Autumnal Mackinac Island Wedding

Coming back from a long weekend in Michigan this past weekend, I couldn’t be happier to share Lindsay and Cole’s wedding shot by Bryan & Mae in Mackinac Island. They incorporated lots of vintage touches throughout their day – from the vintage movie poster table numbers to their stationery. It’s true that we say that the weddings we share are always the sweetest, but Lindsay and Cole’s wedding is one for the books. Their emotions can be seen in the photos and felt through the screen, and we couldn’t help but get a bit teary looking at this photo of their ceremony.

Bryan & Mae in Mackinac Island. They incorporated lots of vintage touches throughout their day – from the vintage movie poster table numbers to their stationery. It’s true that we say that the weddings we share are always the sweetest, but Lindsay and Cole’s wedding is one for the books. Their emotions can be seen in the photos and felt through the screen, and we couldn’t help but get a bit teary looking at

I knew I wanted an autumn wedding – it’s always been my favorite season. Luckily, my husband felt the same way! I also knew I wanted a vintage feel, and once we chose our historic location and venue it all fell into place. We live in Los Angeles but are originally from Michigan, so we wanted to reflect both sides of our lives — the movie business and our Michigan roots. Somehow, we were able to incorporate all of these disparate elements and make it very “us”. Just as important, we wanted the feel of ceremony to be very personal. So, my brother officiated, and we included our bridal party and other friends/family to be part of it in various ways — my cousin sang, we had readings from our favorite books and films, and we passed our rings around for each person to give a “blessing”. It was really special.

Mackinac Island is one of my very favorite places in the world. Growing up, my family would take trips there, and I was always enchanted with the lovely historic island that doesn’t allow cars — you have to bike or horse buggy everywhere. It’s so timeless and romantic. I also love the movie ‘Somewhere in Time’, which is entirely set on the island. So when my husband, who also grew up in Michigan, proposed, it seemed like the perfect location for our wedding. When we toured Mission Point Resort, I fell in love with its elegant rustic charm. We chose to get married in a small hall on the resort grounds with a giant fireplace, to give us that intimate feeling we wanted for us and our guests. The reception was held in a beautiful room in the main hotel, with exposed wood beams and incredible views of the lake. All in all, it was exactly the right setting for us.

I wanted to create an autumn-vintage-rustic-romantic look. We also wanted to incorporate our love of movies and books into the decor. I wasn’t so concerned with everything matching, only that it genuinely reflected who we are — THAT was our “theme”. So we used the tandem bike image on our invitations, welcome bags and menus to tie in the island’s bike culture, but then we designed movie ticket escort cards that went with classic movie table numbers. Our cake toppers include our favorite books.

I wanted colors that complimented the season, but nothing too traditional. I was inspired by the location, and decided to do a palette including yellows and oranges to highlight the changing leaves; cream and grays like the birch trees of Michigan; and then a touch of blue inspired by the beautiful lake. The result was soft, vintage and autumnal.

I really loved doing my DIY projects, which included: my hair piece; decoupaging vintage luggage for our “postcard table” guest book; the “sweet love” banner for the dessert table; the menus and the boutonnieres. My sister-in-law helped me design the programs, welcome bags, escort cards and other design elements. My father-in-law made the wood cake and cupcake stands. I loved that so much of the decor was personal and homemade. Everything else was Etsy and flea mart finds. I don’t know what I would do without Etsy!

Bryan & Mae in Mackinac Island. They incorporated lots of vintage touches throughout their day – from the vintage movie poster table numbers to their stationery. It’s true that we say that the weddings we share are always the sweetest, but Lindsay and Cole’s wedding is one for the books. Their emotions can be seen in the photos and felt through the screen, and we couldn’t help but get a bit teary looking at Click to view all images in the gallery

Any advice for brides planning their weddings now? Don’t be too concerned with the minutia of planning; it can get overwhelming and make you crazy! It doesn’t matter if everything is perfectly coordinated, as long as you feel it reflects your own unique style and personalities. This will ultimately make the experience more personal, and more beautiful. Also, take time during both the planning and the actual day to really BE with your groom and remember what it’s all about. We can get so distracted with all the fun and stressful details and forget that this is about two people starting an incredible journey together; the rest is frosting. And remember, when things go wrong (and they DO go wrong no matter how much you try to avoid it), take a breath and have a sense of humor about it. It was cold and rainy the day of our wedding and I was bummed — but then the sun came out and we had RAINBOWS! If that’s not a metaphor for life, I don’t know what is 🙂

Wedding Songs:

We wanted to incorporate our love for movies as much as possible, so all of our songs are movie-related. The guys walked to the “Throne Room March” from Star Wars: A New Hope; the bridesmaids walked to “Storybook Love” from Princess Bride; and I walked down the aisle to the theme from “Somewhere In Time.” Our first dance song was “Come What May” from Moulin Rouge, and my father and I danced to “Rainbow Connection” from the Muppet Movie.

Wedding Vendors and Venue (Mackinac Island, MI):

Ceremony and reception locations: Mission Point Resort / Photographer: Bryan & Mae / Wedding Dress: Lazaro (3962 in ivory), purchased at Mon Amie in Costa Mesa / Wedding Shoes: BHLDN / Hair and Makeup: 7th Heaven Salon at Mission Point Resort / Bridesmaid Dresses: various shades of gray from Jcrew, BHLDN and Priscilla of Boston / DJ: Patrick McManus of MICA Entertainment / Caterer: Mission Point Resort / Wedding Cake: two-tier birch tree cake with vanilla cake and chocolate buttercream frosting, and pumpkin cupcakes with vanilla cream cheese frosting, from Bella e Dolce Bakery; cookies were also served from Marc’s Double Oven / Wedding invitations: Stephanie at Sunshine & Ravioli / Transportation: Gough Carriages