I know it’s halfway through April, but when a winter wedding this gosh darn gorgeous comes along, there’s no way I’m waiting till November to post it! It was photographed by the lovely Kelly Sweet, the photography queen behind this pretty wedding from a few weeks ago. What I love most about this wedding, besides the snow flurry pictures, is that the bride and groom, Adrienne and Michael, pulled everything together in just a few short months, so that Adrienne’s sister could be there as matron of honor before she moved to Kenya. There’s lots more of their sweet story below, but first, take a look at their beautiful winter wedding!

{Vendors: Photography: Kelly Sweet Photography| Ceremony venue: Grand Rapids Theological Seminary| Reception Location: Boulder Creek Golf Club- Grand Rapids| Second photographer: AJ Paschka| Flowers: the bride| Cake and desserts: the bride, along with her mother and friends| Wedding dress: Allure Bridal| Bride’s boots: Velvet Heart| Hairpieces: bride’s sister}

From the bride: Upon getting engaged in the fall, we originally decided to plan a wedding for the late summer of 2012, but my sister and brother-in-law had been planning to move to Kenya (permanently) in early February. They would have to miss our big day if we waited that long to get married. It was very important to me to include them in some way (we considered Skype, but… it just didn’t seem right!), so in November, Mike and I started toying with the idea of whether or not it would be possible for us to get married in January. The phone call to my sister to tell her the news and ask her to stand with me as my matron of honor was joyfully tearful. I felt so relieved to know that they wouldn’t have to be left out of this meaningful day.

In fact, my sister is responsible for a huge amount of the homemade details that garnished our wedding. Everything from the fabric flowers worn in our hair and scattered on the tables, to the guest book (yes, it was handmade… ridiculous, I know)! My mom is also known for her creativity and energy, so she took all of my little ideas to the next level. My lovely bridesmaids chose their dresses (gray) and helped me bake biscotti for wedding favors. I created the flower arrangements with flowers from Costco. Mike printed off the place cards and programs. The list goes on and on with all of the things we found and borrowed (on short-notice, too!).

As cliche as it sounds, the wedding was truly beautiful beyond what we could have ever imagined. Maybe it was because we didn’t have time to fuss over getting every little detail perfect, but I’m willing to bet that everything felt right and good because we were surrounded by ALL of the people we love so dearly.

Thank you so much to Kelly for sharing yet another gorgeous wedding with Something Pretty, and to Adrienne for sharing the story behind it all!

Love,

Lisa