--> See more pictures from this Michigan barn wedding in the Featured Weddings on our photography website.
When Chad and Kate first contacted us they were living in South Korea. We could hardly imagine how in the world this Indiana guy and Virginia gal ever found us, much less that we would be fortunate enough to join them for their destination wedding at a flower farm in northern Michigan.
They are both amazingly talented and creative people, Kate in visual arts and Chad with music, and they brought so much of who they are into their wedding plans. Field of Flowers Farm in Lake Leelanau was chosen as the venue not only for its beauty and unique appeal, but also because it was located next to the town of Leland where Kate's family spent many summer vacations. It is indeed a beautiful part of the state with several small lakes dotted along the eastern shores of Lake Michigan. The whole county seems to be dedicated to the recreational enjoyments of vintage Americana: drinking lemonade on the porch, boating late into summer's twilight nights, and playing old-fashioned backyard games of croquet and bean bags...all while being surrounded by cherry farms and wine vineyards.
Since they were planning their wedding literally from the other side of the world, the bride and groom were lucky to have such great family and friends to help out. Chad designed their wedding blog, and along with the help of Kate's mother, made the invitations. Bridesmaid Casey did a fantastic job with hair and makeup. The groom's talented friends, David, Megan, Partrick and Emily performed the ceremony music, and Chad and his friends also performed a barbershop quartet birthday serenade during the reception.
The fashions were summer vintage styles befitting the relaxed outdoor farm wedding ambiance. The bride wore an adorable vintage short dress that she spotted at Bygones Vintage Store and had reconstructed by Charla Bjostad at Pleiadz Bridal Design in Richmond, Virginia. For the bridal party, it was a J Crew affair, with the ladies in light gray knee-length dresses and the guys in cool seersucker suits and blue Converse Chuck Taylor All-Star sneakers. Oh, and our favorite accessory was the bride's heart-shaped sunglasses.
For professional planning help, they called on Kris Rundblad and team at Merry Makers, with the delicious dinner by Grandview Catering, handmade vintage-style cakes by Robin Smith's One of a Kind Edible Art, and barn decor and flowers by the venue owner Christina Pfeufer. Clay Macauley officiated the ceremony and Sound Productions DJ rocked the dance floor.
It was a wonderful wedding and we would highly encourage Chicago area couples to consider regional destination weddings at the farms, wine vineyards and cozy lakeshore small towns around our Midwest region.