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Ever dream of getting married under apple blossoms and then dancing the night away in your very own barn? Do you think a romantic country style is what you are going for? If so you should really check out Wiards Orchard located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. This is a 100-acre orchard founded in 1837, and it will make for a perfect venue for an elegant, country chic wedding.

Their package includes catering, a barn, a pavillion, a children’s play area, and even a petting farm. Rose Timbers is in charge of events at Wiards and she thinks this would be the perfect place for a wedding out in the country. Their available months for weddings are from June to September.

Guests can enjoy snacks from homemade apple cider, donuts, or delicious candy apples provided by the country store bakery on the property. Barns are quickly becoming a a popular place to have a wedding reception. If you have a love for mason jars and candles this could be the perfect place to hold your reception!

Stylemepretty.com has the perfect idea here for a country wedding with style. This amazing picture was taken by Benfield Photography in Arkansa. I love the mason jars holding baby’s breath and candles, and what’s not to love about trees and twinkle lights?! TwoFoot Creative is known for planning unique weddings, and we would be extremely happy to help you create your dream wedding at Wiards!

 

The Glass Academy located in Dearborn, MI is such a unique place to host an event. It would be perfect for a rehearsal dinner or bridal shower, where you could let your guests learn something new and also get a chance to make something pretty to take home afterwards or for you to use at the wedding!

Rental of a studio at the Glass Academy would include a minimum of 3 hours, gallery staff, an emcee to host the event, and 2 glassblowers that are trained to give demonstrations and get your guests involved.

They do allow food and alcohol at your event. They have worked with several local caters, and they would be more than happy to help you choose food based on your party and theme.

If you think this may be something you would like to do, get in touch with us to set up a consultation! I think this would be such a fun party to go to and something entirely different. Watching someone do glassblowing is truly a unique experience and getting a chance to be a part of it too would definitely make for a memorable event!

Written by Melanie King - TwoFoot Creative, Ann Arbor

 

The Fisher building in Detroit was built in 1928, and is known for it’s beautiful art deco skyscraper.

Sandra Stanton at the Fisher Building is one of the nicest people I have had the pleasure to talk to. She is in charge of events at the Fisher and she is very knowledgeable of the history of Detroit and you can tell she has great pride in this building.

Your wedding can take place in the main lobby hallway of the Fisher building after the stores have closed.

When you look at these pictures your taken back to the time of the 1920’s when it was first built, and if your looking for a regal elegance in a venue this place is it. This venue is truly unique in that you get to design how your event will look since everything has to brought in. However, the Fisher Hall all ready comes with some amazing extras, marble flooring, gorgeous chandelier lighting and even gold faucets in the bathroom. These are the extra touches that will help to create an event like no other.

If your guest count is under 250 this place would be a great place to check out and experience in person.The rental fee for the building includes the lobby rental, a refundable deposit, if there are no damages, and a representative from the building in case of an emergency or extra help.

There is something truly romantic about getting married in a place so beautiful and with such a grand history a part of it too. Call TwoFoot Creative so we can book you an appointment!

Written by Melanie King - TwoFoot Creative, Ann Arbor

A few weeks ago, I was invited to the Grand Opening of the Fox Theater as Detroit’s newest wedding venue - now booking 6 exclusive weddings each year! A select few have celebrated their wedding there in the past - but Olympia Entertainment is now inviting planners to bring our couples to The Fox!

It was a fabulous time, put together by Olympia Entertainment, Special Events Rental, and Emerald City Designs. We were treated to a wonderful lunch, inspirational tabletops, and great information about booking weddings at The Fox Theater.

They do have minimum requirements for weddings, which include food, beverage, rentals and floral through their preferred vendors.

I just love the above arrangements that are all connected by ivy branches. Emerald City did a beautiful job!

TwoFoot Creative would love to help you plan your Fox Theater wedding!

I just had the pleasure of meeting Maureen at Portage Yacht Club, an awesome venue in Pinckney, MI. I am always looking for “new” unique spaces to show clients, and this one is now on my list!

