An Art Museum Celebration in the Heart of Detroit

When Gretchen Valade and Kevin Steen first met in February 2011, she "thought it was love at first sight," she says, recalling the "great eye contact" they initially shared at a party in Chicago. Alas, she'd failed to notice the TV set behind her—which is what Kevin, a filmmaker, had fixed his gaze upon. By the end of the night, though, he had noticed her, and they were soon dating (for a while it was long distance: he in New York City, she in Detroit). By 2016, the Michigan natives both landed in Detroit. There, in December 2016, he proposed at a friend's gallery by installing pieces of art that commemorated their relationship, with the last piece reading "Will You Marry Me?" The grand gesture inspired the couple's next move: a wedding at the Detroit Institute of Arts. "We loved the idea of getting engaged in a gallery and married in a museum," says Gretchen, a retail merchandiser.

To avoid fighting against the museum's inherent beauty, the couple pulled design inspiration from the venue's artwork to coincide with their desired timeless and elegant vibe for their August 26, 2017 wedding. Their color palette came from the Diego Rivera Mural within the art institute, and they based their invitations off the museum's artist plaques. "We added where it was necessary, but we also left spaces alone, just adding greens and candles," says the bride. "It was important for us that it felt intimate, even in such a large space." The ultimate goal was to give guests what felt like a private tour of the museum, which Gretchen and Kevin effortlessly pulled off as the wedding migrated throughout the locale, starting with the ceremony in the colorful Rivera Court and ending the night with dancing outside the building.

Keep reading to see how this couple pulled off their beautiful art-infused Detroit wedding, captured by Sarah Falugo and planned by Mood Events.

Even the couple's invitation suite was inspired by their venue. "We pulled colors from the Diego Rivera Mural and even the museum's artist plaques inspired our invitation design," says the bride.

When it came to her wedding dress, Gretchen wanted a look that felt understated and elegant. She turned to a high-neck, sleeveless silk sheath gown with a low V-shaped back. "My favorite element of this dress was that I felt comfortable and like I could move and be 'me' on my wedding day," she says of the ensemble, designed by Charlie Brear.

Pet Subjects: Telegraph vet Pete Wedderburn answers your questions

My Staffie cross is a lovely dog, but whenever we are out, she eats anything and everything she can find. She doesn’t beg at the table but as soon as she is out, anything vaguely edible is swallowed. If I let her off the lead, she makes a beeline for any rubbish bags in sight. Help!

Dogs are natural scavengers, but you should still be able to train her not to do this. She could easily eat something harmful, and even if she doesn’t, this behaviour is a nuisance for you and for others. The answer is to teach her the “leave it” command: visit positively.com/dog-behavior/basic-cues/leave-it to learn how. You should soon be able to stop her in her tracks by saying “leave it” in a firm voice.

My seven-year-old male Balinese cat, Moska, is very timid, going into hiding whenever we have visitors. We have a four-week trip planned to New Zealand. Would it be unfair to leave him at home for that length of time with a pet sitter coming in twice a day? Or should I try to get him into a cattery? He gets very stressed if we try to put him into a cat carrier.

Nervous cats like Moska love their own routine, in their own home. I am sure a good cattery will care for him well, and he’d be very safe and secure, but of course it would involve some stress, not least in travelling there and back. A sensitive, cat-loving pet sitter sounds like the option he’d prefer, if he could ask you. Sitters can be costly, but if you use trustedhousesitters.com, you can find experienced pet sitters with references who’ll mind Moska free of charge, in exchange for the opportunity to stay in your home for their own holiday.

Different Dogs, Different Breeds

Pets play a huge part of our lives. At different times of our lives my husband and I have experienced the joys of having a cat. Recently we have fallen in-love with our daughter and son-in-law’s Siberian Husky. Now, I guess you could say “move over cats, dogs are special too!” Here I have listed the different dog breeds and their characteristics.

The Toy dog is defined as being under 20 pounds. Besides being lap dogs, many are smart, stubborn, and rule the roost. They make excellent pets for apartment dwellers and seniors as they can get plenty of exercise indoors. Sporting dogs are the larger dogs that need lots of exercise but make great companions. These dogs are the ones you take hunting with you. Breeds include Labrador Retrievers, Irish Setters, Brittanys, American Water Spaniels, Cocker Spaniels, English Springer Spaniels, and German Shorthaired Pointers.

These dogs hunt by smell, not sight. The scent hounds, such as the Beagle and the Fox hounds, run with their nose to the ground to follow an animal’s scent. Their size ranges from medium to large. Breeds include Bloodhounds, Beagles, Coonhounds, Dachshunds, Foxhounds, Harriers, Petit Basset Griffons Vendeens, and the Otterhounds.


Sight hounds are dogs who hunt on instinct when they see prey moving; then, by using their speed they overtake their prey. They have a wide size range; from toy to giant. Sight hounds are very fast runners. As for grooming goes the Greyhound is a wash-in-wear dog.