February 2, 2010 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Ceremony, Reception, Venue

So, of course you know by now (because you faithfully read every post), that we had our wedding reception at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African-American History.

What you may not have known is that there was another wedding within arms reach that night at the Detroit Science Center.

I kind of knew from the start that I didn’t want our wedding to be at a banquet hall. But in the interest of leaving no stone unturned, I did place inquiry calls to a few halls. I found after talking to several banquet halls that they could’ve easily been called “wedding factories”.

Brides and grooms were ushered in one end of the machine. A little “we always do it this way” and a lot of “we have standard procedures for that” later and Voila!, you’ve got yourself a complete wedding and reception in a box.

No thanks. I’m all set – and you should be too.

I mean, if you really put effort into finding an alternative venue, and you don’t find a place that suits you, then go with the banquet hall, because in the end, yes, you will be married. And that is what matters above all else.

But trust me on this one, it’ll be well worth your time and effort if you find a different locale.

Hosting your wedding reception at location other than a banquet hall creates a unique environment for your guests. It could be a place that reflects your personality as a couple, honors your culture, or is a nod to your alma mater.

Los Angeles Country Arboretum and Botanic Garden

Cobblestone Farm in Ann Arbor, MI

Either way, finding a venue outside of a banquet hall will make your wedding unique and often give you more flexibility. It can be as casual or as formal as you’d like.

Consider one of these perhaps:

Library
Museum
Cultural Center
Barn
Art Gallery
Theatre
Botanical Garden
Loft
Yacht Club
Backyard
Historic Home
Historic Building
Rooftops
Building Atriums
Zoo
Neighborhood Block
Ski Lodge
Beach
Sports Venue
Boat
Bed and Breakfast
Bowling Alley
Arcade
Private Club
Park

All I’m suggesting is that you not box yourself in when deciding where to hold your reception.

The Quixotic World Theatre House

New York Public Library

If I missed anything, feel free to add it in the comments.

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Technorati Tags: Ceremony, Reception, Venue, Wedding

Christmas Lights as Wedding Decor?

January 15, 2010 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Reception

Now I know, if you’re ladies (and gents) after my own hearts, you went out and bought lots of holiday decorations 99% off on December 26th. If not, shame on you, you deserve to pay every penny of full price.

If you did happen to get some good deals, hopefully Christmas lights made an appearance in your shopping cart. Try using these little beauties as part of your wedding decorations.

Before you even fix your face to frown and call me tacky, just hear me out.

Now, in my defense, I’ve not seen this done tastefully in person, but I’m willing to guess it’s completely possible.

When done the right way, those tiny bursts of white light can probably do wonders at a wedding.

What do you think? Can it be done? Is it possible?

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Technorati Tags: Christmas, Decor, lights, Reception, Wedding

Latex Balloon for the Reception Centerpiece?

August 1, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Reception

I’ve been thinking more and more about the centerpieces for the tables. I just don’t know what I’d put in these vases. I was going through my wedding files on my computer this morning and ran across a picture I’d saved a while ago. I’ve probably posted it already but who know when and in what context. Me thinks I might be able to use it though.

Balloon Table Numbers

What if we did a large 36″ ivory balloon at every table, along with a bud vase with one or two inexpensive flowers, and the information cards like these I plan to hijack, which include the menu, afterparty plans and the table number?

What do you think? Could I pull it off?

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Technorati Tags: After Party, Balloon, Bud Vase, Decor, Flowers, latex balloons, menu, wedding reception

Wedding Cupcakes It Is!

July 21, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: DIY, Reception

We just recently decided to go to with cupcakes instead of cake for our wedding. We’ve talked about it before but kept going back and forth. After getting a quote from our preferred cake baker and listing the pros and cons in this most recent conversation, we’ve decided cupcakes are probably best.

Cupcake Pros:

Cheaper than cake, at about $2 each
No cake cutting fee
Allows for a variety of flavors
Opportunity to do a DIY stand (!)

Cupcake Cons

I don’t get to use any of the cake inspiration pictures that I found

So as you can see, cupcakes are the way to go. I posted one inspiration picture that I really liked before, but on second thought the frosting kind of reminds me of piles of poop on the cupcakes. So, needless to say, I need more inspiration. Here’s what I got so far:

Source: The Forever Wedding Blog

Source: Prima Donna Bride

Source: WeddinGo

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Technorati Tags: Cake, Cake Cutting Fee, Cake Stand, Cheap, cupcake stand, cupcakes, DIY, Inspiration

Tall Centerpiece Ingredients

July 12, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Reception

What about a mixture of these four items for the vase? The vases wouldn’t be completely full, but I think that might be okay.

Source: IKEA

+

Source: Save-On-Crafts.com

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Technorati Tags: Centerpiece, Centerpieces, money tree, thistle, Vase

Tall Centerpiece Help Needed

July 11, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Reception

Our venue has very high ceilings. Therefore, I’d love to use tall centerpieces cause I don’t want the room to feel empty. I found some vases at IKEA that I think I can use. Meet Blomster. It’s 17.75 inches tall!

