The Story Behind the 2022 Cover
The Story Behind the 2022
Wedding Guide Cover
By Diana [Dupre] Scott
wedding photos by It’s Wonderful Photography
Ever since I was a little girl, I remember weddings being a part of our family. Both of my parents are wedding photographers and the publishers of the Mackinac Island Wedding Guide. We spent summer seasons on the island, so getting married on Mackinac Island was something that I imagined many times. Still, I had no idea what it all entailed and how amazing it would be!
My engagement to Jessee Scott took place on Mackinac Island July 3rd, 2020. We considered being married in Florida, where Jessee was raised and where most of his family and many of our friends live. However, we both love Mackinac Island and of course as said, a Mackinac Island wedding had my heart.
Immediately after our engagement, we spent a day riding our bikes and looking at different venues for our ceremony and we both fell in love with the gazebo at Mission Point Resort. Dates were already limited and we selected Sunday, August 8th and began working with the wonderful wedding coordinator at Mission Point.
The save the date cards and our wedding invitation were created by Kate Dupre of Watercolor Cafe. She made my vision so beautiful with her ideas and custom artwork and illustrations.
As it is important to book services when selecting peak summer dates-so we began to create a wedding weekend of fun!
The wedding weekend started off with a meet up with many of our family and friends for a bike to the beach picnic at a point close to British Landing. I wanted everyone to go for a swim in Lake Huron, as swimming in the cool waters and sunning on the beach is a favorite summer memory of mine. Being August, the lake and weather is about as warm as it gets, yet still too cold for some of my Florida friends!
We both loved the Sip N Sail boat, and we chartered the boat to welcome family & friends the evening following the swim. Everyone loved meeting one another and the entertainment was fabulous. Following the cruise, we all went to Marquette Park for the Thursday concert in the Park and sponsored by the Mackinac Arts Council. We brought blankets and enjoyed snacks and drinks from Doud’s Market. The rest of the evening we enjoyed more live music and the Island’s fun nightlife scene.
The day before the wedding, we organized a hike up into the interior of Island led by my aunt. That afternoon, we had a Meet and Greet at Watercolor Cafe. This quaint little waterfront café hosted our gatherings on the outside deck with light appetizers.
It was fun and relaxing and led perfectly into our bridal party’s getaway to our wedding rehearsal. Our wedding coordinator, Carole Erbel of For the Love of Mackinac, met us at Mission Point Resort and made sure all the wedding party knew what to expect the following day. For our rehearsal dinner, Jessee’s family selected the Harbour View Inn, which proved a fantastic location for a wonderful dinner with a private setting for toasts.
Afterwards, we met at the Gatehouse for Karaoke Night with DJ Brevin, which proved to be hilarious. On Mackinac, people can easily gather together and the fun just begins.
The morning of the wedding, I awoke to a downpour of rain! Appointments at the salon began in the morning. I had already met with stylist and owner Christy Lucas of Vintage Glam on Market. She and her assistant stylist took care of all nine of us–bridal party and mothers. Lunch came delivered via my Dad who bicycled in the rain, delivering salads from the Ice House at Island House Hotel. Taxis from Mackinac Island Carriage Tours arranged picked up all up to go to get dressed and await meet our photographer. I was able to see my wedding bouquet for the first time. Samantha at St Ignace in Bloom was so helpful, and all my flowers were even more beautiful than I expected.
Our photographer was Sarah Wright of It’s Wonderful Photography. Sarah is amazing. Her attitude was so upbeat and her style was directive without being overbearing. We were given the best gift ever on our wedding day – the gift of beautiful photos and memories captured by these talented Island photographers. Our wedding videographer was Gabi Bowdich, videographer and entertainer on the Island. We loved our video and can’t imagine not having a video to remind us of how perfect our wedding day was.
Speaking of perfection, the rain stopped an hour before our ceremony and Carole and Mission Point made sure we could still be married outside at the gazebo. The wedding carriage picked my Dad and I up and took us to the gazebo. I will never forget the faces of all the people who had come to our wedding and feeling so overwhelmed with love and gratitude. A wonderful family member performed our service, it was so special. The sun came out, and we were pronounced husband and wife.
Gough Livery took us on a wonderful carriage ride through the downtown and to the beach for more photos. Our wedding reception took place at a private facility for members only, the Mackinac Island Yacht Club.
Our wedding cake was by Annie’s Cakes, who is a longtime friend and excellent baker. We enjoyed delicious and adorable fudge favors from Joann’s Fudge. Dancing and dining went quickly, and it was time for us to leave the next day for our honeymoon.
Wedding planning and execution take a lot of time and energy, but there’s not a better place for a wedding than on Mackinac Island. The local vendors are the best! Figuring out transportation for people all over get to Mackinac was made easier by both ferry companies, Shepler’s Ferry and Star Line Ferry, who offered discounts for all of our guests. That also helped them access their information page for transportation and luggage information. We put together a last minute frequently asked questions list that was helpful….and our wedding website linked to the digital version of the official guide book, Inside Mackinac which our guests loved.
If there was anything we would do differently, it might be to not leave the Island so quickly. But we’ll come back again and again. Because when you are married on Mackinac you are given a little slice of the Island that is yours forever.
