Winter wedding in Troy, Michigan

Stephanie and Tess’s February winter wedding was held at the San Marino Club in Troy, Michigan, where Stephanie’s grandmother was an original member. Stephanie, who’s a special education teacher, and Tess, who’s an underwriter, got married on February 17, 2018, and didn’t have a lot of time for photos at the beginning. The two chose to buy a house instead of going on a honeymoon—as they say, adulting at its best.

Stephanie’s favorite memory of the day: “At the San Marino Club there is a staircase that the bride walks down to get to the beginning of the altar. Growing up going to the San Marino Club on a weekly basis, this was a staircase I would run up and down countless times. Running and playing with my sister and cousins. As an adult, I have even walked those same stairs in other family member’s weddings. But on our wedding day, my favorite memory is standing at the top of those very stairs with my dad holding me tight, staring at my wife-to-be down below. She was waiting there for me. I remember copying her breath in-and-out and getting lost in her beauty. I wasn’t able to see anything but her. My dad asked me if I was ready, and I just remember thinking, “Yes, let’s go!” And this time, I could not get down the stairs fast enough.

Tess’s favorite memory of the day: The whole day. Stephanie and I worked so hard organizing our wedding beforehand to have a stress-free day and I think we made it happen. We had the time to really treasure a lot of really special moments with our family and each other. We finally had a chance to relax and just enjoy ourselves at this massive project we had finally completed. The whole day was like that and I loved every minute of it.

Their wedding planning advice for newly engaged couples: Overprepare. The day of your wedding (really the week of) you’ll be busy with family and stressed because its a big day. Just have everything ready to go. Bag everything up so you can bring it to the venue and the setup is easy. Have everything paid for two weeks early, three or more if they will let you. Have someone else (or a car service) pick people up at the airport. Take some days off before you get hitched. Do what you can to stay calm and relaxed, the hardest part is the anticipation—once the day is here its flies by so you’ll want to not be distracted so you can actually enjoy it. And remember the best thing you can invest in are the people who help make your day run smoothly without you. You want to be able to soak it all in that day because in the blink of an eye it’s over.