Green Wedding Shoes Wedding Blog | Wedding Trends for Stylish + Creative Brides

Today’s wedding reminds me of a perfect summer day in Michigan and that is exactly how Michelle + Dave pictured their wedding. From Michelle, “We work hard and spend our free time with family + friends on the lake in the summers. We picked a venue near our favorite Michigan summer vacation spot with many lakes, wineries, and microbreweries. We wanted a venue on the water and the idea of a barn reception appealed to our rustic + relaxed taste. Also, my father likes to use old barns as his subjects in his watercolor paintings and I grew up admiring his colorful Michigan barns which are really hard to find these days. We served our favorite summer cocktails as signature drinks – cucumber gimlets + manhattans – down by the water as we would during any summer party. Our favorite musicians came out to play during our ceremony and dinner which made us feel right at home.”

Such a gorgeous day for a wedding! Congrats to Michelle + Dave and thanks to Kai Heeringa Photography for the photos!

I just LOVE Michelle’s Amsale wedding dress! So so pretty…

Ok, how cute is that little guy?! Adorable. And speaking of adorable little ones at your wedding – we are doing a special post on fashion for the little ones later today! Can’t wait. I think you guys will love it. :)

I walked down the aisle to “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and we walked out to “You and Me” by Dave Matthews. You and Me makes David and I feel so accomplished and in love – we have done so much together and been successful professionally and in our relationship!

Also, we heard a beautiful song at a friends’ wedding the weekend before, “We are man and wife” by Michelle Featherstone. We asked our musicians to play this during the ceremony and they learned it in 5 days! A family friend spoke of love and water, comparing the two, and hearing it on the lakeshore made for a very personal and heartfelt ceremony.

Most memorable moment of your wedding day? My bridesmaids and some guests learned a dance to the song “Like a G6” and surprised us with a flash mob during the reception. It was hysterical!

Any advice for those planning now? Planning was all sorts of fun! I researched my vendors carefully and they were all so wonderful to work with! My advice is to hire a coordinator! She made my life so easy, especially with a destination wedding. Also, do not be afraid to do something out of the ordinary. Weddings are often so much alike but don’t have to be. Celebrate your love the way you want to!

vendors:
photography: Kai Heeringa Photography // venue: Crooked Creek Ranch in Traverse City, MI // event planning + design: A Day in May // floral design: Christina of a Field of Flowers // wedding dress: Amsale // hairpieces + veil: KAJEloveon Etsy // shoes: Butter // bridesmaid dresses: J. Crew // groom + groomsmen suits: J. Crew // invitations+ paper goods: Dapper Paper on Etsy // catering: Catering by Kelly’s // DJ: Scott Perry of 2Bays DJs

I just love how personal today’s wedding it! Debra + Beau based their entire wedding around their nicknames – his is “bear” and hers is “bee.” They have little bear + bee cartoons of each other that they’ve drawn for years, so they used them in their wedding stationary and as the cake topper. The color palette for the day was black + yellow – so all of the groomsmen wore black tuxes (with black and yellow striped socks) and the bridesmaids wore yellow dresses. The bridal party was transported in a black + yellow school bus and did a choreographed dance to “Black and Yellow” during the reception. They had honey jars as favors and one of the cutest details – the flower girl was dressed up like a bee and the ring bearer like a bear! So cute! Big congrats to Debra + Beau and thanks so much to their amazing photographer Michele M. Waite for the photos!

What song did you walk down the aisle to? “Moonage Daydream” by David Bowie was the song for the processional. One of the groomsmen played it on the keyboard and when I approached the aisle, another groomsman did a guitar solo to heighten the drama. For the recessional, we did “Sir Duke” by Stevie Wonder, which was played with live horns.

Aren’t the bridesmaids dresses amazing?! The dresses are by Two Birds. They all have the same dress, but it is designed so you can wear it in 15 different ways, so each girl can wear the dress in a way that is best for her body + comfort. Would be so easy to wear this dress again for another event and it could look totally different – gotta love that!

Debra + Beau made a custom website called “www.roastortoast.us”, where they invited their guests to submit roasts or toasts about them online and vote for their favorites. The winning “roast” and “toast” got to give speeches at the reception. What a fun idea!

