Mackinac Island and the Grand Hotel - A Great Spot for a Destination Wedding

I grew up in the southern part of Michigan; but my parents weren’t “vacationers” so I never visited the area of the state called Mackinac Island. Over the years I had heard and read much about the location and discovered that the 1979 film “Somewhere in Time” (starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour) was filmed there. After doing research for a bride who was seeking a destination where it could be cool in the summer and near water, I delved into learning more about this location that has literally stopped “somewhere in time.” It intrigued me so much that my husband and I chose to visit the island and the Grand Hotel for our vacation in August. We flew from Detroit to Pelston, Michigan where the airport there has only one gate! Then we took a taxi via the Wolverine Stage Coach Company (it wasn’t really a stage coach!) to Mackinac City to the ferry dock. Then we took the Arnold Ferry from the ferry dock to the dock on Mackinac Island and then a horse and carriage to the hotel! The Grand Hotel was built in 1887 in only 93 days! Can you imagine that all the building materials had to be brought over on the ferry and then transported to the building site by horse and carriage. There are no motorized vehicles on the island except ambulances and fire trucks, neither of which did we see or hear while there. It was refreshing to not see any cars for several days. Everyone either walks, rides a bike or takes a horse and carriage. All produce and supplies come by ferry to the island. Because of the severe weather in the winter and the island’s location between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, the hotels close in October and re-open in May. All the flowers are replanted each year! Here are some photos of our time there. And while we stayed at the hotel, we saw the movie! We had to dress formally for dinner each night. We rented bikes one day and rode the circumference of the island (only 8 miles!) and the best part was that the temperature never broke 70 during our entire visit! You’ll note in the photos that we have long sleeves and are often wearing jackets! How lovely it was to have that break from our sweltering Florida heat!


















 

An Event Somewhat Different for Wonderful Weddings at Orlando Marriott at Lake Mary!

Last fall I received a call from Kathy Brown whose wedding we did in April of 2002. Her wedding took place at Winter Park Presbyterian Church and the Country Club of Orlando. Kathy shared with me that she would be turning 50 in September of 2009. Her husband Gary said he wanted to throw her a party but he knew that she could put it together much better herself! She called upon Wonderful Weddings to create her “dream team!” Kathy chose a ‘70’s theme for her party. So on Saturday, September 19, 2009 we went back in time at the Orlando Marriott at Lake Mary!

Kathy wanted go-go dancers, disco balls, lava lamps, guests dressed in clothes from that era, 70’s music and her biggest request was a life-size ice sculpture of John Travolta in his famous Saturday Night Fever pose! And what Kathy wanted, Kathy got! The magic makers from Flourish, Brian Joyce and Richard Streitler, converted the hotel ballroom into Studio 50! Gary Stephens, one of the guys from Wings of Sound, the band that performed for Kathy’s party (and who also played at her wedding), acted the part of the bouncer—you see he did that very well! And you can also see that the guests were really into the appropriate clothing. The vintage stores in town—Dechoes and Orlando Vintage—saw a brisk business during the weeks leading up to Kathy’s party! The Orlando Marriott provided fabulous food and beverages for the guests, Sky Osborne from Perfect Sky Productions acted the part of “Stan Danger” and interviewed all the guests during the cocktail hour and then edited everything together to show towards the end of the evening. Fun photos were snapped by guests in Dane Koller’s Photo Magic photo booth; professional photos (those you see here) were shot by Ricardo deVengoechea. We all received a glowing email from Kathy thanking us for the event: “Hello, to my Dream Team! I have received so many emails, pictures and thank-you’s from all that attended. It was so great to see everyone get into the mood and boogie down. This could not have happened without all of you coming together and working as a group to see my vision come together. Turning 50 has been so awesome because of you! Thanks for all your hard work!” And onto the next event in this family—Kathy’s daughter’s wedding on October 17th at her home! Will blog about that next month.

Wonderful Weddings and Casa Feliz Launch the Golden Ticket - A Perfect Marriage!

In an effort to streamline the weddings at Casa Feliz, Wonderful Weddings created a special ensemble package for brides that offers them the opportunity to save hundreds of dollars on their weddings while at the same time having access to some of Central Florida’s finest wedding vendors!

The rules are simple: The bride selects from a list of required providers (the required categories are caterer, coordinator, florist, photographer and DJ). She may also select from a list of preferred providers (the preferred categories are invitations and other printing, celebrants, ceremony musicians, videographer and wedding cake). The bride will receive a 10 percent discount on whatever package or level of service or total costing she chooses with the individual vendors. And she will also receive a 10 percent discount on the rental of Casa Feliz! Once the bride has agreed to the rules, she will be provided her “Golden Ticket” which she will present to each vendor to receive the discounts.

The following vendors are participating in the Golden Ticket ensemble. Required providers are: Wonderful Weddings, Fairbanks Florist, Flourish Floral Productions, Lee Forrest Design, Fun Factory DJ, Celebration Expert, Weddings Only DJ, Brian Adams Photographics, Cristy Nielsen Photography, Pilster Photography, Sterling International, Sunshine Photographics, and Works of Art Photography. Preferred providers are: Maureen H. Hall Stationery, Pearl Beach Paperie, The Paper Shop, Chaplain George Geans, Reverend Kevin Knox, Beautiful Music, Don Soledad Music, Raintree Chamber Players, Perfect Sky Productions, Pro One Video, Bake Me A Cake, Frosting on the Cake, and Party Flavors.

Brides who are interested can either contact Melissa Burtram at Casa Feliz, Melissa@arthurscatering.com or Wonderful Weddings at idoforyou@aol.com.