Camp Wedding

This past August, I had the pleasure of assisting a couple get married at Camp Tanuga in Kalkaska, MI. Why Camp Tanuga, you may ask? Well, Rachel and Jeffrey met at Camp Tanuga as kids and knew it would be the perfect location to get married.

It was the perfect weekend of fun, love, laughter and activities. Friday night they kicked off the weekend with their ketubah signing followed by the camp ritual of meeting at the flag pole for flag lowering continued by a rustic rehearsal dinner in the "mess hall" and closing the night with bonfire and smores!         

Saturday, during the day guests were able to utilize the amazing camp grounds and do activities (from arts & crafts, water skiing, regatta sail boat race and much more).  Saturday lunch was a "Camp Lunch" Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup- a camp lunch classic and our favorite.  The couple wanted their guests to experience what they had been able to experience for many summer of their lives. 

Finally, the night had come. They had a cocktail prior to the ceremony on the "reck-deck." Guests had light bites of Mediterranean style (our favorite type of food) as well as Caprese Kebob, Butternut Squash, Stuffed Mushroom, Garlic Bruschetta with Fresh Tomatoes. During the cocktail hour guests could sign our "mad lib" guest book or look at the window sills of love. During the cocktail hour they had live music- cello and violinist.

The decor was "naturally charming" for ceremony and party! Simple as they just added to the natural beauty of camp grounds - with twine branch with lavender, white flowers and small daises (white roses, white mini flower pots, yet with a splash of lavender, mercury glass votives and vases) to give a more elegant feel.   As the ceremony took place at sundown on the waterfront peak right off the lake- tea lights and candles were hung from the large pine tree centered behind us, candle lanterns lined each side the rose pedal aisle. Finally they were married under the chupah at dark, the ceremony was magical - you could feel the warmth and love!

 The party went late into the night- or rather... early sunday morning. They had late night pizza from the local pizza place "G's" - ordered as a late night snack. (G's Pizza was is a Tanuga staple for camper birthdays, special occasions etc). The talented band, Fifty Amp Fuse kept everyone on the dance floor all night!  It was a perfect weekend with their closest friends and family celebrating where their love began.   

Hello Again!

Oh my gosh, I cannot believe how long it has been since I last wrote on my blog. It is so crazy to think that enough time has passed since my last entry that I had a baby girl who will actually be two years of age this July. Crazy!

In honor of her, I would like to ponder the idea of princesses. My daughter has just recently discovered the world of princesses. In fact, a couple of weeks ago her daddy bought her the Disney Princess Classic Collection (all 12 of them) and she is obsessed with learning who they are and their names. She loves to look at the dolls and I often wonder what she thinks about them.

I know as a 33 almost 34 year old (yikes), I loved the thought of princesses as a child too whether it was dressing up like one, reading about one or even just dreaming about one.

Then, I had my own kind of princess day when I got married. I know that for many, many brides their wedding day is the one day where the fantasy can actually come true. As a planner, I love being a part of that world. I love knowing that I am in a field where I have a small part in making a brides inner child dream come true. Thank you to all the brides out there that have allowed me to be a part of such a special day. I look forward to many more of these days.