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Writer's pictureShannon K. Wendt-Heath

A Whimsical Courtyard Wedding in Coral and Navy at Castle Farms in Charlevoix, Michigan

Updated: Mar 16, 2021

"It takes a team."


As everyone knows, 2020 was a very, very tough year for small businesses due to Covid-19. However, one of the areas that many people never heard much about was weddings and the effect on them. It was such a tumultuous year for those of us in the wedding business. The changing gathering sizes, the difficulty in trying to plan a wedding when all of us just did not know what was going to happen, the determination of whether a wedding venue was considered "outdoors". It just made a difficult situation even more so.


Luckily for those of us that are members of the Preferred Service Provider list at Castle Farms in Charlevoix, the Castle followed the executive orders closely and were frequently in touch with the governor's office and Department of Health and Human Services here in Michigan. Their biggest priority was ensuring the safety of everyone.


And one of the weddings most affected took place there in early August, and was the wedding of Stephanie and Tom. Just prior to their wedding, gathering sizes were limited. So in true innovative fashion, the Castle came up with the plan to flip the whole wedding from inside their Knight's Castle to the outdoor courtyard! It was all hands on deck that morning as we all moved tables, chairs and everything else outside. It was also our first wedding of the season completely outside!


When we had first met Tom and Stephanie, it was pretty evident right away that they knew exactly how they wanted their Knight's Castle wedding to look! Coral linens and flowers and pops of navy! I was absolutely honored to be chosen to assist them with their decor and design. And one of the keys I learned: balance is key. Stephanie chose one of our copper and wood table numbers, which are rather tall, so I knew we needed tall candle holders.


And the bride's family were the owners one of Michigan's biggest pizza chains, so of course, the seats all had pizza cutters at them! We loved this personal touch. And it was a group that LOVED golfing, so of course, golf ball favors made an appearance as well.


And in true Michigan summer wedding weather, the day was absolutely gorgeous and the night was perfect for dancing in the courtyard. The bride led MANY dances to their favorite EDM as played by Thomas and Patrick of @aplusentertains and @thomasheathevents, our entertainment division.


And we all had some takeaways from the day. 1) Always bring extra linens (and even table numbers)! Due to moving everything outside, and ensure physical distancing, more tables were added.


All in all, the word "pivot" certainly applied to this wedding. And it ended up being all the more beautiful and special for that.

"I just wanted to say Thank you so much for working with us! The whole process was a crazy ride with all the challenges we were faced with. I really appreciate all your help and understanding throughout working with us. Thank you for Thomas coming and hunting us down for all the planned things! We were so over everything and just wanted to party and be with our friends and family but realized the dances and small details were important. So thank you for that, I'm sure it wasn't easy. Honestly, the day and few days prior are a blur! But again THANK YOU BOTH!" - Stephanie


@castlefarms


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