What are the trends for weddings in 2013? Well if you love retro and whimsical ideas, your going to be in love with the latest wedding trends.

The 1920′s are here for some vintage love this upcoming year. You will see this mostly in gowns, accesories and decor.

Who doesn’t love color? Well this year’s color is the refreshing Mint Green! The color mint is unique, clean and fresh.

Colorful Hues are making a huge statement!

Patterns- are here to stay!

Love Birds- Love is in the air

Stunning backdrops- Who said it had to be plain?

Lounge areas- Utilize your space by adding this wedding trend

Fun foods- Are you a foodie? Want something different for you guests try the Food Truck Frenzy!

I had such a great time at our first wedding of the season this month! I am sure that we will be seeing some of these trends this year and we can’t wait to share them with you.

Written by Melanie King – TwoFoot Creative, Ann Arbor

If you haven’t heard of Pinterest we may need to check your stats. It truly has changed the way you can find anything and everything. For us in the wedding planning industry it allows our couples to be able to put together boards for us to see their ideas and start in the right direction. It also gives us the opportunity to share images from our weddings we have done, and also the chance for us to make many inspiration boards to share our passion with others.

As a true addict to Pinterest it was amazing to me to see how many things I saw from Pinterest at our weddings. It really was the year of the DIY bride, and not necessarily because of cost but because they were all these great wedding ideas out there and it made couples think of how they could bring individuality to their weddings.

Pinterest is third in line for social media after Facebook and Twitter, and for many couples’ wedding planning begins not with the planner but with Pinterest. It allows you to see your ideas all in one place and to save your many thoughts.

So what could possibly be bad about this amazing website? According to US Today, there are two types of people that Pinterest can be bad for; those who are still pinning a week before their wedding and getting overwhelmed, or those who are looking for something no one has ever seen on Pinterest.

So here is to all the happy wedding pinning today! And please follow us at http://pinterest.com/twofoot/, we love to share our ideas and thoughts with you as well.

Written by Melanie King – TwoFoot Creative, Ann Arbor

Gene and I recently had the chance to go on a vacation – our first big one since our honeymoon to Hawaii five years ago! We chose Sandals Whitehouse in Jamaica, and it was just an amazing time.

As a member of the Association of Bridal Consultants (ABC) I have the chance several times a year to go to Sandals to learn about the various properties, but it was so nice to experience a vacation the way one of our couples would – with my husband!

Check out the Sandals website for more information, and give us a call to start planning your honeymoon! We do book for couples who are not working with us as well, and the service is at no cost to you.

Well, winter is coming and while we can’t make it go away we can definitely think of warm places – like being by the seaside! Nautical was a huge fashion trend this past year and we can tie in that trend to weddings as well. This color palette is called Seaside Neutrals, so feel free to imagine you’re by the ocean and enjoying warm weather!

I love neutral color palettes, there is something simple and elegant about them that softly screams elegance. This particular palette has two colors of brown (a darker one and a softer one like mocha) then we have a soft baby blue and white. Here is a gallery of ideas that I came up with to show you how you can accomplish this look:

Written by Melanie King – TwoFoot Creative, Ann Arbor

Tented weddings are widely popular, especially for backyard weddings. Choosing the perfect tent though can be overwhelming. There are just so many to choose from! Questions you may have are how big of a tent do I need for my guest count, where can I rent a tent, what kind of tent do I need? Hopefully we can help you out, and make sure you feel more confident in choosing the perfect tent.

First lets talk about the kind of tents you have to choose from. There are Pole/Canopy tents which look like this. This is the cheaper option and as you can see it still looks nice. A tent like this that sits 135-169 starts around $660 to rent. You can also add in clear walls like this one has and midsections for an additional cost. You also can’t set this tent up on concrete or asphalt because it needs to be staked into the ground. These tents mostly get put onto grass surfaces. There is also a pole (or several) in the middle of the tent that you can decorate with tulle, lights, vines, etc. The poles can cause problems when it comes to floor plans. You will have to pay attention to where you put tables so they aren’t in the way of people seeing what is going on.

