MyNorth Wedding, Willowbrook Mill 2022

wedding WEDDINGS WE LOVE

STORY BY ELIZABETH EDWARDS PHOTOGRAPHY BY NICOLE GERI PHOTOGRAPHY AND JOSH HARTMAN PHOTOGRAPHY

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ALISON KINNING & SELENA CREED | JULY 15, 2021

As a vascular surgeon at Michigan Vascular, Alison Kinning cares for humans. As a wildlife biologist, Selena Creed protects both birds and the flying public by keeping the runways clear at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. It didn’t take long for the bots at OkCupid to deduce that these two caring people might enjoy a first date. That quickly happened, but, ok cupid, it was pretty much a clunker of a first night on the town together: the pair met for a movie that turned out to be, as Alison describes it, “the worst movie ever.” To boot, Alison had just gotten back from a friend’s wedding in New York City and she was exhausted.

Still, there was enough chemistry between them that a week later Selena drove from her home in Ann Arbor to Alison’s home in Holly to walk Alison’s dog with her. (“My dog was difficult, he’s best introduced to someone new out on a walk,” Alison says.)

Fast forward a year to their engagement in September of 2020. The couple, who had driven to Copper Harbor in the Upper Peninsula to be engaged, envisioned a similarly beautiful setting for their wedding.

And while they wanted a destination wedding, they didn’t want one that was too difficult for their mostly Michigan guests to get to.

So, Alison Googled LGBTQ-friendly wedding venues in Michigan and up popped Willowbrook Mill in Northport. Set in the picturesque harbor town at the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula, Willowbrook Mill’s setting got a big check for natural beauty. It would also allow their guests to spend a long weekend exploring this spectacular corner of Northern Michigan—without getting on a plane.

As Alison and Selena discovered when they met with Willowbrook Mill Owner Mimi Heberlein the following October, it isn’t just Northport and the Leelanau Peninsula that are picture-perfect: so is Willowbrook Mill. Constructed in 1879, the rustically elegant white clapboard building set beside a small creek has served several purposes over the centuries, though, just as the Heberlein family thought when they purchased it in 2016, it is tailor-made for intimate weddings.

Willowbrook Mill works with a number of event planners including Conradie Event Design, owned by Melissa Conradie. Browsing Conradie’s site, Alison clicked on a story about a foraged dinner for friends that Conradie, along with the creative team known as NoMi Collectif, designed and executed for Traverse, Northern Michigan’s Magazine (Read it here: link.mynorth.com/foragedfeast). Struck by the team’s interpretation of a woodland theme in their table design, Selena and Alison were not only sold on NoMi Collectif, they were ready to trust them totally with their event: “We told Melissa from the get-go that we just want to show up and get married,” says Alison, adding, “neither of us is very good at this sort of thing, nor do we have the time.”

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That is not to say that their wedding was not personalized. Quite the contrary. The creative team took the time to listen and learn about the couple so that their passions and interests came through in exquisitely deliberate ways: a feather motif on the invitations (courtesy of Holly Thomas Design), real feathers (provided by Selena from a turkey she harvested last spring) for the floral arrangements and Alison’s favorite flower, sunflowers, in her bouquet (thanks to Amy Kate Designs). And in a truly sweet and natural touch, the couple tapped, boiled and bottled their own maple syrup to give as guest favors.

Alison and Selena’s big day turned out to be a page out of a storybook. Morning rain cleared and dried in time for a simple and stunning ceremony on the patio overlooking the brook. Afterward, the 57 guests were treated to an exquisite and delicious sit-down dinner, and the couple led off the dancing with John Prine’s “I Have Met My Love Today.” After dinner, the magical evening continued with dancing to music provided by the Northern Michigan DJ Avatar Media Productions. But the love at this wedding didn’t stop there.

Everyone involved, from the newlyweds to the Heberleins and all members of NoMi Collectif, ended the event as true friends who still talk and text often. “We really just loved everybody,” Alison says.

resources

Venue | Willowbrook Mill, willowbrookmill.com Photography | Nicole Geri Photography, nicolegeriphotography.com; Josh Hartman Photography, joshhartmanphotography.com Event Planning & Design | Conradie Event Design, conradieeventdesign.com Floral Design & Tabletop Decor | Amy Kate Designs, amykatedesigns.com Catering | Smoke and Porter Public House, smokeandporter.com Boutique Bartending | Tonic & Lime, tonicandlimemi.com Cake | Aunt B’s Cakes & Dessert, dessertqueenb@yahoo.com Beauty | The Hair + Beauty Lounge, teamhairandbeauty.com Entertainment | Avatar Media Productions, avatarmediaproductions.com Rentals & Decor | Gigi & LaClede, gigiandlaclede.wixsite.com/gigiandlaclede; 307 Events, 307events.com; Serradella, serradellastyle.com Stationary | Holly Thomas Design, hollythomasdesign.com Ring Designer | W.R. Metalarts, wrmetalarts.com Bridal Dress and Vest | Sean Waisanen (Selena’s mother)

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See more Up North weddings and find ideas at MyNorth.com.

Click Live Here > Getting Married Up North.

Know an engaged couple? Get them a copy of MyNorth Wedding magazine at ShopMyNorth.com

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Wedding Notebook Willowbrook Mill

Collaboration

"Collaborate with people you can learn from." –Pharrell It's how a couple, a venue and a group of vendors take a day and turn it into a magical experience to remember for a lifetime. And each time groups like this come together to create a wedding, we all learn from each other. At Willowbrook Mill, our goal is that you are still floating on a cloud of happy months after your wedding because we all did our jobs so well. Give us a call. Let's collaborate on your perfect day...

Nicole Geri Photography "I want to capture your love story exactly the way you and your second half live it." Nicole is a calm presence in the center of your busy day. Creating images of your busy day. Creating images of your special moments with her genuine playful and adventurous spirit.

Nicole Geri Nicole Geri Photography nicolegeriphotography.com

Amy Kate From intimate gatherings to grand celebrations, every design is truly delightful. We believe each festivity should reflect the style, personality and character of the people celebrating it. In addition to our ten acre flowers farm, our retail storefront opens in downtown Elk Rapids May of 2022.

Amy Kate Hendrickson & Abby Cooper Boutique Floral & Event Design Stylists 231-264-6938 • Amykatedesigns.com • info@amykatedesign.com

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Conradie Event Designs Conradie Event Design is a boutique wedding planning event production company located in Traverse City, Michigan.

We embrace the concept of bringing our clients a well-designed and thoughtfully organized event experience. We love collaborating with our clients to create a custom event experience that is tailored to their unique style. We create unforgettable moments that will be cherished and shared with their loved ones for years to come Melissa Conradie Conradie Event Design Conradieeventdesign.com melissa@conradieeventdesign.info

Gigi & Laclede Tablescapes with a Twist Gigi & Laclede offers modern & vintage china, chargers, flatware and glassware. Our pieces add nostalgia, and a flare of pizzazz to your event that creates conversation!

Exclusive service SOUTH of Cadillac.

Holly DeBoer Gigi & Laclede • gigiandlaclede@gmail.com

Serradella Serradella. Redefined.

"We're bringing everything we know about event rentals to the table." Serradella is now offering a curated collection of dishware, chargers, flatware, and glassware.

Exclusive service NORTH of Cadillac.

Kelly Newell Serradella • Kelly@serradellastyle.com

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... just the way you look tonight

Photo credit: Meggy D Photography

Tony & Anndee 10/09/21

The award winning wedding & special event venue

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201 Mill St. Northport, MI 49670 12/8/21 8:14 PM