The Wedding Story of... Emily & Mel Blohm

After bumping into each other on campus a few times, Grand Valley State University alumni Emily VanDam and Mel Blohm finally had a friendly lunch just days before their 2005 school year was coming to an end. “We talked for a while and really hit it off,” Emily says. “Unfortunately, we parted ways as Mel studied abroad for the summer.”

 

Over the summer months, the two stayed in touch by talking to each other almost every night either on the phone or online. “During that time we really got to know each other, so when Mel returned, it was really exciting for both of us to finally have our first date,” Emily says.

 

 

 

 

 

Nearly four years later, and two weeks before Emily was to start her master’s degree in physician assistant studies, the two took a romantic trip to the Dominican Republic. “We were sitting on the beautiful beach and I asked Mel if he would come lay by me,” Emily recalls. “But, instead of saying yes,” Mel says, “I told her no and knelt down in front of her.” Shortly after Emily asked Mel one more time if she could come sit with him to get warm. “I agreed to sit next to her, but only if she agreed to marry me,” Mel interjected.

 

“Right after he asked me, I sat there stunned. I wasn’t sure if I had even heard that correctly. I quickly became overwhelmed with emotion and started to cry. After roughly five minutes of crying and hugging I finally told him yes, even though I still wasn’t sure if he had really asked me to marry him,” Emily says.

 

Just to be sure, Emily had Mel ask her two additional times. “By then, it had sunk in that my dream had come true, and I would finally be Mrs. Blohm! This was the happiest moment of my life, and I’m glad it came as a complete surprise; it made it that much more special and memorable.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

On September 10, 2011, two and a half years after Emily said yes to Mel’s romantic proposal, and three weeks after she finished her graduate degree, Emily’s dream of becoming Mrs. Blohm came true. As Emily began her journey down the aisle with her father, the overwhelming emotions of the day set in, for both Emily and Mel.

 

“When I first saw her, I was floored, she looked gorgeous. That moment was a bit overwhelming, I have no words to describe how beautiful she looked,” Mel says.

 

Emily recalls feeling the same way. “I felt so fortunate to be walking towards the most handsome man in the entire world. Having that long walk down the aisle made me reflect on our past years as a couple, and the journey we’ve been on,” Emily recalls. “I remember thinking, this is the final journey, a journey to be husband and wife.”

 

“As she walked towards me, we never lost eye contact with one another,” Mel remembers. “It was the best conversation we had all day.”

 

 

 

 

After the ceremony at St. Joseph Catholic Church, in Lake Orion, MI, a reception was held at the historic Meadow Brook Hall and Gardens. Emily and Mel mingled with their guests during their cocktail hour before dinner was served in the Garden Tent. “We really wanted to make our reception a romantic event for everyone,” Emily says. The newlyweds enjoyed dinner by themselves at a sweetheart table as the members from each of their immediate family joined together to have their first meal as a family.

 

Inspired by the warmth of a sunset, the two used rich and inviting colors to create a romantic evening.  A mix of bold flowers, candles and over 100 pieces of mosaic tile glassware were used to create nine different table styles. Table numbers were custom designed and handmade by the groom himself. As a freelance graphic designer Mel also used his creativity to design all the stationary used for the wedding, including the invitations, menus, escort cards and even the cake topper, which was hand carved by his father.