Their is also a Clear span/Frame tent which is better for weddings but twice as expansive to rent. This tent gives a clean look and is more formal than the canopy option. It’s able to be put on any kind of surface and there are no poles in the middle that would cause a problem with your room design. The cost is about double the price of a pole tent. For the guest count of 135-169 it starts around $1329.

Next, how big of a tent do you need? It all depends on your guest count so I will give you two different sizes for you to get a better understanding. A guest count of 135-169 is a tent size of 30′x45′ for  and for 180-225 you need a tent 30′x60′. That size does not factor in a band, side tables, buffet lines etc. so make sure you work with a rental company that can provide a diagram (to scale!) of how the tent will look set up. More common sizes of tents for weddings, due to additional tables and space requirements, are 40′x80′ and 40′x100′.

There are a lot of tent rental companies out there, the two we use a lot are Colonial Events in Troy, and Delux Tents in Belleville. One thing I think you need to know when planning a tented event is that they are NOT cheaper than going to a venue. Everything you need adds up: tables, chairs, bathrooms, food preparation areas, lighting, and maybe parking attendants. However, I really believe that they are also some of the most beautiful events TwoFoot Creative has ever done!

Roses are beautiful in bridal bouquets but they can also be quite expensive, so what are some cheaper alternatives that still look as beautiful? Colin Cowie recently did a blog post on this and since we are always trying to help out our brides I thought I would share this with you.

First let’s talk about the cost of roses – they can range from $2- $4 per stem. And after putting them in both your bridal bouquet and bridesmaid bouquets your cost is starting to add up.

LISIANTHUS- is the first flower alternative. It looks like a tea rose, and they come in a lot of colors ranging from yellows, pinks, reds and purples. If you get single bloom lisianthus they can look like tulips or double blooms that look like the rose. The cost for single stems start around $1.10.

CARNATIONS- When fully bloomed they are gorgeous and cost about .63 cents a bloom. These full blooms are beautiful and they stand up great to hot summer days. You can also find them in a lot of different colors.

RANUNCULUS- Colin says they look like “overstuffed roses.” You can get small blooms or the bigger ones. They come in white, two shades of pink, yellows, reds, and lavender depending on the season. Something unique is that you can also get this flower in a two-toned look, like a white flower with pink edges. Ranunculus cost between $1.15- $2.40 a piece.

BEGONIAS- These flowers are beautiful and come with foliage that will add green into your bouquet giving it a beautiful natural effect. They are great for bouquets and centerpieces. A whole plant that comes with a dozen flowers cost around $9.99

Even if you’re not too worried about the cost these flowers are some great alternatives to the rose. Make sure you also check with your florist on the what’s in season, this can also effect the cost of flowers.

Written by Melanie King – TwoFoot Creative, Ann Arbor

Today I have been searching some wedding blogs for inspiration, and I fell in love with a certain wedding. It may because it was pink, but the main reason is I am in love with their signature drinks.

The post that I saw had a bride’s choice and groom’s choice. This is the picture from Style Me Pretty that made me have to write a post.

After the ceremony is over a lot of guests are ready to mingle and have a drink, and one very cute way to throw some personality into your cocktail hour is to have signature drinks.

How do you choose a signature drink? Well it can be your favorite drinks, drinks that match the color or theme of your wedding, or you and the love of your life could enjoy a day with a drink mixologist to help you create the perfect drink for your wedding day.

Written by Melanie King – TwoFoot Creative, Ann Arbor

I love a lot of things but one thing that top’s the list is my love for the color pink! So you can see why I am in love with our color pallet this month.

These colors remind me of one of my favorite movies, Steel Magnolias, where Shelby( Julia Roberts) is talking about her wedding colors and her mom says the church looks like it had been hosed down by Pepto- Bismol; Shelby justifies it by saying Pink is my signature color!

Last time we showed you a color combo of colors that completed each other, this month we are going to show you how to use one color but adding different shades of that color. By doing this we can add depth to your wedding décor.

This pallet is soft, romantic, and has a vintage feel to it. I think a bouquet that had a mix of these colors would be just amazing.

