Florist

Looking for a reasonable, but still good, florist? Ashley Barnhardt is great. She is a Michigan Certified Florist who buys her flowers wholesale so the more you buy the cheaper its going to be. She does have some wedding packages she can tell you about. There are many pictures on her web site www.ashleybarnhartmcf.weebly.com.

Ashley does everything from corsages and bouquets to arrangements for church and reception. She can also make arrangements to put on the pews and even cake table decor. I like Ashley's work because she puts a personal touch to the work she does, which makes the flowers that more special for your big day.

The following pictures are from Ashley and is of her work.

Check back for more reviews.

Invitations and More

When first starting my research on invitation vendors, the first one that came up was The Invitation Place (www.theweddinginvitationplace.com) I sent Julie (the owner) an email and she instantly replied and was eager to have me share information about her new business with you.

Not only does Julie do invitations but also designer napkins, and all sorts of wedding accessories from cake topers and caking cutting knives to pillows baskets and glassware.

When looking at Julie's invitations I thought they were simple, classy, and well done. It is worth it to note that her invitations, while not tailored SPECIFICALLY for you, are still wonderful!

Julie is located in the Wyoming/Grandville area and is very good at responding to phone calls and or emails. Contact her with your wedding invitation needs.

I will be meeting with Julie soon and will have more information then and will post but I wanted to get the word out about her invitations. If you go see her tell her Hannah sent you.

Outdoor Location

I've found a great out door facility with options of indoors also on Lake Michigan for a nice low key beach wedding.

Camp Geneva (www.campgeneva.org) has a chapel which you can reserve April through August (at alternative times to camp and retreats) and is also available to reserve in December. They also have 1200 feet of beach front which is available to reserve May through August. Camp Geneva also has picnic pavilions for reception's so everything can take place at the same location.

I've seen several wedding's here, at one, they did a beautiful wedding beach side then used the pavilion for a pancake breakfast reception! It was great and totally fit the bride and groom.

On Camp Geneva's web site they have all of their prices along with all of their policies and the maps and brochure's for you to print out. When you go to the web site you will then need to click on retreat facilities and you will see the link for weddings.

I've spoken with Marlene Barkel the Camp's guest services Director. She is very friendly and will respond to you in a timely manner.

Keep checking back for more updates I will be posting a lot of them this week.

Photography

I had the opportunity to meet with Brad Legg of "Brad Legg Photography" at his studio this week. Brad has been in the photography business for years and is very professional and personable.

His studio is located at 36th street and Clyde Park in Wyoming.

Brad does both actual wedding albums and disc albums (pictures burned onto a CD). He is currently running a few specials. You can get a free engagement session with 1 4x6, Free hour of reception coverage with 1 11x14, and 10% off all albums for brides and grooms. You can check his website (www.bradleggphoto.com) for more information.

I feel Brad's prices are pretty reasonable. He has an economy package for as little as $600 and his most expensive package is $3200. He has multiple packages with albums and disc albums.

He has a very well done website at www.bradleggphoto.com with lots of information. Call and set up an appointment with Brad and tell him Hannah sent you.

I have lots of appointments this week so I'll have lots to share with you.

Invitations

This week I had the pleasure of meeting with Gwen Jensen who owns Frogstar Productions here in Grand Rapids. You can check out her website at www.frogstarinvitations.com. 

Gwen works out of her home and has a studio where she does all of her own printing and assembling. She has been running her own business for about 4 years.  I was impressed with the different styles she has to offer. Gwen said that she will try anything as long as she has the equipment required!

 

She not only does wedding invitations but also save the date cards, table numbers, programs, menus, thank you's etc. Her prices are very reasonable starting at $2 an invite and going up from there; if you provide her with the materials then it will be $2 an invite no matter the design. She does have a generic price list on her website but, because of the customization of her work, her prices vary based on what you would like (paper type etc). 

If you do your invitations through her anything else you would like to order from her would be 50% off.  

She suggests that you order about 2 to 3 months before your wedding as she runs about a week to week and a half turn around time. 

She will be featured in the Knot's fall magazine coming out. When meeting with Gwen I also was privileged to meet her business mascot Riley! He was super cute and friendly. Gwen runs this business out of her home but is very professional. Be sure to check her out and tell her Hannah referred you!

Check back for info on Brad Legg Photography.

Starting up

I am super excited to be starting this blog to help brides across West Michigan plan the biggest day of their lives! This blog will highlight vendors across West Michigan, everything from A to Z that you need to plan the big day. 

Today I will introduce myself and, as the weeks and months go on, I will add more information.

My name is Hannah Kaniewski and I was born and raised in Grand Rapids.  Since I was a little girl I have loved weddings. I have always wanted to plan weddings, so a few years ago I started going after this dream. I went to a tech school to obtain my Wedding Consulting Certificate and I soon started helping my friends and family plan their weddings when they got engaged. Then, one of my friends, started her own business called Renee Austin's located downtown Her store is a wedding dress, bridesmaid dresses, mother of the bride and groom dresses, tux rentals and accessories. www.reneeaustins.com  After talking with her my passion grew even more and idea's on her end and my end started flowing. So, here I am, I want to be a great resource for brides. I am really excited for this new adventure. 

Stay Tuned for more information soon.