Grand Haven Golf Club Wedding Photographer

OH man OH man these two are near and dear to my heart. Having been guests at one of MY FAVORITE WEDDINGS OF ALL TIME, the inspiration for my first GIF at a wedding and hands down the most amazing kind hearted people I have ever met, Hannah and Darin are one of the best couples I have ever had the pleasure of knowing.

Getting to know them has been fun, their wedding at Grand Haven Golf Club in Grand Haven, MI was amazing, special thanks to Crystal of Crystal V Photography for helping me out with the ceremony at this one 😀 pleasure to have you my dear.but I will let Hannah tell you more about their wedding day. (anything in parenthesis is my addition).

How you Met / The Love Story:

First met at Leppinks, where we both worked in separate departments but couldn’t seem to stay away from one another. We were always finding excuses to come see each other but kept things very private for about 6 months, so sneaky. We had nothing in common at all, but as time went on we found things to bicker about and find some common conversation. We always said “this was never supposed to happen, we were never supposed to be together. We both felt as though we came from different worlds, I was fresh out of high school and he was the more “mature moody man” haha! somehow, 5 years later, we were still together and more alike than we ever would have thought.

(We had a freaking BLAST at their engagement session, and heading to Leppinks for it was, even more, fun than I would have dreamed).

Venue:

The Grand Haven Golf Club, amazing event coordinator Laura, such a wonderful and beautiful atmosphere. Where we got married was under the pavilion by the putting green, and the reception was in the vintage room, which was just that, very vintage looking thanks to the bright red carpet. Big beautiful windows and door that face the golf course, this location was exactly what we wanted, a place that was woodsy enough for our taste but simple and convenient for our guests. I guess you could say that was what we wanted out of our entire wedding was a simple day that was focused on having fun and not too many other distractions.

Decor:

Simple, all I wanted was simple. The flowers were the main decoration in the reception room and a few small details like some signs and amazing escort cards that my best friend/maid of honor made (Elise) My mistress of ceremony, maid of honor, grandmother and mother all helped get everything in place the day before the wedding at the golf club.

Hannah’s Get Up:

I initially had a dressed picked out from Spring Lake Bridal and when I went to try it on to show some family and friends, of course, they had a new shipment of dresses come in, and I tried one on that I was interested in, that was nothing like what I had originally planned on and fell in love. I thought I wanted nothing fancy,  something very plain, and simple with maybe a small amount of lace, and instead, I got a glamorous, heavy, long beautiful gown, that I don’t regret at all.

The Ceremony:

The ceremony was spectacular. It was a relaxed environment outside, the sun was peeking through the clouds, all of our family and friends were there, some seated, some standing, making it seem very casual, just like we had wanted.

Darin’s Get Up:

A vest and a bow tie, that’s all I asked for, the vest was accepted happily, but the bow tie, my goodness, it was like pulling teeth. All of the groomsmen wore the same thing, but for Darin to stand out we agreed on a vest, and I just think bow ties are so handsome and classy, and he didn’t agree but eventually came around 🙂

{WEDDING}

Music // Reception:

Plain Jane Glory, the best, they played at my brother’s wedding and cousin’s and we could not have our wedding without them, the best dance/foot stomping music, nicest people, sweetest husband and wife duo. They played all of our requested songs from our favorite artists such as Dustin Kensrue, Brian Fallon and Dallas Green, and did a beautiful job, Darin and I both appreciate music so much so it was so special for us to have these two talented musicians do their thang at our shin dig.

Your Photographer (aka: ME!)

So much more than a photographer, Rachel was basically another bridesmaid who took such good care of me as a bride, Darin and I as a couple, she knew when we needed some time to ourselves, she knows the ins and outs of weddings and can answer all the silly questions I thought of, like what leg does the garter go on? and can you bustle my dress pretty please?? She was just wonderful, all the stress and anxiety of the day was gone when we did our first look shoot and it was just the two of us and we were truly able to enjoy one another from that moment on. She’s amazing and was an essential aspect of our wedding day. Thank you so much!

Advice To Couples Planning Their Wedding:

Remember to just take a deep breath often and know that everything will come together perfectly, and keep things simple for yourself and your guests.

Thank you for viewing this Grand Haven wedding gallery. Rachel Kaye is a Grand Haven based photographer who specializes in offbeat weddings that are all about love and family. Now booking 2018 Weddings at Grand Haven Golf Club! If you are a rad couple who is all about love, fun and making awesome photographers. HIT ME UP.

