A Northern Michigan Castle Wedding: The Wedding Story of Victoria and Austen Burkholder

Victoria and Austen met six years ago, while interning at Rolls-Royce for the summer (although they went to different universities). During that summer, they were part of the same committees and friends group, so saw each other often, but remained just friends. When the summer ended, they didn’t intentionally keep in touch, but four years later, once they had both graduated and Victoria's job brought her from Texas to Michigan,  Austen “slid into her DMs”. She explains, "The rest was history after meeting halfway for some chips and margaritas at a Mexican restaurant!" After a time of dating, the couple attended Arts, Beats and Eats Festival over Labor Day weekend, where Austen decided to propose at the top of the Ferris wheel.

Like most couples, Austen and Victoria had talked about marriage before the actual proposal and therefore Victoria had already done her fair share of wedding planning research! As soon as she got the ring, she began calling her list of venues and secured a date. The venue they ended up booking was Castle Farms in Charlevoix, Michigan, which served as a huge point of inspiration for the rest of their wedding. Victoria elaborates, "Once we decided to have our wedding at a castle, I wanted everything we included in the wedding to look elegant and royal to match the character of the castle." Situated on a lake in Northern Michigan, Castle Farms was the full package. Its beautiful, lush gardens, stone-paved courtyards and regal environment made for the perfect locale for this couple's vows.

We love that Victoria's bridesmaids were one of the most special parts of her day. She says, "They’re all from different parts of the US, so being able to spend that entire morning getting ready with them meant the absolute world to me." Other special touches of their wedding included her friend singing the processional song, “Can’t Stop Falling In Love”, as she walked down the aisle and a surprise first dance to "Despacito".

Having now planned their wedding, Victoria wants other couples to know not to stress about anything and to keep the day in perspective. She says, "If you’re planning your own wedding, chances are you’re planning the day that you and the love of your life are about to commit the rest of your lives together. We had a few minor issues that occurred before the ceremony, and I just kept thinking 'That’s okay, all I need is Austen and the Pastor, and we’re set'."

 

 

Tori & Austen | A Castle Farms Wedding Video | Charlevoix, MI from Mandie Forbes Films on Vimeo.

 

 

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