A Simply Elegant, Intimate Celebration in Northern Michigan: The Real Wedding of Madison Sanders and Ryan Elfline

Since they both had simple yet somewhat funny dating app bios, Maddie and Ryan were pretty sure they'd click well on their first date, and they were correct! After the date, Ryan texted Maddie immediately—making a joke that he shouldn't be—and they've been together ever since. When it came to proposing, Ryan actually scrapped his original plan when Maddie's dad was battling cancer and she asked him to wait. "Six years of dating and a cancer-free dad later, he proposed on a family hiking trip in Banff. We were in the Purcell Mountains, and after a long day of hiking, my family watched from the balcony of the hotel as he got down on one knee," Maddie shares.
 

We think Maddie looks absolutely stunning in her wedding gown, even though the dress she picked was a total surprise to her. "It was the third place I looked at and already had two top contenders from another store," Maddie admits. "It was different than everything on my Pinterest board and everything that I previously thought I wanted, but when I put it on—I was wowed! I initially wanted simple and classic, and while this one had more 'Va-Va-Voom' energy, I felt more confident in it than anything else I had tried on." We are obsessed with the unique bow detail on her left shoulder!
 

Immediately deciding that they didn't want the engagement to last more than a year, Maddie and Ryan jumped right into planning. They knew they wanted to get married up north and to keep the celebration smaller. Other than that, the planning process was a little overwhelming with their short timeline. They knew that they wanted to focus on the heart of weddings, for sure. Maddie explains, "One thing we couldn’t shake was that we wanted one big long table so that everyone we loved could meet, break bread and build community. This helped inform the venues we looked at and also kept us focused on the heart of what we were trying to create - other noise was less distracting when we knew that our main prerogative was to inclusively bring together the people who have taught us how to love best." Something that helped them balance everything was dividing responsibilities. Ryan handled the budget and spreadsheets while Maddie took Pinterest and communication with vendors.
 

As far as inspiration goes, Pinterest was one of Maddie and Ryan's best tools. It also helped them find vendors. Another wonderful source of inspiration and information that a friend gave to Maddie was WeddingDay Magazine's Look Book! Their final wedding design wasn't really anything solid but more an amalgamation of things that fit together and looked good to Maddie and Ryan. They ended up with a simple and elegant wedding with plenty of natural touches in green!
 

 

What We Love

There are so many meaningful details to Maddie and Ryan's day. One of our favorite is that their venue has a beautiful practice that all brides and grooms get to do. "I loved that the day before our wedding Ryan and I got to plant a tree on the Cherry Basket property. It was such a fun moment with our families and the venue owners. We can’t wait to go back and see how it’s grown in the coming years," Maddie gushes. They also did their dances right out on the grass while their guests finished their meals, which felt more natural and intimate. Since they were focused on spending as much time with their friends and family as possible, Maddie and Ryan took all their photos before the wedding to spend the cocktail hour with their guests.
 

 

Advice from the Couple

Maddie and Ryan advise, "Find the 2-3 things that matter most to you and let those things be your guiding light. None of our stationery
matched, we didn’t have a theme, didn’t have a welcome sign, had a very basic seating chart. It didn’t matter in the slightest. We knew we wanted good food and good people and kept our focus on that the whole time. At the end of the day, it’s about the love you share and the people who surround you. Let go of the pressure to make everything perfect, and instead, create a day that feels like you. Also, on the practical side, make sure you prioritize sticking together on the wedding day—it can be easy to get pulled in a lot of different directions. We carved out moments just for us—our vows, our first look, a walk around the property after dinner to watch the sunset. Those are my favorite memories of all!"
 

 

 

are you a bride or groom-to-be?

We'd love to plan with you on weddingday-online.com. Let's get started!

 

are you a wedding extraordinaire?

Join WeddingDay Magazine in inspiring brides by partnering with us! See how here.