August 28, 2020
Something to be thankful for in such a crazy year is love. Despite the uncertainty that has been a huge part of our lives this past 6+ months, people are still loving one another and declaring it to the world. In one of my ONLY unaltered weddings this year (aside from some mask wearing and social distancing), Louis and Hannah said their vows and made it official at the end of August.
Last year, Hannah and Louis headed to the the Hudsonville Fair (where Louis had participated in 4H for many years!) for a fun and bright engagement session. Sadly, this year the fair couldn't take place, however these two helped bring some fun elements of the event into their wedding, including doing the wedding itself on Louis's family farm (also in Hudsonville) where the donkey, Baby, was always present in the background. They also had tons of treats. In addition to their cake and cupcakes (made by the couple!), they also had a cotton candy machine and caramel apples. Yummmmm.
But I'm getting ahead of myself! We started off and Hannah and Louis's home in Grand Rapids for getting ready and their first look. They even made sure to take photos with their three cats (despite the fact that the cats did NOT like that idea)! Afterwards, it was on to GR to get a few iconic city shots. We stopped at a few of the artistic murals in town, Frosty Boy on Plainfield for ice cream, and the Blue Bridge on the Grand River. Marrying their present and some of the past, we also did photos on the farm. I love that we got both urban and country elements in their portraits!
It was a lot of fun working with this wedding party. Many of the members I already knew as Hannah is a younger sister to TWO of my brides from years past. Bethany and Amber both stood up with their younger sister, and so did Bethany's husband, Ryan! Chris, Amber's husband, did a fine job as one of the bartenders at the reception, so he played a great role as well. It is always so much fun spending time with couples you've worked with before, especially when they are a ton of fun as well!
Despite the forecast of rain and storms throughout the day, everything went off without a hitch. Sure, the storms moved in after sunset, but thankfully, we were mostly hanging out under the big backyard tent at that point. Guests enjoyed their treats, dancing, a photo "booth", and a energetic first dance thanks to Louis and Hannah. Overall, it was a great day and I'm glad I got to be a part of another Mokma wedding! They definitely wore me out!
Invitations - DIY by the bride
Florals and Decor - DIY by the bride
Bride's dress - David's Bridal
Venue - Old Tradition Farm (Louis's family's farm), Hudsonville
Caterer - Gita Pita, Grand Rapids
and - Char, Grand Rapids
Desserts - DIY by the bride and groom
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| ^Little sister Emily, helps the bride into her dress! |
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^He's so excited to see his gorgeous bride!
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| ^Angry kitties. |
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| ^Seemed fitting... |
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| ^My second, Jess, got to Frosty Boy before me so she got all the ice cream photos ;) |
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| ^I love it! |
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| ^Such a cute pair. |
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| ^Don't you love a great B&W bridal portrait? |
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| ^Grandpa had to step in and grab a shot too! |
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| ^Farm friend :D |
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| ^Even when you do a first look ahead of time, groom's still get emotional when their bride walks down the aisle! |
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| ^Thankful that Jess was there to get this shot. I was trying to get a requested shot that didn't pan out! |
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| ^The Mokma girls. We get this shot every time we work together. The middle three are my gals! |
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| ^I can confirm that the cupcakes were delicious. |
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| ^The whole dance was pretty much these huge smiles and spinning :D |
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| ^Ryan and Bethany, Amber and Chris |
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| ^When the rain finally came, we used it to our advantage! |
