Stefanie: WaNiPa Wedding!

On the weekend of Sept. 8, I traveled with my mom and Granny to my beloved UP for the second time in a month. My cousin Susa had her wedding ceremony on the beach at WaNiPa - and it was beautiful!

We left our house just after lunch on Friday and after a record 3 stops, we arrived at the Nordic Bay Lodge to spend the night. After waking up to hilltop views of Lake Superior, we headed out to the cabins for a midday ceremony.

We walked directly to the beach to white chairs set up on the beach. Behind the chairs, we were surprised to find the groom, Forrest, playing a gorgeous new piano - on the beach!!! The piano was a gift to the bride and groom from the groom's parents, and it took over an hour to get it down to the beach. Eventually, the pastor, Althea (the groom's mother), and Forrest walked down the aisle and "Here Comes the Bride" began to play. We all stood in anticipation, waited, waited some more, and sat again when the music changed. After a few minutes, we were informed that the bride did not have cold feet, but the ring bearer had lost the rings somewhere between the cabins and the top of the dune. Being, in fact, the bride's family dog Elvis, it truly wasn't his fault that the rings had come untied from his doggy tuxedo. The ceremony did go on once the rings were replaced with purple ribbon. The flower girl, Susa's cat, was carried by the maid of honor, and Forrest's brother, Birrion, walked Elvis down the aisle as best man.

(Yes, that is a piano on the beach!)

The ceremony was beautiful, and shortly after the bride and groom was presented as Mr. & Mrs. Stonedahl, the wedding rings were found in the sand on the path. The wedding party took their pictures on the beach, on Presque Isle, and even hiked up Sugarloaf Mountain. The reception was held in Marquette at Upfront & Company.

Me with the Bride & Groom at the reception -

there was a deck overlooking lower harbor...

It was such a perfect day for a beach wedding. We found out later that the day before, there had been 40 mph winds, horrid rain, and waves covering the beach almost to the beach grass! Praise God for great weather!

On Sunday, we were able to spend a little time in town. We went to Messiah Lutheran for church (we were actually early to church - something that never happens when we're up there!), ate pasties at Lawry's, ice cream at Jillbert's, drove around the Island

, and went shopping, of course!

While we were shopping at Touch of Finland, I realized that I really don't own anything Swedish. My mom has a few things, but I don't. And what could be more Swedish than a Dala horse?!? Since there were none at touch of Finland (not surprisingly), we went to Scandinavian Gifts and I found the perfect Dala horse!!! I love it! Plus, it was on sale!