Grand Rapids, Michigan | Magical Backyard Ceremony

Mae and Greg’s October wedding was such a sweet and intimate day. The wedding started at Greg’s parents home in West Olive, Michigan with their backyard ceremony. Greg and his brother built the wooden gateway backdrop for the ceremony and the intimate seating was so perfect. Mae’s principal officiated the wedding and facilitated the nailing of a box in which Mae and Greg wrote each other letters to read on their 15th wedding anniversary.

After the ceremony we headed to The Waldron Public House in Grand Rapids for the reception. I love this venue for smaller intimate weddings, it’s unique and the staff is absolutely amazing. Mae and Greg’s first dance song was called Love is a Bitch by Two Feet which is a beautiful soulful song. Both Mae’s dance with her dad and Greg’s dance with his mom were so sweet, they were full of laughter and so special.

I asked Mae how her and Greg met and about their first date, “We met for a hike at Rosy Mound Natural Area in Grand Haven. It was amazing... it was in March and was snowy, and Greg was prepared for anything- he had hand warmers if I should want or need them, he literally shielded me from the snow. We went out for drinks afterward at Our Bar in Holland and talked/drank/ate for hours! We initially met and started communicating on Eharmony.”

I had to ask Mae about Greg’s proposal, “This is a GREAT one... we took the train out to Glenwood Springs, Colorado from Holland for spring break. Towards the end of the week, we went for a hike to find Hanging Lake (which is a lake that is a mile above the surrounding elevation). I had NO idea he had planned to have my cousin take a picture of us as he proposed there. I was totally surprised! My cousin Emily has assisted both Hill-girl proposals... she is quite special to us! Greg told me he was going back and forth between two rings, but then one of my favorite songs came on and he knew. (John Mayer's Slow Dancing in a Burning Room). He is just the BEST and I am so excited to marry him!”

Mae and Greg, I am so happy that I got to be there to witness the beginning of your next big adventure together. Thank you a million times over for being so incredible; I hope this new adventure together gets better each and every day. Cheers to many more decades of love and happiness!