Mackinac Island Grand Hotel Weekend — Northern Michigan

Three nights at the Grand Hotel — 1887, 397 rooms, 660-foot front porch (the longest in the world), no cars on the island, horse-drawn carriages everywhere. The bride's group is in the Geranium Room block on the lake side. Saturday: a horseback ride along the British Landing trail through the Mackinac Island State Park, lavender lemonade on the Grand's porch with a view of the Mackinac Bridge, an afternoon tea in the Parlor at 4pm (jacket required for men, but for the bride it's the dress code excuse to pack the linen). Saturday-night dinner is in the Main Dining Room — five courses, the Grand's resident orchestra, the demi-glace strawberry-and-cream Grand pecan ball for dessert. Sunday: a slow morning on the porch with the Detroit Free Press, a fudge-shop crawl down Main Street, a final carriage ride back to the ferry at Shepler's. Decompression on the ferry deck heading back to St Ignace under the Mackinac Bridge.