An Elegant Spring Ceremony in Detroit: The Real Wedding of Michelle and Stephen Barch

Stephen and Michelle met through mutual friends while attending college at the University of Michigan. Michelle recalls, "A mutual friend brought Steve to a party, and I remember seeing him from across the backyard and it was love at first sight." The night Stephen chose to propose included dinner at the same pizza place where their first date was and an evening walk. Stephen got down on one knee near the river that runs by Nichols Arboretum in Ann Arbor. Of course Michelle said yes!
 

Even though Michelle had a clear picture of what she wanted in a wedding dress, she made sure she was certain before picking 'the one'. "I wanted a timeless, elegant and classic dress. I was inspired by Grace Kelly, Kate Middleton and Paris Hilton’s wedding dresses," Michelle gushes. "My advice is try on a variety of styles, colors and fabrics before you start narrowing down on your choice." To add some character, Michelle opted for a lace cover to make the bodice of the dress more elegant. She understood how important accessories, hair and makeup are in elevating your wedding look. We think she pulled everything together perfectly, and looks stunning in these photos by Shauna Wear Photography!
 

Knowing that COVID increased the demand for wedding vendors, Michelle started planning her wedding a year in advance. "I found some
options for local vendors via WeddingDay. I created a binder to keep track of all the important contracts and deposit information for our venue and vendors," Michelle explains. From curating their list of vendors, Michelle and Stephen both took time to interview their vendors to make sure they were getting the best ones for the job.
 

As far as the design aspect of planning goes, Michelle had a clear vision for the wedding. "As a late spring wedding, we wanted to add a freshness to our elegant and timeless décor," Michelle shares. "Our wedding color palette was evergreen, gold and white." They worked together with their florist to balance all the white in their shoot with plenty of green and curated florals to draw eyes toward the high ceilings. There was an air of romance that Michelle and her creative team added with the floating candles on their guest tables.
 

 

What We Love

Michelle and Stephen incorporating plenty of moments to stop and share time with one another throughout the day, and there were plenty of surprises and fun details for their guests as well. Instead of doing a traditional entrance to their reception, Michelle and Stephen surprised their guests with a balcony entrance with sparks flying (literally)! They also included plenty of Polish traditions to honor Michelle's Polish immigrant parents. Her parents presented them with salt and bread before dinner (bread to ensure the couple doesn't go hungry, and salt so they understand the importance of working through hardships). Michelle's dad also presented them with a shot of water and a shot of vodka. "Polish tradition says that whoever ends up with the glass of vodka will be the partner that wears the pants in the relationship. The crowd cheered after they saw our reaction to drinking our glasses...I ended up with the vodka shot." Michelle admits.

Michelle and Stephen had plenty of desserts for their guests to indulge in. Michelle says, "We had a dessert bar of over 15 desserts available as well as three flavors of wedding cake" We just love the classic elegance of their all-white cake from Cakes by Stephanie!
 

 

Advice from the Couple

Michelle and Stephen advise, "Steve’s advice would be to definitely create a wedding binder of important contracts, deposit deadlines and dates. You think you will always remember how much you paid and what are the exact details of contract with the vendor, but as time goes by the details blend together. This binder will help keep you sane the last month and days before your wedding. My advice would be to create a budget with some wiggle room. As we started the planning process, friends told us whatever your budget is, plan to spend $10-15,000.00 more. They were right. You want to make sure you don't overextend yourself financially, but also understand that last minute expenses will come up and you should have a financial cushion."
 

 

 

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