REAL WEDDING: Colorful & Inclusive summer wedding

Real Wedding

Dec 28

Romeo and Sam’s wedding was a truly special day filled with much love and joy. They chose to include so many wonderful elements that showed just how genuine and thoughtful they are as a couple and celebrated not only their love, but their community and culture. Not to mention, they infused the day with their personalities through colorful decor and unique details. It was wonderful working with Sam and Romeo - we only wish we could do it all over again!

From the couple

“We had the perfect summer wedding in West Michigan over 4th of July weekend! Every corner of the venue was romantic and picturesque -- from getting ready in the Mansion, to our ceremony at the Water Garden, a festive cocktail hour outdoors, and finally, a gorgeous dinner reception in West Lawn Tent. We were so glad to be able to host everything at one location. Derrick & Holden were an important part of our "dream team" of partners/vendors. They were incredibly accommodating, guiding us every step of the way and connecting us to the best people in the area. In large part because of the venue and the people involved, our wedding day is truly one of the happiest days of our lives. The Felt Estate is a very special place, and we have very fond memories with our dearest family and friends. We look forward to visiting it again in the future!”

Celebrating Culture

Fashion and music were two of the fabulous ways that Romeo and Sam highlighted parts of their heritage in their wedding. Both grooms wore a barong tagalog which is the national attire of the Philippines. Their barong tagalogs were hand-crafted in the Philippines by Francis Libiran, a trained architect and fashion designer using piña, an indigenous Filipino textile made from pineapple fibers. During the ceremony, a string trio played Pangako Sa ‘Yo, or “I Promise You” in English, a Filipino ballad that celebrates a special, once in a lifetime bond between two people in love.

DECOR AND DETAILS

We couldn’t get enough of the great decor Romeo and Sam chose for their wedding! While the ceremony was kept simple with aisle arrangements, the reception was full of bright colors, and natural tones in the chairs and chargers. Two of our favorite details were the uniqueness of the memory display and guest book. Romeo and Sam chose to have their memory display on a vintage buffet at the entrance to the ceremony. It was a wonderful way to honor and remember those who had passed as well as include them in the most special part of the day. The “guest book” was one of our favorite ideas that we have ever seen! Since they love to travel they welcomed guests to sign a map and place a pin on places they recommended the grooms travel. They even provided little cards to drop in the card box so guests could recommend things to do when they traveled there.

Embracing Community

You could certainly feel the love in the air on the wedding day - not just between and for the grooms, but among their friends and family as well. Beyond that, Sam and Romeo celebrated their community in a way that was very special to us, by working with as many vendors owned by women, people of color, and/or those who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community.