Michigan Apple Orchard Wedding 

OK This is a REAL. GOOD. ONE. HERE.

I have been putting off blogging it for 2 reasons. ONE: I have a lot of weddings to edit and I don’t want to hold back from delivering them, but I am completely caught up to where I need to be for my deadlines. TWO: I feel like blogging this one gives it some sort of finality, like my part of this day, is done and it to be honest, it makes me a little sad! I enjoyed every second of Amanda and Jeff’s Michigan apple orchard wedding. Highlights, of course, were just hanging with Amanda and Jeff, but also their family and friends. Wholy cow guys. CREW GOALS. Some of the nicest most thoughtful people on the planet in this group. My other favorite parts were getting to hang w/ my rad second shooter Christian, and finally getting to meet some vendor Hero’s I have been admiring for YEARS, Jamie Kirby (Heyday Lab) and Kaci Lee (Damsel Floral), you two are amazing. SERIOUSLY. Hire them.

Welp, I am just getting sappy thinking about how amazing this day was. So I will leave it to Amanda and Jeff to tell you more.

How You Met // The Beginning:

Our wedding day was on the 7 year anniversary of the weekend we met, which happened to be at a music festival in San Francisco. We were volunteering in the wine tent (already a good start because from day one, we knew we had the love of live music, wine and free festival tickets in common). Each of us were covering for friends who couldn’t make their shift, which basically means that fate brought us together. 🙂 Since that first serendipitous festival weekend, our love has grown and brought us through many adventures, including living in San Francisco, Berlin and now Amsterdam (which is our current home and a place very near and dear to our hearts). Although we’ve lived and traveled to many places, both of us have Midwest roots (Michigan & Ohio) so it was important for us to get married close to home and our families.

Location // Venue:

We got hitched and celebrated with BBQ, live music (including a surprise DJ set), homebrew, and pie at Crane’s Orchards in Fennville, MI. We really wanted a relaxed, outdoor venue and Crane’s was perfect. Amanda used to go apple picking in their U-Pick orchards every fall growing up, but we had no idea they allowed weddings until we stumbled across one of Rachel’s blog posts from a wedding a couple years ago. Once we found out that Crane’s also has a vacation rental on the property, we were SOLD! We were wed underneath the walnut trees and celebrated in their wooden pavilions, and were lucky enough to serve their homemade pies, apple cider donuts, and hard cider as well!

Amanda’s Dress:

Because we live abroad, Amanda was on a mission to find and buy her wedding dress over the holidays (for sake of convenience and also so her favorite ladies could help her make a decision in person). Luckily, Spring Sweet (the absolute *sweetest* bridal boutique we visited) is based in her hometown of Holland, Michigan and she found her dream dress there. Not only was the dress her favorite, it was comfortable, fairly priced and we were able to support a local business (the best part!). The designer is Willowby by Watters.

Jeff’s Suit:

Jeff found his suit in Amsterdam at SuitSupply, and they were so helpful with helping him find the perfect style and fit. The main event was his bolo tie though. He found a vendor from Montana (CJ’s Rocks & Gems) who specializes in handmade bolo ties and Jeff ordered them for himself and his groomsmen, which turned out to be a special gift for the guys.

The Decor:

None of this magic would have happened without our amazing wedding planner, Jamie Kirby (Heyday Lab). We thought we were crazy people to plan a wedding from another continent, but Jamie had everything under control and actually made the whole planning process fun. From the very beginning, she helped us focus on what was most important to us, which helped guide our overall themes: personal, natural, and fun. We wanted our wedding to feel like an intimate festival, inclusive of our favorite things and learned traditions. This led us to hire two bands and asking our friend to DJ, catering *delicious* BBQ from Two Scotts BBQ, going for lots of greenery and wildflowers (Kaci from Damsel Floral nailed it), and keeping the material decor light since we were lucky enough to be surrounded by the natural beauty of Crane’s orchards and walnut grove (and the corn fields!).

Another highlight was that the groom, Jeff Brush, is a graphic designer by trade and designed all of the printed material (save-the-dates, invites, programs, menus, etc), signage (designed AND hand-painted) and website for the wedding. He was inspired by the orchard itself, so that drove many of our aesthetic decisions.

