These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

These gorgeous bouquets are eye-catching masterpieces. I am smitten. Flowers have the ability to speak volumes about your day, and the colors play a large role as well. The flowers you choose will be instrumental in creating the mood you want for your day. So what kind of mood do you want to create?

Romantic. Understated. Classy.

Hostess with the Mostess, Hey Juder

Bold. Modern. Beautiful.

Loop Flowers, The Nest Baby

Sassy. Fun. Feminine.

Happy Hour Bride, Real Simple

Timeless. Classic. Refined.

Martha Stewart, Lina's Look Book

Lime and Black

This week, I am featuring a fun, modern color scheme that brings an absolutely electric energy to a reception. Bold, dramatic, and cheerful, these colors make for a very memorable event.

Save the Date: Forever
Candle and Favor: Simply Dazzling Events

Shoes: Endless

Bouquet: Old Town Florist

Placecards: Sherene

Drink and Table Setting: Hostess with the Mostess

Vases: Pier 1

Necklace: Tarina Tarantino

Bracelet: H&M

Invitations: Blue Skies and Daisies

Cake: Gateaux Rose

Vendor Spotlight: Vita Dolce

Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting the ladies of Vita Dolce, a specialty chocolate company based out of Grand Rapids. I also had the pleasure of testing their products; lucky me! After completing that grueling task, I can say with certainty that Vita Dolce makes the best chocolates this planner has ever tasted. And they are visually delightful, to boot! I actually had to examine the artisan chocolate (first photo below) closely to ensure that it was, indeed, edible. It was so perfectly crafted that I was convinced it was for model use only. The experience in a nutshell? I hope to be at every wedding they are!




I got the chance to interview Jessica and Dana, the owners of Vita Dolce. Read on to get to know more about them and their tasty business!

Tell me a little bit about yourselves.
Dana and I have known each other for a long time. We are both married, living here in Grand Rapids. I was raised by an Italian mother who loved to make sweets for special events and holidays. When I was younger she passed her secrets on to me. After making the wedding favors for Dana's wedding in early 2008 I decided that I wanted to start a company making chocolates for other people's special events! Dana is no help in the kitchen, but she comes in pretty handy with the rest of the details. We were blessed with very different talents in life, but it makes for one heck of a partnership!

How did you pick your business name and what does it mean?
Being from an Italian family, when we were deciding on a company name we of course decided that we should go back to our roots. Vita Dolce means sweet life in Italian. Dolce means sweet and, obviously, chocolates are sweet. We added sweet life because chocolates are something that we enjoy when we are celebrating, giving a gift to say we care, or we are just stealing a quiet moment of indulgent bliss. We feel that chocolates are something that can be enjoyed at anytime, for any occasion and will always leave you with a boosted spirit! We take great care and pride in creating and presenting our chocolates and we want to share a part of our sweet life with you!

After doing this professionally, do you still eat chocolate?
Um, yes! Dana is more addicted than I am, but we still enjoy our sweets!

What is the best part about your job?
Wow... the best part? Probably product development. There's nothing like getting our team (us and our husbands) to test out the new recipes! We consider it a perk of the job.

You offer your chocolates as favors. Do you also offer them for dessert bars?
Yes! We offer chocolates by the piece to be used on dessert bars. Our favorite combination is a mix of chocolate truffles and artisan chocolates. The two chocolates together make a very appealing display. Oh, and they taste even better!

How far in advance should brides place their orders?
For large orders brides should plan on placing the order approximately three weeks before the event date. For custom favors, extra time is preferred to guarantee that we have enough time to work with you to create the perfect complement to your wedding day. We will help you pick special ribbon or favor tags to coordinate with your wedding theme.

When you are not making chocolate, what are you doing?
In my free time I'm busy enjoying my husband and two children. I have a four year old daughter and a one and a half year old son. I love my little family, and enjoy all the time I have with them everyday. In her free time Dana's busy working on fixing up the house and learning how to care for plants. So far, no good!

