My good friend and industry colleague Jonas Pascua recently entered into the bridal salon market. He partnered with Alexis Williamson to re-open Le Salon, a Troy-based bridal salon with a twist. Below, Jonas answers a few of my questions - and I strongly encourage anyone in the market for their gown to check out Le Salon!

Where can I find Le Salon? We’re on the South Side of 11 Mile Rd, East side of Main in Royal Oak by the intersection of Gainsborough & 11 Mile.

How long have you been in business? Two years.

What sets you apart from other bridal salons? The 1-to-1 feel is important to us. Appointments are strongly suggested because when you come into the store, it’s yours for your time.

• We help you in and out of the dresses - they’re big! We help!
• We allow pictures to be taken in the store
• We have lines no one else has in the nation. No seriously, pick up Grace Ormonde!
• We don’t put you in a dress you can’t afford - but help! Be honest…
• We don’t quote you one price and turn around and tell you another when we ring you up.
• Family out of town? We can skype & use web cams
• Preview parties when our brides’ dress arrives & the couture fashion shoot experience (ask us for details)

Do you work with brides on various budgets? Yes! We have couture at every price point. We’re very good at honing in on the needs of our brides and balancing quality of fabric, style, construction, & the designer’s name to find the perfect blend elements that factors into their budget. And don’t worry we won’t put you in a dress you can’t afford - but be honest with us, and let us know what the budget is so we can help you.

• Our most popular price point is $2000 - $5000
• We have collections around $1000 and less. Even creative options at $250 - $500
  
• We also have collections $15,000 - $20,000+ with Karl Lagerfeld & Vivienne Westwood

What is your so-co initiative about? It’s to promote the socially-conscious bride and her responsibilities to the community as a young woman. As she starts her life she can make a positive contribution to it. It’s a philosophy of our store and something we hope our couture clients embrace.

What’s your #1 piece of advice to brides looking for the perfect dress? Be honest to yourself about what you like. Don’t be afraid to like your own style and how you want to express it. It’s YOUR wedding dress. We’ll help you figure out the details.

What designers do you carry? Rosa Clara, Jenny Packham, Jesus del Pozo, Karl Lagerfeld, Vivienne Westwood, Two by Rosa, Aire Collection, Allure, Bari Jay, David Tutera by Faviana, Watters

What is something Le Salon does that would surprise people? Customizations - cleaning it up, adding bling, personalizing it so that it’s a true reflection of the bride is something we like to do and CAN do.

How do I start the process, do I just drop in? If you get lucky, we would love to see you if we’re not in an appointment.

But the best way to start is to pick up a magazine, pick the designers, elements you like and don’t like, and figure out your budget.

Try stuff at other boutiques. Yes we’re confident about what we have and what we know. It helps having an appreciation when you come in.

Then call us and we can help you narrow down your vision. Our expertise will help cut through any confusion you may have. At the end of the day, we want to give our clients educated options. We don’t sell you the dress, we help guide you find the dress you’re looking for.

A former client of mine, Lana, came to me with a business she started - First Came Love. I love customized aisle runners, as well as supporting local business, so I am excited to share her company with you!

How did your company get started?
First Came Love (FCL) is a product of my wedding. I was a DIY bride and of all of the things that I made my aisle runner and table runner were the biggest hits. As a result, every friend and family member that got married following my wedding requested that I create a runner or banner for them… from that, the wedding portion of FCL was born.

When and why did you add baby items?
The baby portion is a play on my crafty side. After the weddings, the babies began to come and I found myself making personalized items for my friends and their newborns. I really enjoyed the creative process and decided to add those items to the business as well.

How did you come up with the name “First Came Love”?
I had a totally different name picked out for the business when I was only offering wedding items. When I decided to add the baby items I had to change the name. So as I was thinking about weddings and babies the rhyme “Sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G” came to mind and viola! From that day on, the motto became “First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes baby… but First Came Love!” And there began First Came Love.

If you could tell people one thing about planning the decor for their wedding what would it be?
The most important thing that I could tell someone is to think outside of the box. Your wedding should be a representation of you and your mate, so incorporate who you are into your wedding as much as you can. Traditional weddings are beautiful but you can add a lot of yourself in there too.

How far in advance should an order be placed for a runner or banner?
There is a 2 month waiting time for all personalized wedding items. During the peak wedding season that time may increase due to order volumes. We do, however, offer rush order options.

What is your favorite part of creating these handmade items?
My favorite part is seeing the final product. I feel such a sense of pride and excitement when I see pictures of items that I have created being used.

What is something that people would be surprised to know about you?
I didn’t get cable TV until after I got married. I hadn’t had it for over 4 years prior to that. I barely watch television and when I do it is mostly reruns, so cable was a waste of money for me but my husband can’t live without it.

