It’s been cold lately… Like, really cold. So, we’d like to spread some warmth on a brisk November day. You’ll find there’s nothing that warms our hearts better than true love (the kind of love talked about in the Princess Bride). This is a tale of true love, which will take you on a tour of our most recent Trenton Michigan wedding adventure! This latest adventure brought us to a venue that we’ve been wanting to tackle for quite a while (The Chateau on the River), and found us in a familiar surrounding.
Before we dig into the day, I’d like to introduce Sara and Adam. If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if you mixed a firefighter with a former police officer, this might be your result. In getting to know these two, one thing became clear quite quickly: They are a couple that is so obviously and so deeply in love. These two cherish their family, love having fun, and are quite simply fun to be around. From the start, it was clear that these two are our kind of people! She loves his “dad humor” and he loves how she is able to keep him focused (and that she laughs at his jokes). Even better, they love their 2 dogs. Yep… Our kinda people. We loved the time we spent getting to know this awesome duo, and have been looking forward to sharing the images from their big day.
Here’s how it went down…
As with most of our wedding days, the day will start with Jess hanging out with the bride, and myself, with the guys. During this time we get our artistic chops warmed up capturing details, snapping candids of everyone enjoying getting ready, and maybe a more “formal” shot here and there. Typically though, it’s all about keeping our couples happy, stress free, and on-time. Today was no different. Jess was dropped off at the hotel with Sara, and I headed off to meet up with Adam at the Chateau. At our respective locations, we went to work. Jess grabbed all of the ladies details and I enjoyed capturing the guy’s banter and the reception details.
If you’ve been reading along with us recently, you’ll know what big advocates we are of the first look. This wedding included two! The first of which was between Sara and her father. I’ll just say, this was a sweet, touching moment. From here, I’ll let the images speak for themselves.
Next, we headed to our favorite spot in Elizabeth Park, as it was now time for Adam’s first look with Sara. I headed with Adam to “the spot” first, and got him in place. Followed shortly thereafter by Jess & Sara. This moment was easily defined by the simple joy of having a tender moment together. Our first looks are probably our favorite part of the day. It gives our couples time to be themselves without any pretense.
The first look being in the rear-view mirror now, we were able to get the wedding party together and capture some amazing memories of Adam, Sara, and the most important people in their lives. Yes, it was time for the bridal party formals. This part of the day, and the resulting images, is different for everyone. Since every group has a different dynamic, we tend to tailor how we handle each party a little differently. This fun group was a breeze to photograph, and we flew through this part of the day. Looking back, we’re super happy with how these turned out!
Once the bridal party has been “dismissed”, it is time for Jess and I to have some more alone time with our bride and groom. Adam & Sara were regular pros, despite claiming otherwise. We loved our time to create these artistic portraits. Definitely another highlight of our Trenton Wedding Adventure with these two.
With the formal portraits finished, we all made the trek back to the Chateau. Everything being in one smaller area made the day so much more relaxed and afforded us more time to capture memories. As the time of the ceremony approached, we were able to candidly take in the guests arrival, as the biggest moment of the day quickly approached.
Now for the moment we had all been waiting for. The ceremony was now under way. It was a touching affair, highlighted by the officiant (whom you may recognize as the father of the bride), and a very tender moment with Adam’s son. While the very autumn-like temperatures kept the ceremony from edging toward a longer time-frame, every moment was very heart-felt and everyone was relaxed and all smiles! We simply loved having the Detroit River as a backdrop for this Trenton Michigan Wedding!
We always love it when mother nature smiles on our portrait adventures. After the wedding ceremony, the only portraits left to finish up were the family formals. Having a first look prior to the ceremony really freed up some time for Adam & Sara. Instead of trying to squeeze in the formals for the bridal party, bride & groom, and family – all we had to do were these family portraits. This provided everyone a much more serene experience. An added bonus on this day, was the dramatic blue hour skies which we had time to set up and capture perfectly.
All of the “formalities” finished now, it is time for fun, dancing, and general merriment! The reception began, as is customary, with the grand entrances.
Directly after the grand entrance, Sara and Adam had the pleasure of getting a nibble on their awesomely delicious cake. After witnessing some amazing cakes in our day, I think we’d both qualify as cake connoisseurs. This was one, fine, cake!
Following the cake cutting, it was time to enjoy some heartfelt and funny speeches from both the best man and the matron of honor. These stories are always telling. And, show the deep impact and innate connection between the friends and family of the bride and groom. Speeches come in all kinds of different forms. Most including a bit of humor and a lot of insight into the separate lives of both Adam and Sara.
Once the speeches are done, and after dinner was served, it was time to get everyone’s dancing shoes on. First dances with the bride and groom were followed by the bride and her father, and last but not least the groom with his mother. Almost always, these are some of the more touching scenes because of the raw emotion and deep connection between everyone involved. As photographers, we enjoy the challenge of artistically creating images that both convey this emotion and incorporate the reaction of the guests. We couldn’t imagine a more perfect scene that what was witnessed here. Joy, happiness, and love were all on full display.
After the traditional dances and revelry, we were blessed to witness one of the more touching scenes we’ve had the pleasure of documenting. In our long line of wedding adventures, we’ve seen a lot. There’s not much that we have seen which can compare to this moment. Adam, as we mentioned prior, is a firefighter. He was gifted this wedding gift that had such a deep emotional meaning to him and his family. A firefighter’s helmet being passed to him, from someone very influential in Adam’s younger days. These were probably the most meaningful photos that I can recall ever having the honor of capturing. It is moments like these, that make us most appreciate our life as photographers!
As happens sometimes, family and friends will arrive late. In those cases, we are always happy to coordinate some extended family portraits during the reception. This was one such occasion, and these are the results!
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again. No two weddings are alike. Sometimes, we will see the wedding license signed directly after the ceremony. Other days, it won’t happen until after the day has ended. Still other times, it may happen that this formality was taken care of prior to the ceremony. Today, it happened during the reception. We were happy to tell this part of the day’s story, regardless of when it took place!
At this point of the day, not much is left aside from enjoying some music and the great company of friends and family. Here’s a small peek into how it looked.
The last detail we had the pleasure of capturing were the rings. This is our opportunity to employ a bit of still-life artistry. Rings are a very significant symbolism, and are something we always enjoy including in our friend’s wedding gallery.
As for this wedding’s story, we think this is a wrap! Thank you for reading along, and we invite you to wish your congratulations to our newest happy Intriguing Couple!
Below, you’ll find some valuable references which include Sara & Adam’s review of our services, some of the awesome vendors we worked with, and other articles that are helpful in the planning of your dream wedding!
Sara’s Google Review
Helpful Articles:
The Ultimate Guide to Michigan Weddings
The Danger of not Clicking with your Wedding Photographer
Why Wedding Details Can Make or Break Your Wedding Album
29 Items You Can’t Forget on Your Wedding Day – Your Wedding Survival Kit
Awesome Vendors:
Venue: Chateau on the River
Catering: Kosch Catering
Thanks for reading!
Jeff
