Glimpse of the Past V

About Gifts
"If only an announcement of the marriage or invitation to the ceremony is received, no gift is necessary. Wedding gifts should not be presented in person. Gifts sent before the ceremony should be addressed to the bride: after the ceremony to the bride and groom. To each person sending a gift, the bride should write a note of thanks before the wedding. If she delays her thanks until after the wedding, she must then write promptly. Only a written note on personal paper will suffice-printed or engraved cards of thanks are improper. Gifts can be of silver, china, glassware, linen or perhaps small pieces of furniture. A visit to the Gift Consultant at the store where the bride has registered her patterns will be invaluable in the choice of a suitable gift. It is not uncommon for most brides to receive some duplicate gifts-and unless they are engraved specifically for the bride's use, it is quite correct to exchange them. She should, of course, inform the giver of what she has selected in exchange. Many brides prefer to hold a tea or luncheon shortly before the wedding when intimate friends are invited to see the trousseau and wedding gifts. The cards of the senders may be removed but the bride should be certain to keep a record in her book. Checks should not be displayed, but a plain card with the amount of the check could be used in it's place. This is doubly important if the custom of a wedding day display of gifts is followed."

Photo courtesy of Patrick Q

Glimpse of the Past IV

Division of Expenses
"The bride's parents provide the wedding invitations, cards, trousseau, all floral or other decorations, music, fees for use of the church, transportation for the bridal party to and from church, everything for the wedding breakfast or reception, the bride's gifts to the bridesmaids and a wedding gift to the bride-groom. For double ring ceremonies, the bride purchases the ring for the bride-groom. The bride's engagement and wedding rings, her personal gift, license, clergyman's and sexton's fees, gifts to the best man and ushers, and the bride's bouquet are provided by the bridegroom. He may also provide the bridesmaid's flowers if he wishes. Immediately after the ceremony, he must assume all expenses of his wife, including transportation to the reception or breakfast and all costs of the wedding trip."

Glimpse of the Past III

The Formal Wedding
The fully formal wedding is usually a church wedding, though it may be held in the home, club or hotel. Naturally it involves more expense and planning. Services of the clergyman and use of the church must first be obtained. The organist, choir, soloist, or other music must be arranged. Floral decorations must be decided upon and florist contracted. Transportation to and from church must be provided. Every detail must be perfected as far ahead as possible. That is why a rehearsal is so essential to the success of a formal wedding. It will bring to light any flaws in planning. At the rehearsal all persons having an active part in the ceremony are instructed by some fully informed person and clergyman. The bride-to-be is represented in the rehearsal by a "stand-in," while she and her mother stand by and help direct proceedings. After the rehearsal it is customary for one of the engaged couple to give a small party for the attendants.

Photocredit: Paul Noll Family

A Glimpse of the Past II

Today's second piece is on The Informal Wedding
"The wedding should be in keeping with the circumstances of the bride's parents. Informal weddings are usually home weddings. Their simplicity and friendliness make them charming affairs, if they are well arranged. Since the guest list is necessarily smaller, they are more private than church weddings. Decorations for the home wedding may be lavish or simple. A temporary altar or a flower-banked corner of a large room makes an attractive setting for the ceremony. A harp, organ, piano or even a phonograph with special records may provide appropriate background music. If the bride's parents have a beautiful lawn or garden, the wedding may be solemnized out-of-doors. Simple weddings may, of course, be held in a church, in one of the rooms of the church or in the clergyman's study or home. In such weddings, the decorations, if any, are simple and the wedding party small. It is improper to hold the wedding at the bridegroom's home. If the bride is without parents or near relatives, the marriage should take place in a church or rectory-although the reception may be held in the bridegroom's home."

A Glimpse of the Past

My mother-in-law came across a 1955 booklet of The Etiquette of the Engagement and Wedding sent to her sister-in-law when she was engaged. It is from Keepsake Diamond Rings, founded by A.H. Pond Company out of NYC, and edited by Modern Bride Magazine. There is so many lovely and old fashioned tidbits of information, I wish I could share the whole booklet with you, but decided, naturally, upon the "Etiquette of Planning" to be blogged in 5 parts. The first segment starts today, but not with a little prep, straight from the booklet. "All wedding plans and arrangements are made by the bride-to-be and her parents. They may consult the girl's fiance if they choose, but responsibility for all the details rests with them."

