Real Bride: Lisa Woerner

An outdoor wedding in a garden on an island? Yes, please! Lisa & Patrick had a stunning wedding at a conservatory in a garden on an island in the Detroit river. Lisa's wedding included a beautiful Sophia Tolli wedding gown, a ride on a trolley and a cake handmade with love by her mom!

Your name: Lisa Woerner

Partner’s name: Patrick Woerner

Wedding date: September 26, 2015

City, State: Detroit, MI

Tell us more about you!

How long have you been together? 4 years

How did he propose? (Or how did you propose!) Patrick completely surprised me with the proposal. The last I heard from him about engagement was that he wasn't ready for it yet. I guess that was to throw me off! It was the morning of July 4th (Independence Day), and he woke me up to eat breakfast. He made a big pancake with strawberries and whipped cream on top. I kept asking why he decorated the pancake so much, but didn't really get an answer. Breakfast was as normal in our living room, on the couch/coffee table. At some point I got up to go get something, and when I returned, the ring box was on my plate.

What was your favorite part of the wedding? After the ceremony, we rode around in a trolley with the wedding party for photos. The trolley was quite open (windows were out -- it was warm that day), and when we were cruising around listening to music, people in Detroit were waving and celebrating with us as we passed by.

What went wrong with your wedding? A box containing 2 silk flower arrangements I created somehow went missing (later recovered). And we forgot to sign the marriage license! We did so at about 2:00 am after the reception in the hotel room with our witnesses and officiant.

Did you find any tricks to save you money? I DIY'd a lot. I used silk flowers instead of fresh flowers. We kept the guest list small (100 people).

If you could go back and redo it, would you change anything; and if so, what would you change? I wish I would have researched what kind of photos I wanted taken a little better. I didn't get a shot of our rings, and that would have been nice. Our Photographer was great -- it was my fault for not requesting it. Also, my dress was beautiful, but warm -- after the ceremony, as we arrived at the reception, I got suddenly very sweaty and light-headed. I was probably dehydrated a little bit.

Do you have any advice for new brides? Make a priority list of what is most important to you and your fiance. Then, design your budget around those priorities -- not what others tell you. And a day-of coordinator is great if you can hire one. Also, on the morning of the wedding, I drove about 20

minutes to the salon for makeup all by myself. That personal time to collect myself and just have quiet time was the best idea EVER.

Did you over-plan or under-plan, or was it just right? Just right. I loved planning my wedding.

Did any of your vendors knock your socks off? I loved our reception venue (& food). It was perfect, and I still dream about that wedding dinner to this day! Sindbad's Detroit. My great friend Stefanie provided the chair covers, uplighting, and a photobooth: Posh Parties, LLC

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Did any of your vendors disappoint? Nope

What was one (or more!) special element in your wedding that isn’t in most? We were married outdoors on an island in the Detroit River called Belle Isle. It was at a conservatory in the garden, and it was perfect.

What do you wish you’d spent more on (whether you were able to or not)? I didn't get to talk to a whole table of my parent's friends at the reception. I feel bad about that.

Where do you feel like you could have saved money or overspent? I splurged on my dress, but that was planned, so it wasn't a shock or anything. We also splurged on our DJ because we wanted a very specific ambiance - and I wanted a DJ who actually spun/mixed records live and not played them off of a computer.

How many guests did you invite vs how many RSVP’ed vs how many actually came? Invited 100, 98 came.

Wedding Venue: Sindbad's Detroit

Caterer: Sindbad's Detroit

Photographer: Ramy Photography

Planner: Me

DJ/Band: Rusch Entertainment

Dress Designer: Sophia Tolli

Bridal Salon: Bella Bridal, Bloomfield, MI

Bridesmaids’ Dress Designer: David's Bridal

Bridesmaids’ Salon: David's Bridal

Menswear: President Tuxedo

Officiant: Kristen Meyers (old friend that I convinced to get ordained and marry us)