Most memorable moment of your wedding day? Our favorite part was the “Hora” (a Jewish wedding tradition) where we were lifted up in chairs during the reception. Our favorite local band, “Eldridge Gravy”, provided a live funk rendition of the traditional Jewish “Hava Nagila” song to accompany the dance.

Any advice for those planning now? Don’t stress too much about the little things – you won’t even notice them on the big day!

vendors
photography: Michele M. Waite // venue: Freeland Hall, Whidbey Island, WA // event + floral design: Tracy Taylor Huffman of Farmhouse Flowers // event planner: Hoa Tran // wedding dress: Enzoani // shoes: Christian LaCroix // bridesmaid dresses: Two Birds // hair + makeup: Gary Manuel // groom suit: Calvin Klein // invitations+ paper goods: Katie Phipps
catering: The Island Chef (Tim Goeken) // cake: JW Desserts // band: Eldridge Gravy and the Court Supreme // DJ: Chris Graves

I love this fun and colorful inspiration shoot Jenn of Bow Tie & Bustle is sharing with us today. The inspiration all came from an extended stay she experienced in Paris last fall, where she fell deeply in love with Montmartre. I ‘ll let Jenn share her inspirations, “Montmartre is known best for the infamous and sexy Moulin Rouge (“red mill”), or as the backdrop for the adorable movie Amelie, Montmartre is full of dark, whimsical charm. It was also the home and inspirational foreground for some of histories best known and beloved artists: Van Gogh, Manet, Degas, Renoir and Picasso (just to name a few), making art ooze from every nook and cranny of the area, and putting it at the heart of my design.”

“My vision for the design of this shoot came wholeheartedly from my time in Montmartre. Red, green, yellow and black instantly took front stage in the design, as these colors are key players in this area of Paris. I used varying shades of colorful and patterned cardstock to handcraft the 500+ paper pinwheel backdrop. The pinwheels were incorporated throughout the shoot as a means to pay tribute to the massive and stunningly beautiful windmills throughout the hills of Montmartre.”

“I used a vintage green hutch to create a dessert “table” which was layered with the most mouth-watering French pastries one could imagine and mini jars of French jelly to complement the almond croissants. As a means to represent the many stunning balconies in Paris, the dessert table was highlighted with an antique window frame and red ranunculus hanging overhead.”

“While I was in Paris dreaming up this inspiration shoot, I could not get a big black bow out of my head, so I hand tied a tulle bow atop our model’s head the morning of the shoot. It paired brilliantly with the tea length Priscilla of Boston gown, which I chose because the silhouette reminded me of the many carousels throughout Paris.”

The guest “book” concept derived from the art influences scattered throughout Montmartre and came to fruition with the help of Teressa from Cashmere Floral Design. A vintage umbrella was attached to an easel and a canvas was placed on the easel to allow for each guest to “make their mark”.

“A distressed vintage picnic table was covered with pops of vibrant color, including jars of Bonne Maman jelly which were tied off with burlap and chalkboard tags as favors. Chalkboard detailing was included in many aspects of the shoot, including the dessert table banner, various signage and the paper goods, since this form of marketing is used all over Paris in the floral and food markets. French bistro chairs, textured pillows, a vintage clock, dominos, empty wine bottles and tiny glass vases filled with vibrant flowers completed the table design.

Montmartre is bursting at the seams with color, vibrancy and flair. Intricately decorated carousels spin round and round, enticing even the biggest of kids to take a spin, while the Love Wall in Square Jehan Rictus tugs on your heartstrings with over 100 expressions of “I love you.” Montmartre is sexy; daring; mysterious; enchanting; eclectic; exotic and most of all totally whimsical. Montmartre to me is one of those magical places where dreams are realized, bellies are made full and happy, art comes to life, and love (of course LOVE!) is rejuvenated.”

Thanks so much to these vendors for sharing their talents with us today!

Event Design, Styling and Coordination: Bow Tie & Bustle //  Photography: Mo Hines Photography
Floral Design: Cashmere Floral Design //  Desserts: Tallant House //  Makeup: Glamour Cris
Hair: Bartlett Bridal // Dress: Pricilla of Boston courtesy of Calla Bridal //  Umbrellas: Bella Umbrella
Venue: Chalk Studios //  Hair accessories and veil: bow tie & bustle //  Paper Goods: bow tie & bustle