Portage Yacht Club can hold about 250 people upstairs on the outside levels, and about 100 downstairs on the inside. They also allow tents on the grounds!

Catering takes place on site, which means you don’t have to rent china, flatware and glassware. They also provide basic tables, chairs and linens with the rental fee.

I would love to do an event outside/upstairs and hang fabric, lights etc. from the white structure you see in the second picture -  how beautiful would that be?!

Misty Farm is a gorgeous new venue in Ann Arbor that I will have the pleasure to work at twice this year! I am planning a wedding there on August 28th as well as September 5th, and so far the process has been great! Kelly Frutig, the owner, is very accommodating and easy to work with, and has a great vision for what she wants at the farm.

How many weddings do you have booked at Misty Farm for 2010? I have nine weddings, one graduation, and a benefit concert scheduled for this year.

How did you get started in the wedding business? I got the idea after my daughters wedding was such a success here and people asked if I thought about doing this as a business.

What does the rental fee include when booking my wedding at Misty Farm? When booking a wedding here the rental fee includes; use of the property for three days, the wedding site with a beautiful English arbor, barn for party (includes two bathrooms), barn for the caterer to set up in, and a lot of beautiful gardens, flowers, and pond view to enjoy.

Do you offer additional services? I offer floral services from flowers grown locally, linens, some tables, glassware, parking attendants, sign making, and apartment staging area for the bride and party.

What is your capacity in the barn? In a tent? The barn is capable of seating appx. 120 people, but the tent space will accommodate a tent for as large as 250 people.

Do I have options for where the ceremony can take place? There are options for the wedding site; down by the pond, up top near the perennial gardens, and in the barn.

What times of year is the farm available for weddings? At this point there is no heat available in the barn so I would recommend using the barn mid May to beginning of Oct.

Do you have any restrictions on which vendors I bring in? At this point I have no restrictions on the vendors, I only require that all vendors that do business here be insured.

How do I set up a meeting with you to tour the farm? Check out the website at www.mistyfarmevents.com, where you will get all my contact information. Give me a call or send an email and we can quickly arrange a tour of the grounds to see if this matches your vision.

What is something people would be surprised to learn about you? I think people would be surprised to know that I have six children ages 25-8, and I did my first triathlon last year.

I am so excited to be planning a wedding at the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) for the first time next February! It is a gorgeous venue, and there is always so much you can do to a space when literally everything needs to be brought in from the outside!

The above space rents for $5000, and includes security guards that make sure your guests aren’t bringing food or drink into any of the galleries (which do remain open!). Alcohol is permitted (beer and wine only), and caterers must cook the food outside of the museum to prevent damage to the artwork. There is quite an extensive list of approved caterers, definitely something for any taste as well as budget.

The above desk area can be moved upon request to allow for more space. Without a dance floor, capacity is 250 - but that would be pretty tight! Uplighting is allowed, and the built in pin-spots maybe adjusted upon request. Bands and DJs are also permitted, but volume must be kept under 85 decibels.

This is the new wing of UMMA, of which the foyer may be rented for additional space as can Tappan Court if you are interested in doing an outdoor ceremony prior to your reception. That won’t happen for a February wedding, but I am sure there will be many more Museum of Art weddings in our future!

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.

Where is the Glass House Cafe?
Glass House Cafe offers stunning panoramic campus views from the Plaza Level (3^rd Floor) of Palmer Commons at the University of Michigan. The Physical address is 100 Washtenaw Avenue, and ample parking is available in the structure on Palmer Drive. Our company also owns and operates Evans Street Station, located in Tecumseh, MI. The two companies have somewhat of a symbiotic relationship regarding servicing events.

What makes it unique?
Glass House Cafe is a socially conscious, casual urban cafe and catering house on the University of Michigan Campus. We are one of just a few independent foodservice providers on campus. In addition to our high standards for food and service, we also follow an environmental philosophy we have instilled at Glass House. Our company utilizes eco-friendly products in service, diligently works to reduce and reuse, strictly recycles, and even composts food waste.

