Erin + Mike Durinsky
Put-In-Bay
Name: Erin Durinsky
Age: 30
Occupation: Teacher
Erin’s three words to describe Mike:
Supportive. Thoughtful. Hilarious.
“I was immediately drawn to his laid-back demeanor and fun and outgoing personality.”
Name: Mike Durinsky
Age: 31
Occupation: Utility Industry
Mike’s three words to describe Erin:
Beautiful. Devoted. Kind.
“I was impressed; she walked into the bar and took a straight-no-chaser shot of whiskey like a champ.”
Mike grew up boating on Lake Erie and when they began dating Erin loved it too. Last July, he popped the question when the couple docked their boat at Oak Point State Park on Put In Bay. Heading back to the shores of Lake Erie for their wedding was a natural fit.
“We wanted our friends and family to experience Lake Erie and see why we love it so much. Dock’s Beach House in Port Clinton worked out perfectly as a wedding venue for our 150 guests. We had our ceremony on the beach and walked just a few steps to the pavilion and deck for our reception—it was all absolutely beautiful!
Dock’s Beach House has its own wedding coordinator, Chassey Turner. We cannot say enough great things about her— She and her team handle everything! She took all of my ideas and turned them into our dream wedding.
DJ Ice Entertainment (out of Port Clinton) was awesome and kept the party going! There was never a shortage of people dancing on the beach.
Mike says that seeing Erin walk down the aisle was “Surreal. After seven years of dating and boating together, it was special to have her walking down the sandy aisle at our favorite lake.”
“I thought I knew exactly what dress I wanted, but I never found the picture in my head on a hanger. When I tried on a dress my friends chose I laughed at how much fabric it had,” says Erin. “Luckily my sister Kristie works in the fashion industry and explained that we could remove layers. As I watched her smooth the skirt down in the mirror, I suddenly burst into tears because the picture I had in my head was coming to life. “
We visit the Catawba Island, Port Clinton, and Lake Erie Islands each summer as we are boaters. We wanted to find a place that would show our guests why we love the area so much and Dock’s Beach House was it! We cannot say enough good things about the whole Dock’s experience. They have an amazing restaurant and bar for guests to hang out at during the day, along with their own beach with Jet Ski rentals.
For photos, the couple chose Luckybird Photography based on their website portfolio. “I feel in love with their photos and they described themselves as laid back, which we are too,” says Erin. “We had a lot of the planning conversations with Lindsay. She was attentive and creative and really kept in mind what we wanted during the picture-taking process. Michelle was the main photographer and she really had an eye for great shots. She captured the scenery we wanted to show off to our friends and family and we love all of our pictures!
Our Aunt Becky helped with the décor!. She is so talented and it was an extremely special gift to have her help to create the wedding of our dreams. I didn’t want anything to take away from the natural beauty of the peaceful lakeside setting, so we chose a neutral color scheme.
I wanted to do something different, and I don’t like cake icing, so we worked with Cakes by Theresa (located on Catawba Island) to create a naked cake. It was her first ever, and she executed it perfectly, decorating it with the flowers and berries.
DaShe’+ Larone McMillian
Name: DaShe’ McMillian
Age: 29
Occupation: Community Health Manager at Gwinnett, Newton, & Rockdale County Health Department
DaShe’s three words to describe Larone:
Affectionate. Giving. Funny.
Her first impression of him:
“He was really cool. I never imagined that we would date and eventually get married.”
Name: Larone McMillian
Age: 28
Occupation: Professional musician
Larone’s three words to describe DaShé:
Gorgeous. Loving. Selfless.
His first impression of her:
“Wow, I really want her.”
Seeing her walk down the aisle was nothing like any emotion I’ve felt,” remembers Larone. “It was as if I was watching a real life angel in the flesh. Once I saw her take the first few steps I started tearing up, even though I told her I wouldn’t cry, I was wrong.”
On Christmas 2015, Larone was supposed to visit for the holidays, but said something last minute came up and he couldn’t make it. I was devastated! On Christmas Day, my parents came over to watch my daughter Kylee open up her gifts and then abruptly said they had to leave. As my daughter was opening her gifts, my brother said that we should go to the basement. All of a sudden, Larone appears on screen: There was a five-minute video of him confessing his love for me. As soon as the video was over, the door opened he was standing there with the ring. I get teary just telling the story. It was just perfect.”
“We chose The Worship Center on Collingwood and Bancroft. Having a traditional wedding in a big, beautiful and historic church was a dream come true. Everything we imagined happened.”
Although DaShe and Larone now live in Georgia, they travelled back to her hometown for their wedding:
“I always said that my husband would have to come to my city when we got married. I am so proud to be from Toledo. We had our rehearsal dinner at my parent’s home. Our mothers came together and made sure we had a full spread of food and we just ate, presented thank you gifts to our bridal party, and relaxed! There is no place like home!”
“The best word to describe our vision for the wedding was royalty. Our colors were navy and gold; both are very strong. When my wedding planner (T. Michelle Events) asked what we wanted for décor, I just told her lots of gold— especially at the reception.”
DeShe’s Tips and Tricks:
- Make sure you hire a coordinator and let the coordinator do their job!
- Have fun throughout the process and try not to get too stressed.
- Do whatever makes you happy. At the end of the day, you are the one that has to reflect back and be able to smile and say “That was the best day of my life!”