I just don’t know what to put in it. I need something inexpensive that I can get in bulk of course. I’ve played with apples oranges and lemons, but I don’t really like how they look. It could be because of the dots on the vase or its shape. I’m not really sure, but it’s not working for me.

I know a lot of people use branches to add height, and I like them but sometimes they look a little too rustic for me. Plus, they’re not really cheap. And yeah, I could go outside and get some from my yard, but they’re not really that nice looking.

So, I need ideas from all of you. What can I put in my vase that will total no more than $5 per table?

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Technorati Tags: Branches, Centerpiece, Centerpieces, curly willow, Vase

Cake Love

June 30, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Reception

The last big thing (I think) we have to do is chose a baker for our cake or cupcakes. If we do end up going with a cake, I know I definitely want buttercream icing and no fondant. It should be simple but elegant with some bit of visual interest. Hopefully this will work out in our favor, since I’m finding that the more elaborate the design, the more expensive the cake is per slice. Some of the cakes I chose as examples are done in fondant, so I would just want a buttercream version of them.

So feast your eyes on my inspiration and try not to drool on your keyboard.

Wedding Cakes by cbledsoe on Polyvore.com

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Technorati Tags: Baker, Bakery, Buttercream, Cake, fondant

Glidden Free Paint Giveaway

June 25, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: DIY, Reception

For all you crafty brides and even the wannabees like myself, Glidden Paint is giving away free paint that can be used for your next project.

Through July 2, 2009, got to Glidden.com and choose the color that you like. Glidden will send you a free quart of your favorite color in 3-4 weeks.

Think creatively on this one. After you get your paint, feel free to share your DIY pictures with us and I’ll be sure to post them.

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Technorati Tags: craft, Decor, DIY, Free, Glidden, paint

Cherry Tomatoes

June 25, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Reception

I need your help. Where can I find A WHOLE LOT of cherry tomatoes in various colors, preferably in Metro Detroit? I promise it’s for the wedding and I’ll tell you more details later.

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Wedding Cake Bakery FAIL

June 25, 2009 by Mrs. 12k | Filed in: Reception

The last big thing we have to do is find a cake or cupcakes. A friend of mine (we’ll call her Kim) recommended the bakery that she used for her wedding and several other events. So I talked to the owner (we’ll just call her Sandy) and scheduled a drive-by tasting. Basically I stopped by on a Saturday morning and picked up a box complete with 6 slices of unfrosted cake, 2 containers of frosting and 2 chocolate truffles. Note that Sandy wasn’t there at the time.

Well Kim, who recommended me happened to be picking up a cake for a baby shower that very same day. So I went back to the bakery later on in the day with her to pick up her cake. Mass disappointment ensued.

At an earlier meeting Kim and Sandy had decided on the design for the cake. Sandy had lots of pictures available of cakes she’d done in the past, but was very convinced that the cake would really be stellar if she modeled off of the baby shower invitation. Kim wasn’t so sure, but because she’d worked with Sandy several times in the past she trusted her judgement, went out on a limb and paid extra for the custom design.

Fast forward to cake pick up day. Kim and I went to pick up the cake around 12:30. The cake looked awful. Instead of being a soft baby pink, it was bright flourescent. The lines and borders that were supposed to be straight were extra jagged. Really it was just bad all around. The ladies who were there said that there wasn’t much they could do but that they would have Sandy call Kim to come to a resolution.

Sandy called and admitted that the decorator who’d worked on the cake didn’t do a good job and that the cake wasn’t up to par. She agreed to do what she could to fix the cake and that we could come back and pick it up that afternoon.

Keep in mind that my friend Kim was nothing but nice this entire time. She made it clear that she wasn’t mad but that she came to expect a certain quality from the bakery and that this cake fell short of that threshold.

When Sandy called and told us that the cake was ready and that we could come pick it up, we had to go in through the back door and we found ourselves in their kitchen. Sandy revealed the newly fixed cake and while it did look neater, it was still very disappointing. Kim said it best: “It looks like something my little brother could’ve done at home.”

Sandy made excuse upon excuse, never once apologizing for the inconvenience of Kim having to return or for the fact that she fell short of her expectations for the custom cake. There was no, “sorry”, no “let me give you a few dollars off”, and no “I’ll redo it for you”

Because the bakery was closed and it was a Saturday, Sandy had to do a delivery for a wedding. So I understand that she had to leave right then, but as the owner of a small business, she should have made it her business to make sure this customer was happy, especially since she’d already given her so much business.

Here’s the straw that broke the camels back for me. When we walked in the back door, we found ourselves surrounded by Duncan Hines boxed cake mix! Now I don’t know if this is normal, but I feel like a bakery should not be using box caked mix. I feel like I’ve been hoodwinked!

At the time, Sandy didn’t realize that I was the bride who did the drive by tasting earlier in the day. But I hope she did eventually realize that, no matter how good the cake taste, she lost my business and anyone else I might refer based on her treatment of my friend and her customer.

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