Savannah & Michael’s Romantic Lake Country Wedding at the Delafield Hotel

Savannah and Michael met in the dining hall at Carroll University and became fast friends. “Being friends first, I believe, was huge to the success of our relationship,” Savannah says. “We both know that we fell in love with each other for exactly who we are.” Michael proposed during a couple’s photo session — a Christmas present for Savannah. “Michael requested a few candid pictures, then he dropped to one knee and asked me to marry him. A proposal was the last thing I was expecting that day!”

The two planned a whimsical, romantic wedding with a dash of rustic charm. “We wanted classic elements while still making our wedding unique. We had just the right amount of romance with gold sequin tablecloths, whimsical with the floral arrangements and color palette, and rustic with the incorporation of wood boards and log slices throughout.”

Savannah admits that every moment between the engagement and wedding day was spent planning. “But I slept on the ideas I came across to make sure that it actually fit our wedding style,” she says. About a month after Michael proposed, Savannah attended the Wonderful World of Weddings show. “It was a great way to see what I liked and didn’t.”

Savannah found her dress at Stone Manor Bridal in Grafton. “One dress caught my eye on the mannequin when I first walked in, which was the complete opposite of what I thought I wanted. I tried that one on first as well as many, many others — but I kept coming back to the first one. The lady who helped me stayed late, after the store had closed, to let me try it on again and really get a feel for it. I said yes to that dress!”

On the eve of the wedding, Michael and Savannah hosted a rehearsal dinner at the Seven Seas in Hartland. “This was a great location. We had a private room with gorgeous views of the lake, and the space comfortably fit our friends and family.” The next day, the ceremony was held at St. Bruno’s Catholic Church in Dousman with a reception that followed at the Delafield Hotel. Savannah jokes that her favorite part of the ceremony was seeing Michael cry — “but though that was very sweet,” she says, “my actual favorite part was looking out at all of our family and friends and feeling all of the support they have for us and our marriage.”

After the bride and groom said, “I do,” the wedding party piled into a limo that took them from the church to picture locations and back to the Delafield Hotel. “Go Riteway allowed us to split our booking and use the 4-hour rental minimum throughout the day, which was wonderful. That way the ceremony time didn’t cut into it.” Once at the hotel, Kim the event coordinator let Savannah and Michael go into the ballroom with their photographer before the rest of the guests.

“I was speechless,” Savannah says. “The Delafield Hotel provides set-up and tear-down, which is an awesome way to keep brides stress-free on their wedding day! I dropped off all of my decorations a few days before the wedding and went over the ideas I had for them and how I wanted everything set up. Kim blew me away; it was even better than what I’d dreamed of! The Delafield Hotel is a beautiful venue, has a wonderful staff, and was an all-around great experience.”

On top of that, the catering at the hotel was, in a word, “amazing!” Michael and Savannah received tons of compliments on the delicious dinner. During cocktail hour, there was crudité and a European cheese display, as well as passed signature cocktails. Guests raved about the entrees, too. In addition to a cake for dessert, Savannah’s grandma also made an array of desserts for a grab-and-go sweets buffet.

Click on any image to enlarge.

During all the wonderful craziness of the delicious dinner, Savannah and Michael had the chance to slip away and snap a few photos in the bell tower of the Delafield Hotel. “It was sunset, and not only were the views gorgeous up there, but this was our first time that day to really spend a few minutes together and take it all in. We got a breath of fresh air took some time to soak up the moment and really celebrate the fact that we’d just married our best friend. It was one of the most surreal moments of the night!”

Then it was time to rejoin the party, where the DJ from Vital Image packed the dance floor. “We had a phone consultation the week before the wedding where we went over not only the songs we picked out, but also customized the evening,” Savannah says. “I had a few unique requests for dance floor games I wanted to incorporate — the DJ had never heard of them, but he took the time to research and plan. Our music package included a gobo light, uplighting and fun dance floor lights, as well as a photo booth. Everyone was out on the dance floor — our guests had a blast!”

At the end of the night, Michael sang along to a special song for Savannah. “He sang in front of all of our friends and family, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. I will always remember that.” Savannah says she’ll also never forget how the sun came out to shine on their love. “It stormed the whole morning before the wedding, so I had my dad go to every Target in the area and wipe them out of umbrellas. Right before we left for the ceremony, the storms cleared and there wasn’t a cloud in sight.”

Bridal Shows Attended~Wonderful World of Weddings
Invitations~Elli
Rehearsal Dinner~Seven Seas in Hartland, WI
Ceremony~St. Bruno’s Catholic Church in Dousman, WI
Reception & Catering~The Delafield Hotel in Delafield, WI
Cake~A Little Slice of Heaven in Stone Bank, WI
Flowers~Magnolia Floral Shoppe in Hartland, WI
Music/Entertainment~Vital Image in Muskego, WI
Transportation~Go Riteway in Milwaukee, WI
Photographer~Faith Photography in the Lake Country area
Videographer~Thrild the Photographer
Gown~Stella York from Stone Manor Bridal in Grafton, WI
Formalwear~Nedrebo’s Formal Wear
Hairstylist~Hair by Lexi Lee
Rings~Jared
Rentals~Sassy Pants Events in West Bend, WI

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