The Wedding Story of... Sara & Chad Emberton

Can you imagine becoming a baseball fan if you don’t even like baseball or know anything about it? How about becoming a Yankees fan? Love did that to Sara Emberton. She was a cheerleader as a high school student in Battle Creek, Michigan and knew football and basketball inside out.

 

“After I met Chad, I had to learn baseball and now I’m an avid Yankees fan.”

 

Sara met Chad while he played baseball for Bethel College and was playing summer ball in Michigan in the prestigious Northwoods League as a member of the Battle Creek Bombers. She was a senior in high school and had a job in the ticket office/gift shop.  Her best friend’s aunt was his host family and the rest is history.

 

“Chad and I became closer and closer as the summer was coming to an end. We knew that what we had was more than a summer fling,” Sara said.

 

The couple dated for four years and found that the relationship withstood a long-distance romance as Sara graduated from Michigan State and he finished up at Bethel. Focusing on school was priority number one for both of them.

 

 

 

 

It’s not unusual for the groom to plan the proposal. What was unusual was that Chad had his future fiancée unknowingly participate in the planning! He arranged for his family to plan a surprise birthday party for him and Sara had the chance to invite her own family to the celebration. 

 

“We were on our way to Bonefish Grill and I noticed that he seemed pretty nervous about something,” Sara said. He dismissed it as nothing. She got the feeling that he knew about the surprise birthday party awaiting him at the restaurant. 

 

For the sake of the proposal, everyone yelled “surprise!” when Chad walked in. “He walked to the table and his mom said ‘look at the cake’ and I noticed it was in the shape of a present and it had a ring box on top. The surprise was on me.”

 

 

 

 

There was no question that Sara would drive to the famous Becker’s Bridal in Fowler, Michigan for her dress. “In our area, Becker’s is the place to go,” she said. Becker’s is featured in the book written by the late Wall Street Journal columnist and author Jeffrey Zaslow “The Magic Room.” The shop has been in the same family for four generations.

 

Sara had a dress style in mind, but she tried on a few and didn’t like them. The consultant at Becker’s suggested she try on another style, just for the heck of it. “It was the perfect dress. I knew immediately,” Sara said.

 

When you find “the dress”, as is Becker’s tradition, you are whisked up the stairs to the special Magic Room. “The room is full of mirrors and lights that make everything sparkle and I just knew the dress had everything I wanted – the bodice was beaded and elaborate, but the ballgown part was simple,” Sara said.

 

 

 

 

Chad and Sara ended up choosing Knollwood Country Club in Granger for their reception because the couple wanted a venue that was elegant and sophisticated, but not uncomfortable. Sara said the planners at Knollwood guided her through wedding planning as she finished college and even had to take finals. 

 

Polly McCarthy of Poppies helped Sara achieve her vision through the use of her favorite color–pink–with green and gray accents and the use of roses and hydrangeas. 

 

 

 

 

The ceremony at Clay Church in South Bend was special because their pastor from Nappanee Missionary was a family friend of Chad’s. Sara said he incorporated baseball analogies in his comments about marriage tying into the fact that baseball brought them together. It was so personal, she felt like the pastor was in a room alone with the two of them.

 

Sara also felt strongly that she wanted her mom and dad to walk her down the aisle. Because her parents are divorced and both had played such a large role in her life, she wanted them both to be able to share this special moment with her. 

 

Once at Knollwood, the groom’s cake featured cake toppers of her and Chad playing baseball, with real grass and baseballs added to the arrangement. 

 

“There were no glitches,” Sara said of her wedding day. “I had so many people helping me. I didn’t have to do anything at all except enjoy.”

 

Her favorite memory was the time she and Chad took together prior to the ceremony. “He cried and I didn’t expect that.”