Michigan Photographers at the Boatwerks in Holland, Michigan.

Michigan Photographers at the Boatwerks in Holland, Michigan

November 15, 2018

Michigan Photographers, Jamie May Photography at the Boatwerks in Holland, Michigan.

Jenna and Brian

First off, Jenna and Brian are so awesome. I remember the first time we met at Panera Bread for our initial meeting. We immediately clicked and had lots of laughs and good conversation. We then came up with a solid plan for the wedding day photography. One of the first questions people often ask me is…

Do we have an engagement session?

I, personally, am a big fan of the engagement session. For me, I can spend more time and get really creative fun pictures. It also is a great way to get to know the couple and practice for the wedding day. Some people already have their engagement pictures done before booking with me, and that is okay, too! So really the engagement session is totally up to the couple and what they would want the images for. What leads to another good question…

What would I use engagement session pictures for?

I see these pictures used in lots of ways, a few examples:

Save the Dates
Decorations at the Reception
Guest Book in the form of a photo book with lots of extra space
Slide Show

So back to Jenna and Brian’s wedding, they are such a beautiful couple and it would almost be impossible not to take fabulous pictures of these two. It started as a rainy day, but almost always the weather clears and there are some opportunities throughout the day to get outside. Jenna had the salon come to her location and do the hair and makeup.

Hair

I always think it is a good idea to wear the hair up, especially if you getting married in the summer months and have a desire to stop at the beach, it can be very windy there! I have watched to many expensive hairdos go bad because of the weather. In the cooler months, I see less of the hair disasters and think it is safer to style down or up.

Robes

Aren’t they adorable? I hear a lot of the brides say they find them on Etsy.

Flowers

I love eucalyptus in the flowers. When they line them on the reception table, it makes for an amazing aroma through the whole place. Highly recommend! I love her pale pink flowers: peonies, and roses (maybe)… still learning my flower names.

Church

Every church is different and some have very strict rules, that you wouldn’t even think about. This, by far, was one of the most limiting churches we have been too. We had to stand on the opposite side of the sanctuary and no flash, etc… If you hire a novice photographer, they may not even have the equipment to accommodate such restrictions. It is important when choosing your church that you ask them about the rules and make sure you are ok with them. In spite of our limitations, we were still able to get great coverage.

Receiving Line

You have three choices: 1. Dismiss the guest at the ceremony 2. Receiving line 3. Greet all tables at reception. I think all our fine. Receiving line takes the longest. If you dismiss by aisle, people will generally move quicker through the line. And be careful if you are wearing a veil, people hug you and pull your hair over and over again!

In-Betweens

If you didn’t do a first look, make sure you give a good amount of time in between the ceremony and reception to make a stop at another location off-site. If you chose the beach, think about some weather factors and have a back up plan. We live at the beach for photos, so you are in good hands with us. But the beach is the most difficult place to take outdoor pictures, in my experience. We do have amazing back drops in West Michigan and we are so blessed to have the beautiful, Lake Michigan to photograph! It really never gets old, and I get my beach fill and that always makes me happy. Jenna had the cool idea with the Tunnel, and we were at Tunnel Park in Holland, Michigan.

Reception

I loved the venue, the Boatworks. It was the first time I have taken pictures there. I love that all the guest can go outside and have water views. There are lawn games, a bonfire and tables for cocktails and appetizers. Jenna had amazing details at her wedding reception, and our goal is to capture all of them!

Dancing

All I can say is there is nothing that gets people on the dance floor more than a bride and groom dancing along with them. So DANCE! Enjoy your party. Jenna and Brian had amazing dance moves, and I get so happy looking at these photos remembering that evening!

I am so happy for the both of them. There love radiates, and they look so happy together! I am so thankful to have shared in their beautiful day!