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Halima and Ben were married a year ago today at the Michigan Union, with a reception following at Weber’s Inn in Ann Arbor, MI. Congratulations on your first year as a happy couple!

The above photograph pictures them with their entire bridal party (they are farthest to the left) and was taken by Stonefield Photography.

Heather is a friend of mine who was married on August 8th of this year. She had her bouquet sent off after the wedding to be preserved by CurlyArt - and I just love the final result (so does she)!

Some more close-ups of the details - Heather’s flowers include delphinium, roses, hydrangea, stock and other filler. The painting was done on an 11×14 inch canvas, and three of the four sides can be seen below!

Angela and Mike are celebrating their One Year Anniversary today - congratulations!

The above shot was taken by Amanda Williams Photography shortly after their ceremony one year ago today.

To see more photos from their wedding, click here for some professional shots, here for the post about their wedding, and here for their bouquet painting!

Heather and Tano were married on November 23rd of 2007, and are celebrating their 2 year anniversary today! Congratulations you two!

The above picture was taken by their photographer Cybelle Codish, and the wedding was also featured in Metro Detroit Bride! To see the post about their wedding, click here.

• How long have you been in business? Since 2002, but full time starting in 2005.
• How did you come up with the name “Gourmet Invitations”? We do a huge gourmet multi course dinner on New Year’s Eve every year. When I came up with the name, I looked to personal things in my life that I could incorporate into the business. Gourmet Invitations was just perfect. I have more about the story and last year’s dinner in my blog.

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• How far in advance should I book you for my wedding? As soon as you have your wedding date. The more time to discuss design ideas, the better. I need a minimum of 4 months to complete a full wedding invitation suite.
• What is your favorite part of the design process? Getting to know the couple and hearing how the invitations were a perfect reflection of my clients.
• What is your favorite trend you are seeing for 2010? Making the wedding really different unique is a big trend. I’m getting more clients that want to make their invitations look like anything but an invitation.

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• Is there anything I should stay away from? Falling into the “everyone does it, I have to too” trap. I think save the dates and programs are something that most clients don’t need, but everyone seems to think they have to have them.
• Can you help me with etiquette? Of course! I love formal invitations and knowing all of the rules. But ultimately, the invitations need to be a reflection of the client. If you don’t want to use “honour”, by all means, don’t use it.
• Why are invitations so important? The invitation is the first–and only–thing your guests will see before the actual wedding. The first impression should always be special, memorable, and give guests something to look forward to.

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  • What is something that people would be surprised to know about you? I LOVE playing Lego video games. On the Xbox on the DSI, doesn’t matter, I’m addicted to them. I also love putting my son’s legos together. I’ll do them even when he isn’t around.
  • What is your favorite invitation style? Doing crazy unexpected items. I have so many ideas, I’m just waiting for the right wedding!

Shawn, my wonderful Associate, is engaged to be married on August 1st of next year. I could not be more excited for her! Quickly after the engagement, Shawn saw the work of Synechdoche Photography, who just posted some of their lovely photos on their blog!

Congratulations you two - I can’t wait to help you out on the Big Day!

Erin & Nic were married on October 31st at Knox Presbyterian Church in Ann Arbor, with a reception following at Barton Hills Country Club. Their photographer, Dustin Francis, just put these shots up on his blog, so I though I would share a few! Visit his site for more!

It was a very cold a windy day…

I love the anticipation!

Lighting the unity candle. The additional arrangement on the left of the table is in remembrance of those family members who have passed away.

The heart shaped pendant on the bouquet was Erin’s mother’s on her wedding day, engraved with their names and date. For Erin’s wedding, her mom had the opposite side engraved with Erin & Nicolas’ names and date - it was beautiful!

The sky was gorgeous! This shot was taken at Barton Hills on the golf course, right before they came in for the grand entrance!

After getting into town at 3pm on Wednesday from conference, I decided it would be a good idea to continue my crazy week with a networking event for Brides Michigan at the Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac! It was a great time, and I got to see many familiar faces in the industry to catch up with!

The decor for the event was provided by Bill Hamilton of Fabulous Events as well as The Parsonage Flowers, and they did an amazing job! The above piece was hanging above the dance floor, and the balls all lit up - it was a gorgeous effect!

The food for the event was catered by 2 Unique, and desserts (including the most amazing cupcake decorating station) were provided by Sweet and Savory Bake Shoppe. It was a great time!

1. How long have you been doing videography for weddings? Six fantabulous years!
2. What inspired you to start, and what inspires you to keep going? I honestly love my job! I love brides, I love weddings…I love my job! I’m so lucky and so blessed to be in this business and I strive to improve with each event.
3. What do you wish more couples could know about wedding videography? So many couples who didn’t hire a videographer have told me that It’s their # 1 and biggest regret. Videography has come a very long way. Gone are the days of bright lights, huge cameras and old, cranky operators. It’s a new generation of videography. We are no longer “intrusive” or “in your face”. Candid moments are worth a million dollars. Oh, and “cheesy” videos are also a thing of the past. The style now is elegant, simple and beautiful.
4. How important is it to work well with the wedding photographer? It’s super, duper important actually. I make it a point to be very considerate and respectful of the photographer. A wedding day is not a photo/video shoot, so it’s a very delicate balance. I try to let the photographer “take the reigns” and only interfere when I absolutely need a shot. I also try to stay “shoulder-to-shoulder” with the photographer when we’re on the dance floor. This way, I’m not in the background of their shot and they’re not in the background of mine. I usually walk away from a wedding making friends with the photographers.
5. What is the turn-around time for a video to be completed? Max time is six months.
6. Why can’t I just have Uncle Joe do my video? Well…you can have your Uncle Joe video tape your wedding. It’s just, this is the single most important and elegant day in most couples lives, so is it really a good idea is what you need to ask yourself.
7. What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you? I am also a professional singer. I sing the National Anthem for the Detroit Tigers and Pistons.

Renae loves the color turquoise, so of course the background color of her bouquet painting by CurlyArt had to include that color! Her bouquet was pressed over an 8-week time period, and the all-white flowers create a very elegant look on this canvas.

The flowers used in this painting include stephanotis, lilies, roses, lisianthus, and orchids. It is 11×14 inches in size, with the painting continuing around the sides so that no framing is necessary!