marc + allison

Take some advice from Allison and Marc—whose St. Joseph wedding played on a carnival theme—if you want guests to remember the fun of your nuptials for years to come. The couple sent their friends and family carousel invitations complete with RSVP tickets so guests knew ahead of time that they were in for a party! Still, they couldn’t predict just how much fun the celebration would bring.

The cause for celebration, of course, was the love between Allison and Marc. The couple met through mutual friends at Grand Valley State University, where they began building their lifelong partnership. The two also became partners in work when Mark took a position as General Manager at Ludemas Floral, where Allison serves as the Floral Department Manager.

The pair got engaged while on vacation in Florida. Marc pretended to “find” a shell during their sunset walk on the beach; inside that shell was an engagement ring, which Marc had designed! Allison accepted Marc’s proposal and they began planning an October wedding in Michigan.

Allison and Marc’s reception was held at the Shadowland Ballroom on Silver Beach—a modern event center built to honor the original ballroom that played an important role in St. Joseph’s rich history.

With their floral expertise, the couple chose arrangements that made the ballroom pop with blues, oranges, and golds. And adding Michigan apples to the arrangements was an unforgettable design element!

Nourished by what Allison calls The Bistro’s “incredible” catering and an elegant cake from Mirabella Confections that was “to die for,” guests took to the dance floor, moving to music by the band Oregon Dreamchild.
“The reception was so much fun!” Allison reminisces. Anyone looking through their wedding photos from TAK photography would have a hard time trying not to smile.

But for Allison and Marc, the best part of the day came long before the party. My favorite moment of the wedding day was getting to see Marc for the first time,” Allison shares. “We chose not to see each other before the wedding so that when the little church doors opened and I walked down the aisle, that was when we would see each other for the first time. I was so nervous and excited.
“It is a moment that I’ve always thought about since I was younger and it is a feeling I will never forget.”