Michigan Backyard Wedding 

Michigan Backyard Wedding in Clio Michigan (SEO stuff SEO stuffffff, I’d like people to find this so SEO stufffff).

Ok, now that that is out of the way, into the good stuff. So much to say about this day. Driving to Clio was seriously beautiful. I was spending the weekend with family and friends about 3 hours away (a direct one road drive away) and reallly enjoyed my drive more than normal. I actually really enjoy driving, a lot. Especially before a wedding day, it helps me get into the zone and get my Rhianna on (slay all day girl…all day) to amp me up.  I went through some of the most rural parts of Michigan ever to get to Aaron’s parents house. The weather was calling for THUNDERSTORMS all freaking evening. Panic mode sets in a bit, but you gotta keep your cool right? I immediatley called my mother, who has special weather powers and explained to her what needed to happen. She worked her magic and we had the BEST pockets of nice weather amongst the storms. The ceremony was held off a little as the meteorologist in attendance (no joke… how convenient?) KNEW it was going to downpour right as the ceremony was set to start. Everything worked out perfectly. I’ll let Allie and Aaron take it from here:

Love Story:

We met through mutual friends at a college party. Most of our love story consists of chill nights with beer & good food 🙂

Location/Decor:

Got married in Aaron’s parents’ backyard. The dance floor was outside and it was awesome! 4 different bars too which make everything better! Because it was a backyard wedding we had to basically do everything. Larry (Aaron’s Dad) built the dance floor and beautiful backdrop behind the head table. Family and friends helped with all the decorations and they all were absolutely beautiful! I was going for a mismatched rustic look 🙂

Groom’s Suit:

Nothing super exciting about Aaron’s suit…got it at JC Penny’s on sale! It was just a miracle that Aaron even wore a suit! (HE LOOKED FREAKING AMAZING)

Bride Dress

Loved the dress when I bought it, but when I saw it again after 6 months realized I wanted to change a lot of it. A family friend did my alterations and basically redid the entire top. She took the “blingy” belt off and used the champagne colored fabric from the bottom of my dress to make a new belt. Wanted to make it a little more simple.

The Ceremony:

Well, we had to delay the ceremony because of a huge storm. Thank god for the maid of honor’s dad who is a meteorologist who saved the day. My cousin was the officiant and it was his first time ever doing it, but it was personal and light hearted exactly how we wanted it. We were married in front of Sherri’s ‘She Shed’ that Larry also built (not for the wedding :))

RRRRUUUUUUUNNNNN!!!!!

Reception/Dancing/Music/Fun:

Dance floor was outside with lots of lights. I was a little nervous people wouldn’t dance outside because it was a little chilly, but it was filled the whole night. Later on in the night we had fireworks, and they were amazing! (pretty bummed I missed out on the FIREWORKS! WHY DIDN’T YA’LL TELL ME?!?!?!)

Advice for Couples Planning Their Wedding:

Outdoor weddings are stressful but SO worth it!!

Your Photographer: Tell us all about them 😉 What you liked or didn’t like. All the deets from the day of:

Rachel, you were amazing! After the delay, we were on a time crunch and you were so efficient getting everything done. You were so light hearted and made everything feel so natural. Thank you so much!! (I GOTCHU guys! this is why we ‘pad’ the schedule, I can hustleeee through things but having extra time planned MAKES it happen! Ya’ll are the best for listening to me and most importantly, TRUSTING me, Thank you so much for including me in your amazing day!!!).

Zachary’s Farm and Red Barn Wedding 

Biz and Pat are seriously life goals. The chillest people I know, with the most wonderful family and friends. THIS DAY was amazing. I will leave it to Biz to tell you all about it, anything in parenthesis are my words:

HOW YOU MET?

Patrick and I locked fancy eyes for each other in the summer of 2012. We were both at the hospital to see our newly born niece- our moms both recalled the sparks a-flying. It’s been a beautiful, real, kind of love ever since. <3 (to note, their family members are married to each other, which is just super cute)

Groom’s Clothing

Pat chose bow ties for himself and for the groomsmen, with a gray three piece suit combo. A real handsome group of men, if you ask me.

