The Wedding Story of Jackie and Eric Szerlag

Even though Jackie and Eric first met in high school, it wasn’t until years later, after college, that they would begin dating. During an annual Szerlag family trip to Las Vegas–a place that became very special to the couple–Eric proposed in front of the Fountains of Bellagio to the song 'All That Jazz.' Little did the couple know, this song would foreshadow their 1920’s-inspired wedding vision!
 

The next task was to choose the perfect, lucky date, of course! “We love our lucky numbers so putting them together felt perfect: seven and twenty-three,” Jackie says. “Saint Patrick’s Church in Brighton, where Eric also went to grade school, had the date open so we jumped at the opportunity and hoped we could find a venue. We immediately fell in love with The Inn at Saint John’s in Plymouth. The hall could easily accommodate the large guest list that we had accumulated (mostly Eric’s side).”
 

The favorable opinions from friends and family and a visit to the Grande Ball Room at St. John’s sealed the deal for their venue choice. “Not only was this room beautiful, but the entire venue was filled with stunning architecture and hidden courtyards–perfect for photographing the day of,” Jackie says. As for the other vendors, the band Rare Blend played at Eric’s best man’s wedding and left a great impression with the couple. “We knew of their reputation to be extremely thorough and professional and they went above and beyond that,” Jackie says.
 

As the planning took shape, the couple was able to check the major vendors off of their to-do list, but an absolute must-have for Jackie was booking Samantha James Photography. “I have seen her work, I love her style, I love what she stands for,” Jackie says. “I felt at peace knowing Sam would be with me the day of my wedding. I’m obsessed with her.”

Deciding on the look and feel for a wedding can be a daunting task for many brides. Jackie received some much-welcomed help and advice from recently married friends, online photos and sites such as Pinterest. She was first drawn to a lighter, more feminine look, but ultimately decided on a black and gold Art Deco theme. An eccentric black and gold invitation by Minted and photos of bridesmaids wearing gold, sequined dresses helped inspire the 1920’s theme that Jackie grew to love. “From there everything really fell into place and that’s when I knew exactly which pieces I wanted to include and exclude,” she says. 

The flowers were designed by Mary Fisher-Lane of Thistle Lane Flowers, who works closely with Eric’s mother and coworkers. Jackie says, “Mary was a wonderful vendor to work with and went above and beyond that title to make my vision come alive. The talent she brought into our wedding brought tears to my eyes when I walked into the reception for the first time. Working closely with Mary was my mother-in-law’s coworkers and employer, Denise Down. Denise is an interior designer who has designed and crafted beautiful weddings. She did just that with our wedding as she helped me pull decorative pieces and color schemes together that fit our theme perfectly.”
 

Jackie found her beautiful, beaded dress at Mimi’s Bridal Boutique in Ann Arbor, Michigan. “I initially went in knowing exactly what I wanted: a Hayley Paige ball gown design and I knew that this boutique had it,“ Jackie says.  After telling her consultant about her Art Deco vision, she suggested she try on an Augusta Jones dress. “I tried on several other dresses that mimicked the Hayley Paige ball gown dress and none of them felt like ‘the one.’ I finally tried the Augusta Jones dress and ended up loving it because of the scalloped beading, the long train and how it reminded me of my mother’s wedding dress. This design comes in several other varieties but the one I chose is called Joni.”
 

Jackie and Eric had a sizeable wedding party and wanted to have a special recognition for them at the ceremony. “We had pictures and a mini-biography of each bridesmaid and groomsman so that, during the cocktail hour, our guests could learn more about them,” Jackie says. “We may have also included one harmless lie in every biography to make things interesting.” The pair also creatively incorporated the wine corks they have been collecting from their wine tasting trips to the peninsulas of Northern Michigan. They decided to use them at their wedding guest book, to later be displayed in their bar area. The biggest project taken on was by Jackie’s sister and maid of honor, Colleen. “I did not have table cards for assigned seating,” she says. “Instead, Colleen took two mirrors and alphabetically wrote our guests’ names and table assignments while also tying in quotes from The Great Gatsby. This was one of my favorite things about our wedding and I still have the mirrors.”

"Some of the things that were evident the night of and that were reiterated by our guests afterwards (and still today) include the band, the photo booth and the staff at St. John’s,” Jackie says. “Everyone was dancing and singing the whole night because Rare Blend knows how to throw a party and inspire everyone to dance. Eric’s grandpa and my grandma were both dancing while Mary of Rare Blend sang out on the dance floor with them.” The night ended with the couple dancing to ‘Stand By Me,’ surrounded by their family and friends.

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