We are Growing!!

Happy Fall everyone! Will another great wedding season approaching we are in full swing over here. We are loving meeting everyone new and feel like we have the best brides. SO THANK YOU! If you are a previous customer of ours, you  know we are booking up every weekend so it's important to book your appointment early! This is a great problem to have but we would love to grow a bit to make more room for more customers! If you could take a moment and vote for us here we would really appreciate it!

 VOTE HERE!

We promise to stay a boutique and keep it warm and welcoming so you still feel like home! Think of it as upgrading to a bigger home. ;) Thanks so much and we will see you soon!

xx - Renee Austin Wedding

The New Kid in Town

Hello beautiful friends!

My name is Chantell LaForest, and I am the latest addition to the Renee Austin Wedding team. Hired as a Bridal Consultant and Social Media Superstar in August, I have loved every second of acquainting myself with the team, store and amazing pieces that call Renee Austin home!

Born and raised in Michigan's Upper Peninsula, I quickly learned my dreams extended beyond the comfort of flannel, venison and the world's best pasties. After graduating from Central Michigan University this May with a bachelor's in Integrative Public Relations and Wedding Planning Certification from The Bridal Society, I packed up the most important pieces of my life and moved to Grand Rapids on a whim and lovin' spoonful of faith.

Grand Rapids has provided beautiful, life-changing opportunities, the chance to flex my "bridal muscles" and, most importantly, a place to call home. When I am not working one of my three jobs, I can be found running the streets to indie music or huddled over my laptop in a coffee shop. I have a serious sweet tooth, preferring gummi worms and Coca-Cola to actual food (although I begrudgingly stick to Diet A&W and peanut butter-covered apples these days). I hope to see you in the boutique soon!

My Dream Wedding
As the only non-betrothed Renee Austin team member, I still get to fantasize about my dream day with wild abandon. So what does my dream day look like, you ask? A dusk ceremony in an open field under a willow tree draped with mason jars and a chunky chandelier. Mismatched bridal dresses. Men in bow-ties. A  reception venue with old wood floors and exposed brick walls, a gaudy chandelier or two hanging from the ceiling and an antique bathtub somehow harmoniously thrown into the mix. Quirky, creative and a physical representation of the love my future husband and I {hopefully} share. The dress? Check out a few of my favorites below!

Dress of the week!

Happy Summertime.. We are introducing the dress of the week over the next couple of months. Today we are featuring a Jasmine style that can be worn by bridesmaids or mother of the brides! Available in Long as well. Many colors available and 25% off this week only. $168 original and will be $126! Don't miss this amazing deal.



Xx

Maggie


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Location:Bridge St NW,Grand Rapids,United States

Save the Dates

Save the Dates: Send them or Forget em'??

I don't know about you but I had no idea how soon these save the dates needed to be sent out. Further, there are endless amounts of styles to pick from; monogrammed, with picture, with multiple pictures, postcard, magnet, etc. Through out this entire planning process, I feel like everything has been so fun except for the small task of picking our save the dates. I guess the one good thing is it helps you gather peoples addresses early.  And the good news from that is I found this great little website, www.postable.com that I recommend to all you lovely brides! But back to the original questions.. send them or not? I've spoken to many brides about this and I've heard mixed reviews. Some brides said they are a must and who doesn't want to send out their best engagement photo to friends and family. Some brides had mixed feelings and weren't sure who to send them out to because they had an A, B and sometimes C guest lists. They didn't want any family members or friends to get their feelings hurt. And other brides just didn't want to add another expense to the wedding budget. Personally I'm undecided on what's best. We did send out Save the Dates but only because our wedding is on a Holiday weekend and it will help our out of town guests book hotel rooms and plan accordingly. If it were any other weekend we probably would have just send out invitations a little earlier. All in all, remember it's YOUR wedding and you can do whatever you want to do!

Happy Planning!

 

Renee Austin Wedding

All in the Details..