The Ceremony:

We wrote our own ceremony with our officiant (one of our dear friends) and our themes revolved around family, adventure and our connection to the earth and our loved ones. Not only was our officiant one of our closest friends, he’s also one of the funniest (pro-tip: ask your funny friend to officiate!) which helped set the tone of our light-hearted ceremony. We mixed family vows with our own personal vows, we each had one of our cousins read a favorite poem and incorporated a Native American wedding vase which was gifted to us by Jeff’s grandmother days before the wedding. All of this created a ceremony that was equal parts sentimental, special, nerve-wracking and funny at the same time.

Post Ceremony Fun:

We had a hayride and it was a HIT! One of our favorite moments of the day was taking a cruise through the orchards with our bridal party. We also had plenty of lawn games scattered throughout the walnut grove.

The Photographers:

Rachel and her second shooter, Christian, were amazing. We absolutely loved Rachel’s style and demeanor and we actually chose our venue AND her because of her Crane’s blog post that we found. Their enthusiasm and energy were infectious, their personalities made us feel calm and comfortable, and they made the whole process FUN! Our only complaint is that they couldn’t stay longer to party with us! 🙂

The Music:

Because we were going for a festival vibe (honoring the day we met / we just really love live music), we decided to have three different live music sets. For our ceremony and cocktail hour, we hired a bluegrass band called Fauxgrass and they were amazing! They created a wonderful setting in the orchard for our special moment and they even followed us down the aisle after we were married which was SO fun! Next up, we had The Cheap Dates for dinner & dancing and they rocked it! They are an awesome two-man cover band out of Kalamazoo, Michigan and they really got our family and friends out of their seats and dancing to our favorites. Finally, a surprise to everyone (including the bride & groom), we had an amazing DJ set by JK Wilson to end the night with a bang. JK is one of Jeff’s best friends and a groomsmen, and we had asked him to play a simple playlist on his iPod… little did we know that he was planning a full DJ set, complete with glow sticks, special lights, and a fog machine, a custom lighted stormtroopers helmet, t-shirts with Jeff & Amanda’s faces printed on them, and amazing music that made the night one to remember.  (I am so freaking sad I didn’t stay longer to witness this magic….GAH!)

The Food & Drinks:

Keeping with the relaxed environment of the wedding, we decided to celebrate with delicious BBQ! We hired Two Scotts BBQ and the food was fingerlickin’ good. Amanda’s favorite was the pimento mac & cheese – yum! For dessert we kept it local and had Crane’s homemade pies and apple cider donuts.

Luckily, we have our very own beer brewer in the family – Jeff’s dad! A Brush celebration is not complete without John Brush’s homebrew beer, so we made sure to have a few of his tasty beers on draft. We also kept it local and had some great West Michigan beers and Crane’s hard cider.

Advice For Planning Your Wedding Day:

From Jeff: First and foremost, prioritize which things you want to be the focus of your wedding. Is it the food? The music? The venue? Creating a clear hierarchy of these things really helped us plan our theme and most of all our budget. It’s also very easy to get caught up in all the madness during your big day. Make sure to step back during some point and make sure to enjoy it. Oh ya, and don’t sweat the small stuff!

From Amanda: Hire a wedding planner!!! Preferably one as talented as Jamie. 🙂 She took the stress out of wedding planning, which made the process relaxed, fun and a time I will fondly remember with Jeff. Since the wedding is only one day, you want to make sure you enjoy the process, before the wedding and especially after. Also, don’t be afraid to make it as personal as you want! The most important thing is that you’re marrying your one true love, and sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the details, traditions or expectations of others (and usually you’re putting this pressure on yourself). Like Jeff said, don’t sweat the small stuff!

Muskegon Country Club Wedding

So pumped to finally share this Muskegon Country Club wedding with you guys. John and Holly have become such wonderful friends of mine (I cannot WAIT to see them again!!!). John and I graduated from High School together and I was so jazzed when he hit me up telling me HE WAS GETTING MARRIED. I KNEW Holly had to be an amazing person and guess what. SHE IS. Both of them are divine together and seem like they have been together FOREVER.  This time I get to share insights from BOTH John and Holly on their wedding day.

