May 29, 2014
My first Upper Peninsula wedding was quite the experience. Nate and Kalynn chose to hold their wedding ceremony on the shores of Lake Superior (yes, way up there!) at Grand Marais, as the little northern Michigan town holds a lot of meaning to them as a couple. Since they are from the middle of the Lower Peninsula, about 5 hours away (that's about 6.5 for me!), it wasn't practical to have the whole wedding there, so instead they invited their very closest relatives to celebrate an intimate marriage, including the two of them saying their vows and a family barbeque afterwards. I was in charge of the photography for the day and I had a blast on the beautiful sunny day. My friend, Judi, came with me to keep me company at the wedding (and ended up being in charge of the video camera the whole time too) and we made quite the weekend of it.
When it was time for the ceremony, the whole group of family members went down to the beach. I've NEVER seen one of the Great Lakes quite so still. Though there was still some ice on Lake Superior, even at the end of May, it had moved away from Grand Marais that afternoon, and there wasn't a bit of the usual chilly wind off of the lake. It created a gorgeous glass-like effect on the water that was the perfect backdrop for Nate and Kalynn to say their "I do's". Absolutely perfect! I was so happy to get to be a part of it.
They also held a reception back toward their hometown so the rest of the family and all their friends could attend as well, just a few days later. I also photographed that evening as well, so stay tuned for that next post!
Invitations: Tiffany Green
Dress Shop:
Glass Slipper, West Branch, MI
Dress Designer:
Maggie Sottero
Hair/Make-up: Trisha Graves
Flowers: Debra Niemi and Kasey Graves
Ceremony: public beach in Grand Marais, MI
Accommodations:
Hilltop Cabins and Motel, Grand Marais, MI
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| ^Love this bouquet. Kalynn's mom knows what she's doing! No surprise as she used to run the flower shop in my hometown! |
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| ^The garter on some antlers... since Nate hunts, it seemed perfect! |
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| ^Bri is Kalynn's cute little niece. She did a good job as flower girl. |
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| ^Our very handsome groom before the ceremony. |
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| ^Gorgeous! |
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| ^Starting the beach ceremony. |
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| ^Everyone at the wedding. |
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| ^I lugged my new blue couch ALL THE WAY up to Grand Marais just for these shots ;) |
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| ^What a perfect day for a beach wedding. No wind and lots of sun. |
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| ^Some of my favorites! |
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| ^Sunset on Lake Superior... the rest of the wedding will be in the next post! |
