Talk about an amazing location for your wedding—this tented wedding on Lake Michigan was absolutely stunning, from the beautifully draped tent to the lush florals by Modern Day Floral, to the incredible band, Maggie Speaks, out of Chicago. Talk about fun—the bride & groom even had their own custom tambourines to celebrate, and the night ended with a show-stopping fireworks display over the lake! It was most certainly a picture-perfect Lake shore wedding captured by Jennifer Mayo Studios!
There were so many things I loved about Beth+Cesar’s beautiful September wedding. The setting was amazing—-the brides parents home on Lake Michigan, under a gorgeous tent overlooking the lake. The view was absolutely stunning, the lush florals by Modern Day Floral were exquisite and there were some fantastic personal details tied in. There are so many beautiful photos from Jennifer Mayo Studios, we’ll be sharing them in several posts over the next few days!
After 3 days of some of the highest winds we had all summer, Beth+Cesar’s day started full of sunshine, and calm skies! I’m so thankful when that happens! The photos speak for themselves on this one…a lovely couple, amazing location, tons of family & friends and lots of fun!
One of my favorite things about this wedding was how much attention Beth put into making Cesar’s family (flown in from Spain) feel included and welcomed, despite a language barrier. Every piece of stationery from invitations to table numbers, to the program, were bi-lingual. During the reception, speeches were translated via small headsets. During the ceremony, readings and vows were also recited in both English and Spanish. It was something that struck me as extremely personal and such a beautiful inclusion.
Stay tuned for Part 2!
This summer was filled with beach ceremonies for us—ceremonies on the waters of Lake Michigan are some of our favorites and always some of the most beautiful! One of those beautiful beach ceremonies was planned for Tanya+Jason on July 6th. They tied the knot right by the water, surrounded by their closest friends and family. Tanya+Jason planned their wedding in just a few months from out of state, and we helped them pull together everything they needed for their beach wedding ceremony—an officiant, fantastic guitarist, photographer, bridal bouquet & ceremony decor, rentals, a trolley and a nearby restaurant for an intimate dinner reception after wards. They could not have asked for a more beautiful day for a Lake Michigan wedding, and we couldn’t have asked for a nicer couple to work with!
I think my very favorite thing about this wedding was the fact that despite threats of rain, we made it through the ceremony without a drop. Tanya walked through the dunes down on to the beach, said I Do, wandered the beach (and pier) for photos and just as they hopped back onto the trolley, the skies opened up. The shot above was just before the storm rolled in. We couldn’t have asked for more perfect timing!
Photography by Southwest Michigan wedding photographer Ben Pancoast
After a beautiful ceremony at Shadowland Pavilion, guests were invited to enjoy a beautiful tented cocktail hour on the lawn of the Silver Beach Center, before heading inside to Shadowland Ballroom. Escort cards were nestled into wooden trays filled with pebbles and succulents, and the tables were beautifully appointed with gorgeous centerpieces from Modern Day Floral. When I first sat down with Jenn at Modern Day and we talked about Brittany+Scott, what they were like, their style, and the concept I had in mind, she not only got it, she made it even better and she is so much fun to work with! Beautiful manzanita (very reminiscent of driftwood) was used in several of the reception centerpieces and focal pieces, and the bright white flowers with all of their beautiful fresh green stems paired with tons of candlelight were just perfect! I loved it not only because it was beautiful, but it was absolutely perfect for Brittany+Scott—elegant, natural and reminiscent of the beach, but not overdone!
And the dessert table? One of my favorites! There were 6 different cupcake designs in 4 delicious flavors, whoopie pies, blue gummi bears (the brides favorite) and other assorted bites of goodness! A huge thanks to Dee’s Specialty Cakes for the delicious cupcakes and whoopie pies! Brittany+Scott had a fabulous band, the Dave Ivaz Orchestra who had people dancing all night…and boy did they dance…this group got right out on the dance floor at the first song and never left—it was a great party!