I just blogged Kathleen and Eric’s wedding, which we coordinated on June 13th of this year. Their photographers, West Park Photography, just posted the engagement session on their blog - so of course I had to share!

Jennifer and Peter were married in Florida in April, and returned for a Michigan reception on May 22nd. The reception took place at Jennifer’s parents’ home in Clinton Twp. - fortunately the rain held off!

Robert Bruce Photography took the pictures you see here - he is always a blast to work with! The bridal party met for photos in downtown Detroit before heading to the reception. Having already done the ceremony a month before hand, you can tell they are much more relaxed here than at a typical wedding!

Shawn coordinated the wedding day, making sure that everything was set up correctly at the house and that things went smoothly from start to finish.

Love the groom’s cake!

Starfish cake topper to tie in the ceremony in Florida with the reception.

Congratulations Jennifer and Peter!

Every year it happens - I have a couple that is just wonderful, and I am personally already booked on their wedding date. This year, that couple was Corey and Danny. I helped Corey plan every detail of the wedding, and on the wedding day itself my assistants Shawn and Kristen were there pulling it all together. Fortunately, I got to the reception later at night to see the new bride and groom!

The couple was married at Immaculate Conception Parish in Ira Twp., MI. The reception followed at Villa Penna in Sterling Heights, and it looked absolutely amazing in Tiffany blue and white!

Linens were provided by Sposa Seating and Fabulous Events, and decor was taken care of by Clever Bumblebee Creations.

One of my favorite photographers to work with, Wendy Martin, was there to capture the day. Shutterbooth and Kurt from Mike Staff did an amazing job entertaining guests!

Corey had me take her bouquet at the end of the night to have a painting made by CurlyArt.

Congratulations on a beautiful wedding Corey and Danny!

Mekkena and James were married on July 10th at the Northville Christian Assembly of God in Northville, MI. Their reception took place afterwords at the Ann Arbor Farmers Market - which is such a fun place for a wedding!

Now - as much as the Farmers Market is an awesome venue, it is equally complicated! I honestly don’t see how it can be done without a wedding planner - especially on a Saturday. The market vendors have to be out by 3:30pm, but rental time doesn’t start until 4pm and even then it was not swept at all so my assistant was sweeping in order to put tables and chairs down in time… That gave us a total of 2 hours before guests arrived (and of course, they all arrived much earlier than what the invitation said)! Fortunately, we also had help from Colonial Events, and everything worked out perfectly.

Centerpieces were provided by Lisa from Pot & Box, a local Ann Arbor florist. Ben Marth photographed the day, and a friend of the bride and groom did a wonderful job manning the iPod DJ system! I am always skeptical about doing music that way, but it worked out beautifully.

Mekkena added so many fun details to the wedding, I loved setting it all up for them!

This was a postcard guest book - Mekkena made the postcards, and guests filled them out. They will be making their own guest book out of the cards!

Escort cards hung from two trees on either side of the guest book.

Their beautiful invitations, definitely set the stage for the event!

Katherine’s Catering provided these adorable herb vases with tags to indicate food choices along the buffet. The food was a huge hit! They also provided bartending services for the evening.

These windows were used as photo props throughout the night.

I just had to throw in another shot of the entire space, it looks so beautiful once all the pieces are in place! Guests commented throughout the night on what a great location the Farmers Market was for a venue.

Congratulations Mekkena and James, we wish you all the best in Oklahoma!

Megan and David were married at the Guardian Angels Church in Clawson, MI. I had the privilege of coordinating Megan’s brother Kyle’s wedding back in December of 2008, and I just love their family!

The reception took place at Villa Penna in Sterling Heights - and everything looked just gorgeous! Jen from Amanda Williams Photography and Mike Miller from Star Productions were there documenting the day. The bridal party was running a bit behind, so we started the receiving line with just parents, and added Megan and David once they arrived.

Rod from Music Box Productions kept the dance floor packed all night. He also helped me stay on time through toasts and the blessing - dinner started only 3 minutes later than expected! The meal was served family style, which always means there will be plenty of food for everyone!

After dinner, Megan and David mingled throughout the room and took some family photos on the lobby staircase before beginning the special dances of the evening.

The centerpieces were beautiful mixtures of roses and hydrangea in green, white and pink.

Sweet Dreams created the cake, as well as the dessert buffet which was absolutely devoured!

The sweets table included cakes, pastries, chocolate covered strawberries, fruit… delicious!

Congratulations Megan and David, it was a gorgeous wedding!

Katy and Jake are two of the sweetest people I have ever met; it has been an absolute pleasure working with them and Katy’s mom Kris (who is equally wonderful!) over the past year. As always with non-traditional venues, there was a LOT of planning involved to pull together a cottage wedding in Pinckney, MI. I was a bit worried the morning of their wedding, as thunderstorms were in the forecast and the ceremony was scheduled for outside at 1:30pm… Fortunately we missed the storms, and everything happened as scheduled!

