpass the amazing elegance of the bride's dress!  The stunning creation featured more layers and more tulle than I think I've ever encountered in my life.  Daniela looked amazing and easily lived up to the beauty of the dress!



The Reception was held at one of my favorite venues - Penna's of Sterling.  With all of the Christmas decorations up, the normally very classy looking hall was truly a sight to behold.  The staff did an amazing job as always and I can't thank them enough for all of their hard work and support!

 Upon entering the hall, guests were amazed to see a beautiful display of jewel-tones that was highlighted by an amazing setup for the head & sweetheart tables.  The amazing linens, drapery, and centerpieces were provided by the ever talented Ralph Bellisario of Bellisario Florist.

 I was also thrilled to see another amazing creation by the very talented Laura Amadeo, sugar artist.  Laura did the cake for Jenna & Tony's wedding this summer and came up with another astounding creation for Daniela & Steve.  The cake featured 8 tiers and was highlighted with edible lace and sugar flowers that matched those in the centerpieces.

As if the cake wasn't enough, the couple had also arranged to have Penna's amazing sweets table.  However, rather than just having the table setup in another area of the hall, they chose to have it setup in an entirely different room!  This room was hidden from guests view until after the formal dances, when there was a grand reveal by the Penna's staff.  The room was done in all blues, with snowflake lights dancing on all of the walls.

In addition to choosing amazing venues and florist, Daniela and Steve had some other great vendors working on their Big Day.  I was excited to get the chance to again work with the talented Kari Dawson of Kari Dawson Photography and her assistant, Rick.  They were also at Michelle & John's wedding and were great photographers to work with.

I was also excited to be able to spend some time with and to hear one of my favorite college bands, the Mega 80's.  Any of my fellow Spartans will be familiar with the band, and anyone that doesn't know them should check them out!  They are EXTREMELY talented and really get a party going!  Nothing like some authentic 80's music!!

I want to wish Daniela & Steve all the best as they begin their life together.  The wedding was stunning and you are an amazing couple.  I have no doubt you'll have years of happiness together and I hope you enjoy your first married Christmas in just a few days! :)

Congratulations!


Thank you, as always, to these amazing vendors :
Bellisario Florist 
Penna's of Sterling
Saints Peter & Paul, Detroit
Laura Amadeo, Sugar Artist
Kari Dawson Photography
Two Penny Productions, Videography
Mega 80's, Band

Babies!!

I always get pretty attached to my couples.  I'm sure you can understand why - getting married is a very touching, intimate event and whether I'm there for all of the planning or just the day of, I am always thrilled that I get to be a part of it!

So it should come as no surprise that I get equally excited to hear their next piece of big news... BABIES! :)

I had to take a minute to write a short blog post just to offer "official" congratulations to two former clients - Jenna & Tony and Dave & Emily ; both expecting their first children next year.  I am SO excited for all of you and, being a mom to 2 myself, I can fully appreciate just what an exciting time this is for you!

I also want to wish a very Merry FIRST Christmas to Anna and a Merry SECOND Christmas (just barely, he just made Christmas last year!) to Luca!  I hope Jessica & Sal and Laura & Omar enjoy the special day with their little ones!

The coolest things....part 1.

One of the best parts of my job is when I see something at a wedding I’ve never seen before.  One of the worst parts is that it’s usually followed by the thought “I wish I would have thought of that for my wedding!”.  In fact, I recently started to say that (although my wedding was beautiful and the day of my dreams!), there are only three things I would keep about my own Beautiful Day:

1. The Date - February 5th
2. The Dress - White Satin, Princess A-Line with Black Embroidered Details
3. The Groom - I kind of like him..... :) 

Other than that, I’d go back to the drawing board!

While looking at some recent client pictures, I realized that I had a great idea for a blog post.  Because let’s face it, I can’t do these things myself and I’ve got a while until my daughter’s weddings (they’re both under 3 years old)!  BUT I’ve got YOU!  So here it is, just a few of the “cool” things I’ve seen done at weddings, just some of the “cool” things I suggest you take a good hard look at while planning your own big day.  And remember that more traditions are going out the window lately so don’t tie yourself down to what “should” be done!

Here are just a few photos of some cool ideas... I plan on writing a follow-up to this blog with more ideas in the coming weeks (I need some more photos to come in!)

Brighten it UP!

You don't have to use dull or darker colors for Fall and Winter months.  These bouquets are from an October 2012 Wedding and looked AMAZING going down the aisle! 

Flowers - Twigs & Branches Floral

Add some color to your life!

Remember you can have your pure-white wedding dress but still add in a POP of color using your shoes or, in this case, by dying your slip!

