Destination Hotel Wedding by Neri Photo

If ever there was a day to get completely swept away by the beauty of a wedding, this would be it. With the bluest sky over the waters of Lake Michigan, this is undeniably one of the prettiest days we’ve seen in some time. An innocent meeting at an apartment building in Spring of 2013 turned into an email exchange, which turned into a lunch date the following week. Jeff and I had an instant connection and found ourselves spending every free moment together. We were engaged on the one-year anniversary of our first date, via a romantic (and very unexpected) mid-week stay-cation at the Waldorf Astoria. We began the search for a wedding venue almost immediately, which (believe it or not) started in Santa Barbara, CA.

We wanted to have an outdoor wedding, and at first that seemed like a good fit, based on the weather. After spending a weekend with my family at their summer cottage in Northern Michigan, Jeff (who is originally from Kansas City, Kansas) fell in love with the beauty of my home state. That weekend we drove around looking for potential venues and fell in love with the Inn at Bay Harbor. A week after our visit they informed us that they had a cancellation, and we had 24 hours to decide if we could plan a wedding in less than three months. Of course, we said YES! We were inspired by nature and wanted the wedding to feel elegant, yet comfortable. I wanted our guests to experience the beauty of Lake Michigan, so we planned most of our wedding events to be held outdoors. Shiela at Tableau events and Jennifer from Bloom Up North turned my “dream wedding” Pinterest boards into a real fairytale wedding. Photographer: NeriPhoto | Ring Designer: Anat Rubinstein | Shoes: Badgley Mischka | Dress Designer: Badgley Mischka | Musicians: Bay Harbor Strings | Dress Store: BHLDN | Floral Designer: Bloom Up North | Band: Blue Water Kings | Tuxedo and Mens Attire: Hugo Boss | Dress Designer: Nicole Miller | Bridesmaid Dresses: Nicole Miller | Cake Designer: Simply Sweet by Jessica | Event Designer: Tableau Events | Tuxedo and Mens Attire: The Haberdashery | Reception Venue: The Inn at Bay Harbor | Submitted via Two Bright Lights