Ciccone Vineyard Wedding | Lauren + Blake

“I was excited knowing that I was marrying the love of my life and I couldn’t stop thinking about all of the adventures we had ahead of us”

Lauren and Blake chose the beautiful Ciccone Vineyard for their wedding venue. Ciccone is located in Suttons Bay, MI on top of a hill that over looks miles of vineyards and water. These two love to be outdoors and they fell in love with how “peaceful and serene the area was. From the old barn, to the giant maple tree, and then to the picture perfect views of the bay and vineyards – we couldn’t imagine a better place to spend the day celebrating our love with our closest friends and family.”

The morning of, Blake went out to his home in Lake Ann to grab a few gifts that came in the mail for Lauren, “I also went out there to disconnect from the anxiousness and overwhelming excitement I had so I could be present and focus on writing Lauren a note that I gave to her along with a little gift when I got back to the hotel and the letter for her to open on our 5th anniversary.” As he put together a small gift for his bride to be, he spent some time thinking back on all the fun times they had shared. “The gift I gave to her the morning of the wedding was a little fishing lure and engraved on it was the saying ‘You have my heart…hook, line, & sinker.’ I got her the lure because it’s a symbol of the awesome camping, fishing, and blueberry picking trips we go on to Canada every summer, some of our best times together, times that will never end.”

“I remember waking up with butterflies in my stomach over the anticipation that the day ahead held. It was the biggest mixture of excitement, joy, and anticipation of the whole day finally coming together.” Before Lauren started to get ready that morning she woke up and wrote Blake a letter about all of the things she loved about him. “For me, that allowed me to be fully present in the moment, dig deep, and truly set the tone for why we were all there in the first place. I felt very calm in knowing that I would be meeting my very best friend at the end of the isle and that together, we would be walking out as one into our new lives.”

Right before the ceremony Lauren and her Dad were in the vineyard waiting for the moment they could start to walk. As they both waited, they got to share a very special moment with each other. “My Great Grandma (Dad’s Grandma) passed away last November and we were all extremely close with her – she really wanted to be at our wedding but at 95 years old, she knew that she probably wouldn’t be able to make it. She was obsessed with cardinals and owned anything and everything cardinal. As we were about to walk down the isle with the music playing, a female cardinal landed on a vine right next to my Dad and I and faced us for a long pause, then jumped from branch to branch leading us down the isle before flying away. My Dad and I both looked at each other speechless, knowing without a doubt that it was a sign from up above. My Dad kept on saying, ‘Don’t look at me or I’ll lose it.’”

Their day was full of beautiful and emotional moments that neither of them will forget. Right after their ceremony, Lauren and Blake took a moment to talk as they walked hand and hand down the vineyard. “We both laughed, cried, hugged, kissed, and savored the moment of what had just happened.”

As Lauren looks back on their beautiful day, she described it perfectly with “beyond my dreams!”

Congratulations on your marriage! May God bless you both!