Meet Our Summer Intern

We would like to introduce our Sales & Event Intern, Kathryn. She joins us at Stafford’s Hospitality for her first season – we are thrilled to have her on our team! Here’s a bit more about Kathryn.

In the fall, she will be going into her Junior Year at Grand Valley State University. She is pursuing a major in Hospitality and Tourism Managements with a minor in Business and Adventure Tourism. She began college with the idea of being a business major, however, after exploring different areas, she realized interacting and meeting people is something she truly loves and knew hospitality was her path to travel.

Kathryn grew up in Flushing, MI but always loved the feel and hospitality of northern Michigan. After living in Florida and working for Walt Disney World for four months, she knew that northern Michigan was where she wanted to be.

“I am so excited about working at Stafford’s Perry Hotel and am eager to learn all that I can!” Kathryn notes. “Hopefully, after I graduate, Petoskey will be my permanent home address!”

Welcome Kathryn, we are happy to have you!

Wedding Feature: Eric & Tracie

Their Story

Eric is from Plymouth and I am from Alpena. Eric had just moved to Alpena when we met at Bay Athletic Club.

Eric proposed on my 30th birthday at the Renaissance Center in Detroit. The proposal was a total surprise and afterwards, we met our families for dinner at Pegasus in Greektown.

We chose to marry in northern Michigan because we knew we wanted a destination wedding and we wanted it to be in a location that had a weekend of fun activities planned to show off northern Michigan. We really liked the idea of having our guests stay in the rooms at Stafford’s Perry Hotel. A Friday evening wedding allowed for a weekend of family fun with our out-of-town guests.

Details of the Big Day

• Eric and I sat at a “Sweetheart Table” for dinner while the wedding party and their families sat on the mezzanine level in cozy booths.
• We had 160 guests attend – traveling from California, Georgia, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Texas and Wisconsin.
• Eric is a Golf Pro at Rivers Edge Golf Course in Alpena, so a winter wedding was perfect for the both of us.
• We provided personalized and local gift bags for all of our guests staying at Stafford’s Perry Hotel. They included water bottles, truffles, a blank cd with a pre-paid envelope for our guests to take pictures and send back to us and homemade zucchini breads made by my mother.
• Holiday decor at Stafford’s Perry Hotel was the perfect touch to our wedding decorations.
• We both love to ski, so spending Saturday on the ski & tubing hills at Boyne was an added bonus.
• We offered a candy bar with candies in our wedding colors as our party favors.
• Our signature drink was a Pomegranate Spritzer.
• The wedding ceremony took place in the Reycraft Room at Stafford’s Perry Hotel, with Pastor Owen Williams of Alpena, MI.
• Eric and I did a “first look” before the wedding ceremony.
• Following the “first look,” the wedding party went outside to the harbor, Bear River Recreation Area and downtown Petoskey for pictures.
• After the wedding ceremony, Eric and I went outdoors for some sunset and nighttime pictures.
• My teardrop diamond in my wedding ring was the diamond of his mother’s from his dad.
• We hosted a cocktail hour for our guests as the ceremony was for family members only. This allowed everyone to mingle before the reception.

- Story and photos submitted by Tracie G.

Wedding Ingredients
Ceremony Location: Reycraft Room at Stafford’s Perry Hotel
Reception Location: H.O. Rose Dining Room at Stafford’s Perry Hotel
Cake: Cupcakes from Stafford’s Perry Hotel
Flowers: Flower’s from Sky’s the Limit
Centerpieces: Large
Dress: Gitz & Glamour Bridal
Photographer: Cornerstone Photography
DJ: GT Sounds

Best wishes Eric & Tracie from all of us at Stafford’s!

Make Traveling to Your Northern Michigan Wedding a Piece of Cake

Planning a wedding can be stressful. Add travel arrangements on top of that and things can get crazy. Lakeshore Express is here to ease your stress and ensure a pleasant flying experience so you can focus on your big day. 

Our direct flights between Chicago Midway and Pellston Regional Airport provide a convenient travel alternative. In addition to our direct flight that turns your seven hour drive into a one hour flight, we give our customers VIP service. Flying with Lakeshore Express allows you the comfort of flying from private terminals, check in under 3 minutes, first class legroom and free in-flight cocktails and snacks. Let Lakeshore Express remove the hassle of air travel to your wedding. Experience the value, luxury and convenience of flying with us. 

