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Aruna B. Photography out of Ann Arbor, MI is definitely a favorite of mine! I worked with her for the first time last September, and will have that privilege again in May and August of this year. She did a wonderful job on Holly & Peter’s engagement pictures taken at Island Park in Ann Arbor!

Katie & Jared were married on January 27th, 2008 and celebrated their reception at the Inn at St. John’s in Plymouth. It was a beautiful wedding with so much emotion, and they were a wonderful couple to work with. Congratulations on 3 years of marriage Katie and Jared - we wish you many, many more!

RECEPTION|The Inn at St. John’s|PHOTOGRAPHY|Dionne of The Shooting Gallery|HAIR & MAKEUP|Kari of Posh Brides|EVENT PLANNER|Ana of TwoFoot Creative|MUSIC|Kevin of Rent-A-DJ|INVITATIONS|Tifany of Gourmet Invitations

I was first introduced to The Goei Center through a networking event for the West Michigan Wedding Event Professionals where we had an opportunity to tour the space and learn about some of its inspiring features.

Formerly the Kindle Furniture Factory, The Goei Center is one of Grand Rapids’ best kept secrets as a the newer event facility in the downtown area that recently began hosting weddings in the past year. It has a contemporary, loft-style with a mix of urban elegance and artistic class.

One of the many great aspects of Grand Rapids is the use of its older buildings as modern renovated venues. The City offers such a wide range of places to choose from for hosting weddings and events.

Kylie Skidmore, the Facility Director, was gracious enough to give Ana and I a tour of its entire space which exceeds 80,000 square feet with 35,000 square feet of renovation! It’s amazing to see how a former furniture factory can transform into a stylish modern venue that would leave any of your guest in awe.

Wriiten By: Ashley Mason - TwoFoot Creative Grand Rapids

The holidays are a wonderful time of year - and what better way to ring in the New Year than with an engagement ring! Some couples delve right into the planning, others will wait a while before trying to figure out all the details. Either way, starting with the guest list is a must! All images in this post from Gourmet Invitations.

“A guest list consist of a magical number of family and friends that (1) suits the size of your ceremony and reception sites, (2) corresponds with the level of intimacy desired for the wedding., and (3) can be accommodated within your wedding budget - an important reality.” Emily Post’s Wedding Etiquette 5^th Edition.

• Put Away the Bullhorn: Though you’re super excited, you may want to keep it on “the hush” until you have an idea how extensive your guest list will be. Once you announce you’re engaged, everyone wants to know a date and if they’re invited; some will invite themselves so handle with care. If it’s a short quest list, explain it as a small intimate affair.

• Who’s Who? Your wedding is one of the most memorable days of your lives together. When you stare into the crowd, it’s a great feeling to know each and every person staring back. Unless they are close to you, don’t give in to the pressure of inviting every one of your second cousins.

• Be specific: Name your guests on the response card to avoid extras being written in.

• Kids R Us: Kids are fun and adorable. They can also be a distraction if banging keys on the pew during your vows. If you’re open to inviting kids, you may want to consider hiring a sitter for the duration of your event or have a designated area with games and activities to entertain them. If you prefer a more mature crowd, specify it in the invitation or give a courtesy call expressing your preferences.

• Something’s Gotta Give: If you plan to invite 200 guest but you’ve found a venue that you’re absolutely in love with that only accommodates 150, weigh the options as to what’s more important to you.

• Who’s Paying? Whoever is footing the bill, or most of the bill, has a little bit more pull when it comes to adding names on the guest list.

• Keep It Even: Avoid the drama and split your invites evenly. If you’re inviting 200, the bride and groom should have 100 invites and each set of parents should have 50 invitations.

• Stick To Your Guns: Everyone has opinions but yours matter most. You don’t want to look back on your special day thinking “Everything was just the way THEY wanted it.”

• Minimize The Mess: Instead of numerous lists written on paper, use an online guest list manager. Youll never have to worry about losing your written list and its easy and to update. There are plenty of free ones on sites like Wedding Wire and The Knot.

• Categorize: A (immediate family), B (extended family), C (family friends), D (Bride and Grooms’ Friends), and E (Parents’ colleagues). In the case of cutting down your list, you’ll know where to pull from first.

• Adding and Subtracting: Having a huge invite list for ceremony and minimal invites for the reception can be sticky and insulting to many. Try minimizing your guest list so there’s no need to separate or have a smaller ceremony and expand the reception invite list.

• Prepare For No-shows: About 15-20% of guests tend to not make it due to random circumstances. If you decide to invite a few more after your guest count has been given, check with catering to make sure they can accommodate them or any last minute guests that show up on the day of the wedding.

• United Front: If you have exceeded your guest limit, explain it from a joint perspective. Instead of saying “My fiance said we can’t go over our limit, sorry.” It’s better to say “We’ve decided to not exceed this number.”

• The News Is Out: Once your list is finished, send out invitations around 2 months in advance. If your special day falls on a holiday, send invitations up to 6 months in advance.

Written by Ashley Mason - TwoFoot Creative|Grand Rapids

Apps are made to make your life easier - and there are plenty around for couples to choose from when it comes to planning their wedding day! Here are some of our favorites:

iWedding: plan every little detail about your wedding with iWedding. Track what you need to do to throw a dream wedding event. Manage your guest lists and wedding activities like a pro.

Super Planner provides a variety of planning tools, including calculators for venue capacity, staffing, catering, staging, projection and dance floor, as well as useful tips in several areas. We use this app frequently with off-site catered events!

The WeddingWire App allows you to access and manage your entire wedding checklist and wedding budget by providing seamless integration with your WeddingWire account. You can search over 200,000 local wedding professionals and read newlywed reviews right from the palm of your hand.

