This Elegant Outdoor Celebration Feels Like an Opulent Garden Soiree: The Real Wedding of Annalise and Micah Broersma

Mutual friends introduced Annalise and Micah to each other, and they clicked instantly! From that day on, they were inseparable. Micah dreamed up a picturesque proposal, planning a beautiful sunset picnic on Lake Michigan and asking for Annalise's hand in marriage. After Annalise said yes, their friends were waiting for them to party the rest of the night!
 

When she started dress shopping, Annalise was conflicted about what style she liked best. Annalise admits, "I was drawn to the arguably both trendy and timeless plain fitted satin dresses, however I knew my childhood self would be disappointed if I didn’t get the big sparkly ball gown I wanted since I was five years old. The solution? I got both!" We love the transition from sparkly and attention-grabbing to timeless and subdued from ceremony to reception, kind of like how her vision evolved from childhood to adulthood!
 

Besides her dress, Annalise hadn't thought much about her wedding before she got engaged. "I hadn’t given much thought to wedding planning prior to getting engaged, so I had to spend a lot of time looking at different themes, colors, styles, etc. I relied heavily on Pinterest and wedding vendors' posts on Instagram for inspiration!" she explains. She landed on an elegant celebration that featured black and white with plenty of greenery to highlight the garden atmosphere of their venue.
 

Choosing a location for their wedding was simple for Annalise and Micah. They both love the outdoors, lakes and beaches, which is part of what drew them to their venue. However, when they took a tour, they actually fell in love with its woodland ceremony space. As far as planning help, Annalise talked with friends and recently married couples to figure out what her to-do list should encompass and get a rough budget estimate. Once she had that, it was full steam ahead for planning!
 

 

What We Love

Along with photos of loved ones who had passed before Annalise and Micah's wedding day, Annalise had a special touch to honor her grandmother. "I had a scrap of my grandma’s wedding dress fabric wrapped around my bouquet. My grandma passed away a few years ago. I was really close with her so it was special to be able to carry a piece of her with me," Annalise shares. "We shared a love of flowers, so it felt fitting to wrap my flowers with her leftover fabric from her wedding dress." Instead of cutting a piece off her grandmother's wedding dress, Annalise was able to use a scrap of leftover fabric since her grandma sewed it herself! They also included dog treat favors from their fur baby Nova, since she couldn't be at the wedding.
 

 

Advice from the Couple

Annalise and Micah advise, "We would say it takes a lot more time to plan a wedding than you would initially think! The more planning you do, the smoother everything will go the day of the wedding. If you aren’t super organized, get an organized friend to help you out! The biggest piece of advice we would give is to relax the day of the wedding and just enjoy it. Whatever happens, happens. At the end of the day you will be married, anything else doesn’t matter too much. Besides, guests aren’t going to notice a minor mishap here and there. Another thing to remember is you aren’t hosting guests, you are the guests of honor! It’s okay to feel like it!"
 

 

 

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