Photo - JLB Wedding

Flowers - Twigs & Branches Floral

Embrace the cooollldddd

Being a winter bride myself, I can truly appreciate a good snowy, winter wedding.  Let's face it, you can't get much more romantic!

Photo - Clicking Through Life

Buck Tradition

Ceremony and Reception timing too tight for photos?  Buck tradition and see your groom BEFORE the ceremony!

This affords you the rare opportunity for a "First Look" that doesn't include 100+ of your closest family and friends (usually just you, your groom and your photographer and / or videographer).  Trust me, it's a much more intimate way to see eachother for the first time!

Photo - JLB Wedding

Get Square

Forget the traditional look of round table after round table and go for the more "family style" afforded by long, rectangular tables.

Want even more of a pop?  Mix squares, rectangles and rounds to give your reception a cool look!

Photo - Weddings by Adrienne & Amber

Move away from the head of the class!

You don't HAVE to have your head table front and center in the room!  This photo features a "captains table" head table that is placed in the middle of the room rather than at the head.  It lets the couple truly be surrounded by their friends and family on their Big Day!

Photo - JS Photography

Pattern it!

You don't have to have simple, A-Line solid colored bridesmaid dresses!! Choose a lively, bold pattern for the girls and pair it up with a cool photo-op location and you've got yourself some stunning photos!

Photo - JLB Wedding

Twigs & Branches Floral

JLB Wedding

Clicking Through Life

Weddings by Adrienne & Amber

JS Photography

A Springtime Affair

As Becca & Chris come up to their five-month wedding anniversary, I am finally getting around to writing up the post for their truly amazing and jaw-dropping event!  (Forgive the delay but I’ve been slightly busy with an adorable newborn that requires a good deal of my time!)

When I was called in January to help plan the April 14^th wedding, I knew we would have our work cut out for us.  Afterall, it isn’t easy planning a wedding for 200-300 people with just three month’s notice.  However, I was THRILLED to take on the challenge and to be able to work with these repeat clients for the third time!

We got right to work and started detailing their event.  After choosing bridesmaid’s dresses, the bride was inspired by a beautiful icon….the peacock feather.  Our theme was born out of the simple object and what an amazing theme it turned out to be!  You couldn’t ask for more vibrant, lively and complimentary colors for a Spring wedding!

Soon the venue was chosen – The historic and stunning Masonic Temple Detroit.  After that, we chose the vendors.  We worked with some amazing vendors throughout this wedding process but one stood out among the others…my favorite florist – Kevin Miller with Twigs & Branches Floral.

 Anyone that has ever met with me knows that Kevin is a staple to my business.  He is the most creative florist I’ve ever worked with and can truly create amazing things out of nothing (or out of weeds, right Kevin?!).  Because of this, I was thrilled when Becca & Chris chose to use him for their big day…and I don’t think they were at all disappointed with what he delivered!

The ceremony was held in the Blue Room at the Masonic and featured an all-ivory floral motif that included a custom monogram made of petals and lots and lots of candles.  Live music played by the Bride’s brother and his band-mate gave the ceremony a personal and romantic touch.

Following the ceremony, the party moved to the main lobby for cocktails.  There they were greeted by appetizers and a custom champagne punch.  The florals were again ivory but dark navy linens were introduced to start bringing in our peacock theme.     

The peacock theme was brought to full attention once the guests walked into the Crystal Ballroom for the reception.  Silver Chiavari chairs surrounded round and rectangular tables covered in peacock purple  linens.  At each place setting was a beautiful charger with a navy blue napkin complete with a single peacock feather.

The most beautiful part of the reception were the absolutely stunning floral arrangements created by Kevin.    His vision for the head table was amazing – a long family style table complete with floral hedge to divide the table in half.  The rest of the tables were stunning with high silver candelabras that Kevin surrounded with floral arrangements, giving them a very romantic feel.

Guests had a great time and partied the night away with awesome music from Elite Entertainment, as well as their Photo-booth!  There was also a signature cocktail (a Cherry Coke) and an Espresso Cart from Java Java. 

I was so thrilled to be asked to help with Becca’s big day.  The Kuchenmeister's are some of my favorite clients and I love every chance I get to work with them!  And they were great with me – and helped me with my own countdown to the wedding day… “make it through April 14^th without going into labor”!  And I did…. Barely.   The contractions started 10 minutes after I left the wedding… but stopped after about four hours.  My daughter ended up being polite and waited 5 more days to make her appearance.

