Start by researching. Most are familiar with the concept of unity candles and sand ceremonies, but few know about rose ceremonies, knot tying ceremonies, or hand fasting. Find a unity ceremony that takes who you are as a couple, and reflects it in your wedding. You may decide not to have a unity ceremony. That’s fine! Use those additional resources on thing that are more important to you.

Unity ceremonies are a great way to involve more family. Involving kids, parents, or even grandparents into a ceremony is easily accomplished, is in keeping with modern times, and allows more of your family to take part in the ceremony itself.

You want your unity ceremony to speak to you as a couple. They get people involved, add a dynamic to your ceremony, and give you a memento of your special day. So, do research, see what fits you, and make your wedding extra meaningful by choosing a unity ceremony that best represents your new marriage!

One of the favorite motifs of beach brides is the seashell. Seashells can be incorporated into a beach wedding cake easily in a variety of ways. Seashells can be created from icing, marzipan, chocolate (dark, milk or white chocolate) or as Mini Seashell Cakes! The colors can be natural or in any shade the bride desires.

Mini Seashell Cakes can be included in your wedding in several ways. They can be used as a part of the wedding cake design or even served in lieu of a traditional wedding cake. Mini Seashell Cakes can also be placed atop cupcakes and given as edible wedding favors

~Sometimes venues will offer an off-season discount. Prices tend to come down a bit after the peak months which are usually May- November. Venues are not as busy and seem to be able to accommodate any special requests a little easier.

~Winter themes are a fun twist on a wedding. Not only do you have a different palette of colors to pick from, but so many Christmas/Winter details to throw in at a moments notice.

~Your guests will enjoy a break from the winter blahs. Especially if you choose January through March when not much ever seems to happen during these months.

When dealing with a bank you are only negotiating with one lender, and only for their limited lineup of products. Team Mortgage Company deals with many lenders at the same time, providing customers with a much wider selection of financing options from competing lenders in the market. Not every home, homeowner, or real estate deal is the same, and each lender has a different appetite for various types of mortgage loan business. That’s why consumers, realtors and builders rely on Team Mortgage Company to shop the lender market and coordinate their best financing alternatives.

We complete a large volume of mortgage loan financing each year with many different financial institutions. Consequently we enjoy special status and receive multiple benefits such as lower interest rates and faster approvals.  These benefits are passed on to you.

Team Mortgage Company commits t0:

• Provide reliable, professional and timely mortgage advice
• Being accessible and responsive
• Provide unparalleled service, so that our clients will have the trust and confidence to continually refer friends and family members

On standard, qualified applications, there is never a fee charged to arrange a mortgage through Team Mortgage Company.  In difficult situations, where clients don’t meet standard mortgage approval guidelines, there may be a fee charged.  Our commitment is to provide you a quote up front, so that you can decide before we proceed.

However, the weekend of wedding festivities did not start off the best. Here is a recap of a wedding for the record books:

• Friday we arrived in the late morning to decorate and set up at the Holland Area Arts Council.
• Ari and her coordinator, Hannah from A to Z Weddings, were running the show.
• Everything showed up on time = everything was set up on time, yeah!
• Final decorations are made on Friday night and the group headed back to the Doubletree Hotel in Holland for the rehearsal dinner.
• Pizza was served around 5:30 pm. Socializing commences, drinks flow.
• 11:30 pm the bride goes to bed.
• Then…everything breaks loose – her stepfather had a heart attack and was taken by ambulance to Holland Hospital.
• He went into surgery.
• 11:45 pm my panicked brother found us…the debate began: “Do we wake up the bride and tell her…”

All this said, we left the bride sleeping after I visited the hospital. When he came out of anesthesia, the father of the bride looked at me, slurred his words and said: “Just make sure she marries him tomorrow!” Imagine the conversation we had to have with the bride in the morning!  But all ended well.

• They had an amazing day!
• Her father is doing well!
• Everyone was thankful!
• And they even got married!

I must say it was one of the best weddings I’ve been to. My wife and I have decided we are extremely jealous. Below you will see some of the highlights.

