Rustic Elegant Wedding at the Forest Dunes Golf Course
I adore this Bride's approach to planning - she said, "I simply chose elements we liked, and it seemed to work." And boy did it all work. With the help of Parsonage Events, all of the pretty little pieces fell perfectly into place, so when Lux Light Photography stepped behind the camera to capture it all, magic happened. It leaves us with a gallery too fabulous to miss, and you can see it all here.
From The Bride...For Dane and I, the great thing about dating for 13 years before getting married is that we had subconsciously already started thinking alike and had merged our two styles. You know, that thing that thing that usually happens after you've been married awhile...This, along with my event planning background, gave way to swift and painless decision making.
Our fabulous florist and design consultant, Parsonage Events, coined our wedding style as "Rustic Elegance". Conscious that sometimes following a theme can come off a little too contrived, I simply chose elements that we liked, and it seemed to work. For example, Dane is an avid deer hunter, along with a number of guests at our wedding. Being that our wedding date was during MI bow season, and that the Forest Dunes logo included a deer with antlers, I chose an antler motif for the letterpress invites, by Something Fabulous, and engraved pint glasses (favors). We also chose venison as an appetizer and walleye as one of the dinner options, both indigenous to Northern MI. Inspiration for the ceremony came from our shared love of fishing, kayaking and camping on the Ausable River, as well as an image of the large cross I found on SMP. My design obsession of combining different materials was evident throughout our reception. To maximize space and for cost efficiency, we used both existing wooden tables and rented rounds. A combination of tablecloths, runners and place mats gave the room depth, and all linens were sewn by my mom, as a true labor of love! Soft feminine floral was housed in a mix of clear and colored vintage glass and pewter pedestal bowls; and they were balanced by the dark wood and masculinity of the room. Each setting included a vintage metal napkin ring, which I collected for months before the big day. Because we love a good bonfire, and Forest Dunes has a great bonfire pit on their back patio, we had to include smores. True to our childhood, the sticks had to be found in the woods and whittled down (thanks to my brother, Luke)! Inspiration for the traditional cake from Bella e Dolce, came from the lace detail of my dress. Proud and excited by our new monogram, seen on the cake, I painted the large wooden letters that hung from the loft and my mom surprised us by having it embroidered on the head table runner, which we now use in our home. Afterwards, many of our guests commented that they could really "see Dane and Emily" in each of the special touches of that day. To us, this meant success!
For love of early to mid 20th century fashion, I was drawn to the Ivy and Aster Collette gown, and the Elizabeth pumps by Emmy Shoes. A pearl necklace and bracelet were passed down to me by great grandmothers on both my mom and dad's side. The costume broach seen on my bouquet was once Dane's great aunt's, accompanied by a hankie that was tatted by yet another of my great grandmothers. The satin clutch I used was made by my mom, using fabric from my grandmother's wedding dress. Bridesmaids chose their own dress and color, which happened to be from both JCrew and Ann Taylor, necklaces by JCrew and Bagley Mischka pumps. Guys suits were custom Joseph Abboud from Nordstrom and sage trout ties from Buffalo Jackson.
Our fabulous florist and design consultant, Parsonage Events, coined our wedding style as "Rustic Elegance". Conscious that sometimes following a theme can come off a little too contrived, I simply chose elements that we liked, and it seemed to work. For example, Dane is an avid deer hunter, along with a number of guests at our wedding. Being that our wedding date was during MI bow season, and that the Forest Dunes logo included a deer with antlers, I chose an antler motif for the letterpress invites, by Something Fabulous, and engraved pint glasses (favors). We also chose venison as an appetizer and walleye as one of the dinner options, both indigenous to Northern MI. Inspiration for the ceremony came from our shared love of fishing, kayaking and camping on the Ausable River, as well as an image of the large cross I found on SMP. My design obsession of combining different materials was evident throughout our reception. To maximize space and for cost efficiency, we used both existing wooden tables and rented rounds. A combination of tablecloths, runners and place mats gave the room depth, and all linens were sewn by my mom, as a true labor of love! Soft feminine floral was housed in a mix of clear and colored vintage glass and pewter pedestal bowls; and they were balanced by the dark wood and masculinity of the room. Each setting included a vintage metal napkin ring, which I collected for months before the big day. Because we love a good bonfire, and Forest Dunes has a great bonfire pit on their back patio, we had to include smores. True to our childhood, the sticks had to be found in the woods and whittled down (thanks to my brother, Luke)! Inspiration for the traditional cake from Bella e Dolce, came from the lace detail of my dress. Proud and excited by our new monogram, seen on the cake, I painted the large wooden letters that hung from the loft and my mom surprised us by having it embroidered on the head table runner, which we now use in our home. Afterwards, many of our guests commented that they could really "see Dane and Emily" in each of the special touches of that day. To us, this meant success!
For love of early to mid 20th century fashion, I was drawn to the Ivy and Aster Collette gown, and the Elizabeth pumps by Emmy Shoes. A pearl necklace and bracelet were passed down to me by great grandmothers on both my mom and dad's side. The costume broach seen on my bouquet was once Dane's great aunt's, accompanied by a hankie that was tatted by yet another of my great grandmothers. The satin clutch I used was made by my mom, using fabric from my grandmother's wedding dress. Bridesmaids chose their own dress and color, which happened to be from both JCrew and Ann Taylor, necklaces by JCrew and Bagley Mischka pumps. Guys suits were custom Joseph Abboud from Nordstrom and sage trout ties from Buffalo Jackson.