John’s Suit:

Holly and I went with my parents to FD Barney’s in Grand Rapids and worked with Bruce (WHO IS THE MAN) on a truly bespoke suit from Italy.  It turned out incredibly well.  Holly presented me with cufflinks as a wedding gift that included sand from the beach on St Thomas USVI where we were engaged, pressed into the face of the cufflinks.  I also wore the “St John Hook” bracelet that Holly and I were given as gifts from my Dad upon our arrival in St John to visit with them after our engagement on St Thomas.  The bracelet is one of my dearest possessions.

Holly’s Dress:

If I could wear my wedding dress every single darn day. I would.

I was so fortunate to have both my mom and John’s mom accompany me to Chicago for a weekend of dress shopping last September. We walked all over the Windy City, but were able to toast over deep dish pizza on the day we found “the one”! The little cap sleeves, buttons, and sweet pleats were just to die for!

In regards to accessories, I wore the pearl necklace that John gifted me on our first anniversary as well as a “St. John Hook” bracelet that I wear nearly every day that was a gift from my father-in-law (if you don’t know the story of the St. John Hook, I encourage you to look it up..). John and I exchanged gifts the night of the rehearsal dinner and I wrapped that pearl necklace around my wrist…It was a perfect addition!

Location // Venue:

After growing up just south of Muskegon in Grand Haven, I somehow never had a true appreciation for how great, honest, and unpretentiously beautiful Muskegon and the surrounding areas are. That all changed when one of my, and now our, dearest and oldest friends invited me to start racing with them at Muskegon Yacht Club. Needless to say, I was hooked, for which I am eternally grateful!

When Holly and I started dating, I, of course, could not wait to share my love the area, and specifically the water with her. Some of our very best memories together were made right here in Muskegon, so it just made sense to marry here as a result. Holly and I have simply spent many a sunny afternoon or snow evening exploring the shoreline and lakes encompassed here. Whether it be sailing with friends, taking the dogs to the beach while searching for the driftwood utilized as a part of our wedding centerpieces, or going for cocktail cruises on the Port City Princess (celebrate good times, come on!). Muskegon always has, and always will, hold a very special place in our hearts.

The Decor:

Honestly, I do not remember much from the moment John proposed except for an incredible sense of peace. As we sat together on the shore of Water Bay, John asked if I would be his best friend for always. We sat for hours watching the sunset, the moon rise, and boats rocking in the harbor. It was bliss. As many know, John and I grew up on the lakeshore just a couple of years apart from one another and yet we did meet until we were well into our careers and living in Grand Rapids. On our first date, we spent hours exchanging stories of “home” – boating, kayaking, sailing, the list went on and on. Today, the list continues to grow with our two dogs in tow.

The driftwood utilized throughout the ceremony and reception was collected throughout our many family outings to the beach this last winter, and the rocks collected from our summer adventures in Suttons Bay. In addition, the tables were designated by some of our most favorite pockets of the world – from the Chicago River to White Bay on Jost Van Dyke.

We hope our guests appreciated our nod to the lakeshore and come to love it just as much as we do!

The Ceremony:

Music has the power to pull at your heartstrings and transport you away. Grandma Leppink, our mothers, and Bridal Party all walked down the aisle to Agnes Obel’s “September Song” played by John’s soon-to-be cousin-in-law, Nicco Pandolfi. Although not the same “September Song” it’s sweet to note that Rich and Gay’s song is of the same name.

John and I chose to walk down the aisle to “Til there was you” at the recommendation of a dear friend. Truly, the lyrics could not be more accurate. You see, the moment I met John, the world took on an entirely new meaning. To this day, I’m not quite sure I fully understand it, but I know I will be forever grateful.

My father greeted us at the end of the aisle as our officiant alongside John’s Best Man, his dad, Rich Cole. And we were touched by a reading from my sister, Kim Reminder. With our mothers and John’s grandmother seated in the front row, we have never been surrounded by more love.

Reception / Dancing / ALL THE FUN: 

Holly is quite the dancer… just ask her to dance in the car for you sometime. A fist pump and head bob is sure to ensue.

