I've been lucky enough to know and capture Andrew and Mika for years now! From their first ever pizza themed couples session, to their published proposal story, to their scooter engagement photos, and now their best day yet! Having clients like these who grow with you, understand and value you as an artist, and are willing to lean into all sorts of creative ideas with you, are truly priceless. So when they asked if I would join them on their wedding weekend near Holland, Michigan, it was a resounding "HECK YES" from me!
There are truly so many incredible qualities from Mika and Drew's fall Michigan wedding day to highlight. This wedding photo gallery is chock-full of boho and elegant wedding inspiration. Their color pallet is straight up stunning with pops of terracotta and rusts mixed with the minimal simplicity of blacks and whites. Having the men in navy was such a smart color move and really complimented the fall setting at the historic Felt Manshion. Not a detail was missed under Mika and Drew's outdoor tented reception on the venue's sprawling property. From personalized koozies and cocktails named after their adorable pups, to their memory table with custom scented candle, a spread of locally made pies instead of traditional desserts, to even their vintage and fun photobooth, these wedding reception detail photos are ones you're going to need to see and immediately start saving on your wedding planning Pinterest board!
Mika and Drew made so many unique statements during their wedding day! Mika incorporated turquoise jewelry throughout her attire and her bridesmaids. She had a custom white fringe "Wifey" jacket and even had a custom sweet and sentimental message embroidered on the inside of Andrew's tie. Andrew included pieces of their Kansas City home with his Charlie Hustle socks and flask. The couple included a petal toss at the end of their ceremony, which made for some truly epic photographs, had their pups join them during newlywed portraits, opted for alternative desserts, private vow readings, an all-parent-prayer during their ceremony, and for their guests, the couple organized a late night pizza delivery. Another highlight of inclusion for their guests was the couple hosted a lightening round of guest table photos - ensuring every table of guests at their reception had a photo with the bride and groom! Due to weather, we were able to shoot some night/flash couples photos under the string lights at Felt Mansion instead of traditional sunset photos. And lastly for their grand exit the couple handed out fiber optic wands to for their guests to wave and dance with, ensuring the late night party had its own flare. I love how much personality was planned into Mika and Drew's wedding day, ultimately proving how you can plan to include all the traditions of a full wedding day but totally make it your own.
From a wedding photographers stand point, this Michigan wedding day was outstanding from start to finish. Offering my couples all day photography coverage ensures every moment of their best days is captured. And that couldn't be more evident in Mika and Drew's final gallery or this blog. Another great example that this wedding day highlights, is what is capable with only 1 wedding photographer. This almost 12 hour wedding day was documented to its fullest using only 1 photographer, me! Soon I'll be writing more educational blogs about why a 2nd shooter makes sense for your wedding day and what a tentative timeline would look like depending on how many hours of coverage you're looking at. Comment with any other educational pieces you'd like to see written by yours truly or just stay tuned and follow along on social media so you never miss a post like this!
Vendors Who Made Andrew and Mika's Day Possible:
Photographer - Jill Caren Photo
Videographer - Lindsey Leigh Media
Venue - Felt Mansion
Coordination - 7th on Lincoln Events
Floral - Cass & Jean Flower Co.
Rentals - Fringe Events & Alpine Event Rentals
Tablescape - Events By I Candy
Mikas Dress - Bride KC
Hair and Makeup - Krystle Waivio Hair and Makeup By Elma
Drews Suit - Woodland Tailoring
Rings -
Bride Ring, Shane Company
Bride Band, Philip Voetsch Jewelry by Design
Groom band, Ruback Fine Jewelry
Catering - Adeline Leigh Catering
Dessert - Traverse City Pie Company