Traverse City | Northern Michigan Destination Wedding

After a romantic international engagement in the Highlands of Scotland, Alicia and Matt looked to their very own backyard in Northern Michigan as the ideal spot to celebrate their wedding. Their residence in Traverse City is situated on 46 acres of wooded land, a sanctuary where the couple can slow down and enjoy the beauty of nature. Reflecting back on this location choice Alicia noted, “It’s comfortable and inviting and wrapped in Mother Nature’s majesty. I love that we were able to share our home with so many of those we love as most had never been to our house.”

As a first step in the planning process, Alicia gathered her best industry girlfriends for a New York City shopping trip. The gang included editor Shira Savada, Anna Richardson of Anna Lucia Events in Tampa, Virginia Edelson of Bluebird Productions in Aspen, Krista Belle Bancroft of Krista Belle Events in Chicago and Samantha Roberts of Kleinfeld Bridal. Alicia only tried on the dresses her friends picked for her and it was a Jane Hill gown that had everyone in happy tears. This sleeveless, v-neck a-line wedding dress featured three dimensional floral lace that perfectly suited Alicia’s outdoor wedding.

Without a wedding party, the only two remaining people to outfit was the groom, who wore a suit by Tom Ford in Prince of Wales Navy. To outfit her flower girl Molly, Alicia gathered several options that would suit the wedding design. She then orchestrated a fun “fashion show” format so that Molly could select her own dress.

Since both Alicia and Matt are top event industry professionals, I knew to expect a high level of detail and a plenty of personalized, charming details. The entire event reflected Alicia and Matt’s sophisticated taste, from the invitations to the jaw-dropping tent. They also placed a high priority on guest comfort and enjoyment. The night before, they invited their entire guest list, including kids, to a party at Cherry Basket Farm (more on that on a future post!). The next morning everyone was invited to a hike on their favorite route, with matching caps all around.

To kick off the wedding day celebration, guests were offered “MacFritz” (a play on their names) signature drinks of Champagne, Lillet, St. Germaine, and lemon juice on the side lawn. After this pre-wedding cocktail gathering, guests were guided to the ceremony that overlooked the pond behind their home. The flower girl led the couple’s dog Murphy, who wore a floral collar, down the aisle followed by Alicia and her father. The vows, written themselves, included a promise to “call your arms my true home.” The couple recessed after a confetti bomb highlighted their announcement as husband and wife to the tune of “You Make My Dreams Come True” by Hall and Oats.

A large escort card display helped transition guests from the cocktail hour to dinner. The display featured small bud vases with a stem of floral or fern in each featuring a quote from the movie Meet Joe Black. In the movie, Anthony Hopkins’ character is on stage delivering a speech to all his guests at his birthday celebration and it read, “Every face is a memory… and you are ours for the night.”

An incredible reception tent was decorated with exuberant flowers by Bloom Floral Design with tablecloths by Anna Lucia Richardson for BBJ Linen. And a black fabric ceiling was Alicia’s unique vision and a nod to her “Dutch Master” color scheme. And the tent was expertly lit by Matt’s lighting company, Frost Florida (thanks, Matt! Those are some of the best first dance pictures ever thanks to having such great lighting!!!).

When it came to designing the look of the tables, Alicia remembers, “The place settings were so much fun to create! I wanted there to be a very formal feeling juxtaposed with a very casual feeling- I love contrast. To mark each guests plate was a polished sheet of black acrylic with the guests names calligraphed by my dear friend Vicki Corwin of the Artistic Quill.” Each guest had their very own personalized charcuterie board with the couple’s favorite offerings.

Alicia tapped into musician and composer Bob Mervak from Detroit to provide the musical entertainment that kept the dance floor full late into the night. The ensemble included vocalist Keisha Gwin from St. Louis.

The morning after the wedding, guests were invited back to the house for a farewell brunch. And the couple took a few weeks to finish the season of summer weddings before going on their honeymoon in Hawaii. Starting on the island of Kauai, the couple stayed on the south shore at the Grand Hyatt. They then island hopped to Maui where they experienced both the Four Seasons and Hotel Wailea. They island hopped a second time to finish their vacation at the Four Seasons Lanai.