If you wanted you could even have your bridesmaids in the different hues of pink. You could do so much with these colors that the possibilities are endless.

Matching desserts to your color scheme is a fun way to bring more variety into the room.

This is an excellent way of having a signature color but not going overboard with it because the different shades will soften it up and make it appear that you have more than one color used for your wedding.

These pictures all come from Style Me Pretty. The photographer is Alison Mayfield.

Written by Melanie King – TwoFoot Creative, Ann Arbor

Why do we think of a two color palette? There are so many different shades and complimentary colors that is a shame that we don’t use those colors also to add another dimension to our weddings. Think of your wedding style, and take in consideration your venues’ existing colors and styles so your colors don’t clash with them. Pick one dominant color and then look at the different shades of colors. If you can get your hands on a Pantone book you can play with the different shades as well as complimentary colors, or head to your local fabric store and get some swatches to see the different hues.

Each month we are going to show you different samples of colors that go together to give you some ideas. And since we are always talking about using different avenues to get inspiration for your wedding, we found these in Better Homes and Gardens; you can get inspiration everywhere!

Our first color combo is called Golden Olive and Tobacco Brown. I decided to start with these colors because they are bright and remind me of summer! This is an example of complimentary colors, and then to compliment them they have added a yellow, orange, and pink. The extra colors just blend together and will add that pop you may be looking for.

Do you use all of these colors? You definitely could, or you could pick two or three. It’s up to you; the complimentary colors to the Olive and Brown are just for you to throw in there to add depth to your décor. They could be the color of flowers, the extra details you add in, maybe linens, cake colors, or different shades of bridesmaid dresses.

Your choices don’t always have to be different colors they could be a different shade of the same color, which we will be showing you in future posts as well. I hope this may get you thinking, if you have any questions call us at TwoFoot Creative we love thinking outside the box and have some great ideas just waiting for you!

Written by Melanie King, TwoFoot Creative – Ann Arbor

When I was planning my wedding I loved looking at ideas from other brides to be and a lot of girls were getting things from Etsy. This website was new to me at the time so I definitely had to check it out and I was amazed at all of the items they have for sale. You can get save the dates, guest favors, garters, veils, and so much more. I love how a lot of the items are handmade so it gives you a feeling of something made just for you.

Every now and then I love to check back and see what’s new and I feel like now they have so many great things that it would be a crime not to let you in on some of the wonderful things I found for you.

These cake forks are to die for. As soon as I saw these I fell in love. This is something that you could bring out every year on your anniversary and eat cake with them to celebrate your love. These are from trinkets818, but there are a lot of different ideas for the forks on Etsy so make sure you check them out.

Sometimes you see things that aren’t necessarily needed but you think why not? I think these would be so cute in pictures. Again, there are different choices were you can get your married name instead of bride, or your initials. These bride and groom hangers are from rockabuycreations.

If you’re addicted to Pinterest like me, you know that chalkboard ideas have been a popular pinning item so I couldn’t resist showing these uber cute ideas for chalkboard wedding signs. These could be used for directions to your reception and ceremony, for candy buffets, seating charts, menus, table numbers and anything else you could possible do for your wedding. This picture and idea came from braggingbags. Super cute!

Before I started working with TwoFoot Creative I didn’t realize that burlap had anything to do with weddings, but I am here to tell you burlap is a great idea for weddings. I have seen it used in green weddings as well as country weddings, and it really adds a natural feel. I love the recent trend of the Mr. and Mrs. Wedding chair signs and I really wish I would have thought of this for mine. We have a wedding coming up that is using burlap and I found these chair covers that are perfect for them. These are from the designer asouthernbucket.

I love creative ideas for wedding guest favors and I thought these charms were very unique. Some other ones I liked were wooden ones, and I saw a great idea for attaching them to guests place cards. These particular ones are from Suretobecharmed.

If you have never checked out Etsy now is the time. I guarantee no matter your style, theme, or budget is you can find things on here that are unique and will add a personal touch to your wedding.

Written by Melanie King – TwoFoot Creative, Ann Arbor