We Tied the Knot!!
WE DID IT! I have been so incredibly excited to share photos from our Fourth of July wedding weekend. We held our intimate beach ceremony in northern Michigan. This wasn't the wedding we had been planning, but it was absolutely perfect.
This all came to be when we made the decision to postpone our wedding, for a second time. We originally postponed our first date in May, and then our second date in August. We knew we wanted to wait on the big wedding we had planned so we could celebrate with everyone safely, but didn't want to wait on starting our marriage. When we called Ryan's family to let them know we were going to postpone the wedding we shared the news that we wanted to get married on a date that was special to us, and decided on the Fourth of July, our favorite holiday... which was only 1 week away! We already had plans to stay with my family for the week at our lake house in northern Michigan, and secretly asked Ryan's family to fly in too. We ended up not telling my parents, and enlisted Ryan's family and my siblings to keep our plan under wraps so we could surprise them. The rest of that week was a busy one. We were able to contact the Mayor who immediately agreed to officiate our intimate ceremony. Ryan's family contacted Cherryland Floral, who made me the most stunning bouquet and a few boutonnieres and corsages. We were even able to secure a photographer, Ashley Bassett Photography, with literally 4 days notice, and she could not have been more incredible.
The afternoon before our wedding we asked my family to gather together for a family photo and gave a short toast thanking everyone for their love and support over the last several months. At the end of the toast, we announced that we wanted to elope, and planned to do so sooner rather than later. Then we shared the surprise and said that we had called Ryan's family, they were in town, and we planned to get married in the morning. At that moment, his family pulled up and everyone was able to celebrate together.
The wedding itself took place on the beach at Lake Michigan, where I've watched the fireworks over the Fourth of July every year since I was a little girl. This was such a meaningful place to me, and was made even more perfect by the presence of both of our families.
I've been so excited to get back our photos from that day, and let me tell you they were worth the wait! Here are just a few of our personal favorites:
We still plan to have a large reception with friends in 2021, but for now we are so excited to start our marriage and enjoy life as newlyweds. I'm looking forward to continuing my wedding journey and tie the knot in style... again!