What type of events would you recommend for the space?
Glass House Cafe at Palmer Commons: Engagement Parties, Showers, Rehearsal Dinners, and Weddings for up to 75 guests seated/standing receptions for 100. For larger events, the 4^th floor of Palmer Commons offers more space in the Atrium and Great Lakes Room, accommodating 225 for a seated event or a strolling reception for 350.
Evans Street Station/Offsite Catering: Engagement Parties, Showers, Rehearsal Dinners, and Weddings for up to 150+. Offsite catering for events of all sizes.

How does the chef decide where to purchase food from?
Local is priority. Our kitchens utilize ingredients from local farms and producers at every opportunity. Some of the local purveyors we source from include Four Corners Creamery, Goetz Greenhouse, Kapnick Orchards, Prochaska Farms, Pawson’s Farm, Knight’s Market, Back 40 Farm, BGreen, Barry’s Bagels, Calder Dairy, Karen’s Place, Eden Foods, Groeb Farms, Eat Local, Eat Fresh!, Great Lakes Coffee Roasting Co., TeaHaus, and more!

Do I have to choose from a select menu?
We offer plenty of ideas throughout our catering menus, and also frequently design custom menus for events. Our mission is to make sure your day is everything that celebrates you. Therefore, we encourage incorporating your favorite foods and beverages into the menu and festivities. The sky is the limit!

What choices do I have for providing alcohol to guests?
Evans Street Station holds a liquor license that allows us to offer a full service bar at the restaurant in Tecumseh, or to sell wine and beer at retail for offsite catered events. You are also welcome to provide your own alcohol at offsite events. Our staff is fully trained and certified in alcohol service.
For events at Glass House Cafe/Palmer Commons, offering alcoholic beverage service at events is limited to those scheduled by:

• A University department or entity affiliated with the University to carry out the University’s objectives
• A current or retired University employee or their immediate family member
• A University student or alumnus
• An educational, alumni, cultural or public service organization or group with which the University has an affiliation

If the host of the event does not meet this criteria, a special event license can be applied for from the state of Michigan.

What would you say is an average price per person for lunch? $10-15
Dinner? $25-40, depending on menu selections.

What is your role in the planning process?
I am at your service throughout the planning and execution of your event. I oversee a dedicated team of professionals who are committed to providing the utmost in food and hospitality. We will help you design a menu that meets the unique needs of your group while staying within your budget. Just share with us the event you’re dreaming of and leave the work to us! We take pride in our ability to provide flexible catering for every style. Count on us to handle the details that create the affair you’ve envisioned!

Can I have my ceremony on site or nearby? Absolutely!

What is one thing that people would be surprised to know about this venue?
We opened Glass House Cafe in 2008, and we are one of the only independently operated dining options on the UM campus. Our place is really breaking the mold for food offerings found on a college campus, especially with a focus on local, seasonal ingredients and scratch cooking.

Last night was the last night my mom was in town from California, and we celebrated with a meal out at Logan - a local Ann Arbor restaurant. Of course, whenever I visit new restaurants, I also scope the location out for its potential to host a shower, brunch, rehearsal dinner, and/or wedding!

Logan is a small restaurant on Liberty Street, just off of Main Street in the downtown area of Ann Arbor. It has an inviting exterior - yellow with lots of lighting - and it keeps your interest once you enter the doors with it’s bright orange walls and abstract artwork. Most rehearsal dinners would be able to fit in the space, and a smaller wedding would work as well with some adjustment of tables to make room for dancing!

Our waiter, Larry, was incredibly attentive and helpful, offering his opinions (I need that when I dine out!) when asked and sending the wine specialist over to our table later on during the meal to discuss their 5-course wine dinners that sound absolutely heavenly!

The best part of the evening was the food, which was outstanding. The flavors were intense, portion sizes were perfect (European style - not a “stuff your face” venue!), and the presentation was spectacular. I would absolutely love to plan a small event here - I am sure the staff would be amazing to work with and I know the guests would leave 100% satisfied!