Holly and I chose to dance to Queens’ “You’re My Best Friend” because it’s true. I know that there is no one on the face of the planet that knows me more fully, for better or worse, than Holly. She still loves me regardless, and I her. I believe that to be the true definition of love and friendship.

PS. Holly & I had a choreographed dance all set for that evening and bailed at the last minute… There is no reason for stress on your wedding day!

About Your Photographer (AKA ME!):

One of the reasons we chose to work with Rachel was her approach to photography. Few shots were posed. Instead, she documented our day as it genuinely occurred — she captured us laughing, crying, hugging, sharing, and simply “being” together.

We could not be more grateful for Rachel’s true talent and skill. We so look forward to working with her throughout the duration of our life together.

Advice to Couples Planning Their Wedding:

Don’t fret too much about the small things. At the end of the day, you’ll be married and who cares about the ancillary details? -John

Find the few things that matter most to you, and hold true to those details as the rest will fill in around it all. You’ve made the decision to marry one another so long ago… the wedding is just the part that you get to share and celebrate with those that love you most. -Holly

Well now I am crying. These two couldn’t be better for each other and I was SO honored to capture this day for them <3 I MISS THEIR PUPS and am so pumped they are finally settling into their new home together! Can’t wait for the next adventure with these two 😀

Bay Pointe Inn Wedding

Alright guys. This one has taken me awhile to blog, but holy moly it’s a good one. This wedding happend the DAY AFTER one of the biggest storms in West Michigan. I would say about 80% of the areas around me were without power…including…. THE VENUE. Bay Pointe Inn.

I’m pretty sure Lindsay was freaking out, but she was doing a freaking amazing job of not showing it. Thankfully the Bay Pointe Inn is literally AMAZING and had a generator to make sure the hotel kept on running. I was blown away! The entire town w/ out power, but yet we still were gonna get to party. HECK. YES. I will leave the rest of this blog up to Lindsay but seriously, this is probably my favorite wedding this year. A HUGE SHOUT OUT TO Ryan Inman and Cassandra Tietz for being the best second and third shooters of all time.

How You Met:

We bowled on the same bowling league for a couple of years, but were just “bowling friends”. We both stopped bowling on that league and lost touch. One day, I was on my motorcycle at a stoplight and he saw me. He messaged me on Facebook, we met for a drink, and realized we were more than bowling friends;)

Venue:

The Bay Pointe Inn was perfect for us. A friend knew someone that got married there and said her wedding looked awesome. It was the only venue we looked at and we booked it the day we saw it. When you know, you know! We liked the idea of a destination wedding but didn’t want to make it too far where our guests had to fly. I never ever pictured us getting married in a banquet hall…we are very laid back and like to have fun, so we wanted something that allowed us to keep the party going. The night before there was a terrible storm that knocked over trees and homes and left 150,000 people without power, including the hotel. I honestly thought our wedding might get canceled. They jumped right into the action and got generators out there and never missed a beat! We had the boathouse rented for the weekend and that allowed us to have 10 friends stay in the house with us. We made a weekend out of it and hosted a party the night before the wedding and the ceremony and reception were also held there. The day after we rented 4 pontoon boats and about 50 of our friends and family stayed to enjoy the lake with us for the weekend. The Bay Pointe was a dream to work with and you could not ask for a more beautiful setting! We love Gun Lake now and will be returning for many years with our family.

Decor:

The decor was simple and if I had to describe it, I would call it “nautical chic”. The venue was already beautiful, being lakeside and the backdrop was Gun Lake. They already had so much beautiful foliage and flowers, I didn’t want to overdo it. The colors were gold, navy, and blush. I made everything myself and had the help of a few family members and friends along the way, including the day of, to set everything up. So lucky to have a great group of family and friends!

Ryan’s Outfit:

Ryan wore a navy suit that was purchased from Men’s Warehouse and tailored to him. We decided just the vest and tie without the jacket was best since it was July and slightly hot. Every man should have a suit that they feel great in! Ryan doesn’t love to get dressed up, but when the talk of wedding suit/tux came up, he knew right away he wanted to purchase a suit for himself instead of renting. I told him I didn’t mind if he wanted to change into something more comfortable after the pictures, but he stayed in “uniform” all night…I think he liked it!

