Wedding | Kara & Grant

Tell us a little about yourselves! 

Originally we were high school sweethearts! Life took us separate directions after we broke up a few years later, but we reconnected after not talking for a decade. 

Kara was moving back to Michigan from Los Angeles and we reconnected when she got back in town. After so many years apart, we simply weren’t interested in spending more time separated. After getting back together in February 2025, we were engaged 4 months later in June and married 4 months later in October. We are the living, breathing “when you know, you know”.

Why did you decide to get married where you did? 

We really wanted to be married somewhere that felt special to our love story and that we could revisit. Getting married at a family home, on Lake Michigan, where we had memories from long ago, just felt right. We wanted our guests to experience Northern Michigan and soak up the magic that we so often tell them about. With guests coming from New York, California, North Carolina and more, it was a good excuse to make the long weekend special, with our closest friends and family.

How many guests did you have? 

We had a total of 44 guests, including us. It was really important that we kept our celebration intentional and intimate. This will likely be the only time that we get to be in the same place, with all of our dearest loved ones - we wanted to be able to soak up special moments with everyone.

What was your budget? 

We kept saying that we only cared about the flowers and photography. Then we would say,“well we also really care about the food and beverage”.... “well and the details/special touches”.... “well and the…” until it never ended. Our intention was to create a really memorable and lovely long weekend for our loved ones! Ultimately, we ended up spending more than we wanted, but isn’t that always the case?

Tell us about your outfits. 

This was where we really had some fun! We knew that for the ceremony we wanted to keep it chic and classic, while still adding details that felt unique to us (ie. Kara’s custom fish bone earrings designed by a dear friend and her green Prada shoes. Also Grant’s pheasant bow tie/fish pin). But when it was time to party, we amped it up! 

Kara bought her wedding dress and suit on a trip to London with her MIL, which set the tone. When it was time to shop for Grant’s party outfit, it needed to be special and true to his wild nature - Bode was perfect. Grant's outfit quickly became the star of the show (well deserved), so we found a fun Bode veil to accompany Kara’s suit to add some panache. A last minute vintage pearl hat veil was found by a friend 3 days before the wedding which was a special second, second look.

What was the most important aspect for you, in terms of planning your wedding? 

The most important thing to us was being incredibly intentional. This went from the details that were chosen to our guest list and beyond. We wanted to look back and feel like our wedding was uniquely us.

Were there any elements that were important for you to incorporate? 

Grant is an avid fisherman - it felt important that (in a chic way) we incorporated fish. Kara had earrings custom made that were a surprise gift from a dear friend (she sketched what she wanted + sent it to the Groom to have made), we had embroidered fish napkins for the tables and Grant wore a fish pin in place of a boutonniere. 

We wanted to make sure, however chic, that it felt aligned to our fun sides and interests!

Any tips for couples getting married? 

Stay true to what you want. If that’s the courthouse, great! If that’s a giant party, great! If that’s an intimate lowkey dinner, great! This is your day that you’re creating together, to signify a lifetime of love alongside one another. Celebrate that, do what you want and try to forget the rest. At the end of the day, the most important thing is being married at the end (ahhh), so soak that up.

Are there any vendors that you would like to tell us a little more about? 

All of our vendors were out of this world. Justine Montigny, photographer, captured the essence of how the day actually felt, which we didn’t think was possible. 

Alyssa Wisenbaugh (florist and planner) is a friend who came out of retirement from the wedding industry to create an otherworldly scene - it was just bonkers beautiful what she was able to create. 

Robert Malcolm Cummings (officiant and friend) was tasked with not only handling and writing the ceremony but, as a really skilled musician, he agreed to play entrance/exit music, our first dance and an original song. Unknowingly, our choices were nuanced - jazz without being jazz, cords that were complex and unique to the artist - he made it a magical scene. 

Otis (Bar and Catering) served our group and lodged most of them the entire weekend. They outdid themselves with our bar and catering menu, suited to us and our guests.

Photographer: Justine Montigny @justinemontigny | Planning & Floral: Alyssa Wisenbaugh  @alyssawisenbaugh | Ceremony & Reception Location: Private Residence in Good Hart, Michigan | Celebrant & Live Music: Robert Malcolm Cummings III @malcolm.url | Table linens: BBJ La Tavola

@bbjlatavola | Tables & Bar: TC Tented Events @tctentedevents | Chairs, Plates & Cutlery: Timeless Event Rentals @timelesseventrental | Makeup: Lisa Perdue @glowbylisaperdue | Hair: Kate Koop @created.bykate | Catering & Beverages: Otis Harbor Springs @otisharborsprings | Cake: Rykes  @rykesrocks | Chocolates: Mokaya @mokayagr | Stationery: Ben Biondo @benbiondo | DJ: Jimmy Brooks @the_james_complex | Napkins: DNZ Craft Store | Dress & Neck Scarf: Sabina Motasem @sabinamotasem | Second Look: MaxMara @maxmara | Grant's Ceremony Suit: (Groom Ceremony) Suit Supply @suitsupply | Grant's Reception Suit & Kara's Reception Veil: Bode @bode | Ceremony Veil: Etsy @themagicbowbridal | Pearl Hat & Veil: Vintage | Engagement Ring:  Designed by couple & custom made | Wedding Rings: custom | Shoes: (Groom) Gucci @gucci & (Bride) Prada @prada | Earrings:  (Ceremony) Custom designed by friend  (Reception) Custom made by MIL (Tina Rothwell)