This Mediterranean-Inspired Wedding Took Place In a Surprising Location

Cassandra and Heath

The biggest surprise, when Cassandra DeVos met Heath Thorndill during their junior year at Michigan State University, was that their paths hadn't crossed sooner. "We're from the same area [in Grand Rapids, Michigan], we graduated the same year, and our high schools are only 20 minutes away from each other," says Cassandra, an attorney. "The chances of our being at the same party at some point were very high."

And though they became fast friends once acquainted, their relationship didn't take a romantic turn until two years later, during a trip to visit friends in Chicago (where the couple now live), when they found themselves alone at dinner one night. "It was the first time we'd hung out one-on-one, and something clicked," says Heath, a construction manager, who realized he'd met his match in Cassandra. "She's gorgeous and tons of fun, and she laughs at the inappropriate things I say."

They discovered a mutual love of travel, and their six-year courtship included trips to Italy's Amalfi Coast and Kyoto, Japan, leading up to their 2014 engagement, which began when Heath proposed on a boat off the coast of Fiji.

Upon landing stateside, they launched into wedding planning right away: "The first thing we did was get started on the dress," says Cassandra, whose mother, Pamella DeVos, is president and designer of the fashion label Pamella Roland. "We flew to her showroom in New York and ordered lace from Paris." For the bride's "something blue," Pamella stitched a piece of pale-blue fabric embroidered with Cassandra's late grandmother's name onto the inside of her gown, and Cassandra also carried a ribbon made from her mother's wedding dress in her bouquet.

On September 19, 2015, the couple exchanged vows in front of 400 guests at the First (Park) Congregational Church in Grand Rapids, the same church where both Cassandra's parents and paternal grandparents had been married. The reception was held nearby at her parents' Mediterranean-style home, where event designer David Stark crafted a spectacular celebration that transported guests to three very different, very meaningful destinations: First, signature cocktails were sipped amid décor evoking Michigan in the fall, including apple branches and hanging lanterns.

For dinner, guests traveled to Italy in a tent bedecked with lemon, olive, juniper, and cypress trees, as well as other garden details in the style of the couple's favorite restaurant, Da Paolino, located on the island of Capri. The final experience was a show stopping dance space featuring a faux-cobblestone floor and an elaborate Greek-village set modeled after Santorini, the island where the newlyweds would be honeymooning later in the week. As guests danced into the wee hours of the morning, a simulated sun faded into the Santorini backdrop, signaling the end of their reception and the start of the couple's next adventure.

WATCH CASSANDRA AND HEATH'S WEDDING VIDEO

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The Stationery Suite

Stationer Connor

worked with the couple to create a custom monogram (in three metallic tones) that appeared on their engraved, gold-foil-edged invitation suite.

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The Welcome Boxes

Made-in-Michigan-themed welcome boxes included some of the couple's local favorites, like Grand Rapids Popcorn; apples from a nearby farm; "relax and recover" kits that included rosebud salve, mints, and tissues; and necessities like Voss water and a do-not-disturb sign for hotel doorknobs. And for a cute—and tasty—touch: cookies in the likenesses of their two pups, Jack and Bella, made by the pastry chefs at Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, where the couple hosted brunch the day after the wedding.

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The Fashions

Cassandra's Pamella Roland gown featured a six-foot train and French Alençon lace; Heath chose a tux by Isaia.

"I was blown away when I saw her. She looked gorgeous, and all I could think about was marrying my beautiful best friend," Heath says of watching Cassandra walk down the aisle.

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An All-White Bouquet

The bride's bouquet (made by David Stark) was composed of garden roses, dinner-plate dahlias, miniature ball dahlias, sweet autumn clematis, ranunculus, and campanula blooms.

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Something Blue

cass heath wedding dress label — Aaron Delesie

"My nana died in 2014. I was really close with her, and before she passed, Heath asked her if he could marry me. For my something blue, my mom took one of my nana's nightgowns that was blue, and she had her name stitched into it—and then stitched into my dress," says Cassandra.

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Setting the Scene

Cassandra's desire for all-white flowers and lots of greenery informed the color palette.

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Gals in Green

In keeping with the green-and-white color palette, the bride's mother suggested that the eight bridesmaids—who included Cassandra's sister, her cousin, and friends from high school, college, and law school—wear an emerald hue. "I'm not a huge color person, and I actually got a lot of mixed feedback about green bridesmaid dresses," says Cassandra. "By the time the wedding happened, everyone loved them. I almost changed my mind, but my mom said to stick with it. I should have known she'd be right." Cassandra and her bridesmaids all wore custom Pamella Roland gowns.

