Wedding at Historic Watervale Inn

Watervale Resort was the site for our Sunday May 27th wedding of Angela and Todd. Watervale is a quaint and unique resort that has been in the bride's family for over one hundred years. Many special events have occurred there over the years and it was the perfect place for Angela and Todd to get married. The ceremony was held outside in the backyard of the brides parents home, overlooking Upper Herring Lake.

The weather forecast had been a concern earlier in the week, however the day turned out to be very pleasant. In the morning, the groom and his best man had spent a few hours building a Chuppah. A Chuppah in the Jewish faith symbolizes the home the couple will share which protects them from harm.

Unfortunately, just as the first guests were starting to arrive a gust of wind came up, blew the Chuppah to the ground, and broke one of the containers of colored sand for the sand ceremony; but all was not lost. The glass was cleaned up, sand was salvaged and a replacement vase found. During the ceremony, four of the brides cousins stood on Chuppah guard. The couple was indeed protected from harm.

Our couple chose a very special friend to be a member of their wedding party...Echo the family dog! Echo and nephew Trevor shared ring bearer duties and both did a stand up job.

After the ceremony, guests enjoyed a cocktail hour on the deck overlooking Lower Herring Lake. They then joined the bride and groom at The Watervale Inn where the reception dinner was held. After dinner and the cake cutting, guests moved down to the Casino for dancing with music provided by The Lookout Cats. We were able to take advantage of this time to steal away with the Bride and Groom down to the beach of Lake Michigan. It was a gorgeous evening and we were able to take some spectacular sunset pictures. It was our pleasure to be part of this wonderful day.

~~Cathy, Blog Master

Memorial Weekend Peninsula Wedding

For our May 26th event, Kristy and Joe planned a wedding that was rich in local history and landmarks. The ceremony was at St. Jospeph's Mapleton Catholic Church which is located on Old Mission Peninsula.

After the ceremony the wedding party traveled to the Old Mission Lighthouse photos. This landmark, with its unique beach setting, is one of our favorite sites to visit when we have a wedding on the peninsula.

The couple chose another historical landmark for their reception, Bowers Harbor Inn. Guests enjoyed a cocktail hour on the front patio area that incorporated wonderful views of the bay and the beautiful grounds .

The Bride and Groom received their guests in the backyard of the Inn under a large , beautifully decorated tent. Beneath the tent, guests were protected from the rain that finally came that evening. Everyone gathered around the couple for the cutting of their very impressive cake. Later our Groom and his groomsmen serenaded our lovely bride.
~~Cathy, BlogMaster

Rain on your wedding day = good luck!!

On Saturday May 19th it was a hot, humid day and we traveled to Frog Pond Village in Interlochen, MI. for Kristy and Todd's wedding. They say that it is good luck to have rain on your wedding day and we did have a few sprinkles, however the weather improved as the day went on. We were able to take advantage of the beautiful woodland setting for photos of the Groom and his groomsmen, as well as the Bride and her attendants before the ceremony.

All was well until the guests started to find their seats and sprinkles began to appear. Not to worry as Karen Snyder of Frog Pond Village was there in a minute with large white umbrellas. The Reverend Ken Grimes was not fazed by a little shower nor was our Bride and Groom. By the time the couple made their return trip down the aisle as husband and wife, the rain had stopped.

After the ceremony, the Bride and Groom along with their wedding party, took a horse drawn carriage from Abraham's Carriage Service down to Ellis Lake for more photographs. "Joy" looked very regal as she transported our couple.

After a toast by best man, the guests enjoyed a wonderful meal, the couple had their first dance and,of course, cut their wedding cake.
~~Cathy, Purcell Photography