1. Real Weddings

Tricia & Chad: A Garden Wedding in Mackinac Island, MI

Would-be grooms would do well to take Chad's proposal to Tricia as inspiration. The couple had been together for three years, and Tricia was working l

Would-be grooms would do well to take Chad's proposal to Tricia as inspiration. The couple had been together for three years, and Tricia was working long hours in a stuffy lab to finish graduate school at Columbia University in New York. “Needless to say, it had not been a great summer,” says Tricia. The Bride Tricia Zubal The Groom Chad Blankenbiller The Date September 17 One night, Chad asked Tricia to meet him at a mysterious address, and when she arrived, after a full day of lab work, she found herself at Le Parker Meridien Hotel. The front desk directed Tricia to the spa, where Chad had made her a massage appointment. She was then given a key to a room where Chad was waiting with flowers, a bottle of wine, and a ton of my clothes, plus basically my entire bathroom, not knowing what I would want to have with me! Tricia says. By this point, she suspected something was up, and sure enough, a jittery Chad popped the question over dinner, delivering the ring at the bottom of a champagne glass. I loved that Chad was nervous! Tricia confides. They were married in a garden wedding the next fall.

The bride wore a gorgeous custom-made hairpiece of Swarovski crystals, pearls, and zirconia in a natural shape resembling blossoming branches.
The bridal bouquet held a mix of Sumatra lilies, tulips, roses, Nerine lilies, kiko, sweet peas, and Mysteen orchids.
Tricia and Chad’s pink color theme gave them an abundance of flower choices. “Instead of limiting myself to a few types, I decided to have different flowers on every table,” Tricia explains.
The reception tables were decorated in the wedding colors -- merlot and rose -- with square crystal vases holding a variety of single-flower arrangements: gerbera daisies, hydrangeas, Sumatra lilies, spider mums, snapdragons, English roses, and gladiolas.
The First Dance
Floor-to-ceiling windows brought the beauty of Mackinac Island into the resort ballroom where Tricia and Chad hosted their reception. After the sun set, guests gathered on the wide porch overlooking the lake, where a full moon made flickering rose tea lights almost unnecessary.
The Food
Tricia and Chad’s ceremony took place at a picturesque gazebo in a lakeside flower garden, which created the perfect wedding backdrop -- no decorating required!
The Rings
The Location