CHARLEVOIX, Mich. — Stephanie Firmiss and her now fiance Daniel met while attending Michigan State University. While spending some time apart Daniel joined the Marine Corps and when he was stationed out of state, Stephanie decided to go with him.
Knowing the emotional strain that a military life can put not only on those enlisted, but also their family, Daniel wanted to give Stephanie the wedding that every woman would dream of.
When the couple visited Castle Farms in Charlevoix, they both fell in love with it, and when they found out the venue hosts a giveaway for military couples, Daniel decided to try and win it to give Stephanie that wedding she always imagined.
“We are both from Michigan, I am from the outside of Saugatuck…and he is from the outskirts of Detroit,” Stephanie said. “We met at Michigan State so we wanted to come back to Michigan and when we found Castle Farms we knew we wanted to be married there.”
Now stationed in North Carolina, the couple’s families still reside in Michigan.
Any military couple could apply for the Castle Farms Wedding Giveaway. The venue narrowed down the finalist to twelve couples and now it is up to the public to decide who will win their dream wedding.
In their contest submission Daniel wrote “our story isn’t perfect but what I’ve come to realize is that the beauty of life is in the imperfections…the moves are particularly hard on her friendships, family, and career as an elementary school teacher but she has filled the time with substitute work and volunteering. I signed up for these hardships but they didn’t which weighs heavily on my mind.”
All votes must be submitted by February 13 and the venue will announce the winner on Valentine’s Day.