The Time
"After the day is set, the hour of the wedding should be considered. This is determined by the wishes of the bride and bridegroom, and the convenience of the wedding party-there is no set rule. The time of the wedding may be determined by church requirements or by the hour when the bridal couple must depart on their wedding trip. In general, afternoon or evening is the most popular time for elaborate and formal weddings. Morning weddings are often more simple affairs and are followed by a wedding breakfast and a reception, if the bride desires."

Gorgeous Ceremony Entrance

Please do enjoy this gorgeous ceremony entrance!

Ceremony Entrance Artwork Created By: Mindy Weiss

Project GREEN and white

ele3 visited the Woldumar Nature Center in Lansing this afternoon. Woldumar is a piece of property on the south side of Lansing for school aged children that offers numerous outreach and on-site Environmental Education programs for children as well as adults. The coolest part is that they partake in Project GREEN, which provides high school students with hands-on opportunities to gain and apply classroom science, math and social studies skills to local water quality tests, which they are then guided to take informed action on any identified water problems, and try to find a resolution. So, how does this apply to the wedding industry? Woldumar also boasts a white barn perfect for the rustic, country, bride, or even the romantic. The space has so much potential, the list of ideas for decorating is really endless! When you rent the barn or the whole property, you know it will go toward an extremely important cause.

Picture courtesy of Woldumar Center

Shutterbug Photography

Just like the name presents itself, up and coming Jennifer Orr of Shutterbug Photography is too cute! Working from her renovated studio of exposed brick with an industrial but cozy feel, her work takes on a fresh twist to traditional photography, as the picture she took above displays, and she is an avid volunteer taking pictures for all sorts of good causes and charity events. She is honest, sweet, and extremely comfortable to speak with, as she would be with any client.

Fresh & Green

Enjoy this imaginative table scape done by the awe inspiring Mr. Preston Bailey. With various shades of grass & chartreuse green it reminds me that Spring is indeed in the air. Over the top....yes Preston however, would not have it any other way.

My favorite design aspect of the table would be the plates. With an outline of fresh light green florals and a pop of white linen set atop the clear plate elaborates the natural green leaf used as a napkin ring. The touch of silver accents with candlelight to offset the green moss thoroughly compliments the gorgeous etching on the stemware. This table leaves me with nothing less than a fresh unconventional perspective.

Umm, Umm, Good

One of our favorite things to do is NETWORK! And taste testing goes hand-in-hand with networking and getting to know our local vendors and other professionals in this fabulous and creative industry. Mark and Kurt from Las Vegas Cheesecakes, a local Grand Rapids cheesecake shop, invited us out to taste some of their popular cakes, and we fell in love. Sherrie of ele3 is quite the homemade cheesecake baker herself, and she was totally impressed! They have certain menu items that are best sellers, but they are not opposed to thinking outside of the box either, give them a call, or go in to purchase a cheesecake, umm, umm, good!

Lotus Photographic

The 3 of us met with Karrn Frost of Lotus Photographic yesterday for the first time, although we have seen her work previously, and blog stalk her just like everyone else, it was truly a pleasure, and more importantly, we got to share our thoughts and feelings on the green movement, and how important it is to all of us. Her work speaks for itself, but for those brides who are not sold on the whole "green" thing, she will definitely help change your mind.

Cascade Winery

Last Tuesday ele3 had the opportunity to connect with Cascade Winery, located right on East Beltline in Grand Rapids.

The afternoon proved to be very informative, through the exchange of different business ideas and discussion on why we love doing what we do! The winery offers a variety of services for all types of customers.

Cascade Winery is a cozy, intimate place for tasting or bottling your own wine, but they offer some special treats as well, like their pasta and wine night cooked by Bob himself, or their chocolate, cheese and wine night. If you and your fiance are looking for a low key night out, do try Cascade Winery.

Another fun feature that the winery offers, is custom label printing for your own wine! To the bride that is a wine connoisseur, or to the bride that likes the idea of it, custom labeled wine is a great gift for your wedding party, or to serve at your wedding.

What we love most is that the winery is located right in Grand Rapids, brides please remember this is a great way to support your local community and another simple way to add a "green" element to your wedding. The winery offers a variety of different wines, a few personal favorites are the raspberry chocolate dessert wine, and the cooking wine flavored with jalapenos!


The Above Inspiring Photo is from Martha Stewart Weddings please do enjoy!