Forrester Farm, A New Logo for 2025

 

Last year at this time I began the process of working with a very talented designer to come up with a new logo for Forrester Farm. I knew that I wanted a new look for moving into our 25th year of business. Although I loved the logo that was designed in collaboration with a Kendall College student in 2000, it was definitely time for something fresh and more distinctive. 

From our first meeting though to completion, Jenna was fantastic in asking questions and working to understand the visual that I roughly had in mind for the future logo along with understanding the essence of our business. What resulted after 2 in person meetings and subsequent emails going back and forth was much better than I envisioned and encompassed more options (for a complete logo package) than what I had initially expected. 

The complete logo package with primary, secondary and tertiary options all work together to convey our brand and image. 

I've yet to update our website and incorporate the new look in other areas, but the transition is in the works and I'm excited for what the future holds.  Cheers to 25 years and moving forward! 

~~~~~~~~~~

For the back story, Forrester Farm began in 2000 as I was growing flowers on our property and sold fresh floral bouquets weekly at the local farmer's market in the beautiful town of Rockford, Michigan. Initially, the goal was to raise enough money to be able to open a sweet home & garden gift shop once our youngest daughter was in school full time. As we attended the market on a regular basis though, I was asked to provide flowers for more and more weddings. It wasn't what I set out to do, but I found that I absolutely loved it. Through the years, Forrester Farm has provided and designed flowers for hundreds of weddings and events. We've also participated in a variety of art and craft shows, vintage pop up and barn sales (with home goods and decor) and for years even hosted fun sales at our own property. Flowers, gifts and home decor has been a part of our journey since the beginning and will continue to be. It has been an absolute gift to be a part of such a creative industry and meet so many amazing people as a result. 

Blessings, Ann Forrester

 

Hellebore (aka: Lenten Rose) Season

 I've been a bit quiet on social media as I've been tackling a list of "to dos". Wedding client meetings, consultations, spring clean up, studio organization and the ongoing 1860 home remodel project... the word "bored" is not a part of our life!~ 

This morning I woke up thinking about the hellebores that I had planted 2 springs ago. I actually went out in the still moonlit darkness to see if they were blooming yet. They weren't. Not yet. 

Incorporating hellebores in floral arrangements, boutonnieres and corsages always makes me smile. The fact that they are only available in the early spring, often during Lent, makes them even so much more special and fun to work with. 

Last year, our winter was so mild that the hellebores were starting to bloom in February. These photos were taken February 11, 2024

By March 7, the blooms looked like this....

and at March 31, like this...

Ever since we moved to this property, my husband and I have been pruning, trimming, adding and sometimes eliminating plants, trees and shrubs. There was so much goodness to work with already, but the property was also quite over grown in areas. Adding in hellebore plants was one of the "musts" on my list. Being able to add the home grown blooms to arrangements so early in the season is a gift. Enjoying the blooms outside when so many other flowering plants are still dormant, is such a promise that spring is here and our Michigan world will be full of color and greenery soon!~

Side note: I began this post on Monday morning and am just able to return to it today, two mornings later. At the end of the day on Monday, I peeked at our hellebores again and there were a couple of new blooms that were just starting to peek out. 
 

Spring is here and these hellebores will be showing off their blooms very soon!~ 

A Day of Love!~

 Happy Valentine's Day from Forrester Farm!~ 

A few of our Forrester Farm wedding couples might recognize these photos 😏😊

A phrase that goes through my mind often is "what you focus on grows". Here's to hoping that at whatever stage of life you are in, you can focus on the good, the pure, the lovely in all who surround you and whatever circumstances you might be facing. 

Blessings on this day of love!~

That's a wrap for 2022!~ Looking forward to many Forrester Farm floral filled events in 2023!~

2022 held so many changes for our family. We sold our home of 23.5 years and on Saint Patrick's Day we officially moved to a farmhouse that was built by Irish immigrants in 1860. Though we immensely miss our neighbors, property, creek and our sweet little mini horses & chickens from our former home, we now enjoy beautiful lake frontage, a full time flowing creek and even a pond at the far end of our property all on more acreage. A huge blessing in so many ways!~

As we have been working hard to make our new to us home and property feel more like "home", Forrester Farm continued with business as usual, and the year was filled with so many wonderful clients, weddings and events. Though our garden area at the new house is currently smaller than what we had, for the first year in we still had beautiful blooms that brightened the yard and graced a few tables. 

We love featuring professionally taken photos following our weddings and events, but as Forrester Farm (established in 2000) begins a fresh new year in 2023, I decided to feature 23 behind the scenes Forrester Farm snapshots from this past year. 

