Springtime Greencrest Manor Wedding

Michelle Hoover
January 5, 2015
Categories: Real Weddings, The Blog, Traditional Elegance

Pink peonies make my heart happy, especially when they’re paired up with a sweet Greencrest Manor love story beautifully captured by Harrison Studio and Coastline Studios. With layered hues of pink, Laura Hooper Calligraphy, sweet creations by Sweet Heather Anne, and wildly romantic Hey Gorgeous Events blooms, this gallery is officially too good to miss.

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From The Bride… My grandmother started visiting northern Michigan almost 40 years ago. Since then, the entire Schutz clan has grown up vacationing on Point Betsie Beach. With every passing summer, my long love affair with the area has only intensified. So, when Doug and I started dating it was important to me that he shared the same appreciation.

When Doug proposed, six summers and many memories later, a Michigan destination wedding wasn’t difficult to agree on. The logistics, however, threw us for a loop. We wanted a wedding that we could share with all of the people we love, but being six hours up the coast, Point Betsie didn’t offer that option. After doing a little searching, we found the perfect compromise in Greencrest Manor.

Greencrest Manor is a beautiful bed and breakfast originally constructed as a private home overlooking St. Mary’s Lake in the early 1900’s. Designed in the French-Normandy style, Greencrest is surrounded by extensive formal gardens and provided a beautiful backdrop for our ceremony. Guests were invited to enjoy the spectacular first floor during the cocktail hour, and the reception was held under a tent on the lawn. Doug and I enlisted Rhi with Hey Gorgeous Events to help us shape a wedding day that was personal, warm, and reflective of us as a couple. Being a third generation equestrian, I wanted to infuse a classic countryside feel to our day, while Doug, an avid golfer, wanted plenty of preppy details. And, of course, we tried to incorporate as many personal details as possible.

Boutonnieres of Lilly of the Valley grown in the garden of a close family friend honored my grandma. Petoskies collected by my entire family over the years at Point Betsie were used in the centerpieces. Dried rose petals from Doug’s proposal were tossed by our flower girl. A handmade sign by my MOH directed guests where to turn, and we cut our cake with the same cake server used by Doug’s grandparents on their wedding day. My favorite details of the wedding, however, were the ones that honored my mama, who passed away from inflammatory breast cancer a month after Doug and I were engaged. Guests were given yellow tulips upon arriving to honor her. A necklace I’d given her was tied around my bouquet, and I wore her favorite ring as my something blue. Planning the wedding without her was truly a nightmare for me, but she was there with us that day. She must have been pulling some strings, in fact, because the weather changed from hail to sunshine just in time for our ceremony!

The details of our wedding were wonderful but, those closest to us made our wedding weekend truly meaningful. I had a giggly, fun-filled morning with my closest friends. Our pastor helped us create a traditional, yet intimate ceremony. One of my talented classmates from medical school provided the music during our ceremony and cocktail hour, and then another family friend took over as emcee and DJ for the reception. In the end it was a weekend filled with friends, family, and love, just as we had pictured.