I received the “At West End” catalog in the mail the other day, and had to share some of the gorgeous items that easily could double as wedding decor! I love the bold colors here as well.

The vases above could be mixed together to create a fun tablescape at your reception, or used individually on cocktail tables. At the end of the night, just have your wedding coordinator pack up all the vases for you and you’ll have plenty of ways to decorate your home as well!

Terrariums interspersed with bud vases can be used as larger vases, to showcase a few of your favorite things, or as candle holders. For a unique alternative, wrap the terrarium in a vellum paper of your choice to bring out a color or a pattern you want to carry through your wedding decor.

Wouldn’t these look great on longer style banquet tables? Intersperse with votive holders to create a more intimate setting.

Amanda & Matt were married on March 8th, 2008 at the Guardian Building in Detroit. Jessica Johnston captured the most amazing photos from their day - so full of emotion! Their wedding was featured in Brides Michigan. Amanda is now the author of the wonderful Ruffled Blog, and Matt is a Photographer.

Congratulations on two years Amanda & Matt!

“There are a few moments in life that are truly breathtaking - those moments that are so overwhelming in their beauty, theatricality, and scope, that they transfix us with wonderment and stay with us for the rest of our lives.” Preston Bailey from the Introduction

Preston Bailey’s “Celebrations” features some of the most breathtaking images I have ever seen compiled into one volume. His work truly does speak for itself and would transform the opinions of anyone who doesn’t believe that weddings are magical, once-in-a-lifetime events.

Preston Bailey has a passion for transforming spaces into something magnificent. This is what “Celebrations” excellently showcases. Through each chapter of the book (Dramatic Statements, The Magic of Tents, Ceremonies, Table Settings, Details, and Transformations), the reader gets a brief introduction from Preston regarding his opinions and thoughts on the topic in general, before diving in to a beautiful world of flowers, fabrics and fantasy settings.

Preston Bailey has previously written three bestsellers - and I am sure this will be his fourth! For more on Preston Bailey, and to see some photos from his book launch party, visit his blog for some more inspiration.

Photos and direct quotes copyright Preston Bailey: Celebrations by Preston Bailey, Rizzoli New York, 2009

NACE - the National Association of Catering Executives, hosts monthly meetings in the Detroit area. February’s meeting at Laurel Manor focused on the wedding industry in particular, so of course I wanted to attend! Several area professional discussed decor and design trends to look for in 2010, including the photos on this page of a sweetheart table created by Emerald City Designs.

Pantone announced that turquoise is the color of the year, and it will be big in weddings as well. Other colors to look for are all shades of gray, metallics, purple, hot pink and other very bold color combinations. On the opposite side of the spectrum, neutrals and classic looks are making a come-back as well. Neutrals now include the more eco-chic tones of greens, browns, ivories, grays, and navy. Black and white with a splash of bold is also expected to do well over the next few years.

At TwoFoot Creative, we pride ourselves not only on developing wonderful relationships with our clients, but also with the wedding professionals and venues that we work with. When the Michigan League and Union contacted us to see if we would like to further our relationship with them by becoming a preferred wedding planner at both venues, of course we were thrilled!

We would love to help you plan your wedding at the Michigan League or Michigan Union! They are fantastic locations for anyone who is a Michigan Alum, the staff is amazing to work with, and since we have been there several times before, we can guide you through the myriad of options available in the wedding planning process! For a complete list of the Michigan League and Union preferred vendors, click here.

Beth & Andy were married on September 6th, 2009 at the Dearborn Inn. Beth had me send her bouquet in to CurlyArt after the wedding, and it was transformed into the gorgeous painting you see above!

I love how elegant and romantic the painting feels - much like how the final decor for the wedding day itself ended up. It truly reflects her personality!

Some detailed shots of the design work that goes into the paintings. Flowers used here include stephanotis, roses, and lisianthus.

I had the privilege of meeting Mary Dann at the 2008 Association of Bridal Consultants annual conference. She was a guest speaker at the event, and was also offering business coaching sessions one-on-one to interested planners.

I recognized that I could learn a great deal from someone who also began her career path in Psychology (which has helped me so many times in wedding planning!) and jumped at the opportunity!

Of course I was thrilled to hear that Mary Dann (pictured above) was releasing a new book at the beginning of this year, titled “Wedding Wisdom”. This book combines knowledge she has gained over her 18 years as a wedding planner and 10 years as a marriage and family therapist to help couples prepare for their wedding day both emotionally, practically, spiritually and joyously. I breezed through it in one sitting!

Photo below taken by Andrena Photography. All other photos taken from Mary Dann’s Website.

Not only does her book guide the bride and groom through physical, mental, spiritual and emotional balance; it also guides planners through interactions with their clients as well as general wedding wisdom for the planner to create as profitable an experience as possible for all people involved in the planning process.

It is a truly positive, uplifting and motivational book for any bride-to-be and every planner, coordinator and consultant in the industry!

I recently met with Amber and Elijah of Amber Hunt Photography, and they introduced me to an amazing artistic keepsake that Elijah is now creating for clients - intaglio prints! This heirloom-quality keepsake is a truly unique way to capture the essence of your wedding day in a centuries-old artistic medium. Amber loves “that we’re offering something that throws back to centuries past, before the days of photography.”

How does Elijah do it? Here is a description from their website: “I thought the etching process itself was grueling enough, but the inking is an hours-long endeavor. It’s fascinating to see how the ink must be “charged” and mixed with a small amount of clove oil to slow drying time, giving him more time to work.

After the plate is inked, the excess is wiped with a tarlatan. That alone is a lengthy and subjective process, as wiping too much causes you to lose detail, while not enough means there’s too much ink on the print. After the plate is wiped, the paper is placed on top and it’s run through a printing press. Then the inking/wiping process begins again. That’s why each print is unique, with variations in the inking.”

Shape Magazine just launched a new division of it’s website - www.shapebride.com! This site is dedicated to brides-to-be and their journey down the aisle from a health, beauty and well-being perspective. While you are out planning all the nuances of your wedding day, it’s easy to forget to take care of yourself! That is where Shape Bride comes in to help.

The Shape Bride site is divided into the following categories:

• Bride to Be Diet Plans
• Wedding Workouts and Wellness
• Bridal Beauty
• Aisle Style
• Life, Love & Sex
• Tools, Calendars & Giveaways

Enjoy!

Carey & Jason were married on February 21st, 2009 at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit. Amanda Williams captured some amazing images from their day, one of which is pictured above. To see the original post from their wedding, click here.

Congratulations on your first year Carey & Jason!