Brittany+Scott, thank you so much for trusting us with your special day, and for being such an absolute pleasure to work with! If you’re curious about their sailing adventure, you can live vicariously through them (like I am!) by following them on their blog at http://www.windtraveler.blogspot.com/!
If you missed Part 1 of Britt+Scott’s wedding, check it out here! All photos are by talented duo Ben+Mindy Peterson of Studio623
We plan several full-service weddings each summer…these are couples we get to work with from start to finish to plan every detail and aspect of their weddings, and we usually get to work with them for 6-12 months! When I met Brittany+Scott for the first time last November, I knew this was going to be a fantastic wedding with a fantastic couple, and it was going to be so fun to plan! Brittany+Scott are from Chicago, but they’re 2 sailors who happened to meet in St. Joseph during the Tri-State Regatta, so having the wedding in the same city where they met was the perfect choice for them. They wanted a beautiful wedding that was elegant but casual, beachy but not overdone. Working with Brittany was amazing, because she gave me direction and an overall feel, and she let me run with it! (I’ll be sharing another post later this week showing how a wedding develops from inspiration to the finished product).
The ceremony was held at Shadowland Pavilion on Silver Beach, which overlooks the St. Joseph River and lighthouse, and is right across the river from the yacht club where they met—the perfect place to tie the knot with sailboats drifting by behind them! The photo lower right shows Brittany opening her wedding present from Scott—a flag for their sailboart, named Rasmus! Just a few weeks ago these 2 embarked on a sailboat trip around the world which will keep them out on the water for several years—-a pretty incredible journey for these adventure-seeking newlyweds!
Despite torrential rain the entire morning of the wedding (and I mean serious, ‘will it ever stop?’ rain) the storm clouds parted and the skies were dry and blue for their afternoon ceremony. They walked down a gorgeous custom aisle runner adorned with a dune grass pattern that coordinated with all of their stationery items from Save the Dates to Welcome Bag maps! The father of the bride surprised them with personalized golf umbrellas for guests in case of rain, and also, to stay optimistic (which paid off) hand held motorized fans with the couples names! It was blazing hot by the time the ceremony came around, so guests were so appreciative and they were a great little memento!
I’ll share more on the florals and decor in the next post, but check out the ceremony arrangements and those gorgeous bouquets! The amazing team at Modern Day Floral absolutely rocked out these bouquets—-elegant, earthy and unique—just like this couple! Stay tuned later today for more on their reception and details!
All photos are by talented duo Ben+Mindy Peterson of Studio623!
September is one of my favorite months for weddings—especially outdoors! The weather cools down, beaches clear out, and fall weddings lend themselves to so many rich and vibrant color choices! When Michele+John decided to host their ultra-relaxed and intimate wedding at Mill Creek Barns on September 25th, I knew it was going to be fantastic. They are a laid back and super sweet couple, and I could tell from their first email that I was going to enjoy working with them!
We plan a lot of beach weddings throughout the summer, but September is my favorite month for lake shore nuptials! With kids back in school, the beaches are deserted and we are able to have a pristine, beach go-er free backdrop for ceremonies on Lake Michigan! Michele+John had a beautiful ceremony, with beautiful crashing waves, and despite just a bit of chilliness, it was an absolutely gorgeous afternoon! Guests were greeted with baskets of flip flops so they could slip off their formal shoes before hopping in the sand and Michele’s dress….absolutely gorgeous! Instead of a unity candle or sand ceremony, they planted a rosemary bush, adding soil and water from vintage blue mason jars, symbolizing the love they will nurture and help to grow.
