Good is in the Details

As you likely read, I was at a wedding of two close friends this past weekend.

Brett and I made the drive all the way north to Mackinac Island, and settled in (way back in time) to the slower pace of things to enjoy the celebrations. We walked, held hands, ate fudge, rode beach cruiser bikes, laughed at the horses (and avoided their poop!), dipped our toes in the chilly lake, admired the scenery, took photos of the Mackinac Bridge, ate wonderful food and met new people.

The wedding weekend was one of great joy, happiness and a real cause for celebration. As the bride put it in her thank you toast, it was a "fairy tale wedding" and that goes for the guests, too. The view from The Grand Hotel's veranda proved that there is a God, and he may have a partiality for northern Michigan.

But what may have struck me the most about our weekend, and the wedding in specific, was the details. Everyone knows that it is the little things that often make the most lasting impressions, and I must admit that this held true for us in our experience.

The families of the bride and groom had thought of everything. At the groom's dinner the night before the wedding, each guest took home a custom-made, personalized CD of the couple's favorite songs, tied with a purple raffia bow with a little silver charm that says "to love and cherish."

The hotel distributed one of the nicest gift bags, courtesy of the bride and her family, I've ever received at a destination wedding. It held the basic snacks and sweets and a set of travel sized toiletries and slippers for each of us. Slippers! How luxurious.

The canvas tote bag and a pair of monogrammed plastic glasses featured the wedding "logo." As a specialist in branding, it was a pleasure to note that the "brand" for the wedding was carried out consistently, and integrated across all medium. Including the multi-page "magazine" that the bride put together that highlighted fun things to do on the Island, dinner/lunch recommendations and a story of the couple—how they'd met, the proposal, and why they chose Mackinac Island for the setting of their big day. It was a lot of work, clearly, but it is these types of details that make a guest feel welcomed.

I was given a stunning bouquet of fuschia roses with green decorations as a thank-you for participating in the ceremony as a reader. The reading, which I published last week, brought many in the church to tears, and the bride's proud smile up at me from the altar while I pronounced each word with care, was worth all the nerves I had that day.

The guests rang little white cowbells, after basking in the mid-day sun with a flute of sparkling pink lemonade, to usher the newlyweds into their carriage.

Gifts, little things and thoughtful touches didn't stop there.

The reception tables were identified with art from a local artist each with a specific Island scene—the fort, the bridge, the Grand Hotel, etc.—and each guest was given a mini-version to match with their table. Each place setting boasted a Lenox silver butler's tray and a silk fan for the heat. When we departed the reception, each guest was handed a bag with the wedding logo in order to cart out the goodies, which now included a ribbon-tied box of J&J candies and cigars for the men. So local, so thoughtful and so fun.

Saturday night's cocktail party was a "make your own" ice cream sundae bar, and the favor that evening (as if we needed any more gifts!) was a sterling silver ice cream scooper. How delicious!

The long and short of it is this—the details truly impressed upon the guests that the families had considered our every need, want and desire—and were thrilled to honor us with the thoughtful little things. These touches may not be the things I remember in 20 years and I think back to the wedding, but they made an impact.

The little things I will likely remember are many...

I will remember the rays of sun alighting on the bride's sparkling pearls as she grinned her signature ear-to-ear smile and shifted her veil from her face.

I will remember the delightful breeze on the veranda as it graced the tables of friends and family, tousling the ladies' summer dresses and lifting the men's silk ties.

I will remember their first dance—slow, easy and deliberate—accompanied by a friend playing "Your Song" on the piano.

I will remember the choked up, heartfelt toast of love and gratitude that the bride's sister gave to a teary crowd.

I will remember the way Brett looked in his suit—shiny, proud and handsome—and the way it felt to walk through the weekend with him on my arm.

I will remember the way the groom looked down at his bride, and grinned, as if he knew a secret that we weren't in on, and wasn't going to share.

Good is in those types of details.