Sneak Peek: Sarah + Matt
Snowy winter skies and the city of Holland made for a wonderful backdrop for Sarah and Matt’s winter wedding.
I can’t wait to share all the details and more of The MittenTog’s photos!
Posts
Mike and Jenny
September 17, 2016
Mike and Jenny are probably the kindest and warmest couple I’ve ever met. Seriously. From the moment I sat down with Jenny and her sister to talk about the wedding, I knew Jenny was going to be an absolute delight to work with.
Jenny has an effortlessly relaxed demeanor, so it made perfect sense that her wedding consisted of a gorgeous, neutral color palette and beautiful, natural elements. And the only place to have such a wedding, the Downtown Market in Grand Rapids. From the mini topiary escort cards to the hand placed succulents at every guest’s place setting, each design element was curated to represent Jenny and Mike’s style and personality.
The couple was married in the airy greenhouse under the dreamy chuppah they built, with hundreds of fairy lights twinkling high above while the dusky autumn sun set. With an amazing hora dance and a Matron on Honor speach that filled every eye with tears, this day was filled with so many sweet memories.
Jenny and Mike, thank you for welcoming me into your life and family with open arms and for allowing my team and I to be part of your beautiful wedding! We wish you so much happiness and all our love to you as you start this wonderful new life together!
Mazel Tov!
Ceremony + Reception Venue | The Downtown Market
Design, Planning & Coordination | JS Weddings & Events
Photographer | Alyssa + Drew
Hair + Makeup | The Parlour at City Flats
Chuppah | Made by the Bride
Ceremony Quartet | Brioso String Quartet
Officiant | Rabbi Michael Schadick
Floral Designer (personal flowers, centerpieces) | Ludema’s
Floral Designer (all other flowers) | JS Weddings & Events
DJ | Dream Productions
Catering | Martha’s Catering
Bar Service | The Downtown Market
Popcorn | Dorothy and Tony’s Gourmet Popcorn
Bakery | Amway Grand Plaza Hotel
Rentals | Baker Rentals
Macarons | Le Bon Macaron
Brett and Stephanie
July 23, 2016
From my very first phone call with Stephanie, I knew she would be a dream to work with and that her wedding would be one of my absolute favorites.
Not only did she have impeccable taste and style, but she trusted me completely when it came to design. With her love of all things mid-century modern, and a fun yet classic color palette, her wedding stretched me creatively as I learned to play with king protea, ikat patterns, and clean lines, while still keeping the overall aesthetic romantic. And what better place to show off every design aspect than the very modern Grand Rapids Art Museum in downtown Grand Rapids.
Stephanie and Brett’s wedding was also my first Jewish wedding and I was so excited to learn all about the Jewish wedding traditions. From the airy and dreamy chuppah that she built, which symbolizes the home that the new couple will build together, with open sides as a demonstration of their commitment that their home will always be open and welcoming to friends and family, to Brett breaking the glass, which signifies that relationships are fragile as glass and must be treated with care, love and respect, to the hora, blessing the challah, and the ketubah… reminded me that it’s not about the flowers, the dress, the food or the music. Rather, it’s about standing in front of your partner and committing your life to God and to each other, while being surrounded by those you love and that love you.
Stephanie and Brett, thank you for welcoming me and my team into your life and allowing us to be part of such a special day! Thank you for helping me love mid-century modern design and for trusting us completely with your vision and giving us creative freedom to bring it all together. All our love to you both as you start this beautiful new life together!
Mazel Tov!
Ceremony + Reception Venue | The Grand Rapids Art Museum
Design, Planning & Coordination | JS Weddings & Events
Photographer | Chris Van Winkle
Hair + Makeup | Urban Obsession Day Salon
Chuppah | Made by the Bride
Ceremony Cellist | Nathan Treman, friend of the Bride
Officiant | Rabbi Daniel Horwitz
Floral Designer | JS Weddings & Events
DJ | Event Revolution
Linen | Sitting Pretty
Catering | Applause
Bar Service | The Grand Rapids Art Museum
Bakery | Connie’s Cakes
Late Night Pizza | Big O’s Cafe
Paper Goods | Minted
DIY Housewarming Gift
I stumbled upon this colander at the World Market in Grand Rapids and fell in love. Pure love. I tend to fall in love with housewares a lot. I stood in the aisle admiring its flawless curvatures, the beautiful copper luster, all perfectly accented by those golden toned handles. I definitely stared at it longer than one should stare at a colander, all the while knowing I did not come into World Market for this, but trying to come up with ways to justify buying it. I definitely needed a new colander. False. Fine… The colander I had was just not the right ratio of height to width like this one. False again. Umm, I could use this for a centerpiece for a housewarming party that I would eventually be asked to help with… Negative. That’s when I realized that it would make a wonderful housewarming gift for my friend to give to his clients and boom, in my basket it went. Now, if I could have only remembered what I came to really buy at World Market.
Instructions:
There are no real instructions here. You simply find items you want to include and you arrange them in the colander. I chose items that all revolve around cooking and the kitchen, but you can use any items you want to; make the gift personal by catering it to the recipient’s taste and style. Play around with the placement of the items, putting the larger items in the back, with smaller items placed on the top. I then added some flowers in a vase just to pretty it up, but you could also do a potted herb plant or fresh cut herbs.
Growing A Garden
“My garden is my most beautiful masterpiece.” Claude Monet
For those of you who are dying to see my garden, here’s a little sneak peek at it. With over 5 acres of land, there is always something growing. Whether that be the hydrangea bushes that seem to be different every year, the succulents that we bring inside during the winter, or the woods that play home to the most beautiful wildflowers, there is always something new to discover. So come take a walk with me through my garden…
