Above photo: Amber Marie Photography
AS THE EDITOR of this magazine, I spend a lot of time thinking about weddings and planning ideas for each issue. It is somewhat ironic that I seldom get a chance to simply be a wedding guest. I love attending weddings, and recently I had the joy and privilege of witnessing one of my dearest friend’s nuptials. This friend introduced me to my husband more than 15 years ago, so it was particularly heartwarming to finally see him tie the knot.
The wedding was a lovely affair. His bride was glowing, and I have never seen him happier. The night was made all the more magical by the couple’s story — they had been running in the same social and professional circles, crossing paths dozens of times, before finally meeting and falling in love. It was kismet, and I know they will share a lifetime of love together.
Each wedding has its own special magic, something we celebrate in the pages of this issue. For our cover story (page 86), our intrepid crew trekked to a dreamy, wooded estate tucked away in Michigan’s Thumb to shoot the season’s most romantic, otherworldly gowns. Adding her own brand of magic to the shoot, florist Susan McLeary of Passionflower created exquisite floral installations, bouquets, and headpieces worthy of a fairy tale.
Speaking of fairy tales, this issue we share two real-life, modern-day fairy tales. The first tells one of the sweetest, most creative engagement stories I’ve ever heard — I don’t want to spoil it, so turn to page 60 to find out how a former contestant on The Bachelor and Michigan native Britt Nilsson’s beau popped the question. (And if you have an epic engagement story, please share it with me! Email your story to rvoigt@hourmedia.com for your chance to be featured in a future issue.)
Our second tale of real-life love is the stuff of little girls’ dreams (page 100). Imagine: A beautiful, talented girl from Michigan moves overseas to Copenhagen to dance with the Royal Danish Ballet. She meets a handsome Danish stagehand, who sweeps the ballerina off her feet. It’s about as magically romantic as it gets, don’t you think?
Here’s to celebrating the magic of your own love story!
Cheers,
Rebecca Voigt
