For the very last wedding of my season this year, it may have been chilly and a little breezy, but a more pleasant day we couldn't have asked for. It started out with my assistant, Misty, and I meeting with the groom, Ben, and best man to get him ready for the first look before the bride arrived. We had chosen a spot in Rockford (my old stomping grounds!) and were keeping our fingers crossed for there to still be some pretty fall color available. Lucky for us, it was gorgeous! A perfect place for a fall first look. Tina arrived and she looked adorable. Her dress was so cute and totally fit her personality. Since it was so chilly, we got right down to business with photographing!
We spent an hour or so snapping photos around a few locations in Rockford. Everyone was a great sport and Ben and Tina are just a pleasure to work with. They are so perfect together too. I've only met them a few times, but they are so much fun to be around. I knew it was going to be a fun wedding.
Because of the chilly air, they had to hold their ceremony inside at the Bissell Tree House (at the zoo!) instead of out on the deck, but it was such a gorgeous location either way. I had no idea how awesome it would be... just check out the photos, it's an amazing place. Great choice, Ben and Tina! Afterwards, we grabbed just a few cool shots with some more fall foliage and then headed inside to warm up and have a fabulous dinner. Beyond that, the rest of the evening was pretty much dancing the night way. Boy, does their family love to dance! It was a blast spending the day with all these fun people (including my favorite DJ and florist in Grand Rapids!). What a wonderful way to end the 2013 wedding season!
Bride's Dress Designer: Dig For Victory, Brighton, England
Matron/Maid of Honor dresses: Lord & Taylor
Groom's suit: eBay
Flowers: Shelly's Designs Florist, Grand Rapids, MI
Ceremony/Reception: Bissell Treehouse at the John Ball Zoo, Grand Rapids, MI
Flower Girl's Flower: Adorn Flowers
Officiant: Geoff Burkhart
Flower Girl's Flower: Adorn Flowers
Officiant: Geoff Burkhart
DJ: Evermore Entertainment, Grand Rapids, MI
Catering: The Catering Company, Grand Rapids, MI
Squirrel Cake Topper: TLC Ceramics
Squirrel Cake Topper: TLC Ceramics
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| ^The dam at Rockford, looking beautiful in the fall! |
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| ^A flower for his bride... it was for the flower girl but a cute touch for the first look! |
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| ^Waiting patiently! |
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| ^Here comes the bride! |
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| ^I absolutely LOVE their style. Tina's dress is custom made in the UK, and Ben's gray and yellow compliments nicely! |
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| ^LOVE! |
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| ^Shelly did some AWESOME work on Tina's eclectic bouquet. Her work is AMAZING!!!! |
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| ^So bright and colorful! |
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| ^Tina, you are beautiful! |
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| ^One of my favorites, with all the fallen leaves! |
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| ^Haha, funny ;) |
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| ^A great shot by Misty. |
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| ^Really like this one too... okay I'll stop ;) |
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| ^Downtown Rockford has lots of fun, creative places for photos. One of my favorite stops... |
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| ^It's a little breezier in the field! |
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| ^OMG, I'm drooling here! |
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| ^Trying to stay away from the wind. |
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| ^Ahhhh, perfect! |
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| ^Love these two lovebirds! |
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| ^A sweet close-up by Misty! |
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| ^Our handsome leading man for the day :) |
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| ^The tree house is LITERALLY up in the trees! |
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| ^You can just see downtown GR through the trees. |
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| ^Beautiful designs by our bride! |
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| ^Misty thoroughly enjoyed this part of the reception! |
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| ^I went a little overboard with the flower photos but they were so great... nice work, Shelly. |
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| ^This is the way to get to the tree house for the guests, the Funicular. I didn't get to ride it because we had to drive up, but it looks like a cool ride! |
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| ^Tina's niece is so cute! |
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| ^Love these two shots (this and the one previous) the Misty caught! |
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| ^Dinner time! And we needed it! It was very yummy. |
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| ^Time to get the party started! |
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| ^Tina's dad loves to dance, so instead of a formal dance, they rocked it out instead. |
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| ^They are serious about their moves... |
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| ^Pies for dessert! |
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| ^These two are having a blast (and so was I, watching them dance!) |
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| ^Vogue. |
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| ^That dress was MADE to be twirled! |
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| ^Misty snapped this and the next shot on her way out of the party... down the Funicular... I'm jealous! |
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| ^Goodnight, Grand Rapids! |