My camera is filled with family, floral, lake and home remodeling photos, so picking just a few floral photos to share was no small task. It is always interesting to see what takes up your time and attention as you scroll through the photos of the past year!~ 

A huge thank you so all of our clients who have continued to trust us with their special events and floral needs!~ Cheers to year 23 of Forrester Farm!~

  Cheers and Blessings to you as you begin 2023!~

Traditional with a Twist (of fun and whimsy)

When Jennifer from March81 Photography first contacted me regarding collaboration on a photo shoot at The Harris Building in Grand Rapids, Michigan, she mentioned wanting to feature two different styles, modern and traditional. Those two words were the only criteria given. There was complete free reign to go from there and design anything that fit the style. I featured some of our modern shoot in the previous post which can be seen here: 

Team Work Makes the Dream Work when it comes to Weddings and Events!~

This post is all about our traditional shoot. Tanya of Tanya Lynette Events and I had so much fun coming up with a plan. We went together to play with linens and table settings at Fringe Events.

 The rest of the theme came into place thru many phone calls and photo exchanges. The table, settee and the trio of rose gold/copper vases rented from Events by I Candy were the perfect pieces to add to this traditional with a twist shoot. 

I was so excited to bring all of the Forrester Farm floral elements into play and oh my goodness, if you haven't smelled ginestra before, it was the most amazingly fragrant filler flower to add into this fun floral display!~

We loved having Popping Bottles, LLC as part of the shoot. This fun champagne cart is a great addition to any fun event. Our sweet couple were having a blast together and hopefully they got all of their wedding day jitters out of the way as their real wedding day is quickly approaching. Cheers in advance to Mordecai and Amanda on your very special day!~ We wish you all the best!~

As with our modern shoot, this wouldn't have been possible without a great team that worked together seamlessly to make the day come together so beautifully!~  Huge shout outs go out to: 

Photographers: March81 Photography 

Michael & Jennifer Miller
michael@march81photo.com
Instagram @march81photo Facebook @march81photography
www.march81photo.com

Venue: The Harris Building

Kelsi Gaunt - Director of Event Operations
events@theharrisbuilding.com / kgaunt@theharrisbuilding.com
Instagram @theharrisbuildinggr Facebook @harrisbldggr
www.theharrisbuilding.com

Videographer: Unnamed Films

Scott Hoek & David Garrett
scott@unnamedco.com
david@unnamedco.com
Facebook @unnamedfilms Instagram @unnamedfilms
Unnamedfilms.com

Wedding Dresses: Magnolia Mobile Bridal Boutique

Morgan McRay
Instagram @magnoliamobilebridalboutique
Facebook @magnoliamobilebridalboutique
https://www.magnolia-bridal.com

Accessories: Diane Marie Bridal Design

Instagram @DianeMarieBridalDesigns Facebook @DianeMarieBridalDesigns
dianemariebridaldesigns@gmail.com

Tuxes: Bunny Tuxedo

Morgan McRay
Facebook @bunnytuxedos Instagram @bunnytuxedos
www.bunnytuxedos.com

Hair & Make Up: Sarah Baughn

Sarah Baughn
Facebook @bluebeara Instagram @pinupandpole4life

Spray Tan: Sandbar Spray Mobile Airbrush Tanning

Hannah Campbell
Facebook @sandbarspraytanning Instagram @sandbarspraytanning
https://sandbarspraytan.com/

Florist: Forrester Farm

Ann Forrester
Instagram @forresterfarm Facebook @ForresterFarm
www.forresterfarm.com

Stylist/Wedding Planner: Tanya Lynnette Events

Tanya Lawrence
Facebook @eventsbytanyalynnette Instagram @tanyalynnetteevents
tanyalynnetteevents.com

Cake: Cakabakery

Jason Kakabaker
Facebook @THECAKABAKERY Instagram @thecakabakery
Thecakabakery.com

Rentals/Table Settings: Fringe Events

hello@fringe-events.com
Facebook @fringeeventsgr Instagram @fringe.events
http://fringe-events.com

Rentals: Events by I Candy

Alicia Lutz
Facebook @eventsbyicandy Instagram @eventsicandy
https://eventsbyicandy.com

Bar Cart: Popping Bottles

Danielle
Facebook @poppingbottlesllc Instagram @poppingbottlesllc
https://www.poppingbottlesllc.com

Custom Hangers: Bride & Bow

Nick
Facebook @BrideandBowWeddings Instagram @bride.and.bow
http://www.BrideAndBow.com/

MODELS

Couple #2 - TRADITIONAL

Amanda Hudak & Mordecai Njoroge

Thank you so much for jumping in  on short notice and having so much fun doing it. Congratulations on your upcoming wedding!~ We wish you all the best.  You two are awesome!~

Vendor Social Media Quick List

INSTAGRAM

Photographers @march81photo
Venue @theharrisbuildinggr
Videographers @unnamedfilms
Wedding Dress @magnoliamobilebridalboutique
Bridal Accessories @DianeMarieBridalDesigns
Tux @bunnytuxedos
Hair & Makeup @pinupandpole4life
Spray Tan Artist @sandbarspraytanning
Florist @forresterfarm
Stylist & Wedding Planner @tanyalynnetteevents
Cake @thecakabakery
Rentals/Table Settings @fringe.events
Rentals @eventsicandy
Champagne/Bar Cart @poppingbottlesllc
Custom Dress Hanger @bride.and.bow

FACEBOOK

Photographers @march81photography
Venue @harrisbldggr
Videographers @unnamedfilms
Wedding Dress @magnoliamobilebridalboutique
Bridal Accessories @DianeMarieBridalDesigns
Tux @bunnytuxedos
Hair & Makeup @bluebeara
Spray Tan Artist @sandbarspraytanning
Florist @forresterfarm
Stylist & Wedding Planner @eventsbytanyalynnette
Cake @THECAKABAKERY
Rentals/Table Settings @fringeeventsgr
Rentals @eventsbyicandy
Champagne/Bar Cart @poppingbottlesllc
Custom Dress Hanger @BrideandBowWeddings