This was my first trip to Michigan’s Upper Penninsula and it was spectacular. That’s Canada in the background of about half these photos.
Ceremony: Family property on Sugar Island
Reception: Family property on Sugar Island
As we were driving north for this wedding in Traverse City, my wife Kelli was reminding me how Kaitlyn and Zane met by her introduction. Kaitlyn and Kelli have been friends since high-school, and (as the story goes according to Kelli) in their first year together at Michigan State Kelli introduced her to Zane at a party. I believe beer-pong was involved.
A lot has changed since then; Kelli and I met, they all graduated, Zane got his law degree, they moved to Illinois, etc. I could tell that for many people this wedding was a reunion of sorts (as weddings often are) with many friends gathered again since going separate ways after college. It was also in Zane’s hometown of Traverse City, so there was a strong family presence and a wonderful ceremony location at a little beach a short walk from Zane’s grandparent’s house. From there we drove up the Leelenau Penninsula to Willow winery, around Traverse City and Grand Traverse Bay for some photos, and finally ended up at the reception at the Traverse City Country Club.
It was clear everyone had an exceptionally great time, but the thing that stood out most to me was the hospitality of Kaitlyn, Zane, and their families.
On to the photos.
Oh yeah, one little story here. A few hours before the ceremony Kaitlyn’s dad sliced his finger open very badly (trying to catch a falling vase, I think?). He went to the emergency room, but was told the wait would be a few hours. Well, as the father of the bride he couldn’t just miss the ceremony, so he wrapped it up and left the hospital. As it turns out, Zane’s uncle is a doctor and brought his stitching kit along. So after the ceremony and some quick family photos, we went to Zane’s grandparent’s house and the father of the bride got stitched up by the groom’s uncle! That was definitely a first for me, and it’s not unlikely for me to pass out when there are visible layers of flesh, but this was such a moment junkie event that I just had to keep shooting.
Kori and Adam were married yesterday on Sugar Island near Sault Ste. Marie. I’m still up north so their preview on Facebook will be a few days late. This photo is from Friday night, and that’s Canada in the background.
This is a first for me, blogging rehearsal dinner photos. I don’t typically attend rehearsals, but Kaitlyn and Zane had me come up to Traverse City for the whole weekend and it was wonderful being around all their friends and family. They were married on a small beach so they had the rehearsal there, then it was just a short walk to Zane’s grandparent’s house where they had the rehearsal dinner under a tent in their yard. It was so fun, beautiful, and delicious that I decided it was worthy of its own post.
Their wedding is coming up next.
Lots more of Kaitlyn and Zane coming to the blog soon (and as always, the most recent stuff is on Facebook).
