The Brick/Rauch Wedding
August 8, 2009
Bride Kristal Brick hoped to (graciously) make a point when she and her husband-to-be planned their wedding at The Homestead Resort on the shores of Lake Michigan in Glen Arbor: prove to their guests from the East Coast that the Great Lakes are as beautiful as the ocean. Kristal and Jonathan live in Boston, but she grew up in Traverse City and spent winters skiing at The Homestead. “People from out there haven’t seen what we have here,” she says.
Score one for the bride. With its sugar-sand beaches and mountain top views, the venue awed out-of-town guests who hiked, golfed and climbed the Sleeping Bear Dunes. At ceremony time, guests were whisked via chairlift to the outdoor chapel tucked high on the resort’s ski hill “The chairlift was a total hit,” Kristal says.
Kristal and Jonathan exchanged vows they wrote themselves in a ceremony that honored all faiths, officiated by family friend Rabbi Chava Bahle. Traverse City singer/songwriter Miriam Pico sang the couple’s favorite songs, including John Denver’s Follow Me.
See this wedding at The Homestead, discover all the Homestead’s capabilities and see many more weddings at Northern Michigan locations! Get MyNorth Wedding 2010 Now!
Kristal wore the pearl necklace that her grandfather gave her grandmother on their wedding day; the wedding dress was a Melissa Sweet from Priscilla’s of Boston. The bridesmaids’ dresses were from Calypso in Boston. “I wanted them to be able to wear them again—I know, the famous quote,” says Kristal. “But honestly, Kelly, my best friend, wore hers even before the wedding.” The bride’s simple but classic hairstyle was done at Allure Salon in Traverse City. Jonathan’s christening cap is artfully wrapped around the base of the bouquet. Even Kristal and Jonathan’s pet Portuguese water dog, Milo, was a stylish part of the wedding party with a specially designed leash. The flowers, by Marla Courtney Wood, were a summery mix of mango mini calla lilies, green cymbidium orchids and blue delphinium.
After the ceremony, it was downhill aboard the chairlift to The Homestead’s Mountain Flower Lodge for cocktails on the lodge patio. As guests sipped, a fire crackled in the stone fireplace, Pico belted out jazzy tunes and waiters passed hors d’oeuvres.
Dinner was served from food stations strategically located throughout the lodge so guests would mingle.The chocolate, lemon and raspberry cream cake by Aunt B’s Cakes and Desserts. By the time the dance band Mac Daddy struck up the first note, the wedding guests were one big happy party.
In lieu of presents, this generous-spirited couple asked guests to make donations to the American Cancer Society and Grand Traverse Area Community Living Foundation.
Photography
Hitching Post Photography, Chandra Demers-Wheeler, 231-275-5800, hitchingpostphoto.com
Venue
The Homestead, America’s Freshwater Resort, 231-334-5000, thehomesteadresort.com
Click Here to download the full 8-page version PDF of this article.
Get Your Copy of MyNorth Wedding 2010
See the complete feature of this wedding at The Homestead in MyNorth Wedding 2010, a gorgeous Northern Michigan wedding magazine pairing beautiful photography with the real nuts and bolts information every bride and groom wants to know about available Northern Michigan venues and suppliers. Buy MyNorth Wedding 2010 now. And get more ideas by buying MyNorth Wedding 2009 as well.
More Wonderful Wedding Ideas and Stories
- Bookmark the MyNorth Weddings Resource Directory for wedding suppliers and venues in Northern Michigan.
- From Quirky to Elegant: Ideas for Your Northern Michigan Wedding
- A Pavilion Northern Michigan Wedding at Grand Traverse Resort and Spa
- A Fall Northern Michigan Wedding at The Great Wolf Lodge
- Northern Michigan Wedding Amongst the Gardens at Frog Pond Village
- Wildflowers Galore at this Northern Michigan Wedding at Shanty Creek Resort
Find MyNorth Wedding at these Michigan Bridal Shows
MyNorth Wedding is looking forward to a season of bridal shows and wedding expos where you’ll also find our latest issue of MyNorth Wedding. We’re delighted to be collaborating with producers or exhibitors at these Bridal and Wedding Shows:
- Brides-to-Be, Fairlane Hyatt : 1/2/10
- Bridal World, Lansing: 1/9/10
- Brides-to-Be, Fern Hill CC, Clinton Twp: 1/9/10
- Downtown TC Bridal Show: 1/9/10
- Bridal Celebrations at the Palace at Auburn Hills: 1/17/10
- Big Rapids Bridal Show: 1/17/10
- Winter Bridal Show of WM, Grand Rapids: 1/22-1/23/2010
- Brides-to-Be, Ann Arbor: 1/23/10
- Cadillac Bridal Show: 1/23/10
- Brides-to-Be, St Clair Shores: 1/30/10
- GT Resort Bridal Show: 1/30/10
- TC Bridal Extravaganza: 2/7/10
- Brides-to-Be, Shelby Twp: 2/20/10
- Brides-to-Be, Novi Sheraton: 2/27/10
- Brides-to-Be, Troy: 3/6/10
- Brides-to-Be, Birmingham: 3/20/06
- Brides-to-Be, Clinton Twp: 4/17/06
Join the Northern Michigan Wedding Conversation
Would you like to connect with other couples getting married Up North or get advice from others who’ve already gotten married in Northern Michigan? Visit the Getting Married Up North group on MyNorth.com’s Commnunity.