When we arrived, my assistant Kristen and I put tablecloths on the tables and moved them into place. We placed centerpieces, favors, signage, fans, pomanders, table numbers, glasses at the tables and other decor. We folded and placed napkins, moved high top tables into place, did a sound check for the ceremony music, made sure cars were all out of the way, and got everyone lined up and ready to go for the ceremony! Rev. Tracy Huffman from the West Side United Methodist Church in Ann Arbor presided over the beautiful ceremony, which took place under an arbor built by the bride and her father Tom.

During the ceremony, I set out glassware for cocktail hour and made sure the drinks were stocked and ready. When guests moved to the lake side of the house for appetizers and a “meet and greet”, we made sure chairs were all in place inside the tent for dinner. We also set wine and champagne at each table. The very talented band, HardLine Drive, took a post-ceremony break and got their equipment ready for the afternoon’s performance. Anyone looking for a Blue Grass band should check them out, they were great!

The catering was provided by Anthony’s Kicked Up Catering, one of Jake’s favorite lunch spots in Grand Haven, MI. They also baked delicious pies for dessert, which were placed on two long 8ft-tables with cupcakes and a cake to cut from Just Baked in Ann Arbor, MI. Photographing the day was Synechdoche Photography from Ann Arbor. All rentals were provided by Colonial Events, and as usual all of their items were in beautiful shape!

Surrounding the cottage and throughout the tent, you could see the wonderful personal touches from Katy, Kris and Tom. Katy created the most awesome giant pomanders that hung from the ceiling of the tent as well as the wedding invitations.

Kris added parchment paper under the centerpieces, assembled an adorable vintage table for the ceremony, put favors together, and so many other details that really made the day unique!

Tom was in charge of all wood-working duties, including the amazing table numbers, signs leading guests to the wedding, plant stands, the band’s stage and so much more - all built from former decking! Katy’s aunt took care of all the floral decor, assembling centerpieces into blue mason jars.

Congratulations you two on a beautiful wedding day, we wish you all the best!

Jennifer had a very clear vision of what she wanted for her wedding: a Moroccan theme which was carried throughout every aspect of the day. It began with the amazing lanterns she bought, which adorned the ceiling and tables in the tent, and continued through the drapery, linens, centerpieces, paper, cake, menu, music and attire. It was such a fun year of planning for her Moroccan backyard wedding!

Jen & Emmanuel were married at St. Florian Parish in Hamtramck. Jen’s mom, Beverly, was very actively involved in planning the ceremony music - which turned out to be an absolutely beautiful blend between violin, harp, and vocalist. Jen created feather bouquets for herself and her bridesmaids. After the ceremony, All Star Limousines transported them first to Cliff Bell’s in Detroit, which opened the doors to the bridal party for some photos!

One unexpected part of the day was, as we were folding napkins and inserting menus, that the wind was pretty strong and started blowing them away. Jen had done all her own centerpieces, and fortunately had buckets of roses left over in the garage. So we cut and inserted a rose into each napkin, which not only weighed them down enough to stay put, it also added so much drama to the tables!

All rentals were brought in by Colonial Events (I especially love the drapery work they did!), and linens were provided by Fabulous Events. We brought in a clearspan tent, which enabled some of the landscaping to make an appearance inside! The bride and groom sat directly in front of a tree inside the tent, with two additional bridal party tables on either side. As guests arrived, their cars were taken care of by Fifth Avenue Valet.

Cocktail hour was quite extended, since Jen and Emmanuel wanted a lot of time for pictures and so that dinner could start at a normal hour - so plenty of appetizers were passed by Epoch Catering and Mr. Bartender was busy serving drinks. Panache Entertainment provided a reggae band for entertainment, which was a huge hit! Later on in the night, Jason from Pro DJ Services took over and the party lasted until 1:30am. Quite impressive when the ceremony started at 1:00pm!

The day was captured in pictures by the lovely Dionne from The Shooting Gallery, and on film by Two Penny Productions. I can’t wait to see their work from Jen & Emmanuel’s wedding! After dinner (which featured wonderful Mediterranean flavors from Epoch), the cake was cut and a cake buffet opened up where the appetizers had been stationed. Pronto! provided 16 cakes plus the wedding cakes for guests to enjoy throughout the night - in 9 different flavors! Jen is an invitation designer and provided all the paper products herself.

Congratulations on a beautiful wedding you two - it was so much fun working with you!

My wonderful assistant Ashley got to see things from the bride’s point of view on Saturday, July 10th - her wedding day! I was a guest at the ceremony, which was so beautiful and so personalized to her and Michael. Both ceremony and reception took place at Glen Oaks Country Club in Farmington Hills, MI.

Congratulations you two, I wish you a lifetime of wonderful memories!