(The ceremony at Weko Beach—the water is so calm it almost looks like sky!)
Saturday we had the pleasure of helping Stefanie & Jim tie the knot on beautiful Weko Beach in Bridgman. The day started off with rain, and while it poured down, Brittany and I set up at the reception hall. Stefanie created many of the details and decor herself, and is a crafty Do-it-yourselfer—she did a wonderful job of making her wedding unique and fun, which is a reflection of her, because she is one fun girl!
At 1:00 when we headed to the beach to setup for the ceremony, the rain was still coming down, so we confirmed our contingency plans to setup at the community center at the beach if necessary. At 2:30 the clouds rain broke and we hurried to set everything up on the beach before the 3:30 arrival of guests! Chairs were provided by Taylor Rental, ceremony arrangements and personal flowers were created by Beikmann Associates Floral, and music was all hand selected by the bride & played via a battery-operated sounds system we secured through Taylor Rental (perfect for beach weddings, the sound is great!)
When Stefanie and the girls arrived on the shuttle they were so excited to see we could actually do it on the beach—Stefanie really had her heart set on a beach ceremony, so we were thrilled we could make it happen! The rain held out for a beautiful and personal ceremony, and the processional song that played as they left was Ever, Ever After by Carried Udnerwood (from the Enchanted soundtrack) which I just loved!
At Santaniello’s Stefanie & Jim and their guests enjoyed an Italian family-style dinner that was delicious! The bride and her dad danced to Forever Young (and did a little freestyle dancing at the end which was great), the bride and groom danced to Jason Mraz, “I’m yours,” and the bridal party got everyone out on the floor with their rendition of “Apache, jump on it,” which was so fun! Pizza was brought out as a late night snack gor guests and Tim Sewcyck with Music Unlimited kept the dancing going all night long, and at midnight everyone was sad to go!
Thank you so much Stefanie and Jim (and Stef’s mom Kathy) for working with us over the last 8 months and being so much fun! Thanks for letting us be a part of your special day! We were so busy contending with the weather and back-up plans that we didn’t get a lot of good pictures, but we’ll post more when the professional pics are available from their photographer, Carlos Ortiz!
THE TEAM
Stella Event Design::Basic Planning Services
Ceremony::Weko Beach, Bridgman
Reception::Santaniello’s Restaurant, Stevensville
Photography::Carlos Ortiz, Chicago
Florist::Beikmann Associates Floral, Niles
DJ::Music Unlimited, Riverside
Cake::Dee’s Specialty Cakes
Transportation::Royal Excursion, South Bend
