Where do I start with this one? I was first introduced to this pair when Sarah emailed me looking for the perfect venue, and I pointed her to The Veranda at the Whitcomb, which I thought she’d love! Then I got to meet the couple in person when, by chance, I was picking up items at the Veranda when they stopped in for a visit. They booked the venue for a May date, since Fall–their first choice–was already booked. Then fast forward six months—we were planning the Lake Shore Wedding Walk and Sarah+Bill stopped in to say hello at our booth during the event. At the end of the Wedding Walk we gave away a $30,000 Dream Wedding, and when David Krock from the Veranda drew the name we were both shocked, because we both recognized the names—it was Sarah+Bill and I will never forget the cheers and screams that broke out when their names were announced over the sounds of “Tonights gonna be a good night” by the Black Eyed Peas. I honestly can’t hear that song without thinking of Sarah+Bill and their exciting moment back in 2010!
Their wedding took place a year later on Saturday, September 17, 2011 at their favorite venue, The Veranda at the Whitcomb, who was generous enough to sponsor the giveaway and provide their gorgeous location, and they even got their perfect fall date after all! We had a huge host of amazing vendors who helped to make this wedding a reality, and I think I can speak for every single vendor when I say that we couldn’t have asked for a nicer couple to work with!
Sarah+Bill tied the knot at the band shell in downtown St. Joseph with one of our favorite local wedding officiants, Bonnie Corondan of Sacred Ceremonies. They treated their guests to delicious treats from the GelatoSmith gelato cart as they left the ceremony and if you’ve never been to a wedding with a gelato cart, trust us, you are missing out on something amazing! The cake Sarah picked out from Dee’s Specialty Cakes was pretty amazing. I loved how bright and bold it was, and that it was simple and sleek, while still being interested and extremely elegant. It was probably one of my favorite cakes of 2011, and it doesn’t hurt that it was delicious!
The beautiful bouquets were created by Kimberly Layne Flower Company. I absolutely love white on white in the Veranda at the Whitcomb, and the bright pops of yellow from the locally grown sunflowers was perfect burst of color for this fall wedding. I can’t say enough good things about how above and beyond CK Catering went to make sure Sarah+Bill had their dream wedding, right down to creating one of Sarah’s family recipes as an appetizer. The beautiful lantern lighting and uplighting on the Verandas columns was provided by Mod Events. They do an amazing job with event lighting, and this wedding was no different—it helped set a great atmosphere, and amazing lighting for Jennifer Mayo from Jennifer Mayo Studios, who took all of the lovely photos!
Sarah+Bills Save the dates created by Cloud Nine Invitation Design were inspired by a classic Woodstock poster, and the birds were tied in throughout the day, from table numbers to the wishing tree cards. It was such a cute personal touch for this fun, laid back couple! Right from the beginning, this couple promised that their friends and family were BIG dancers, and boy did they deliver! I have to say, this was by far the biggest group of dancers I’ve seen and they had some serious skills! Tim Sewcyck of Music Unlimited provided the nights entertainment and kept everyone on the floor all night. Catching all of the days festivities on film were All Star productions—we can’t wait to see the video from this beautiful wedding. You can also see more photos of Sarah+Bills Dream Wedding featured in the Winter 2011 issue of WeddingDay Magazine.
Sarah+Bill, we can’t tell you how much we enjoyed working with you to plan your Dream Wedding! We could not have asked for a more caring, fun & amazing couple to have won this honor and we enjoyed every minute of planning with you! We hope St. Joseph will always hold a special place in your hearts and you’ll come back to visit us often!
