Wedding Planning Fun

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am back in Florida, after 8 days in Michigan and wish I could share everything with you, but there have to be some surprises left for the wedding day. I will be writing about my trip in two parts, and this first post will be about our time in Grand Rapids visiting the church, venue and a few vendors. And, a few bonus photos of a fun night in Ann Arbor. My next post will be about the two bridal showers - both just lovely.

When Megan arrived in Michigan, we had a full two days planned, beginning with the final fitting of her wedding gown. All I can say is that it is beautiful and she will be beautiful. There definitely will be tears shed. We then drove to Grand Rapids, checked into a hotel and spent a few hours with computers and lists in front of us, making decisions on things like table linen color, place setting design, and all kinds of other small, but important details. Of course, we had a glass or two of wine to help the process.

In the morning, we visited the church, which I had only seen photos of. It is simply beautiful, (those doors!) both inside and outside. We then headed to the venue, which I also had not visited and it was everything I imagined and more. It is perfect for them and I think our guests will love it too. It won't be your typical ballroom event. We toasted our day together with a delicious sparkling rose and then walked the short distance to the hotel, where the bridal party and most of our guests will be staying. There is a beautiful outside bar on the river that runs through downtown, that will be a great gathering spot. We then had a cake tasting and an appointment with the florist. She has picked amazing vendors and meeting with them made me feel so much better, realizing they know what they are doing, this isn't their first wedding and everything will be just fine.

Melissa joined us for dinner that night, along with Megan's fiancé and his parents. We had a drink after dinner at one of the craft beer breweries Grand Rapids is known for and headed back to our hotel to be rested for the first bridal shower the next day.

 

 

 

Skipping a bit ahead in my story, after the first shower the next day, we all drove from Grand Rapids to Ann Arbor, checked into another hotel and then headed to dinner. Ann Arbor (the bride and groom's college town) is such a vibrant city, with so many great restaurant and nightlife choices. After dinner at a new to us Mexican restaurant, we made stops at a few outdoor bars, since it was a perfect summer night in Michigan. At this point we were joined by another bridesmaid and my niece and her boyfriend.

So much fun and I haven't written about the main events. When you have a daughter, you can't help but think ahead to attending her bridal shower someday. Both were as lovely and joyous as I ever imagined.

Happy Thursday!

P.S. Thank you for all the well wishes for my mother. She is doing fine in rehab and I am happy I was able to arrive early and help my sister with hospital visits and getting her settled. We are hoping she will be able to be up and walking, but with Alzheimer's in the mix, honestly, it's going to be difficult.