After the ceremony, guests headed over to Mill Creek Barns where they were greeted with passed h’ors dourves, lemonade and iced tea, hot cider , delicious apple donuts and old-fashioned yard games like croquet and bocce ball! Vintage blue mason jars filled with bright and cheery sunflowers adorned the tables, and guests were given tiny glass jars filled with orange, yellow and green chocolate-covered sunflower seeds. A vintage window pain strung with twine and clothespins held “wishes” from guests…so many adorable details
Friends and family enjoyed a delicious family-style meal before dancing the evening away and enjoying a lovely bonifre. All of these lovely photos were captured by Amy Carroll (who we were so excited to get a chance to work with!) and you can see many, many more on her blog!
Michele+John, thanks for letting us be a part of your special day—it was a personal and beautiful day and we were so happy to be there!
Sweet bride? Check. Beautiful day? Check. A wonderful groom, fantastic location & tons of fun family and friends? Check. Check and Check! On August 7th we coordinated the wedding of Dave+Shannon, who tied the knot in a lovely & personal ceremony on the beach, followed by a reception at the Veranda at the Whitcomb in downtown St. Joseph.
Three things I loved about this wedding:
1) They opted for freshly made pies (complete with a heart cut on top) that sat at each guest table. Shannon collected a variety of cake plates, and Crystal Springs provided beautiful wreaths of flowers and greenery to wrap around them. They made for beautiful centerpieces!
2) Their signature drinks was the Matrimotini—-too cute!
3) The escort cards were adorable—tiny paper umbrellas that were tucked into wicker trays filled with sand. They were colorful, cute and a perfect tie-in to their beach wedding!
Shannon and Dave, thank you for letting us be a part of such a beautiful day, and for being so much fun to plan with! All photos are courtesy of Kelly Powers Photography—we’ll post more soon!
When bride Abby contacted me and said she wanted us to help her design her tented wedding in Holland, I was thrilled, because meeting with her and looking at her inspiration photos, I knew this would be fun! She had a fantastic color palette of marigold and gray in mind and had already picked out her bridesmaids dresses from anthropologie, so we had some great inspiration! And no wedding is complete without the perfect floral designer, and for this wedding I knew that had to be Modern Day Floral in Grand Rapids. When it comes to unique designs, Jenn at Modern Day Floral can always deliver! With the bride planning from another state, Jenn and I sat down and plotted out our plan of attack…unique and vibrant yellow flowers, sleek white containers, lots of adorable craspedia (those fuzzy little yellow balls of goodness shown below that I’m in love with!) and gorgeous gray tuscano linens from La Tavola. Simply lovely. And of course, a huge thanks to Kara Purtell who captured it all so beautifully—you can see more photos on her blog!
This summer we had 2 lovely brides who contacted us to help them plan destination weddings on the beach in early July! Both of them were planning from out of state, over the course of just a few months and wanted assistance pulling together everything they needed to host a beautiful destination wedding on the beach, followed by intimate dinner receptions at local restaurants. We are beach wedding pros, so we put custom services together for them, and now we’re excited to offer those services to future brides—because we loved helping these ladies relax and enjoy their engagements while we planned their perfect destination wedding on the beach!
If you’ve considered a ceremony in the Caribbean but want to stay closer to home so you can have friends & family join you, then consider hosting your beach ceremony in Southwest Michigan, and we will make it simple and fun for you by providing everything you need for a fantastic beach ceremony—from finding the perfect beach for your ceremony, to your flowers, music, officiant, photography and more—it’s all included!
All-inclusive beach ceremonies start at $2000 and are customizable to meet your needs! You get the dress—we’ll do the rest!
On Tuesday we shared a sneak peak of Jessica+Justin’s St. Joseph wedding, and today we’ve got a ton of beautiful photos to share from the talented ladies at Jennifer Mayo Studios! I absolutely loved these bridesmaids dresses, and the bright color combo used in the flowers and centerpieces, created by Beikmann Associates—it was such a fun & lively color combo and it perfectly reflected this fun couple! And look at those beautiful sparkling waters of Lake Michigan! You just can’t beat a ceremony on the lake, and the weather was absolutely gorgeous as these 2 tied the knot with Rev. Bonnie Corondan!