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A Moment with Mom

Pamella stole a moment with her daughter before the ceremony.

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The Ceremony

cass heath wedding michigan church — Aaron Delesie

The ceremony took place at the First (Park) Congregational Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan—Cassandra's family church. Staying true to the bride's love for green and white arrangements, event designer David Stark used florals that fit the bill: giant dahlias, Dutch hydrangea, California garden roses, Dutch snowberry, and cascading dendrobium from Hawaii, to name a few.

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In Loving Memory

cass heath wedding bible — Aaron Delesie

"My Nana (my mother's mom) and I were extremely close. She lived with us for some time and before then lived only a mile down the street—she was a large part of my upbringing. In March 2014, two months before Heath proposed, she passed away. Heath had already bought my engagement ring so he was able to have a conversation with her before she died, asking for her permission to marry me. So she died knowing that I was going to live a happy live with Heath. She loved Heath—they had a very special relationship."

"My brother, Cole, walked this bible down the aisle after he sat my parents and paternal grandparents. It was my Nana's bible that we read to her every day from the time she was diagnosed with ALS until the day she passed," Cassandra notes. It was set right next to the bride's parents in the front row. Cassandra wanted to be able to look and see it there to know that her Nana was watching on the big day.

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A Secret Mission

The bride's brother, Cole, also secretly tied cans to the getaway car, a Rolls-Royce Ghost.

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A Monogrammed Cocktail

The signature cocktail, created by the Grand Bevy, was finished with the couple's three-toned monogram stenciled in cinnamon, ground espresso beans, and edible gold. It tasted as good as it looked—thanks to the combination of vodka, Lillet, cucumber, basil, ginger honey, and lemon.

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Party Time

The pair kicked off the reception with a Champagne tower.

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Other Specialty Drinks

cass heath wedding cocktails — Aaron Delesie

The Grand Bevy served a selection of artisan libations, including the "Mykonos" (vodka, ouzo, thyme-infused honey, lemon, and Prosecco) and the "Landshark" (bourbon, black Assam tea, peach-vanilla reduction, lemon, and mint), which was named after the couple's favorite college bar. There were themed bars as well, providing bountiful beverage options, like assorted edible cocktails, a microbrew station, and an adult-milkshake bar.

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Cocktail Hour Décor

cass heath wedding lanterns — Aaron Delesie

Guests mingle under hanging lanterns during the cocktail hour, the first part of the reception designed to feel like fall in Michigan.

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Autumnal Escort Cards

Calligraphed place cards were nestled in a bin of more than 500 apples from a nearby farm.

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A Globally-Inspired Reception

The dining-tent décor was inspired by that of one of the couple's favorite restaurants on Capri.

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Greenery for Days

cass heath wedding topiaries — Aaron Delesie

Topiaries and cypress trees helped transport guests to an Italian atmosphere during dinner.

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A Custom Guest Book

Friends and family wrote notes to the couple in an embroidered guest book. The pair's monogram was embroidered in metallic thread by The Loveliest, and then bound into a custom book by Judith Ivry Bookbinding.

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That's Entertainment

A band performed jazz standards during dinner.

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Making a Mark

The band performed against a backdrop created from 152 potted ivy plants and featuring the couple's monogram.

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An Elegant, All-White Cake

The five-tiered chocolate wedding cake's fondant-lattice detailing mirrored the dining tent's elegant garden theme.

"I surprised Heath with a Funfetti groom's cake," says Cassandra. He played rugby in college, so the outside of the cake was [designed to look like] a Michigan State rugby ball. He loved it!"

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A Hint of Honeymoon

Before jetting off on their two-week honeymoon in Greece, Cassandra and Heath brought their guests along to a Santorini-inspired space set up for an all-night dance party, complete with a custom cobblestone-esque dance floor. The village backdrop for the Greek isles-inspired dance space featured 1,200 backlit "windows."

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Dancing All Night

cass heath wedding dance — Aaron Delesie

When the second confetti cannon went off around 2 a.m., Heath and Cassandra were still dancing. "I actually really wanted to have fireworks, but because of all of the surrounding woods and the home, it wasn't possible. So, David came up with the brilliant idea of confetti blasts! We ended up having two and they were a highlight of the night," says Cassandra, who changed into a second dress, also designed by her mother, for dancing.

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