We did it! We took the plunge ? literally and figuratively.
My now-husband and I were married at my parents? cabin September 5 next to a glassy Lake Superior at sunset ? no wind, no bugs, and possibly the warmest day the Upper Peninsula has seen all summer. Later, we took a dip in our birthday suits. There was more than one full moon that night. (And yes, Lake Superior is warm enough to swim in. The water was 65 degrees. Don’t be a wimp.)
In many ways ? well, in almost every way, really ? our wedding was a home-grown community event. We planned the entire thing ourselves and tried to make it as relaxed and fun-filled for guests as possible. If you’ve ever heard me talk about it, I probably mentioned the wedding will be a beach party where we happen to get married. And in the course of planning it all, I don’t think we used one vendor or one location that wasn’t a ‘mom and pop,? locally owned place.
Since Lake Orion has become my home away from home, we took our business to local companies: W.R. Mason Jewelers took care of our rings, Orser Studio did our engagement photo and Ink and Paper handled our invitations.
We also chose small-time businesses in and around Sault Ste. Marie for wedding-day affairs. Up-and-coming Picture This Photography, in Brimley, were our photographers and those ladies are awesome! Snickerdoodles, in Pickford, designed a custom menu for our day and bent over backwards to make it perfect.
All of our lodging accommodations were equally wonderful. Each was locally owned and treated us all like long-time friends instead of hotel customers.
Combine those local talents with a day built around comfort and fun, and we enjoyed the wedding of the century.
Guests arrived by minivan-shuttle in small groups where my husband and I greeted them with our photo-guestbook, digital camera and printer in hand. At dinner, before the ceremony, guests selected individually-wrapped, cold picnic fare and a bottle of wine for their picnic basket, which doubled as their wedding favor. They dined on tables, blankets and chairs set up around the cabin and on the beach without any order or guest assignment.
After dinner, kids swam and made sand castles while adults enjoyed cold drinks. Our sunset ceremony lasted four minutes and ended with a toast by my dad (guests were thrilled they were allowed a drink at the ceremony). We had no attendants ? our parents were our witnesses in front of 170 guests.
The evening ended with fireworks, a bonfire and s’mores, and a shuttle trip back to town.
With a ton of help from family, friends and local vendors, we had our perfect day. It was relaxing and comfortable, without any awkwardness, and totally unlike any other wedding.
And I’m definitely not bragging.