The Cupcake Craze

Cupcakes are all the rage these days and are quickly making away with the traditional wedding cake.

Northern Nuptials had the pleasure of speaking with Kerry Johnston, owner of The Cupcake Station with three downtown locations in Birmingham, Ann Arbor, and Plymouth, Michigan.

Cupcakes offer greater variety, a more reasonable portion size, and far less waste. They're also super cute and taste fabulous!

Read more at www.northernnuptials.com.

Say I do. Up North.

Green Your Big Day With Earth Friendly Tips

Special thanks to Stephanie Nash at The Green Bride Guide, a comprehensive, credible resource for green wedding ideas, products, and services for her contribution to our monthly guest editorial.

Minimizing emissions on your transportation plans, choosing all natural hair and make-up products, and purchasing organic fabrics for bridal attire are just a few ways you can green your big day.

Visit Northern Nuptials (www.northernnuptials.com) for 13 WAYS TO GREEN YOUR WEDDING DAY.

To Hire Or Not To Hire: The Professional Planner

For many, the decision of whether or not to hire a planner is determined solely by budget restrictions. Undoubtedly if you cannot afford to hire planner, your entire event will be DIY. The flip side is that chances are, if you can hire a planner, you will.

Planners are now available to offer complete, full service efforts or individualized assistance with a particular phase or portion of the process. Read advice on whether a planner is right for you - and what the bottom line is when it comes to planning your wedding.

Read more at Northern Nuptials (www.northernnuptials.com).

Spectacular Up North Planning Service By N|M Event Design

Be sure to visit the fabulous website of N|M Event Design for details on amazing event planning, equipment offerings and packaged promotions by Danielle Vogelheim, owner and master Event Designer.

Danielle states that it is important to tell the story of the couple and portray the couple in their wedding details. She calls herself an Event Designer because it is important that the wedding itself is not a reflection of her but rather of the couple - a brilliant thought!

Danielle is on hand to assist with the design of the venue, reception, production, vendors, logistics and overall weekend activities.

Whether you are looking to host a Traverse City Wedding, Petoskey Wedding, Charlevoix Wedding, Bay Harbor Wedding, Harbor Springs Wedding, Mackinac Island Wedding, Grand Rapids Wedding, Holland Wedding or a Destination Wedding outside of Michigan, N|M Event Design would welcome the opportunity to work with you to make your special day a memorable one. Visit www.nmeventdesign.com for more!

For additional information on planning the perfect Up North wedding, visit www.northernnuptials.com!

Destination Wedding Photography: Y GO PRO By Paul Retherford

We're thrilled to have March guest editorial provided by Paul Retherford, professional destination weddings photographer based here in Northern Michigan and working throughout the world.

Paul boasts over 13 years experience as a professional photographer and is a member of Professional Photographers of America and Canon Professional Services. Paul has the talent to capture with a nice blend of posed photojournalistic, candid, traditional and creative wedding images - all in grand style.

Visit Northern Nuptials at the link below and check out our March guest editorial and take in Paul's expert advice. Special thanks to Paul for his expert words.

For more information on planing a Northern Michigan wedding, please visit www.northernnuptials.com.

For more information on Paul, visit www.paulretherford.com.

Fabulous New Event Gallery by Paul Retherford Photography

Be sure to check out our fabulous new event gallery promoting the work of Paul Retherford Photography.

The August, 2009 wedding was held on a beautiful inland lake in Northern Michigan. The outdoor wedding celebration was captured by Paul Retherford Photography. Post wedding included a "Trash the Dress" session. Wedding favors were pieces of flair. Live band, The Aces, featured lead singer, the father of the bride.

All in all an amazing destination event in Northern Michigan.

For more information on hosting a destination wedding in Northern Michigan, please visit www.northernnuptials.com!

Customize Your Wedding Experience: Guest Editorial by Bambi Caicedo Rogers

Be sure to check out our January guest editorial by Bambi Caicedo Rogers, President of BCR Events in Chicago. Bambi boasts over ten years experience in the Chicago special event industry.

Be sure to check out her editorial where she explains in detail the many fabulous ways to customize your wedding experience.

Read it, enjoy it and please... by all means share it with friends.

Happy Planning from Northern Nuptials and Welcome To 2010!

For more information on planning the perfect Up North wedding here in beautiful Northern Michigan, please visit Northern Nuptials (http://www.northernnuptials.com).

Simply Fabulous Photography by Paul Retherford

That's Retherford with an "e", folks. There's no "u" anywhere in the name.

Northern Nuptials is very pleased to note the addition of Paul Retherford Wedding Photography to our list of participating vendors. Paul joined NN on December 16 and we're excited to have him as part of our unique association.

Paul grew up in Alpena, Michigan - a great waterfront city located within our service area on the east coast of Michigan's northern Lower Peninsula. Graduating with a degree in environmental science, Paul began a career in nature photography that quickly transformed into wedding photography. A full-time, professional wedding photographer for over seven years now, Paul resides in Rudyard with his wife Megan.

Paul's the kind of guy you want to do business with. His work speaks for itself. He's honest, straightforward and offers exceptional creativity in the science of wedding photography. The best thing about him is that he loves his profession - he loves what he does and he loves creating memories that will be valued and coveted for years to come.