Think of it as your on-the-go source for expert wedding advice - from when to cut the cake to how to line up your wedding party at the ceremony. You can also post your wedding questions and instantly get answers from other brides-to-be. Wedding911 by The Knot is the new go-to app for last-minute wedding advice.

Wedding Envi: This is the mother-load application for those of you who love to look at other people’s weddings! Whether it be research for your own wedding, or just because you love to look at pretty things, this application has thousands of photos for you to check out! You can look at wedding bands, hairstyles, wedding dresses and more. The perfect application for wedding inspiration.

My Wedding Concierge: This application allows you to search for vendors in a given area as well as allow vendors to contact you. There are a number of categories for vendors that you can browse. When you select a vendor to view, you can look through additional images. You can make notes on the vendor and even rate them if you’d like. There is also the ability to add them to your favorites, where you can easily see all of your “favorite” vendors for easy referral.

Instead of having your bridesmaids clutching on a bouquet, have them carry a clutch purse. Accessorize them by using matching colors or fun prints. They’re perfect for holding all their nick-knack necessities, friendly on the budget, and are easy to reuse when the “I Do’s” are over.

Dresses from left to right: Alfred Angelo, J. Crew, & David’s Bridal

You can find these clutches on etsy.com featuring Tulip Couture who does custom clutch designs for all occasions.

How and when did JLB Wedding get started? I started 2nd shooting for another wedding photographer in 2002 and soon began shooting on my own. The first weddings I shot were of friends who had seen some of my photography. By the end of 2003 I had shot 30 solo weddings and loved it.

What do you love most about shooting weddings? There’s a lot of emotion and energy on the day of a wedding. My clients often tell me it’s the greatest day of their lives. I love the chance to be there, behind the scenes and documenting that once-in-a lifetime moment.

What would you like to see more of? I’d love to see more brides be brave in their dresses. I like it when a bride has no fear of grass, rain etc. I know the dress is priceless but you only get this one chance. So live it up!

What are some of your favorite venues in the area and why? Addison Oaks, north of Rochester, MI, is one of my favorite all-in-one spots for a ceremony and reception. They have no shortage of gorgeous photo spots, not to mention a great staff. I also love ceremonies out in the middle of the woods. Stoney Creek Metro Park has just the place.

Describe the bride that you think wants JLB as her wedding photographer? She probably likes shopping on etsy.com while listening to indie rock.

What are some photography trends that you can’t wait to see disappear? The Dip!

How do you keep yourself and your photography up to date? I look at new trends in fashion photography as well as vintage 1950’s, 1960’s fashion photography.

Describe your album design process: My clients pick their favorite dozen or so photos and give me some direction on style, then let me fill out the rest of the album from a story perspective. They’ll get a proof online and the chance to make edits.

Favorite wedding magazine? I don’t read magazines much but I do have some favorite wedding blogs:

• http://www.greylikesweddings.com/
• http://www.stylemepretty.com/
• http://www.weddingchicks.com/

What would people be surprised to learn about you? I’m covered in tattoos! People only see me “dressed for business” with long sleeves.

Now that I am getting used to writing 2011 - it’s time to think about what can happen this year! I have a lot of great ideas I would like to implement, and those will hopefully take place over the next few months before wedding season kicks in (our first wedding of 2011 is mid-February!).

There are also many things I hope to see more of in the wedding industry and with wedding trends in general, such as:

• Continued interest in all things local! I am working with many local couples that are looking to keep their wedding dollars as close to home as possible. We are members of Think Local First, a wonderful Washtenaw County organization devoted to just that cause!

• Unique wedding venues! I love the new venues that are being used - the University of Michigan Museum of Art, Misty Farm, (hopefully) the Big House, Gordon Hall, Ann Arbor Farmer’s Market, Planterra, the Goei Center…

• Color! I love adding colored linens to the weddings we plan - it is such an easy and affordable way to bring personality and impact to a wedding reception. My favorites lately have been warm neutrals like butterscotch, copper, champagne, bronze and caramel.

• Teamwork! After four years in the industry, we have developed some amazing relationships with wedding professionals that truly do create a positive effect on every wedding we do. We will continue nurturing those relationships in 2011 to bring our couples the best experience in planning their wedding and of course on their wedding day as well!

• Our brides and grooms! We are having so much fun working with all of our 2011 clients, and cannot wait to see all of your weddings come together over the course of the year! Happy New Year!

In the most recent issue of The Knot Michigan Magazine, you can see Art & Jenny’s wedding featured in the Ann Arbor section (I love that Ann Arbor gets it’s own private real estate!). You can also see it online here. Jenny & Art’s wedding was the first at the Farmer’s Market. We have done one since, and currently have one pending for 2012 (nothing set in stone as they do have a year maximum booking time!).

Congratulations Jenny & Art, and Happy New Year!

The Big House may soon become a banquet center available to brides and grooms eager to exchange midfield vows on Michigan’s fabled block “M.”

Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon tells The Detroit News he plans to hire someone to market Michigan Stadium weddings and parties. He says fans and alums “would love to get married on the block “M” in Ann Arbor.

Brandon envisions wedding procession coming out of the Michigan tunnel and under the “M Go Blue” banner, with folding chairs set up on the field. He said suites could be used for receptions.

“This stadium is one of the assets we have. We have this beautiful structure that’s being used predominantly seven days a year. If we can come up with occasional opportunities to host other events that will draw the attention of folks and will be interesting and fun and financially viable, we’d love to do it.”

Brandon said that once renovations to Crisler Arena and Yost Arena are completed, those facilities also will contain “a lot of really cool, interesting spaces” that could potentially host events.

At TwoFoot Creative, we are very excited for these new Ann Arbor wedding venues! I cannot wait to plan our first Big House wedding!