Bride’s Clothing

Honestly, this part was really stressful. I did love how the tailor, Angie’s Quick Stitch in Burbank IL made my dress fit like a glove. I have never had a dress tailored to fit my body, it was such a wonderful, flattering, beautiful feeling.

The Venue

Zachary’s Farm and Red Barn in Homer Glen, IL. A rustic, casually cool setting, with a big white tent and red barn. Had there been no rain…. ::sour face::… the outside would have looked extra cool with lights in the trees. I loved that it was partially outside – that was always a goal from the beginning of the engagement. I also loved the setting and atmosphere. People could relax and enjoy conversation at their table with quiet music in the background. Or they could be in the barn getting low with lil’ john and the eastside boys. It was the best of both worlds!! I liked the intimate and squished-to-the-brim-with-people ceremony. I wish i stopped and looked at everyone that was in there!

The Ceremony

My brother in law – who is more like a brother – was the officiant.  He was nervous and fumbled over his words, but I loved it because it kept the atmosphere light and fun. My bridesmaids all put flowers in a vase with a picture of my mom, just as a gentle honoring of her. My beautiful cousin read an Irish proverb that I picked out and nailed it. Pat, Silas, and I mixed sand in a heart shaped vase to symbolize our unity as a family.  The ceremony was short and sweet and perfect. I remember feeling like “that JUST happened.”

The Decor

My wedding coordinator/gal pal Erica Stephens made everything look so lovely. She decorated and organized everything – she truly a one woman show. I was so lost at the beginning and had no clue where to start and felt completely overwhelmed. She said she would help make everything beautiful and she did. She is the one who found the food truck AND barn AND you. Hallelujah! I was really, really happy with how the tables and setup looked. It was a beautiful mess of sage and lavender accents, white flowers, wood rounds, and baby’s breath. I was going for rustic-boho. Before we all walked in to the barn prior to the ceremony, I remember looking around at everything and just soaking it in. It was great. My cousin/bridesmaid made the sign “Elizabeth and Patrick’s wedding”. I loved that too.

Reception / Dancing

Pat and I took choreographed dance lessons to learn our first dance together. The song was “I choose you” by Sara Barielles. I decided that would be our wedding song before we even said we loved each other- it just worked out perfectly that Pat also thought it was the most beautiful song in existence. It was a long, windy road of practicing, but way worth it in the end. We practiced after the rehearsal dinner and kept forgetting steps, so we didn’t feel strong about it. But we really nailed it the day of. I was so impressed with us. haha. I’ve watched it AT LEAST 150 times. Sure, we were nervous and did the steps a little too fast, but it was still imperfectly perfect.

Pete the DJ from Phoenix Audio Entertainment did a great job with the lights and music, and really helped with the coordinating. I feel like music can make or break a wedding – I’m grateful people were dancing and having fun. Dancing is the best part of weddings!

(Pete also literally was the most helpful person ever for me, he helped me find missing people for photos, helped chill me out when the rain just seemed endless and was all around the MOST AMAZING DJ I HAVE EVER WORKED WITH, seriously, he was wonderful and made my day!!).

Advice for Couples Planning Their Wedding

Get a wedding planner to help – my wedding would have been, quite frankly, a shit show if Erica wasn’t in charge. Create a “wedding related” email. That was some of the best advice I received! It helped with organization and did not clutter up my personal email.

Also, I loved my wedding, it was beautiful and fun and the best party we’ve ever been to, etc., but we could have saved a whole lot of pennies and just got married at the courthouse and felt equally as happy to be stuck with each other for forever. I knew that from the beginning, but Pat only realized that AFTER the fact… So future brides/grooms, you do you. Essentially we have a great party in our memories and no money. Is there a classy way to blog that… ? HA.

(YES Biz there is a classy way to blog it, by being REAL and honest <3 just like you two are..gosh I adore you both)

The Photographer

I wish you could have stayed as a guest and hung out with us. I truly love your outlook on photography and candid captures – I’m so excited to see all the photos. I’m grateful Erica found you and you drove down to document our wedding. If Pat and I decide to get married again, you’re our gal.

(awww shucks guys…. I wish I could have stayed too!!! MY FEET, bodddyyy and my brain won’t allow me to chill out after weddings, I am so invested in your day that until the photos are on my computer and safely backed up in numerous locations there is no such thing as chillin out! LOVE YA BOTH and glad I got to dance with you a bit <3)