To help make traveling to a wedding a piece of cake, keep these travel tips in mind:

• Make your travel and lodging plans as soon as possible. Planning ahead reduces stress and helps you lock in rates.
• Make sure you pack everything you need to avoid having to purchase items after you arrive.
• If attending a wedding as a guest, find out if there are special rates for lodging/accommodations for the wedding and make sure you book in time to take advantage of the discounted rate. We recommend Stafford’s, with three great locations in northern Michigan, you’ll be conveniently located in and/or next to historic towns, famous landmarks and world renown destinations.

Lakeshore Express Contact Information
CustomerService@LakeshoreExpress.com or 773-251-4414
Web: lakeshoreexpress.com
Facebook: facebook.com/LakeshoreExpress
Twitter: twitter.com/LakeshoreExpres

All information submitted by Lakeshore Express. Interested in being a guest blogger? Contact us at eclub@staffords.com.

Our Favorite Foodie Trends

When planning a wedding, it’s important to look at all elements of your big day, especially the food and drink! After all, you want to impress your guests and we are here to help. Below are a few of our favorite ‘foodie’ trends!

Late Night Snack
After the ceremony, cocktail, dinner and hours of dancing – guests are hungry! Treat them to a late night snack station. At Stafford’s, we offer a great selection of late night snacks including: Slider Station, Coneys Your Way, Hand-Stretched Pizzas, ‘Run For The Border’ (beef taquitos) and ‘One Night in Bangkok’ (Crab rangoons, vegetable spring rolls and Asian chicken wings).

Signature Drinks
Weddings are about celebration – family, friends, food and drinks! Adding a signature drink to your bar allows your personality to shine through. Perhaps it’s a Martini you had on your first date or a favorite beverage the two of you share. Be creative or get inspired by browsing our Pinterest boards.

Michigan Craft Beers & Wines
Having guests from out of state? Treat them to the great beer and wines offered in the mitten! Guests will love having the option to ‘try something new.’ Some of our favorite picks include: Cheboygan Lighthouse Amber Ale (Cheboygan Brewing Co, Cheboygan), Bell’s Oberon (Bell’s Brewery, Kalamazoo), Short’s Brewing Bellaire Brown (Short’s Brewing Co., Bellaire) and Petoskey Brewing North 45 (Petoskey Brewery Co., Petoskey). We also carry a large selection of Michigan Wines.

Decadent Desserts
Traditional wedding cake? Cupcakes? Cake pops? Candy buffet? Mini sweets? The possibilities are endless! Many couples choose to have a small cake for cutting and other various desserts for their guests. After all, not everyone is a cake person!

Edible Favors
We see more and more couples giving an edible wedding favor as opposed to a ‘keepsake’ mug. Some of our favorites include homemade cookies, local fare (jars of jam from American Spoon Foods), fruit that serves as both a place holder and a favor, local chocolates from Kilwin’s and of course a goody bag guests can fill up with treats from a colorful candy buffet!

Looking for more inspiration? View our Pinterest boards. We look forward to sharing more ideas with you in the next few months!

Photo Credits
Late Night Snack Station
Weber Photography

Signature Drinks
Top Left: Weber Photography
Bottom Left: Williamson Photography

Decadent Desserts
Top Left: Harrison Studio
Bottom Left: Weber Photography
Right: Weber Photography

Wedding Feature: Mark and Meredith

Mark & Meredith were married in August at Stafford’s Perry Hotel in Petoskey, MI.

Their Story
We met in high school, and went to the homecoming dance in September of 2000. The day after, Mark asked me to be his girlfriend. 11 years later, Mark proposed on a boat ride out on Lake Charlevoix over Labor Day Weekend.

We chose to marry in northern Michigan for several reasons. My family has had ties to Charlevoix for many generations, and I have been spending summer vacations with my family up north since I was born!  It’s my favorite place on earth, and Mark fell in love with it as well after years of traveling there with us.  We no longer live in Michigan, but since we both met in Michigan, went to high school and college there, and spent many summer vacations there together, we knew we wanted to share our favorite part of Michigan with our friends and family for our wedding day.  We chose Stafford’s Perry Hotel for its unbelievably beautiful view of Lake Michigan.

