Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from Grand Volute Ballrooms! 

Below is a beautiful picture shot by Virgil Hubbard last year. 

Our brides are the most beautiful around. 

What a great idea!

Recruit an army of boys to clean a bunch of pumpkins, and you've got a beautiful display! How wonderful is this! Autumn is a wonderful time of the year. Hope everyone is enjoying it as much as we are. 

Featured Business: Modern Photographics

Modern Photographics is a staple in the city of Lowell, and for good reason. They have been serving the West Michigan Area for over 35 years, and produce quality products time after time. We have been honored to work with Modern Photographics quite a few times, here at Grand Volute and have been nothing but impressed with the quality of their photography, personalization, creativity, and flexibility. They are fun photographers, and know how to capture the mood of the day, and personality of the couple. We highly recommend Modern Photographics. 

To contact Modern Photographics for a free consultation, call: 616.897.5606

Tell them we said "Hello!"

http://modernphotographics.com

Now, if this doesn't equal fun, what does?! 

This couple was married in our facility a few years ago, this is their anniversary portrait! Modeled after the movie "Up!"

Eco-Friendly Weddings

We are well into the trend of environmentally friendly EVERYTHING, and weddings can be included in that. Many brides opt to not hold an eco-friendly wedding, because oftentimes, eco-friendly is another word for "expensive." But that doesn't have to be the case! If you would like to choose to consider the environment while you plan your big day, it can be done intimately, affordably, and in a way that reflects your personalities! 

A few tips:

Seek the advice of your chef when ordering food, so as not to order too much food for your guests. Do the same when ordering cake. Another great option (and even more affordable!) is to purchase a smaller wedding cake, and additional sheet cakes to be cut in the kitchen, plated, and served. Sheet cake is much more affordable than wedding cake is, and tastes just the same! 

Look into purchasing post-consumer wedding jewelry. These companies, such as GreenKarat melts down old jewelry and creates new jewelry out of the old! GreenKarat even allows their clients to send in their old jewelry to be melted down into new wedding bands. Something to think about! For more information about GreenKarat, see: http://www.greenkarat.com

Consider emailing invitations instead of mailing them. Have only a few invitations printed out, and send those to those who may not be able to access the internet. 

Donate items that you are not likely to use again to a thrift store or charitable organization. 

Use potted plants as centerpieces, and ask guests to take them home and plant them! 

Recycle cans and bottles, glass, paper, etc, that is disposed of during your wedding. (Note: Grand Volute recycles!) 

Have your wedding in someone's backyard, or at a park. (Note: We can cater!) 

Borrow, borrow, borrow: Consider borrowing as many things as possible. From jewelry, to the honeymoon, anything can be borrowed! Wear your mother's gown, borrow a friend's jewelry, or borrow someone's timeshare property for your honeymoon! 

Have your wedding and reception at the same location (We can do this, as well. We have great ceremony areas, both inside and out) to cut down on travelling. 

Encourage your chef to purchase locally grown and produced products. At Grand Volute, we get a considerable amount of our produce from local farm markets. 

Ask bridesmaids to wear their own dresses that they already have. It is fine to request a certain style or color. 

Look into hiring local talent for your music, decorations, food, etc. Support local! 

Any more ideas? Leave a comment!  

Here are my picks for Best Fall Signature Drink. Don't be afraid to consider reducing your hosted bar package and adding a signature drink. This can either be a seasonal drink or something that showcases your personalities. I love the Pumpkintini and the Autumn Russian.

P.S.: Be sure to try these at your next Halloween party! 

-Mary Ellen 

Autumn Russian

1/2 part Kahlua 

1/2 part Vodka 

1 1/2 part (Hiram Walker) Pumpkin Spice liqueur 

1/2 part light cream 

Dash of nutmeg

Pumpkintini

1 part (regular or vanilla) Vodka

1 part (Hiram Walker) Pumpkin Spice liqueur 

Shake, strain into glass and sprinkle with cinnamon

Ring Warming Ceremony

For the Bride and Groom that want every guest to be involved in their ceremony, consider a Ring Warming Ceremony. Never heard of it? Neither had I! 