Working throughout the Midwest, Paul is available for weddings and ceremonies with services starting at $3500.

Paul's photographic style is a mix of posed photojournalistic, candid, traditional and creative wedding images. Paul uses only professional Canon gear and his wedding products are all top-of-the line professional products with lifetime workmanship warranties.

One item definitely worth noting: Paul has a 100% client satisfaction rating. Now how many of us can even begin to boast such a notable accomplishment?!? For more, please visit www.paulretherford.com. And remember that "e".






All images contained in this blog post remain property of Paul Retherford Wedding Photography.

Beautiful Boyne City, Michigan - Up north Perfection

Located on beautiful Lake Charlevoix, Boyne City offers the perfect location for a Northern Michigan destination wedding. Surrounded by lush forrests and rolling hills, the Michigan landscape throughout the greater Boyne City area is both visually stunning and filled with opportunity for any type of special event.

For additional information on planning the perfect Up North wedding in beautiful Boyne City, Michigan, visit Northern Nuptials and start planning today!

Weddings On Michigan's Crown Jewel: Mackinac Island

The crown jewel of Michigan, Mackinac Island, has been a cherished wedding destination for more than 100 years. Timeless, traditional, and true to life.

Visit Northern Nuptials for details on planning the most magnificent destination wedding of all time on Mackinac Island.

Visit Northern Nuptials for more at www.northernnuptials.com.

Beaver Island: The Perfect Remote Wedding Island In The Great Lakes

Beaver Island is quite possibly the most remote yet inhabited island in all the Great Lakes. Located off the Northwestern coast of Michigan's lower peninsula, Beaver Island is approximately 13 miles long and 6 miles wide, and is home to about 600 year round visitors.

With over a dozen lodging opportunities, the island can accommodate weddings and special events of any size.

Visitors can enjoy a myriad of water sports activities including power boating, sailing, kayaking and of course swimming. The island boasts two established campgrounds, both owned and operated by the Island Townships. In addition to the camping areas, over 35% of the entire island is protected state forest.

Technically part of Charlevoix County, Michigan, Beaver Island is accessible only by air and water. Commercial ferry service departs daily from Charlevoix throughout spring, summer and fall. Charter air service is also available to and from Charlevoix as well as to other destinations from the island.

Once on the island, several charter boat services operate to offer custom sight-seeing experiences or even sunset cruises and day excursions.

No matter what season, Beaver Island offers a land of tranquility and recreation for any upcoming special event.

For additional information on planning a wedding on Beaver Island, please visit Northern Nuptials.

Current Makeup Trends by Saks Fifth Avenue Artist, Christian Van Brimmer - Do a Betty Draper Do!

Visit Northern Nuptials for this month's guest editorial, provided by Saks Fifth Avenue Makeup Artist, Christian Van Brimmer.

With AMC's hit show Mad Men leading the way in fashion and beauty, Christian notes current trends for wedding makeup taking a nod to the early 1960's with a clean, classic look.

Check out www.northernnuptials.com and visit our guest editorial area for Christian's tips on skin care, makeup application and nail color selection.

Christian has worked for over 10 years for brands such as Trish McEvoy, MAC, Dior, Chanel, and Laura Mercier. Visit Northern Nuptials for more!

October Guest Editorial - Jennifer Stein with Destination I Do Magazine

Special thanks to Jennifer Stein, Editor in Chief of Destination I Do Magazine, for providing guest editorial to Northern Nuptials. Visit Northern Nuptials today for expert advice from Stein on how to plan the perfect destination wedding.

Destination I Do Magazine can be found at Barnes & Noble, Borders Booksellers and other fine retailers throughout the US and beyond. Destination I Do is the top destination wedding, honeymoon, romance and travel magazine in the world.

Happy Planning!

Guest Editors Needed For Wedding Industry Website

Northern Nuptials, Northern Michigan's premier wedding resource, is currently seeking the assistance of national and international wedding industry professionals for input in our Guest Editorial section on the website.

For additional information please visit www.northernnuptials.com and check out the Guest Editorial area. We're looking for creative and cutting edge professionals like Heather Vickery Pruden (owner of Greatest Expectations in Chicago). Assist Northern Nuptials with stellar input that everyone will enjoy!

If interested, please email mail@northernnuptials.com. Thanks!

September: Annual Billing Month

Attention all wedding industry professionals, September is the annual billing month for Northern Nuptials. Visit our website during the month of September and sign on for an entire year of service for just $200 ($400 for an extended profile listing).

Northern Nuptials is dedicated to uniting the wedding professionals of Northern Michigan with a goal to present the area as a premier location for destination weddings.

If this sounds like a goal of yours as well, you should join today. The benefits of being a participating vendor are amazing. Please visit our website to learn more. Northern Nuptials is open to all wedding professionals located in or providing services to Northern Michigan (the areas north of the 45th up to the Straits and east and west between the great lakes.

We hope you will check out www.northernnuptials.com and learn more about all that we are doing.

Our First Blog

Today's the day for us. The day Northern Nuptials jumps onto the blog scene. Hopefully this blog will serve of great value to both vendors and brides/planners utilizing the Northern Nuptials resource. Watch for updates in coming weeks. We promise to provide plenty of fabulous information here on weddings throughout Northern Michigan.

Visit www.northernnuptials.com for more!