For all you friends and family who are joining us from out of town, here's a list of bed & breakfasts, hotels and campgrounds in the area for your consideration. By no means is this a complete list, but it'll give you an idea about what's out there. I have the list split up into cities, starting with Union City and and getting further away from UC as the list goes on.

Union City

Victorian Villa 517-741-7383

Between Union City and Coldwater

The Hideout Bed & Breakfast 517-278-4210
Potawatomie Recreational Area Coldwater 517-278-4289
Waffle Farm Campgrounds Coldwater 517-278-7274

Coldwater

Holiday Inn Express Coldwater 517-279-0900
Red Roof Inn Coldwater 517-279-1199
Super 8 Coldwater 517-278-8833
Comfort Inn & Suites 517-278-2017
Hampton Inn Coldwater 517-279-9800
Chicago Pike Inn & Spa 517-279-8744‎

Battle Creek

Ramada Battle Creek 269-979-1100‎
Hampton Inn Battle Creek 269-979-5577
Holiday Inn Battle Creek 269-979-0500‎
McCamly Plaza Hotel Battle Creek 269-963-7050

Marshall

National House Inn Marshall 269-781-7374‎
Rose Hill Inn Bed & Breakfast 269-789-1992

Victorian Villa Inn, Union City

Chicago Pike Inn Bed & Breakfast, Coldwater

STDs (hehe ... that's just funny)

That's right everyone ... Save The Date cards are going in the mail before April 1! That means this thing is actually happening ... turning back.

Here's a preview of what you'll be receiving in your mailboxes soon:
When I began planning this whole shindig I quickly realized how expensive anything wedding related can be. I just couldn't bring myself to spend heaps of money on Save The Dates and invitations, especially when I or any of my talented friends could make something far more awesome than some product pushed by the WIC (wedding industrrial complex).

I got the idea for this postcard one day as I was drinking a cup of coffee. I took the photo at Northwoods Coffee Company in Coldwater, Michigan where Jake is head barista. He poured that lovely latte art heart in the cup. Then, I wrote "save" and "the" on the dishes with black dry-erase marker, and "date" on the newspaper with a Sharpie. This is the un-edited photo.

Once I had the image in Photoshop I went to town. I first selected the latte art and made that into a separate layer. Then, I grayscaled the rest of the photo. Then, I boosted the color of the latte art to be vibrant but still have a vintage feel. Then, I blew out the contrast of the entire photo to give it a grainy and vintage look. I came up with a few other versions of this photos, but in the end Jake and I chose the black and white version. Here's a color version I did as well. I was going for a kitschy/indie/vintage look on this one as well.

I had such a good time making my STD cards, I'm thinking of opening up a shop on Etsy (www.etsy.com) for photography-focused STDs and invitations.

Okay, okay ... I know I told you guys I would write a post highlighting hotels, bed & breakfasts and campsites in the area ... and I will! :-) It's quite a research-driven post and I just haven't had time to put it together. And remember, if there's something you'd like to know about regarding the wedding or the area around Union City, let me know. I'd be happy to post about it.

Finding joy in the simple things

I had a light bulb moment a few weeks ago.

Browsing on Facebook, I came across a wedding that stopped me dead in my tracks. Gemma, who I met when I visited Tasmania in 2007, got married on the beach in January and the photos began popping up. It was beautiful. They had it on a small beach with no decorations, no chairs ... just love and blue waters.
Gemma's simple approach to her wedding celebration helped me realize that while planning all the details of a wedding is heaps of fun, in the end it doesn't matter what it looks. The only things that matter are the fact that you're surrounded by friends and family and that you're now married to your best friend.

I kept browsing through the photos of Gemma's wedding, falling more and more in love with the simplicity and beauty of it all. Finally I realized that this is how I want my wedding to be - simple, joyful and full of love and nature. Jake and I were already basically planning on these aspects being a part of our day, but now I see that I don't really care about centerpieces and table linens and whatnot as much as I care about everyone having a good time and sharing in our love and joy.

However ... I do totally dig Gemma's earrings. When I told her that she said she had an extra pair and promptly mailed them to me. Hooray!

So anyway ... that's what our wedding will be ... Love, joy, simplicity and fun.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

In the next few posts I'm going to be offering some logistical information for all of you who are trekking in from out of town to join us for the wedding. I'll do a post about hotel/campgrounds if you need a place to stay, local restaurants and cafés that are worth checking out while you're here, and a list of churches if you're staying for the weekend and would like a place to worship Sunday morning. If there's any specific topics you'd like me to cover, just let me know. I want to help you enjoy this weekend the best I can :-)