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Sharing the rest of this wedding day has been a long time in coming. It has been featured in The Knot Michigan and I shared part 1 awhile back (you can read that here). But what I would like my readers to know is that I always respect my bride’s wishes, and it was at the bride’s request that I hold off in sharing this.

However, I now have the green light and I cannot wait for you to feast your eyes on this gorgeous wedding day. In full disclosure, this is my sister’s wedding. So I am playing favorites when I gush about how this day was my favorite, but I feel that it’s rightfully deserved. The junior bridesmaid was my niece and my very own Gretta was the world’s cutest flower girl, no contest there.

Part 1 of this day shared all the pre-ceremony fun. The romantic first look. And all the charming details. We’re now entering the ceremony site, which was the historic lobby of The Durant Hotel. Natural light lover’s, this is one of the best venues in existance. There’s so much charm and history here, we could have left the entire area completey undecorated and still had a breathetaking backdrop. We’re extra thankful for the lobby’s beauty as it started to rain just as we were hoping to do a few outdoor wedding party portraits. However, this wasn’t even an issue when you find a place this pretty.

As we move into the historic ballroom (complete with the orginal grey and white tile floors – which might just be my favorite detail!). I need to share a quick public service message to all brides, take a minute to see the room before it’s filled with all your favorite people (ie, you’re guests). Brides spend months agnoizing over the little details – silverware, place cards, ribbons, linen textures, etc, but sometimes never get to see the way the room sparkles the way your guests do. Allow yourself time for a room reveal, you won’t regret it. Room Reveal | The Day's Design | Samantha James Photography

The guests were greated by an 8 foot escort card display, which was adorned with southern smilax, florals and wax seals. We used a mix of round and long tables, to add a little variety, alternating the linens as well. The bride and groom chose to sit at a non traditional table, with the best man and maid of honor (me!) and our significant others which allowed other wedding party members to sit with their dates and also created a really intimate experience for all.

Again, I could go on and one about the details of this day but alas I’ll just share one more. The placecards, this might have actually been one of my very favorite wedding touches ever. As soon as Justine & Devin were engaged and decided on a color scheme, I started pressing forget-me-not flowers from my grandma’s property. They were the perfect color and I knew I’d find a perfect spot to incorporate such a personal detail. We attached them to the watercolor place cards and each guest got to be a part of my grandma’s garden.