Wednesday, December 9, 2009

A perfect wedding - Ann Arbor style!

*Images by Dorothy Gotlib and Bartek Koss*


The stunning reception took place in a tent outside on the property of the EagleCrest Marriott in Ypsilanti Michigan - look how beautiful!


The table numbers, handmade by Lauren & Co. You can also see the place card holders: the apple with the leaf cutout (see post below for details)


The gorgeous cake made by Lauren's grandmother


The good lookin' bridal party


Lauren's little cousins surprised her by collecting and distributing the leaves down the aisle for her ceremony :)


Flowers by Enchanted Florist in Depot Town, Ypsilanti


Lauren chose BEAUTIFUL "fall" colors for her October wedding


The programs were all handmade by Lauren & Co.


The set up for the outdoor ceremony at the EagleCrest Marriott

THE Engagement


I apologize for the delay in posting this...as you will see, it was well worth the wait :)

How do you surprise your girlfriend, who could double as a CSI agent, and propose marriage? This was the question on Dave’s mind in October 2008. Dave worked nights at a local restaurant and Lauren worked days. Dave used this to his advantage and left Lauren’s engagement ring on the bathroom counter and scrawled “Will You Marry Me?” on the bathroom mirror. Lauren was shocked, to say the least, and once she realized that the ring on the counter was not a mistake, she was elated and replied an enthusiastic “YES!” in lipstick on the mirror back to Dave.

And so the wedding planning began…Lauren, a DIY (Do It Yourself) bride chose the colors brown and orange for her October 17th, 2009 wedding. After trying on numerous dresses, Lauren decided on the first one she ever tried on at Elizabeth’s Bridal http://www.elizabethsbridal.com/. Lauren booked her outdoor ceremony at the EagleCrest Marriott located in Ypsilanti, Michigan http://tinyurl.com/bae6j8 . She hired Uncle Buck from Mike Staff Productions to DJ the wedding http://www.mikestaff.com/ and Enchanted Florists in Depot Town Ypsilanti to do her flowers http://www.enchantedfloristinc.com/.

Lauren, her family and friends spent many hours on wedding projects which included: the table numbers which were pictures of Lauren and Dave from over the years (Did I mention they dated for 12 years before getting engaged???), the place cards and their holders which were apples with leaf name cards that Lauren hand punched and were held in place by a straight pin,, and the wedding programs. Needless to say Lauren was VERY busy during their year long engagement.

Aside from their bridal party, which included extremely close friends and family, Lauren and Dave made sure their wedding represented who they were as individuals and as a couple. Lauren hired hairstylist extraordinaire Julie Hill and make-up artist Hannah Butler http://www.blissbookimages.com/ to come to her suite at the Marriott to do each of the bridesmaids hair and make-up. The setting made for a very attentive and personalized make up application and hair style for each individual. The ceremony was officiated by Rev. Melissa Anne Rogers from the First Presbyterian Church of Ann Arbor. Lauren and Dave worked with Melissa to create a very unique and personal ceremony. The wedding cake was made by Lauren’s grandma, which I think is a unique and incredibly personal touch. Since Lauren and David are full of fun, laughter, and craziness they asked the bridal party to enter the reception in a “unique” way. One couple entered wearing large sunglasses and sombreros, one groomsmen pulled a bridesmaid in a wagon, and one couple switched garments (he wore her bright pink scarf and she wore the jacket to his suit and his tie). All in all it was very “Lauren and Dave.”

Just a mere two months before their wedding date Lauren decided to addthe services of shutterboothhttp://www.shutterbooth.com/ . She recommends making room in every wedding budget for shutterbooth if possible. It was so unique, and so fun for everyone, children, adults, teens, couples, friends, family, etc. She opted to open the booth after dinner and also opted for digital copies of all the pics, as well as a guestbook that included all the shutterbooth pictures taken that evening. Guests were then able to leave Lauren and Dave a comment under their picture, or simply sign their name. Lauren commented that shutterbooth was on time, professional, and went above and beyond her expectations.

Lauren and Dave’s wedding was spectacular, to say the least, and I wanted to showcase it to show off some amazing Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti vendors, and also to inspire those of you out there needing some wedding inspiration.

I also have to give a little shout out to my fellow Pioneer High School graduates who were in this wedding…I went to high school with most these people so a quick “Hi!” to:

(Obviously Lauren and Dave)
Katie Barry
Lindsey (Brewster) Pierce
Katie McCabe
Kate (Clark) Rusak
Lucy Corbett
Will Clark
Eric Janz
Ryan Janz
Jesse Churchward
Joel Ambrosino
Matt Zeichman
Brian Marentette
Jake Barry

Thanks Lauren and Dave for sharing your special day!!!!

3 comments:

BlissBook said...

Thanks for the shout outs! Very informative post and you know I liked all the pictures.

Trish said...

LOVE the shutterbooth idea - especially if shutterbooth puts all the pictures into a guestbook and even better if the guests can take home copies of the pics as party favors! I wondering if there is someone "manning" the booth, or is it just dropped off and picked up?

Petals Planning Co. said...

Trish,

Shutterbooth supplies someone to "man" the booth - I think the lady Lauren had was named Jennifer and Lauren sang her praises, said she was AMAZING. And...the guests do get to take their print out home as favors...I wish I had this at my wedding :)