It's my 5-year wedding anniversary! I met my husband when I was five years old and knew I wanted to marry him when I was 14. He's the best person I know. I feel happy and lucky every.single.day. It's very adorable and I'm incredibly grateful.
On June 29th, 2013 we got married in Charlevoix, Mich. at Dunmaglas Golf Course surrounded by 200-ish of our closest family and friends. It was the best day of my life and I'm not exaggerating. As a bride on my wedding day, I remember moments, like getting dressed with my mom and grandmother. Or the way Justin looked back at me when he saw me for the first time on our wedding day. I remember riding to the ceremony with my best friend Katie, and walking up the aisle with my dad. I remember our first kiss. The insanely amazing surprise flash mob. My brother's speech. The Horah. My grandfather telling me it was his favorite day. And, I remember that Justin never left my side the entire night.
I don't really remember many details, to be honest. For example, how was my ceremony set up? What did we eat? Was there a table? Tablecloth? What kind of chairs were there? Did we have a program?! No clue. Did we have a traditional wedding exit? I'm 99% sure we didn't. I can't remember.
However, and this is really important, my guests remember those details. For the past five years, I've consistently been told by my family, friends, and friends of my parents and grandparents, how beautiful our wedding was. And not in a general way, like they were just being polite. They remember those hydrangea flowers, the twinkling lights the adorned ceiling, the pies for dessert, the scenic trolley rides, our entrance, the entertainment—all of it. All of those details were beautiful, true to our taste, and executed in a way that made our wedding comfortable and fun for our guests. This is because my mother and grandmother hired the best wedding pros and bought the best products for our wedding:
Venue: Dunmaglas
Event planner: Merry Makers
Hair and makeup: Ilaria Hair Studio
Florist: Schoolhouse Gardens
Caterer: Catering by Kelly’s
Transportation: Mackinaw Trolley Company
Music: The Soul Street Band
Bride’s dress: Tara Keely from Macy’s Bridal Salon–Somerset Collection
Wedding bands: David Weinstock
Engagement ring: Wachler Jewelers
Photographer: Kendra Stanely Mills
Bride's Shoes: Badgley Mischka
Bridesmaid Dress: ShopBop
Groom's Suit: J. Crew
Transportation: Mackinaw Trolley Company
Bride's Nail Polish: Essie
This incredible team made every detail perfect. Of course my mom and grandma worked their butts off and made a million important decisions. But these decisions were choices posed to them by experts, who guided them every step of the way. That's the key. If you hire the right team you can make as many or as few decisions as you want. If you hire talented people you trust they will make your life easier and your wedding will be beautiful and comfortable for your guests.
I'm excited to share that in the coming weeks Love Stories TV is launching our Partner Program for non-filmmaker wedding pros. The Partner Program makes it easier for pros tagged in films on our site to connect with engaged couples who watch wedding videos on lovestoriestv.com to find the products and services they need for their weddings. Love Stories TV is 100% video, which means we're uniquely positioned to help wedding pros reach their clients in 2018 and beyond. Shoppers who watch a video of a product are more likely to buy, and it makes sense. Videos capture what still photography can't—what it looks like as you move through the venue, the inside of the cake as it's being cut, or how a dress swirls while dancing. The products and services wedding vendors provide are truly brought to life by the filmmakers who capture them. We believe they best way for engaged couples to research everything they need for their dream wedding, is video.
By joining our Partner Program, wedding pros will gain access to the marketing opportunities on our site and social channels that our filmmaker community has been benefiting from for the past two years. To learn more about the program and take advantage of our early friends and family pricing, you can contact Linnea@lovestoriestv.com. Linnea Maga, our newest team member, has recently joined us from Style Me Pretty and has 8+ years of experience helping wedding pros grow their businesses. She's a STAR and I can't wait for ya'll to meet her, over email or IRL.
xoxo,
Rachel