Tie the rings together in ribbon (securely, so that they don't get lost!) and have the guests pass the rings from person to person throughout the ceremony. Request that they say a prayer or a good luck wish as they hold the rings in their hands. Assign a family member (or the ring bearer) to ensure that the rings are passed to every guest by the time that the rings are exchanged. Be sure to plan enough time for each person to have a moment with the rings. 15-20 seconds per person is usually a reasonable amount of time. 

Wedding Hair

Many brides stress about their hair for their wedding day. From growing it out, to spending a day or so at the spa (which is great!), there is no doubt about it that most brides think that their hair is definitely something that needs to be paid attention to on their big day-- and it should! There are even hair shows dedicated specifically to wedding hair styles. These shows take place in New York City -- but no worries, we have the inside scoop on the tips and trends for this year's wedding hair.

Just like with everything else, the bride's hairstyle should reflect her personality, and compliment her dress. We recommend working with a stylist that you know personally, or meeting with one stylist on several occasions in order to be able to achieve a look that reflects who you are, as a bride, and coordinates well with your dress.

Also consider having your makeup professionally applied. Many stylists are trained specifically in makeup application, and will match colors to compliment your complexion and dress.

Be sure to bring your veil or headpiece with you as you test out hairstyles with your stylist, too!

For a bride that might be looking to have a great look on a budget, consider seeking the consultation of a stylist-in-training. A great resource for this in the West Michigan area, is the Douglas J Institute Cosmetology School. Students work under the supervision of trained professionals, at a reduced rate.

Below are some pictures from this year's hair show in NYC!

Apples!

During the last few years, we have had the privilege of working with countless vendors in the West Michigan Area. We love sharing with our clients the best that West Michigan has to offer-- because we want our clients to have the event of their dreams.

Fall weddings are wonderful-- they are always unique, and there are countless ways to have fun with a fall theme.

We have a great opportunity for some great party favors-- apples! These aren't just any old apple, as you will see below. Kristin Huyck has developed a way to mark the skin of an apple with nearly any design imaginable. It is completely natural, edible, and awesome! 

Below is what she has to say about her business:

"Each year, the calendar tells us when fall officially starts. Not for me. The fall season starts when the apples are ready for picking. Harvest time. I cant wait to take that first bite, crisp and full of flavor.

Apples are part of me. I am number six, the sixth generation of growing and harvesting Michigan apples. So, naturally, when it came to planning my wedding, apples were a must. And being a woman, I have been planning my wedding since I was 12. 

With the help and support of my father, who doesn't miss a beat with what is going on with the orchards, I began to play around with apples and experimenting with designs on their skins. After many, many seasons, I came up  with what is pictured below. The perfect little gift for each one of my guests. And they are tasty too!" 

Wedding Video

Dont stop at pictures: many photography studios now provide video services, as well. Dont forget to incorporate this into your special day. You want to remember this day forever, and video captures so much more than picture.

Below is a short clip of Bethany Edwardson walking down the aisle earlier this summer. Video captured by Ryan Humm.



Bethany walking down the aisle from Ryan Humm on Vimeo.

Guest Photobooth

While guests books are great, many couples desire to have a more memorable keepsake to remember the guests who were present for their wedding. While guest books allow each and every member to sign that they were present, it doesn't represent the personalities of your guests. For the bride and groom who desire to have a keepsake of the guests and their personalities, and and opportunity for something really fun, a photobooth is a great option! 

How to make it happen: 

During your reception (or at another casual moment) have an area set up with decorative curtains that an individual, or group of individuals can step into to have their photos taken. For even more fun pictures, have a basket of props near the photo booth for guests to pose with for their pictures. Pictures can be taken by a gracious family friend, or you might consider hiring a amateur photographer who might charge you less for their time than a professional, but would produce quality pictures, nonetheless. Also consider using a digital camera, and using photo-editing to achieve a look that matches the feel of your wedding! This is a great idea for someone looking for a memorable, fun keepsake from a reception, and you'll be surprised to see the pictures once they're printed! 

