Classic. With a pop of the unexpected. Heavy on the romance, please. Sarah and Bryan’s wedding was one of those events where I stood back prior to the bride and groom room reveal and I just felt completely content. It was perfect and I knew the minute they’d lay their eyes on it, they’d think so too. See when Sarah emailed me a year before her big day she told me how badly she was needing some guidance in planning her and Bryan’s big day. She certainly had visions but needed some help bringing them together. She wrote that there was no one else she could picture herself trusting when it came to planning and designing her big day, and at once I knew we’d get along just fine. I knew that together Sarah, Bryan, myself and one incredible team of amazingly talented vendors would make magic on one beautiful September day. I’m so thrilled to finally show you these incredible images from the talented Tec Petaja. Between him, and the other vendors listed at the bottom of this post, I think we made one special couple totally happy on the biggest day of their lives. Sarah and Bryan, I adore you two. Thank you for welcoming me into your lives with open arms and for being such wonderful, caring and genuine clients.

Ok Rhi, enough chitter chatter. Now let’s get on to some gorgeous pretties, shall we?

Brief pause for a sec. I love dads and their daughters. One of the sweetest things to witness on a wedding day.

The ceremony was at St. John’s Catholic Church. The outside of the church is a tad more modern looking but the inside is so beautiful with the most amazing natural light. Because Sarah and Bryan wanted a more traditional wedding day celebration they skipped the first look and decided to wait until the met one another at the altar. Total swoon. Then following their ceremony they exited back into the church to release their guests pew by pew, so each guest could be personally greeted and thanked.

The most gorgeous bride and groom portraits. Seriously though.

While the bridal party did photos, guests were welcomed to The Peninsula Room patio, where appetizers and drinks were awaiting them. The Band Juicy sang a capella for entertainment, the mini lounge provided seating for guests wanting to rest their feet and the beautiful manicured environment gave the entire party an intimate and classic vibe. Navy striped straws added a festive touch to the signature sip, which was a pomegranate mojito. From what I hear they were pretty ridiculously delicious.

I gotta feed my clients! The newly married Mr and Mrs sneaking away for food and some laughs.

And some more details! I have to give a big shout out to everyone who worked so tirelessly to bring this wedding to fruition. Jenn from Modern Day Floral was such a dream to work with, making those floral arrangements everything Sarah had been dreaming of (and pinning!) for months. They were the perfect pop of color in the venue and really brought the entire look together. The girls (and guys) at I Candy created those family style wood tables from scratch (I know I’m still blown away) because the bride really wanted them but we couldn’t find them anywhere to rent. Custom stained wood family style seating for 140 guests? Yes, please. And all of those other tiny details that made everything look so special came from talented vendors mentioned below. I still have the text saved from Sarah that she sent me the morning after her wedding. If a bride calls her wedding an absolute fairytale, I think it can go down as a success. Here are some more pretties for you to soak up, guys.

After a tasty dinner it was time for the newlyweds sweet first dance. I love these black and white film images shot by Tec. He’s such a star and it was so lovely to meet his gorgeous wife, Chelsea the talent behind Oh My Deer. After the first dance we snuck out to the water with the bridal party to attempt to send off some paper wish lanterns into the night sky. All I’ll say here is it’s best not to send off wish lanterns when it’s windy outside. Oh, and the Traverse City firefighters are really quite nice :)

Sarah and Bryan it was such a joy being a part of your special day and watching you be surrounded by so many loving friends and family. May your marriage be forever as lovely as the day that your first started your journey as husband and wife. And to all of my readers, tell me what is your favorite detail from this charming affair? Mine has got to be the bride’s gown! Check out the vendor list below for all of the people that helped make this wedding possible! Enjoy your Thursday bloggies xoxo

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Photography: Tec Petaja / Design, planning and coordination: Hey Gorgeous Events / Florals: Modern Day Floral / Venue and catering: The Peninsula Room / Videography: Wedit / Linens: La Tavola / Custom tables and decor rentals: Events by I Candy / Draping, lounge furniture and lighting: Special Events Rental / Ceremony: St. John’s Catholic Church / Desserts and cake: The Everything Gal / Chalkboard signs: Lily and Val / Entertainment: The Band Juicy / Wedding invitations: Smock / Bridesmaid’s gowns: various labels / Programs, tear packs and seating chart: by the bride / Marquis letter D: gift from the MOB / Tassel garland: Tuck and Bonte / Throws: IKEA