1. Real Weddings

Tracey & Michael: A Beach Wedding in Baroda, MI

Tracey Sanders and Michael Check have been in each other's lives for eight years. The couple met in 1998, when Michael's firm provided tech support fo

Tracey Sanders and Michael Check have been in each other's lives for eight years. The couple met in 1998, when Michael's firm provided tech support for Tracey's company, but didn't start dating until 2001. Never let it be said that a long-term couple can’t still take each other's breath away, though…. The proof is in Michael's proposal to Tracey. On the sly, Michael called 20 of the couple's closest friends and family together for a secret birthday party for Tracey at their favorite restaurant. When she walked in, everyone was seated, looking at menus, and boy was I surprised! Tracey remembers. Before I could even register everyone who was there, he popped the question. The Bride Tracey Sanders,36, sales rep The Groom Michael Check, 38, IT consultant The Date September 4 To spread the news about their September beach wedding in the southwestern wine country, Tracey and Michael sent not just one but two save-the-date cards. The first was a small note resembling a beach towel inside a tiny flip-flop box, Tracey says. The next mailing was a letterpress-printed oversize postcard, with a checklist of what to bring to the beach! Collaborating with a graphic designer friend, the couple also designed invitations with specific details about the weekend.

The First Dance
The couple wrote the entire ceremony, including their vows, and asked their two best friends to officiate. Tracey and Michael’s four siblings walked their mothers down the beach as part of the wedding processional. No one wore shoes -- including the bride, who stood barefoot in the sand in an ivory jacquard embroidered gown. Tracey wore her grandmother’s necklace for the ceremony and changed for the reception into a custom-made necklace by Chicago designer Sara Lenart.
Tables were named after the adventurous couple’s favorite activities and showcased photos of some of Tracey and Michael’s best moments from around the world. “Our snowboarding trip photo was on the snowboarding table; we had a scuba diving table, a traveling table, a camping table, a running table, and so on,” Tracey explains.
“Michael and I love the fall and all its colors,” Tracey says, so the couple chose a warm color palette of brown, burnt orange, and burgundy. Otherwise, “we let nature be the décor,” explains the bride. “We lined the beach path with handmade brown pinwheels that led the wedding guests to the ceremony spot.”
Two striking wedding cakes featured an icing pattern that emulated the embroidery on Tracey’s wedding dress. The bride’s was a layered banana cake with fresh raspberry filling, and the groom’s -- a towering, all-chocolate cake.
Tracey’s favorite décor inspiration came in the place cards, which were rocks she’d collected at the beach and then painted with each guest’s name and table assignment.
Tracey’s two sisters and new sister-in-law wore simple dresses in shades of brown, wine, and dark orange, while the groom, his brother, and the bride’s father were comfortable and handsome in linen embroidered shirts.
Michael’s boutonniere, a natural spray of sea grasses and wildflowers, seemed inspired by the dunes.
Fruitinis and Bloody Marys were the highlight of the cocktail hour, followed by a relaxed brunch feast.
Following the ceremony, the 55 guests followed lampposts decorated with bright fabrics, flowers, and berries to a brunch reception at the Round Barn Winery. The unique, lofty space had an airy feel, thanks to white-washed walls and high windows that let in the sunshine. Dozens of candles gave the room a friendly glow, the barn’s exposed wooden beams bloomed with garlands and twinkling white lights, and the wedding’s signature blooms -- gerbera daisies—were everywhere.
The invitation was designed with the help of the couple’s friend, graphic designer Andy Rogers.
Tracey’s mother, an accomplished florist, created bouquets of gerbera daises, sea grasses, and wildflowers and marked the ceremony spot with a woven torch overflowing with wine-color tulle, gerbera daisies, and greenery.