the dragonfly – part I (Our Wedding)

Since I was little, I imagined the day I would wear a white dress and walk down the aisle toward the man of my dreams. I met my now husband at the start of my senior year in high school. Fast forward, over five years later and were married.

Travis asked me to marry him on top of Brockway Mountain in Copper Harbor, MI- one of my favorite places in this world. When planning our wedding, we knew Copper Harbor was going to be the place. The beauty of the outdoors and all of the memories.

Little over two weeks before our wedding, tragedy struck. A flood swept through my hometown. Destroying land, homes and taking the life of my 12-year-old first cousin, Thatcher. Life felt numb. I couldn’t imagine having a wedding that was just around the corner. Sadness, anger, and fear swept in. I couldn’t make decisions, or even want to for that matter. We had about a week to go until the big day, and I had to make a decision. WE had to make a decision. We decided to go through with our wedding date. We did, however, make some changes. We decided on having a small private ceremony in a new location, which was Brockway Mountain. Before making that choice, my Dad brought me up to the mountain to make the final decision. When we were up there, I felt a piece of calmness as the wind hit my face. It felt right. Brockway Mountain was going to be the place.

My anxiety was high the days before the wedding. I was frustrated because what I wanted to be the happiest time, was one of the saddest. I was grieving. It was hard to explain to those around me. I really wasn’t in the mindset to decide on what color the final chairs should be painted. I really wish the week of my wedding felt happier, but we can’t change that. “How it went was how it was meant to be”, I repeat to myself. As the week went by, I legitimately feared that I would not even be able to smile on our wedding day. This was not the way I envisioned my happily ever after. That being said, I was extra thankful for my friends the night before. They found a way to take my mind away from the pain. They made the night before my wedding carefree with delicious food (popcorn of course), games, and LOTS of laughter. Oh what a night.

The morning of my wedding I woke up extra early, showered and wrote a love letter to Travis. I then took a walk around the cabins on the hill. The birds were chirping and the sun was out. We couldn’t have asked for more beautiful weather. Travis and I wanted to be together on our wedding day as long as possible. WE MADE IT HAPPEN! We had our first look on top of Brockway Mountain at noon with the ceremony at 7 pm. We were blessed with a day more beautiful than I could ever imagine, filled with feelings hard to explain…..


(The rest of our day will be told in part two of this blog post.)

My mom holding my friend Kathleen’s baby.
I had a fish put on my hankie in remembrance of my late cousin Thatcher. My late Grandparents wedding photo I tied around my bouquet. And my Mom’s garter she wore on her wedding day.
Besides my sisters, nobody had seen my dress until this moment.
Over at my parents house, Travis got ready
My dad and his pancake skills

On top of Brockway Mountain

Our first look
we wrote each other letters
You bet I climbed down a rocky hillside in my dress!
The location was worth it!
All the men wore fishing socks in remembrance of Thatcher.
As you can see…. blue is my favorite color.

All pictures by Lea Peterson of Vienna Glenn Photography http://viennaglenn.com

Florals by Taylor Kero https://www.honeyandheartevents.com

Wedding planning and event design by Jordanna and Carolynn https://www.honeyandheartevents.com

My Dress http://ginasbridal.com/

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