Photography by Sam Sarkis Photography | Florals by Katie Wachowiak | Modern Bohemian Decor created by Cassy Rose Events
Kacee Must-Leeb and her husband, Adam Leeb wanted their wedding day to feel like a “black-tie summer camp,” where chic, minimalist details mixed with a natural setting in a celebration of togetherness, connection, and a reflection of the journey that led them to marriage. They decided on Zingerman’s Cornman Farms in Dexter and were married on July 3, 2018.
Kacee is the owner of Citizen Yoga, a company she started in 2013 that now has locations in Royal Oak, Detroit, Birmingham, and Cleveland. Adam is a mechanical engineer and founder of Astrohaus, a product design company. They primarily live in Royal Oak, but also have an apartment in New York, which is where Adam proposed to Kacee during a private salsa dance lesson.
“After the proposal, we went to a bar in the East Village, and we took two hours to ourselves,” Kacee says. “We started talking about our wedding, we drank Old Fashioneds, and we just thought, ‘Wow, this is really special.’ That, to me, was my favorite part of
the engagement.”
They began planning their wedding immediately after the engagement and hired Cassy Anderson, owner and creative director of Cassy Rose Events, as their full-service wedding planner. “In general, the way that our process works is we ask the couple, ‘How do you and your guests want to feel on your wedding day?’ ” Anderson says. “One of the things that Kacee said was she didn’t want it to be a super rustic, whimsical wedding — she wanted this combo of modern and bohemian.”
And that is what they got. Anderson says the day was full of those contrasting elements: modern décor against the venue’s organic beauty and a peaceful ceremony followed by energetic dancing.
They decided on Zingerman’s Cornman Farms for two main reasons: One, from a business perspective, is that Citizen Yoga follows and admires several elements of Zingerman’s business culture. The other reason is that the location was, as Kacee puts it, the “closest farthest place” they could get married, where it felt like a weekend getaway that was accessible for their friends and family. “I really think isolating it into not your normal life was one of the favorite things we did, even if it’s 30 minutes from your house,” Kacee says.
The morning of the wedding, Adam and his group went to brunch while Kacee and her crew began the day with a morning yoga session. “We did yoga, which for me was very self-reflective and calming,” she says. “I’ve done a lot of morning yoga, and I love it because I think time is something you can expand just by being present, and yoga can help people really take in [the moment].”
The two things that were most important to Kacee and Adam on their wedding day were to have a serious ceremony followed by a rowdy dance party. “I would say to couples, pick two things that you really care about,” Kacee says. “If you try to care so much about everything, you’ll make yourself crazy.”
At the ceremony, their 275 guests were asked to place cell phones in bags at the start of the reception to create a moment of true togetherness without the interruption of technology. The couple wrote their own vows, and they observed a Jewish tradition of the seven blessings, asking seven different people from seven different stages of their lives to each read a blessing to them.
“We really wanted people to be present and acknowledge how much spiritual evolution each of us had to go through to get to that exact moment,” Kacee says. “That was awesome that it was quiet and it felt like a vortex of present moments.”
After the ceremony was a cocktail hour where guests could sip on the couple’s signature drinks — “Something Old,” which was a traditional Old Fashioned, and “Something New,” an elderflower spritz.
Inside the dinner tent, cream-colored linens draped tables and chairs with accenting centerpieces of green and white. For dinner, guests had an option of either lightly seasoned roasted salmon or roasted red pepper filet topped with a garbanzo bean assortment.
Following dinner was a full-fledged dance party inside the barn, led by the beat of their DJ and percussionist Jared Sykes. “We chose not to have a band because we wanted international music, as well, “ Kacee says. “That is part of what made it so much fun.”
Their first dance was to “Surefire” by John Legend. “Adam’s only ask for the wedding is that I hire John Legend to sing our first dance,” Kacee says. “And I was like, ‘Dude, I’m not bringing John Legend to our wedding.’ So as a gift to him, I made a John Legend cutout.”
Late-night snacks, including Reuben sandwiches and s’mores, kept the party going. They danced and stomped the night away, and even crowd surfed in a sea of family and friends.
“One of the biggest pieces for us was also honoring the relationships that got us to our marriage,” she says. “It was honoring every friend that I’ve had that talked me into being me and every parent and cousin that promoted our relationship. That was one of the biggest pieces for me, and that was part of why our wedding was so special.”
