Tia and Jim have a unique story of how they first met… on a blind date that ended up going wonderfully right! They bonded instantly, talking long into the night about their children and their views on pets (one was not so fond of dogs, but made the exception for the other’s beloved pet!).
After a weekend away in Charlevoix, Tia came home to a few wonderful gifts from Jim, including an unexpected proposal! Tia immediately thought of Castle Farms when it came to planning their wedding. She and Jim had often driven by The Castle on their trips to Jim’s Lake Charlevoix cottage. The two chose to have their ceremony in the Knight’s Courtyard with reception following in the Knight’s Castle. They were blessed with clear sunny skies and 85° weather when their wedding day came!
A group of amazing vendors came together to help make Tia and Jim’s wedding beautiful and memorable—with floral décor by BLOOM, linen and paper design by Tableau Events, cupcakes from All Cakes All Occasions, and catering by Grey Gables Inn. Pro DJ’s kept the party going, and EC Campbell Photography and Dr Films were both on hand to capture the entire event. Tia and Jim’s decision to use birch candle holders handmade by Tia’s dad added the perfect personal touch to the festivities. With the weather, décor, location, vendors, plus close family and friends combined, Tia and Jim’s wedding day will be one to remember for a lifetime. Read their entire story and see more pictures on their Castle Couple page!
Tia and Jim’s Story
The saying “when you’re least expecting it, it will happen” was a true statement in my case. I gave up looking for my soul mate and decided I was going to let whatever happens happen. A mutual friend of Jim’s and mine set us up on a somewhat blind date, only seeing a picture of each other. At first, in my mind, I was unsure if I wanted to do another blind date due to previously failed ones. I agreed to anyways, because hey, what do I have to lose? We met at Bravo in Lansing for dinner. Both of us were very nervous wondering what one would think of the other. As soon as we met we were both very relieved! We hit it off from the start and had a great night! We both have children from previous relationships and talked a lot about them. Only one thing made me wonder if this would ever work, Jim wasn’t fond of dogs! I have a dog! I proceeded to date him anyways, after many dates he finally met my dog, Mischa! He fell in love! Then I knew for sure he was the one!
The day Jim proposed, I had just got back from having a “girls” weekend with my family and a couple of friends up north, Charlevoix. When I got to Jim’s house he seemed very nervous, but giddy! First, he gave me a box and told me to open it. Inside was a Pandora bracelet and on the bracelet were 3 charms. One was my birthstone, one was his birthstone, and in the middle was one with a heart. After boasting about that for a few minutes, he said, “you know what else I got?” Then he pulled out the ring and asked me to marry him! After a long drive home, that woke me up with lots of excitement! I was so excited and of course said “yes!”
Jim has a cottage on Lake Charlevoix exactly 1 mile from Castle Farms. When Jim and I were dating, we of course spent several weekends at the cottage and everytime drove by the Castle! So, of course, I really wanted to have our wedding there. I finally convinced him to just go and “check” it out. When we did, he fell in love also! We picked the Knights courtyard for our wedding ceremony and the Knights Castle for the reception. Even though the Castle has an inside chapel, I really wanted it outside in the courtyard and was praying for NO RAIN!! All my prayers were answered and it was sunny and 85 degrees with not a cloud in the sky! It was absolutely AMAZING!
Hair and makeup was done by Melinda (Fran Coy, Ann Arbor) and Amy and Kara from Personal Images, Jackson. Jennifer, from Bloom, did an amazing job with the floral arrangements and setting up the birch candle décor that my dad made. Sheila, from Tableau, did all the linen and papery and helped decorate the candy bar! She also did and amazing job! Don and Stacy, from Dr Films did awesome with videography and were very professional! E’lisa and Chris, with EC Campbell photography, put up with Jim and me all day and were very nice and patient! Our minister was Rev. Dr. Bob Hundley, he was great! Hannah from All Cakes All Occasions made tasty cupcakes. Great food, bartending, and service fromGrey Gables catering. The best entertainment from Captain Steve from Pro DJ’s with help from Theodore with the photo booth! We had so many compliments on how beautiful the Castle was for our wedding and Jim and I couldn’t have been more pleased with everything and everyone at Castle Farms! Everyone truly made our wedding a fairytale!