Details of the Big Day

• Queen Anne’s Lace was incorporated in all of the bouquets because I always remember picking it on the side of the roads in Charlevoix when I was little.
• My mom handmade our favors, they were little packaged note card sets featuring photos of our favorite places in northern Michigan.
• My mom also handmade our place cards, which were little pears that were hand painted and had each person’s name written on paper attached at the top in the shape of a leaf.
• My sister and Maid of Honor, Mackenzie, handmade my garter with pieces of our grandfathers favorite blue sweater sewn into it, he passed away right before we got engaged.  It was the most thoughtful and beautiful gift I’ve ever gotten!
• Mark and I love boating and being on the water, so both of our wedding shoes were Sperry Topsiders!  Marks were black patent leather, and mine were silver sparkle with a bow.

- Story submitted by Meredith F.

Wedding Ingredients
Ceremony & Reception Location: Rose Garden Veranda at Stafford’s Perry Hotel
Dress: The Serafina by Watters and Watters WTOO line
Color Scheme: Black & White
Cake: Sweet Maria’s Confections
Flowers & Centerpieces: Bloom Up North
Photographer: Emily Rae Photography

Best wishes Meredith and Mark,  from all of us at Stafford’s!

Wedding Feature: Becky and Aaron

Becky and Aaron were married in October at Stafford’s Perry Hotel in Petoskey, MI.

Their Story

Separate and together, we have always loved the beauty and serenity of Lake Michigan. Growing up, each of our families would spend many weekends near the lakeshore, AJ’s family in Ludington and Mackinac Island, Becky’s family in Traverse City and Sleeping Bear Dunes. We met sailing, spent many dates out on the water and were engaged on the docks of the Petoskey marina.

Our October wedding was perfect. The leaves on the trees were vibrant and the temperatures were cool and crisp, allowing us to have our ceremony under the conservatory. Our reception took place in the H.O. Rose Dining Room where we could watch the sunset on the beautiful autumn colors and our favorite surroundings, Lake Michigan.

Wedding Ingredients
Ceremony Location: Rose Garden Veranda at Stafford’s Perry Hotel
Reception Location: H.O. Rose Dining Room at Stafford’s Perry Hotel
Cake: Denise Bradley (family friend)
Flowers: Flower’s from Sky’s the Limit
Centerpieces: Made by mother-of-the-bride (Susan) and the bride (Becky)
Photographer: Paul Retherford Wedding Photography

Best wishes Becky and Aaron from all of us at Stafford’s!

A New Spin on Old Traditions

We are finding more and more couples putting new spins on old traditions. Here’s our list of the recent trends we love!

Traditional: Flower Girl & Ring Bearer Scattering Flowers and Holding the Rings
Trendy: Have the ring bearer escort the flower with holding a handmade sign “Here comes the bride.” (top right image)Traditional: Not Seeing Each Other Until The Wedding

Trendy: First Look Photos! Photographers have noted that first look photos are the best and they capture the intimate moment between the bride and groom without distractions. (bottom right image)

Traditional: Receiving Line
Trendy: Host a cocktail hour. With first look photos, the bride and groom have more time between the ceremony and reception to visit with their guests. (bottom left image)

Traditional: Tossing The Bouquet
Trendy: Give the bouquet to a grandmother or the oldest couple attending the wedding.

Traditional: Party Favors
Trendy: Many couples put together a ‘sweets’ table with candy and other confections matching their color schemes. It allows guests to take home a favor or in this case, a goody bag if they would like. (top left image)

Traditional: A One Day Event
Trendy: Make it a wedding weekend. Invite guests for a cook-out or a non-formal dinner followed by post-wedding brunch. They will love feeling a part of your entire weekend. (middle right image)

Are you sticking with old traditions on your wedding day or bringing in something new? We would love to hear from you!

Photo Credits
Top Image: Loon Lake Photography
Top left: Harrison Studio
Bottom left: Paul Retherford Photography
Top right: Pinterest
Middle right: Pinterest
Bottom right: Paul Retherford Photography

For more inspiration, follow us on Pinterest!