Oh, where do I begin with sweet Amy and Jon? These two were a joy to work with from beginning to end. When we first started working together a year ago, I simply knew we would hit it off. Shortly into our planning process I found out we were expecting Rowan, so by the time the big day rolled around I was 37 weeks pregnant! Regardless, their day was simply amazing and captured them perfectly. I was lucky enough to also provide the flowers for the wedding. Check out all those colors! I asked Amy to write a little description of her day... so I'll let the bride take it from here!
From the Bride... Our beautiful wedding took place on the shores of Lake Michigan in Elk Rapids, Michigan on the 18th of May, 2013. In the morning gray clouds loomed over the sky while good luck rain sprinkled the ground. It turned into a perfect cloudy day with the temperature being in the 70s and right before the ceremony the sun came bursting out shining down on us. We celebrated the event with our closest friends and family, so our guest count was around fifty people. The reason we decided to have both our wedding and reception on the beach at the Elk Rapids Harbor Pavilion was because of my groom, Jonathon. The only request he made about the whole wedding was for it to be on the beach because the beautiful beaches of Northern Michigan always made him think of all the great times we spent there. How could a bride say no to that?
Picking the color scheme was a no brainer for me. I always knew I wanted orange lilies in my wedding bouquet, so I went with orange and blue. I picked those colors because I wanted to keep the wedding fun and lighthearted. With Rachel’s help she guided me towards pastels of a light mint teal and a pretty coral to help keep the romantic wedding feel, because I wanted it to feel like a wedding and not like just another party.
For the ceremony we had a special surprise for Jonathon. He always loved Irish music with bagpipes; the boy even has a set of bagpipes of his own! So his mother, Lis, asked one of her friends from Beaver Island to play the traditional song of “Here Comes the Bride” as I walked down the aisle. Jonathon was wearing a tan suit with a pastel blue and orange paisley bow tie; because I think bow ties are just the cutest thing ever. Plus blue really brings out my guy’s eyes! I am a little bit old fashioned and didn’t want to see my groom until the moment of the ceremony. The moment we saw each other a huge smile spread across our faces. I walked toward my man in a beautiful beaded corset dress with a sweetheart neckline. Jonathon said that the combinations of seeing me walk towards him, the bagpipes playing, and the fresh beach air made his wedding perfect.
To help captivate the romantic feel to the wedding, my Father built a beautiful white trellis. Rachel came up with the idea to hang different designs of white ribbon so the beach breeze would add to the atmosphere. I asked my MOH’s mother, Tammi, to be our officiant, who happens to be the Magistrate of Antrim County where marrying people was part of her job description. It was also special to me that she conduct the ceremony because I have been best friends with her daughter Maggie since Preschool, and her house was like my second home. Maggie wore a beautiful light mint dress that ended just above her knees. The best man, Jonathon’s brother Andy, wore a tan suit that match Jonathon’s but instead of a bowtie he wore a normal tie made of the same pastel blue and orange paisley material.
After the ceremony we opened up the reception area to start serving cocktails while we had our photographs taken. The reception hall was decorated with confetti field balloons, and the tables were lined with white table clothes. On the tables we had teal and corral ribbons going down the center and mixed up the center pieces by either having a vase of flowers or a jar filled of shells and sand. The building itself acted like a decoration because the half facing the water was all glass doors so everyone was able to look out into the lake all evening long.
For our food we had Canteen Catering, who did an excellent job. Jonathon and I both love breakfast food, so on our buffet we had Quiche and pancakes! A family friend, Penny, made our amazing wedding cake. It was light blue with beautiful white pearl decorations lining the bottom of all three layers. At the bottom she crumbled up Nutter Butter’s to look like sand and for the toppers she made the most adorable star fish completed with a veil and a bowtie! We kept the flavor for both the cake and the frosting vanilla because Jonathon and I really enjoy the simple desserts instead of trying to squeeze a bunch of flavors into one bite. On our drinking menu we had red and white wine, Labatt beer, and water and fruit punch. For the toast we had a specialty drink of mimosa’s to help make the moments special.
The dance floor was one of the highlights for the night because we had glow sticks available to help make dancing more fun. Even my grandparents were out on the dance floor! Our photographers, Sweet Pea Photography and Deak Photography, captured some great action shots, that helped complete the beautiful and fun photo album they created.
To exit the ceremony, I owe a special thanks to Rachel, who helped make that moment special. I originally wanted a sparkler sendoff but since we were out in the Elk Rapids Pavilion that was not a possible, it was one of the restrictions of holding the event there because of the gas lines running underneath the building. Rachel told me not to worry about it, she had an idea. As we walked thru our row of friends and family everyone popped a confetti popper so brightly colored paper rained down on us as we left, it was a perfect ending that made my wedding really feel like a dream come true!
Amy and Jon... you deserve a lifetime of happiness. I am so thankful that I got to be a part of the day you made a commitment to forever. A huge thank you to the amazing vendors that helped us pull all this together!
Wedding Planning, Design & Coordination: Sincerely, Ginger Weddings & Events; Photography: Sweet Pea & Deak Photography; Venue and Rentals: Elk Rapids Pavilion; Floral Design: Sincerely, Ginger Weddings & Events; Music: Mr. Music DJ's; Paper: The NIA Designs; Catering: Canteen Services of Northern Michigan; Cake Design: Penny Christians (e-mail me for contact info!) Bride's Dress: To Have & To Hold
