A Whimsical and Romantic Celebration in Dexter, Michigan: The Real Wedding of Sarah and Brent Grabowski

Even though Sarah was from Michigan and Brent was from Nebraska, they both ended up in Texas for graduate school and their first jobs after college. They then met on Bumble in 2018. After moving together across the country twice, Brent proposed to Sarah on New Year's Eve in 2023! He chose to do it in front of the giant Christmas tree on Campus Martius in Detroit.
 

As soon as Sarah tried on her wedding dress, she knew it was the one! "The dress evoked a whimsical, dreamy, romantic sense that was perfectly complementary of our venue. And the sleeves were quite unexpected—I was hoping to have a more unique element on the dress, captured by the off-the-shoulder puff sleeve!" Sarah raves. We think she looks absolutely stunning in her wedding gown! The dress also features large floral details that match the blooms of their wedding day perfectly!
 

Long before she was engaged, Sarah knew she wanted her wedding day to feel like a fairytale. Their venue was the ideal location for their big day. Sarah gushes, "I loved that Zingerman’s Cornman Farms combined rustic charm with luxury and elegance in the most beautiful way. The historic farmhouse, red barn and gorgeous landscaping, garden and grounds created a breathtaking setting that somehow felt both intimate and grand. The ambiance of the venue was magic brought to life." Another wonderful aspect of their venue was it was all-inclusive, which was something both Sarah and Brent were looking for to take some of the stress out of wedding planning!
 

Once they had the venue pinned down, it was time to start thinking about the theme of the wedding and the color scheme. Since they were getting married in early October, Sarah was inspired by the transition from warm and bright summery colors to earthy fall tones. The garden at the venue actually helped her decide on her palette. "There is a beautiful garden at our venue filled with beautiful, in-season dahlias of mauve-y pinks, buttery yellows and tangerine oranges that really stuck with me," Sarah explains.
 

 

What We Love

The most meaningful touch of the wedding was concealed on the underside of Sarah's dad's tie. "One favorite touch was a special sticker inside my father’s tie. There is a picture of a baby version of myself with my young dad," Sarah shares. "It meant a lot to him to have a memory of us close to his heart as he walked me down the aisle."
 

 

Advice from the Couple

Sarah advises, "I am someone who finds a lot of meaning in reflecting back on special memories in life. When approaching wedding planning, I knew that I wanted to prioritize my budget around key items that would last long beyond the eight hours of our wedding day. It is true what everyone says, your wedding day starts and ends in the blink of an eye. There were only so many memories that I can hold in my head and my heart with me. I allotted a generous portion of our budget towards photography and videography vendors that aligned with our vision. When we received our galleries and video back, it was the most beautiful moment for my husband and I to re-live our day together again. We also invested in key keepsake items (a monogrammed wedding trunk, a pressed floral frame with my petals from my bouquet, etc.) to have tangible reminders of the love and joy we experienced on our wedding day."
 

 

 

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.