Wedding | Sofie & Ian

4 hours ago

6 min read

Tell us a little about yourselves!

We’re Sofie and Ian. We met 8 years ago in Philly at a friend’s art opening. We think our cat Millie is the best little thing. We’ve been in Philly for that whole time, but we just moved in-town and still have unpacked boxes! We fell in love over the X-Files and have sustained ourselves on biscuits and jazz records. Sofie works as a graphic designer and art director and I manage projects at Philly parks and rec.

Why did you decide to get married where you did?

We looked briefly into a Philly wedding, and we were swimming in catering and venue options, nothing felt right and we were looking down the barrel of our budget. And we like the beach! We love Philly to death, but wouldn’t go beachcombing on the Schuylkill River.

Northern Michigan was a no-brainer, it has everything we needed for our dream wedding–not too many options, but quality ones. The inspiration was family, Sofie’s extended family are in Grand Rapids and we’ve been getting together with them for years on the lake’s edge. Feeling somewhere in between a destination wedding and a homecoming wedding was amazing for us. We ended up with Cherry Basket Farm as our venue because we really resonated with their values and commitment to history and land stewardship. The barn wasn’t built just for modern weddings - it has been holding celebrations, dances, and other community events since the 1930s! It was even more special to have our wedding right at peak tart cherry harvest. The venue was telling us they haven’t seen such a bountiful cherry season in years.

We could go on about the details of our caterers, venue, photographer, DJ, even our local wedding insurance provider (!), but the main truth is that we knew that Up North MI is about the people and not the business. Everyone treated us like family and each was at the top of their craft.

How many guests did you have?

75. We have small families and the same friends, and we love it that way.

What was your budget?

Our wedding ended up being around 40k. We kept our parents’ lower-key 90s celebrations in mind - it wasn’t always the norm to have a wedding with all the bells and whistles! We wanted to cut costs on or DIY anything that was a nice-to-have, but never wanted to compromise on food, drinks, and music. For decor, we brought vintage and family stuff from home, like the mini log cabin which used to be in my Grandma’s kindergarten classroom, or the white enamel pot that my mom’s family used to make egg coffee on vacations. We did buy a bunch of old milk bottles for our table florals, and we plan to make a special shelf in our house for them.

Tell us about your outfits.

Ian: I love a vintage find and ended up importing a 90s linen suit from Japan. Don’t be afraid to change your look! I almost opted for my dad’s 80s gray double-breasted big-shouldered wool-lined suit. It’s an amazing set–think Armani on a winter beach. But the look wasn’t it for the late July meadow. The best thing about vintage suits is the unexpected details, but don’t forget to measure twice.

Sofie: I was getting weirded out seeing myself in traditionally bridal looks, and was especially interested in garments that incorporated color. I immediately fell in love with Tigra Tigra’s red moon dye silk mashroo fabric and had my top, skirt, and dancing shorts made to my measurements, adorned with fringes of glass beads.

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

We kept saying to our planner, we want a relaxed, around the campfire energy. The thing we knew we wanted from the very start was to stay with our friends so we could have down time together. We actually found the Anchor Inn first, and they were the first vendor we booked. It’s the most Up North place ever and reminded my (Sofie’s) mom of the cottage resort she went to growing up. The Anchor Inn is a family-run 1940s motor lodge at the edge of town on M22, the state highway which connects the Leelanau Peninsula. It was so perfect having a Friday cookout for our welcome party (shout out to my Michigander mom and her three sisters for putting that together) and swimming and chatting by the beach fire into the wee hours after the big day.

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

We wanted to incorporate elements from Sofie’s Danish side, especially an aquavit toast and lots of speeches during a long dinner. Her uncle Kristian is usually the toastmaster at family parties in Denmark, so he reprised that role for us. 7 people ended up at the microphone, dinner ran late, and it was beautiful. The aquavit was made in Michigan by Norden and was the real deal.

The music for the ceremony was also extremely important. I (Sofie) grew up hearing my mom play piano for church every Sunday, and I was thrilled that she offered to play some of my favorite Shaker hymns as a ceremony prelude. I sobbed at the rehearsal as soon as I heard her play, it had been too long! We walked ourselves down the aisle, which felt true to us, and my brother, also a talented musician, arranged some of our favorite pieces of jazz for piano. Ian and the wedding party walked out to an arrangement of “Poinciana”, and I walked out to “In Your Own Sweet Way”. My pastor growing up, a close family friend, married us, and then we walked back down to my mom’s rendition of “My Baby Just Cares For Me.” I grew up with the Nina Simone version, and when I met Ian, realized he is just like the man she sings about.

Any tips for couples getting married?

It’s good to get off Pinterest. Don’t overthink the aesthetic and opt for a venue that has decor built in (we loved the chairs, old signs, wood walls, and the landscaping at Cherry Basket, so we barely had any florals brought in). Choose vendors you resonate with as people. Splurge for guest transportation. Make sure you have your vows on you before you leave for the venue!!!

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

How do we even start! Amber and Beth from Pineapple Punch Events were a dream and always so on top of it. Raduno, our caterer, highlighted local and seasonal ingredients and paired them with handmade pasta and bread. Our wines were also local to the Leelanau region. We picked our own wildflowers from a lovely farm on the lake 8 minutes from the venue (thank you to Carolyn from Omena U-Pick, we want your life). Tonic and Lime poured stiff gin Shirley Temples and green tea cold toddies. Our cake, which matched Sofie’s dress, was beautifully made and must have been tasty, the only bites we got were for our photos. We also had to have cherry pie for a peak cherry season wedding. Ian’s brother did a run to a famed farmstand in the area. And the after party pizza from Dino’s!

Our tableware and glassware was a favorite element of ours - Amber connected us to a local business that rents out mismatched vintage crystal, glass, and china (Eclectic Elegance!). We weren’t allowed to clink the glasses because many of them were over 100 years old.

And our photos (the second vendor we booked, still before the venue) speak for themselves. Kristen from Maudlin Co. shot everything on color film and captured our home in each other.

Photographer: Maudlin Co. @maudlinco | Planning & Styling: Pineapple Punch Events @pineapple