Lindsay’s Outfit:

I wish there was a cool story about my dress, but it all happened so casually. I stopped into a bridal shop on my lunch break to see how far in advance I would have to start looking. I saw a few dresses I liked on the floor and asked if I could try a few on to get an idea before coming back with family and friends. I fell in love with the first one I put on and walked out with it that day. It was a sample dress, which really just means other people have tried it on. I didn’t want to spend thousands on something I would wear once. It was altered a tiny bit and professionally cleaned. It was an Allure lace A-line gown, with a champagne underlay and keyhole back. I was so comfortable in it and sad I only got to wear it once….except on our anniversary photo shoots which Rachel has suggested over my idea of having another wedding!

The Ceremony:

The ceremony was my absolute favorite part of the day. We wanted it to include not only Ryan and I joining our lives and our children’s lives, but also all of our “people”. We did not have a bridal party, so we had our kids alongside us. I asked my best friend from childhood, Erin Roenna to officiate and lucky for us, she agreed! Erin did such an amazing job of incorporating emotion, humor, and sentiment into the perfect ceremony. I don’t think I could have asked for a better ceremony. We performed a sand ceremony to unite our lives and included Jake and Lia. “These grains of sand are now mixed together and can never be separated.” The other thing we did was a “blessing stone ceremony”. All of our guests were given a river rock to hold during our ceremony. At the end, everyone was asked to make a wish or blessing for our marriage on their rock and we all threw them into the lake at the same time. As Erin explained “The ripples that are made in the water represent the love and good wishes not only for this couple but for all the world. For as our ripples cross and recross one another’s, so our love and good wishes touch and retouch all those around us.” We then exited the ceremony on a pontoon boat!

Reception/Dancing/All the Fun:

The reception was a blast! I don’t think I left the dance floor all night. So many of our friends and family were dancing and having a fun time. Some guests preferred to enjoy the lakeside breeze or take a boat ride. We just wanted everyone to have fun! We served donuts in place of cake and I heard that everyone loved the donuts. They were from Sweetwater’s Donut Mill in Kalamazoo and they were delicious! One of my favorite moments was the father/daughter dance not only with my dad but when Ryan and our daughter danced together and then welcomed all of the fathers and daughters on the dance floor. I also especially loved when all of our “Roll Tide” family (sorry, Rachel!) joined together for Sweet Home Alabama. So many fun memories!

(To note…i studied at Auburn University…WAR. EAGLE. huge rivals 😉 i still love ya’ll)

What about the Photographer?

Rachel was freaking amazing!!!! We have a large family with lots of extensions. She didn’t even punch me when I handed her a list of about 1,283 combinations of family pictures! She not only made sure to get all of those pictures, but she was great about keeping everyone on task and we blew through the pictures so fast! Rachel suggested a first look and I am soooo happy she did! We were able to get some of our nervousness out before the ceremony. It also allowed us to spend so much more time dancing and hanging out with our guests, rather than being pulled away for long periods of time. We spent a year planning our wedding, we wanted to enjoy it, too! Rachel had Sandy and Ryan with her that day and they were equally amazing. On top of being a boss about getting the shots we wanted and wrangling the family, Rachel’s work is beautiful SO talented and we will treasure these pictures forever! Thank you!

Advice for Couples Planning Their Wedding:

So many cliche things come to my mind, but a lot of them are true. Don’t sweat the small stuff..it’s a 6-hour party. Don’t spend millions of dollars on things that don’t really matter in the long run. People don’t care about chair covers, they care about having some food, drinks and getting their dance on. (At least, I do.) Make sure you have a dress that makes you feel pretty, shoes that are comfortable, and a GREAT photographer to capture it all. On the day of, no one except you will notice the things that aren’t “perfect”. Have fun and enjoy having all of your favorite people in one place at one time!

Huge thanks to Lindsay and Ryan and all of their family <3 I miss you all so much and HAVE SO MUCH FUN on your belated honeymoon <3