An Elegant, Whimsical Wedding at Felt Mansion in Holland, Michigan

Kailie Sjoblom (27 and an acupuncturist in training) and David Sizemore (24 and a videographer) let their venue lead their wedding theme. “We worked with what clicked for us,” Kailie says. There are so many gorgeous color variations, themes and textures for weddings, she says, but they didn’t want a palette to dictate what they should choose, instead going with what they loved. When it became overwhelming, Kailie’s mom and sister came to the rescue. The couple exchanged vows on the steps of the quaint little white Chapel at Shore Acres, part of the Felt Mansion estate, in Holland, Michigan. Kailie wore a ceremonial flower crown with her beautiful dress, her beloved 14-year-old bluetick coonhound, Cooper, tolerated the role of ring bearer, and her brother performed “Over the Rainbow” on his ukulele. Rather than one person taking the other's last last name or hyphenating their surnames, Kailie and David both changed their name to Sjomer, a combination of Sjoblom and Sizemore. Kailie, who is of Swedish descent, explains that “Sjo” means “lake” in Swedish, and the “mer” is the Swedish derivative of “more.” “This was a personal decision made by us, because there is something beautiful about conjoining two family names into one.” She agrees that it’s not ideal for everyone, but for them it felt like a symbolic gesture that honored their family’s past while looking ahead to their future together. After the ceremony, they had a family-style dinner and cake-cutting inside a room of the Felt Mansion, an intimate space for the couple’s 70 guests. “It was like having all your favorite people over for dinner,” Kailie says. Guests could roam the mansion and explore the different rooms. The second part of the reception, where the party commenced, was at the Carriage House, on the same grounds as the mansion, with entertainment by Americana duo Plain Jane Glory. “What’s great about live music is that people who don’t usually dance are more willing to, which is what I wanted,” Kailie says. “It was great to be able to have a few drinks, dance or just step outside and enjoy the view of the house lit up on the hill.” When it comes to advice on finding the one, Kailie says that she and David “are home” in each other's presence. What this means, she says, is they dated long-distance, experienced challenging times, amazing times and okay times, “just like any relationship,” and through it all, good days and not so good, “there wasn’t a time in there that we didn’t find immense comfort and support in each other. He was my home, and I was his.” —Chrissy Sorenson