As it goes, it may seem like the 'wedding season' is ending, but according to my files, September-December is just as busy as May and June. I know I don't do as many blogs as I wish I did (which I promise I'm trying to get better at) but a very stressed out bride came into the store yesterday and I thought I'd share some of her concerns and also my thoughts on them! Her Wedding is in December and while she has all of the big stuff done, (dress, venues, photog, etc) she is stressing out about the details like her veil, jewelry and table decorations.  I almost feel bad because I think my look might have scared her for a second when I asked her if she was really that stressed about earring options. I know I know, getting married puts a lot of stress on brides and there are so many decisions to be made. But as all you married people know, what really matters at the end is that you've married the person you want your forever with. Nobody is going to remember your earrings or hair piece. Unless you do something wild, which I always suggest making a statement! :)

So with that being said, when you are looking for any type of accessory and you come across something you like/love, buy it! It's as simple as that. Buy it and be done with it and cross it off your list. Don't waste days traveling from one store to another just because you think you might find something better. Let's be honest, there is always probably going to be something better, but more than that there will be a lot of terrible things too. Don't waste your time and certainly don't get stressed out about it. If this is something you just don't have the time for- ask a friend. Give her a budget and let her pick some options for you. Doing that might be a little more fun anyway because friends usually know whats best for you better than you do. :)

As for the table decorations, I just wanted to follow up that this particular bride mentioned she was going to do Poinsettias since her wedding was in December. I love the idea and suggested she put a table runner on some of the tables just to give it an extra pop. I'd love to hear any suggestions you might have for decorating for a winter wedding so I can pass them along to my brides!

Just remember, "Our life is frittered away by detail... simplify, simplify." - Henry David Thoreau

Stressed out bride to Happy Bride! :)

Wedding Wire Rated 2012

Read all of our Wedding Gowns Reviews at

Another year rated! Thank you to all of our fabulous brides- it's been a pleasure working with each and everyone of you. :)

Just Engaged!!

Hello to all my lovely brides! I am so sooooo excited to share this planning experience with all of you. Getting engaged is one of the most exciting times in your life and I'm trying to soak up every second of it! It seems that every day is a celebration right now and we couldn't feel more blessed with all the love and congratulations that we've received. ❤ So through out this planning process I want to share with you everything that I'm going through and hear your thoughts! The goal of this blog is to help each other out so please ask questions and leave feedback. It's only been a couple weeks for me but so far I'm having a blast. I already know I will be the type of bride to get most things booked ahead of schedule. It's important to consider your job/school/time off etc. when planning and work around any busy times. My busy time starts in December and goes through May so I'm hoping to have all the big things taken care of by Holiday time!
First things first: Venue. We were really undecided on the venue and I feel like that's almost the biggest decision as the venue sets the tone for the wedding. Because we got engaged up north and I'm originally from there I really wanted a Northern Michigan wedding. However, after looking at different places and checking on dates we decided on The Amway in grand rapids; July 6th, 2013. As my mom reminded me, it will be so much easier to do things when the wedding is in the same location as I live. (Side note: I will reference my mother a lot along the way and we will call her Nat. She texts me every day with a new idea and she will also have a big input in the planning.) I couldn't be more thrilled with the date! It's a holiday weekend and we are going to embrace the extra days off! 🇺🇸
Next on the to do list: Look for and book Dj, photographer, videographer, officiant, etc. Are you overwhelmed yet? For me those meetings are on Monday and I'm looking forward to checking them off the list! And speaking of list.. The guest list!!
That's an entirely new topic and we will discuss that next time! Feel free to ask any questions before then and I'll be sure to answer them in the next of over the next couple days! :)
Thank you all for reading and this is just the first of many.. I'll leave you with a quote from Wedding Goddess Antidote:
"A Bride has to clarify the wedding she truly wants, try to stay centered and set clear boundaries that no one can penetrate with words or attitudes. If all else fails, consider this: The reality is that weddings tend to be for other people, but marriage is for you two. Focus on what your marriage will mean to you."




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