Torch Lake Wedding at Camp Hayo-Went-Ha

Back in the day, Kelly & Kevin lived about a mile from each other in Denver, Colorado. They frequented the same bars, shopped at the same grocery stores, and never met each other until they separately moved to Michigan and found each other thru an online dating ap. The Colorado connection is a strong one and by the time they were looking for a wedding planner to tie the knot in northern Michigan, I had also lived in Denver and moved to the mitten state. Instant friend status.

Kelly & Kevin’s wedding at Camp Hayo-Went-Ha was our first wedding celebrated on the famous shores of Torch Lake. The design was a fusion of camp lodge meets natural elegance and it was incredibly fun to design with Kelly. A color palette of navy and merlot in September showed up in cascading floral, ornate water goblets, bespoke menus, and an eclectic collection of metal lanterns hung with ribbon from the aged timber rafters. The mirrored welcome sign leaned against a tree, reflecting the striking blue waters of Torch, the walnut Michigan “guestbook” crafted by Kevin for guests to sign in the historic boathouse overlooking the lake, the branch and tree slice podium, and the beer canoe at cocktail hour added fun personal touches as guests moved thru the experience. We threw in a birch teepee on the ceremony shore, decked in trailing floral and chiffon from Field of Flowers North for good measure. Emily and team hung a hundred paper lanterns over the forested path that guests walked under for the after-party bonfire and we still count that as one of our favorite forest path installations.

SO much goodness in this whole weekend as Friday kicked off with a welcome reception at the locally famous Short’s Brewery and wrapped up with Sunday brunch at Shanty Creek Resort overlooking a striking forest gully.

Cheers to the Colorado connections, birch teepees on northern Michigan lakes, and especially to friend status thru the planning, celebrating, and way beyond. Kelly & Kevin, we adore you two!

Full vendor credits at the bottom of these lovely photos from Karrn Frost Photography

THE CREATIVE TEAM