Colorful Urban Wedding in Grand Rapids

For Lydia VanHoven (29 and a graphic designer and copywriter) and Mikey Cook (37 and a railroad communications maintainer), more is more—and that policy lent itself well to their wedding design. “We are both bold, laugh-out-loud-type people,” Lydia says. “It only seemed right to have colors as bright as we are.” Lydia took the pair’s vibrant hues to new heights with hand-painted, custom invites, one of her favorite parts of the day. “I’d been dreaming of my wedding stationery since art school,” she says.
Lydia finished the tables with one of her own home décor staples: mid-century modern lamps. “Mikey and I have a long running joke that I have a problem when it comes to buying vintage lamps,” Lydia says. “And it’s true. We have more lamps than we know what to do with.” Ever the artist, Lydia took on designing the day’s signage. “The hand-lettered typography captured the quirky, offbeat feel we wanted,” she says.
Lydia’s squad went wild with their looks. “Bright, bold florals were encouraged,” she says.
At the beginning of their relationship, Lydia and Mikey connected over a shared love of kitschy, vintage furniture. “We bonded over thrifting and estate sales,” Lydia says. The couple honored their love of old finds by filling The Cheney Place with antique furniture. Lydia and Mikey took a maximal approach to their desserts, filling the table with seven cakes. The only “mishap?” “Some of the cakes got cut in a weird way, but that just meant bigger pieces,” Lydia says.