Tell me something fun or quirky about you.
Dana and I are childhood friends and we met over candy. When we were younger Dana would sneak red licorice from her Grandmothers house and we would run out to the play ground to enjoy our spoils. When we were in middle school we would joke about how we were going to marry rich men, be next door neighbors, and have our own company. Lucky for us we've got at least one of those crossed off our list!

Embracing the Weather

One of the most difficult things about planning a wedding is the very thing that you cannot plan: the weather. Call them crazy, but most brides would prefer not deal with bad weather on their wedding day. Rightfully so. However, if rain is in your forecast, all you can do is make the best of it. Rain or shine, you will still be married by day's end, and that's the most important thing.

Plus, rain can make for some incredible photos. Take the below photos, for instance. The umbrellas and galoshes are both adorable and unique. If the weatherman's outlook is bleak, hope for the best, but plan for the worst. Go out and get those adorable umbrellas and golashes. If you don't need to use them, you can take them back (or keep them for fun rainy day attire). But if you do, you'll be able to look back at your photos years later and remember the day you splashed through the rain together in the most expensive dress you'll ever wear.

Photos, from top: Hotel Blogs, Julie Harris Photography, Laura Novak Photography, and Meg Perotti

Red and Green

This week, I am featuring two bright colors that are traditionally associated only with the Christmas season. It is entirely possible to have a red and green wedding without it seeming Christmas-y, and perfectly acceptable to do it in the summer months. By excluding wreaths and holly berries, red and green work well together in months other than December.

Bouquet: FTD

Escort cards: Laura Kay

Flower Girl Dress: Perfume River

Wagon: Kelly Vasami

Shoes: Glamour This

Field and Strawberry: Flickr

Aisle: Prescott Wedding

Rose: Style Me Pretty

Cookie Season

I was hard at work this morning when I was interrupted by the sweet sound of girl scout cookies being delivered to me. I cannot help myself around this time of year; girl scout cookies are my weakness. It was 6 boxes and $21 in cookies later that it occurred to me: delectable wedding dessert!

I don’t think I’ve ever met someone that didn’t like girl scout cookies. The limited time availability is what makes them so hard to resist, and the anticipation of the cookie season gets people excited. Offering them at your wedding would be fun and familiar for guests. And the possibilities are endless.

Imagine a beautifully designed display of Thin Mints, Samoas, Tagalongs, and Do-Si-Dos, complemented by little glasses of ice cold milk.

Photos: Fotobank, Ecocentric

Or pre-assembled miniature plates of cookies, ready for the taking.

Photo: Inmagine

Or fun, cute cookie and milk combinations.... Who could resist? One thing is for sure: certainly not me.

Photos: Yum Sugar, Let Them Eat Cake

A White Wedding

I absolutely adore white weddings. They are timeless, understated, refined. There is something about them that just steals your breath, conveying the significance of the day. Even more attractive, this classic look will never go out of style.

Altar arrangement: Seattle Flowers

Drapery: The Event Decorators

Cake: My Real Wedding

Table: Majestic Party Rental

Centerpiece: Eco Friendly Florals

Bout: Real Page Sites

Cupcake: Recipe Girl

The Veil Accessory

This week I came across Veil Trends, a company that designs the latest in veils and headpieces. The designs below, all of which can be found on her site, are a new take on an old tradition. There is just something about a veil that screams "I'm a bride!," and I am a big advocate of embracing the tradition. When in your life will you ever get to wear such an accessory again? And with gorgeous options like the designs below, you are sure to find the perfect veil for your style.

Jewel Tones

This week, I am featuring dark blues, greens, and purples, by request. I absolutely love how these colors turned out together. In fact, if I had my wedding to do over again, I would seriously consider this palette. So rich and memorable! I hope you all love it as much as I do!

Bouquet: The Bride's Cafe

Shoes: Nina

Candy: Amy Atlas

Vases: By the Sea Jewelry

Votives: Soma Luna

Ring: The Beautiful Company

Invitation: 2nd Street

Dress: Dessy

Cake: Project Wedding