From selecting the right photographer to ordering a cake, choosing table decorations, creating a theme, getting a church and a reception venue and food and a dress and tuxes and… planning a wedding can be a nightmare. But a new collaborative of West Michigan wedding professionals aims to help brides and grooms sleep easy.
EngagementGR brings together six different wedding specialties so the happy couple can find everything they need for their big day in one place. The group formed in summer 2013, bringing together several small local businesses in the wedding industry:
March 27 Designs event designers,
Bethany Wish hair stylist,
It's Personal by Sweet Cakes Design wedding cakes maker,
James Richard Fry Photography,
Flowers by Jireh, and
Vue Design custom bridal gowns.
"Our dream is to have someone buy into the whole package as a team and hire us all, but brides choose their vendors at different points during the planning process," says Mara Olson of March 27 Designs. "We're all still running our own businesses, but when [we] need to recommend [another wedding professional], we have this group of vendors who are used to working together to choose from."
Olson says brides and grooms have the freedom to choose any of the vendors they're comfortable with, and aren't required to hire all of them. The advantage lies in working with a team of wedding professionals who, rather than compete with each other, collaborate to make each wedding the best it can be.
EngagementGR began as a yearlong project, and Olson says they are coming into the busy bridal season now, six months in. This summer, the group will reassess the collaborative effort and determine their next steps.
To contact any of the wedding professionals involved, or to find out more about them, visit
EngagementGR here.
Writer: Deborah Johnson Wood, Development News Editor
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