Danielle + Eric | A Stunning Intimate Wedding

When Danielle, a wedding planner, envisioned her wedding, to Eric, a project manager, there are a few things she never pictured happening. One: getting surprised during her proposal, and two: having to cancel her dream destination altogether and pivot to a smaller, intimate wedding. Turns out both these things could happen to even the most prepared planner.

Eric proposed on a weekend away to Madeline Island. And while Danielle “100% knew it was happening that weekend” Eric was able to pull it off, in the open waters while paddleboarding, when she least expected it. As Danielle recalls, “I still can’t believe he even thought to do it out on open water. I am glad the proposal didn’t go horribly wrong but he said he needed to do it when I would be least expecting it. Come to find out a few months later and the ring wasn’t even insured!”

The original wedding in Norway was to be an homage to Eric’s heritage. “I saw the fjords of Norway I couldn’t think of a more beautiful location.” But when the pandemic got bad, the couple called it quits on the destination affair. Once planning resumed, they set their sights on their engagement locale and planned a modern and unique affair with no regrets.

INTIMATE WEDDING, BIG DETAILS

“Having been in the wedding industry for so long the details were so important to me,” explains Danielle. “I wanted the wedding to be a modern dinner party in the woods. It started off with stationery where I worked with Champagne Press to create a modern but timeless wedding suite. She created custom shapes for us which we then based a lot of the other designs around.”

The couple chose The Barn on Madeline Island, a private setting for their celebration, “It was perfect for our ‘backyard’ intimate wedding.” And in wanting everyone to enjoy the wedding free of obligations, “We had decided very early on that we didn’t want a bridal party. We really wanted all of our friends and family to enjoy their time and not have to worry about any duties. Our dogs did walk down the aisle and were just the most adorable flower girl and ring bearer.”

It comes as no surprise that all of the wedding elements were important to this wedding planner bride. “The details we super important to me and I wanted to make sure everything was cohesive and custom. The place cards were acrylic with a painted backing that matched our stationery and the modern geometric shape matched the backdrop. All the little things that most people probably wouldn’t notice were the important things to me,” admits the style-conscious bride.

But just because she appreciates beauty doesn’t mean she isn’t practical, too. “One of the best parts of our wedding was that Eric was able to build a lot of it. He built the ceremony backdrop where the shapes were based on our stationery and build the bar which now lives in our basement.”

A JOYOUS DAY

Looking back, even though the original plan was scrapped, the intimate wedding turned out better than expected as Danielle says the one word that described her wedding was “Joyous. [During what had been a crazy time] was the first time that any of our friends and families were together. All of our traditional events leading up to the party were canceled, so it was a time for all of us to really be present and thankful we were able to gather in a safe way.”

And while this planner knew a lot about planning before going into her own wedding, she advises future brides on the importance of doing your research, “Hire great vendors. Planning a destination wedding is hard because you can’t meet people prior or see their work in person. We hired a band 3 weeks before the wedding and honestly, it was the best decision we made. They were amazing and having a dance party with 25 for your closest friends and family was amazing!

Vendors Cont.  — Venue: The Barn  |  Wedding Dress: Blush by Hayley Paige  |  Bridal Shoes: Badgley Mischka Bride  | Music: The McCullough Brothers & The Northwood’s Band  |  Videography: Love Infinity Films  |  Make-Up: Blush Beauty Room | Hair: Madeline McCue Weddings  |  Stationery: Champagne Press  |  Signage: Mod Lode  |  Linens: Snug Babii

For inspo on another stunning micro wedding, check out Meghan + Michael’s gorgeous backyard affair.