Flowers: Designing Dreams in Allendale
Catering: Ramona’s Table in East Grand Rapids
Bar Service: Martha’s Vineyard in Grand Rapids
Cake: Second Floor Bakery in Holland

Tiberius Images is a Michigan wedding photographer that photographs people, places and events. Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, they serve clients throughout the world and are available for travel.

Tiberius Images | Tiberius Images Blog | Michigan Wedding Photography

]]> http://grandrapidsweddingblog.com/2010/06/holland-wedding-photography-patrick-ari/feed/ 0 http://grandrapidsweddingblog.com/2010/06/san-diego-perfect-weather-perfect-honeymoon/ http://grandrapidsweddingblog.com/2010/06/san-diego-perfect-weather-perfect-honeymoon/#comments Tue, 15 Jun 2010 15:45:29 +0000 Dream Weddings http://grandrapidsweddingblog.com/?p=114

Don’t have a passport and don’t want to get one?  There are a many wonderful spots to honeymoon just a few hours away on a plane.

Downtown San Diego, especially the Gaslamp Quarter, offers the best of all worlds.  Don’t need a car…you can walk or use the wonderful public transportation.  You can look at spending your nights at a time share resort, where some have kitchen facilities.  Or one of the many wonderful hotels in the Gas Lamp area.

We recently stayed at the Marriott Gaslamp Quarter which overlooks PETCO Park. Now even if you’re not a baseball fan, it is pretty exciting watching the game from your room. And the resort has a wonderful lounge on the 22^nd floor, ALTITUDE Sky Lounge where you can enjoy the sights of the city before or after dinner.

During the day you can do as much or as little.  The Gaslamp Quarter has wonderful restaurants, sight seeing and shopping.  If you want to rent a car for the day, the beaches and other sights of Southern California are just miles away.  And a short boat ride from the Marina area puts you on Coronado Island where the scenery is beautiful and home to the famous Hotel del Coronado.  I can set up an itinerary for you that will meet your needs and wants during your honeymoon!

Weather is nearly always perfect in the San Diego area no matter what time of the year you get married!

Anna Kruse is a Grand Rapids Travel Agent with Dolphin Vacations. She has helped couples plan their honeymoons around the world and has first hand knowledge of some of the most exotic spots on the planet.

Our citronella candles are off white color so they will compliment your wedding decor. They come in tealites, votives, beautiful jar candles, and our popular petite 3-wick.

George Carpenter is an independent consultant for PartyLite. She offers wedding candles and decorations in the greater Grand Rapids area.

1. Decide on the time of year you would like to get married; Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring.
2. Know your wedding date.
3. Have a set budget for your entire wedding, an already agreed amount.
4. Decide on the number of guest to invite.
5. Have a vision for your wedding day, be able to give details to the event planner
6. Know your wedding colors.
7. Know the number of attendants that will be in your bridal party (bridesmaid, groomsman, flower girls, ring bearer, mothers, fathers, special family members etc).
8. Will the wedding be traditional or non-traditional?
9. Where you would like the ceremony to take place?
10. Where you would like the reception to take place?

Valerie Perkins is a Grand Rapids wedding planner. Her passion and specialty is working with brides from the start of their engagement until the completion on their wedding day. Valerie strives to make the process of planning a wedding for a bride and groom stress free and memorable.

1.      Take photos of the Bride to Be trying on her dress.  Take photos from several angles.

2.      Take off the dress and take close-ups of the detail work, beading, lace, etc on the dress.

3.      Ask the dress shop for a professional photo of the gown out of their catalog.

4.      Make sure to load these photos into your cell phone on the memory card.

By putting the photos in your phone, you have them with you wherever you go.  Then when you are shopping and you find some accessory you think might look great, match it to your pictures.

If you shop with Jewelry, Scents & Gifts for your wedding Jewelry, we can bring our selection to your home once you have received your gown.  Then you can try on several pieces to see how they look with your dress.  Make it a party and have your bridesmaids select their jewelry at the same time!  Then everyone can see what their accessories will look like with their dresses.  Brides will receive discounts if their bridesmaids order their jewelry at the same time.

Deb Laakso is the owner of “Jewelry, Scents & Gifts” and specializes in providing brides and grooms with great wedding gift and jewelry options.