Polish and Filipino Traditions Filled This Belle Isle Casino Wedding in Detroit, Michigan

Family traditions were the focus of Amanda and Andrew downtown nuptials, which kicked off with a Catholic ceremony at St. Francis D’Assisi. Ring bearers carried blessed arras (wedding coins) as a nod to the groom’s Filipino background, and the ceremonial altar cloths were sewn by his grandmother nearly 30 years ago. “Four generations of Andrew’s family have gotten married in that church,” Amanda says. An alfresco cocktail hour immediately followed on the steps of the Belle Isle Casino, allowing guests to relax with postceremony Cuban cigars and signature palomas. Garden roses, campanula, astilbe and bark foliage came together to create Amanda’s asymmetrical bouquet..After a savory Polish dinner of stuffed cabbage and dill pickle soup, a polka band led partygoers downstairs to the dance floor in a traditional Polish wedding march. “All of our guests loved it,” Amanda says of the surprise.