Somethig Blue!

This is by far the favorite element for brides of the bridal rhyme, which signifies purity, and royalty, amongst other things. Finding blue things to incorporate into your wedding is a blast-- have more than one! The regular stand-by is a blue garter, but there are lots of other options, too! Consider:

Light blue (or any shade of blue!) toenail polish, or even blue fingernail polish! Go bold!
Blue shoes-- so much fun!
Blue earrings
A blue diamond wedding ring
A blue wedding dress-- a popular trend in the 19th century
Blue flowers
Blue cocktail drinks during the reception
A blue carpet to walk down the aisle on
Get crazy-- have a blues band at your wedding!
A blue wedding cake
Or get married with the blue ocean behind you, or outside, with the blue sky above!

Have fun planning!
Leave a comment if you have any more ideas for any of these elements!

Something Borrowed

Incorporating something borrowed into the wedding day symbolizes borrowed happiness, or continued good luck from a long-married couple. Most people, for this reason, borrow something from a long-married friend or relative. It is recommended that after the wedding, one person is assigned to returning this item to its owner, in order that it remain borrowed-- not stolen! A great person for this job is often a wedding attendant or the mother-of-the-bride. Additionally, be sure to write a thank-you letter after the wedding!

Some great ideas for borrowed items include the traditional jewelery, sewing a father or grandfather's silk handkercheif (as long as it isn't flu or cold season) into the bridal gown, or borrowing a family member's ceremonial book (Bible, Torah, etc.) for the ceremony. Less traditional ideas include borrowing library books for ceremonial readings, borrowing a friend's home for the reception, wearing a friend's shoes, or even borrowing your mother's own wedding gown!

Nearly anything can be borrowed for your wedding, so get creative! Remember, the whole point is to remember that you can count on your friends and family, and to receive continued good luck from long-married friends and family!

Something New

For most brides, the majority of their wedding consists of things that are 'new,' from their dress, to their shoes, to their rings, and so forth. The trick to this portion of the rhyme is finding something that is unique and significant to the bride and her husband, new, and symbolic of the life that they are looking forward to living together.

Great ideas would be:

The key to your new home tucked into your handbag, or sewn into your dress.
An engagement picture inside of a silver locket
A new shade of lipstick, or a new tattoo for someone a little more daring.
A great, common idea would be new lingerie to wear for the wedding, the wedding night, or on the honeymoon (or for each night of the honeymoon!)

The idea of incorporating something new doesn't need to be extravagant, simply meaningful. It can be anything from a new pack of gum, to a new car, to simply considering the wedding bands the "new." Be creative, unique, simple, or traditional with this element of the rhyme. The most important thing is that it represents the bride and groom, and their future together.

Something Old, but Wonderful

The idea of utilizing something old in your wedding ceremony can be a wonderful addition to your day. Something old signifies continuity from within the bride's family. For this reason, brides often incorporate a piece of memorabilia from her family.

One great way to personalize this tradition for your wedding day would to use a classic car (possibly lent from a grandfather or family member) for transportation. A grandmother's antique hat pin could also be tucked into the bride's bouquet. Traditionally, brides sometimes wear a grandmother's pearl necklace, or another jewelry item that has been passed through generations. For brides looking for a more classic look, consider wearing vintage white gloves, or wear a headpiece, tiara, or veil that has been handed down.

A few more unique, even more sentimental way of utilizing this great tradition would be to tuck a love letter from the bride's father to the bride's mother into the bride's purse. Another great idea is to set a display table of antique pictures from the family of the bride and groom. This is a classic look, especially if the pictures have been printed and framed in black and white, or in frames according to the wedding party colors or theme. Another great idea would to create luminaries of pictures of the bride and groom to be placed along with, or as centerpieces on tables.

http://www.weddingbee.com

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