Colleen Powers & Eli Brown
August 8, 2026
Traverse City, MI
With this one beautiful life, we have been given the extraordinary gift of finding each other. We hope you can join us — in person or in spirit — as we gather with our family and friends to witness our promise of love, partnership, and the life we are so grateful to build together.
How we got here
Like many journeys, ours didn’t begin in the way we expected.
Eli and I both came into this chapter having lived full lives — shaped by love, change, and growth. When we reconnected, we were each in a season of healing and reflection, grateful for the support of close friends and family, and not searching for anything more than peace and stability.
As fate would have it, we found ourselves in the same place one evening at a family dinner. We had known of each other over the years, but something about that moment felt different. When I went to welcome Eli with a hug, I felt a surprising spark — the kind of electricity that makes you pause and wonder. Eli, of course, was completely oblivious… but I walked away feeling like life had quietly shifted.
What started simply and gently as a friendship soon became something deeper. We took our time. We were intentional, honest, and patient, building trust and understanding before anything else. That foundation of friendship has become one of the greatest gifts of our relationship.
Over time, love took root in the most unexpected and beautiful way.
Two years later, we still find ourselves amazed by the partnership we’ve found — one built on respect, laughter, gratitude, and a shared commitment to the life we are creating together.
Our journey, like all meaningful ones, has come with challenges, but also with so much hope. We feel incredibly thankful for the people who have supported us along the way, and we look forward to continuing forward with love, grace, and open hearts.
We can’t wait to celebrate this next chapter with you.
Accommodation Options
Traverse City has a host of options for places to stay: hotels, airbnbs, camping! Here are a few suggestions. We recommend everyone books a place to stay as soon as possible since summer is busy here. Feel free to reach out to Eli or I if you have more questions.
The Hotel Indigo
Set in a brick-and-stone building across the street from the beach and West Grand Traverse Bay. Walking distance to our house and downtown, with a rooftop bar & restaurant.
Pet-friendly
Island View Cottages
Conveniently located a half mile down the bay from downtown Traverse City as well as the coveted Old Mission Peninsula (wineries)
All cabins are located in close proximity to each other as well as our 132’ private beach which sits directly on beautiful West Bay.
Cambria Hotel
Timber Ridge RV & Recreation Resort
Timber Ridge is about 10 miles from our house, at the precipice of Eli’s beloved trails for running, biking and skiing. They have cabin or site rentals during the summer along with a host of other amenities.
The restaurant offers farm-to-table cuisine, where Eli and I have frequented for a low key date night. There's a bar/lounge and a convenience store. Other amenities include an indoor pool, a hot tub and a fitness center, as well as a meeting room and a free airport shuttle.
Airbnb House
Leelenau Pines Campground
This campground offers tent camping sites about 15 miles from our house on beautiful Lake Leelenau.
We pre-reserved a 5 bedroom, 2 bath house on Airbnb for August 6-10 if a group wants to coordinate and commit before July 1. The house has a hot tub and is a short walk/bike ride to our house and 3 miles to downtown. Contact Eli or Colleen to book.
RSVP
Please let us know if you can join us!