The Dress and the Tiara

Just two days before Prince William and Kate Middleton's big day and we're all wondering what dress the beautiful style maven is going to wear.






I plan on waking up early to see the spectacle and the dress but I forgot about something very important for a Princess, a tiara.

Click here to see a great post on the royal tiaras. These beauties make me think twice about a veil.

(April 2011 Vogue UK, This is Glamorous)

Sorry for the lack of posts over here, I have been neglecting my wedding while I traveled to Spain and Portugal. However, this post is very apropos as I am trying on wedding dresses for the first time this weekend!!

Whimsical Wedding

Everything about Christine and Iaan's adorable wedding makes me smile. That's definitely the emotion I hope to evoke in my own wedding.


How about the sweet invitations chronicling their story? Love.



The space is so clean, yet so fun!


Looks like the borrowed Barbie's car to drive off in.

(Southern Weddings)

See more here and here.

The Venue

We made it our goal to make moves in our venue decision by the time we go to Spain (which is in five days!), so I'd be leaving out a big piece of the pie if I didn't mention our surprise visit to Bay Pointe Inn while we were back in Michigan last weekend.

Venue #7 - Bay Pointe Inn
I'd seen photos of this beautiful inn and even knew a high school friend who got married there, but having already made seven appointments for last weekend, I didn't think we would make it 30 minutes south of Grand Rapids to Gun Lake to see this venue. Boy were we glad we did. Bay Pointe Inn is a newly renovated resort with 38 suites, a pool and a beautiful ceremony and reception area right on the waterfront. This place is definitely on the short list!

Flowerless Centerpiece Ideas

The venue we are leaning toward is not the most economical option, so I'm already brainstorming places to adjust the budget and one of the areas I have in mind is the flowers. Of course I plan to have a beautiful bouquet for myself and my maids as well as sprinkled throughout the decor, but there are so many creative ways to avoid pricey arrangements.

How about veggies or fruit?


Potted greens?


or beautiful candles?

(Martha Stewart, 1, 2, 4, 6, Project Wedding 3, 5, 7, ?)

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The Venue (Urban Space)

The last two venues we are visiting have a more modern, urban feel, yet still ooze character.

(Martha Stewart 1, 3, Project Wedding, Goei Center, ?)

Venue #5 - Grand Rapids Public Museum
This venue is a little more modern than I envisioned, but beautiful, large and airy. Plus Kyle's prom was held there and there's a carousel!


Venue #6 - Goei Center
From the photos, this venue looks a lot like the Harbourfront Grand Hall, but the setting is the city and not the waterfront. I love that this space has lots of character with the exposed brick, original beams and wood floors.

(Telltale Photography, Catering to the Extreme)

The Venue (Garden)

The next two spaces are beautiful West Michigan gardens.

(One Love Photo, Martha Stewart 2, 3, ?, Dress Design Decor)

Venue #3 - Fredrick Meijer Gardens
This venue is huge and offers several ceremony areas and several reception areas, including the atrium, an old farm house and a sculpture park. It's also right in Grand Rapids, which makes it convenient for our guests. I think the only down side is that the spaces that I really like are most likely too small for the amount of guests we plan to invite.

Venue #4 - Windmill Island Gardens
The more photos I see of this venue, the more and more I like it. The reception is in a tent with a a backdrop of sweet little Dutch-style houses, as seen here. So excited to see it in person.

(Dusty Brown, Kai Heeringa)