Vendors 

The Masonic Temple, Detroit

Twigs & Branches Floral
JS Photography
Elite Entertainment, DJ & Photo booth
Java Java Espresso Cart
South Lyon Village Bakery

We're "4 THE BEST"!!

I was trying to wait until I had the official badge / widget for the contest but I just can't hold in my excitement any longer!

Last week I was THRILLED to find out that Beautiful Day Planning, LLC has won the 2012 Click on Detroit 4 The Best Competition!!!

That's right - we have been named THE BEST WEDDING PLANNER IN METRO DETROIT!

I can't thank everyone enough for all of their support throughout the year and especially throughout this competition.  I have the very best friends, family and clients in the world and I am SO happy to be able to share this journey with all of you!

So heres to Life. Love. Laughter... AND BEING NAMED THE BEST WEDDING PLANNER!!


Current Awards:
2012 Best Wedding Planner, Click on Detroit 4 The Best
2012 Best Wedding Planner, Detroit A-List
2012 Wedding Wire Bride's Choice Award
2012 Wedding Wire Rated

Labor Day Love

There's a reason I do what I do for a living...simply because I love my job.  I love making dreams come true and adore watching the touching union of two people in love.  However, there are some weddings that naturally touch me more deeply than others.  This Sunday was one of those weddings.

Kirsten originally contacted me early in 2011 and inquired about having me help to plan her September 2012 wedding to her love, Brendan.  The couple, both employed at The Golf Channel, live in Orlando Florida but wanted to share their nuptials near the bride's hometown of Clinton Township.  From the first conversation I had with Kirsten, I could tell she was a fun-loving individual with a fantastic outlook on life and I was instantly drawn to her.

One of my favorite couples, Kirsten & Brendan

Throughout the planning process I was blown away to see just how in love Kirsten and Brendan were. And their 8 year relationship hasn't been without it's challenges, including Brendan (a cancer survivor himself), standing by Kirsten's side as she fought, and beat, her own cancer.  These two people have come through their struggles a stronger couple and as a couple that just truly loves living life.  Their attitudes are infectious and I found every conversation, every meeting and every email a joy to partake in.

Given all of this, and the year plus that we spent planning the wedding, it is no surprise that I woke up on Sunday morning feeling that "Christmas Morning" like excitement!

The wedding was held at the beautiful Cherry Creek Golf Club in Shelby Township and attended by SO many of my favorite vendors!  The attendants were the Groom's brother and five of the Bride's nieces.  The wedding was held early in the day - an 11am ceremony followed by a 12-4pm reception, in order to accommodate the 11 nieces and nephews of the Bride and Groom.  Complete with candy table and cake-pop centerpieces, the wedding was as "sweet" as it was touching.

One of my favorite highlights of the day was the "First Look".  Because of the timeline, the couple decided to take pictures together before the ceremony.  This gave them the opportunity for the "first look" - a private moment where the couple would get to see each other for the first time without all of the guests watching (just me... a photographer...and the videographer of course!). And even though I was a good distance back, and looking at both of their backs the whole time, it still brought tears to my eyes.

The "First Look"

I must stop here to point something out.... I am posting pictures....from the wedding.... on Sunday...and it's Tuesday... that is because the couple chose to use one of my favorite photographers - the EXTREMELY talented Jeffrey Lewis Bennett of JLB Wedding.  Jeffrey is wonderful to work with, SO talented and gets his sneak peeks out the day or two after the wedding!!  How nice for not only the couples but us wedding planners that like to Blog about weddings as soon as they're done! :)

I must also recognize some other amazing vendors -
If you know me... you know just how I feel about Kevin Miller of Twigs And Branches Floral.  He's an inspiration, a genius and does an AMAZING job with all of my clients!  Thank you, as always Kevin!
A wedding is nothing without it's sweets!  Thanks to Kathy from KJ Confections for providing the amazing cake-pops.  The guests and the couple were blown away by how tasty they were!
Zara Creative for agreeing to provide the couple raw-footage only (they both do production for a living...they didn't need a videographer to edit their footage - just someone to capture it).  Jason was great to work with and I can't wait to see what he got!
A new vendor to me - Jamie with Night & Day Productions who kept the ceremony running and the reception party going!

The slip was modified by the Bride's mother and the flowers were provided by Kevin Miller

I want to thank this couple for giving me the privilege of being involved in their Big Day.  I will miss speaking to both of you about the "details" but look forward to continuing the friendship we have begun.  You are both amazing people and you make everyone around you believe in love.  I wish you both all of the best and know that you'll be by each other's sides for the rest of your lives.  Here's to Life, Love, Laughter and your well deserved Happily Ever After!