Benefits of planning your first dance at your wedding? Michigan Photographer
By Jamie May Photography: Hello, my name is Jamie and I am a wedding photographer in the West Michigan area. I am going to be talking today about a few topics on this blog post that hopefully will interest you! I am going to cover Haley and Tom’s day, touching on topics such as: Benefits of planning your first dance at your wedding, Color Editing Trends, and how to plan an amazing wedding at MillCreek Wilde Barn, and advice from the bride, Haley , AND COMPLETE VENDOR LIST!!!
A few words from the bride….
How we met:
Proposal:
Ok, my turn…
Wedding Day
MillCreek Wilde is a beautiful place to get married. They have gorgeous grounds and fun details, all over the place. The girls can get ready in this shabby chic cottage that is decorated very cute. It is a tight space, but they did fit all these ladies in there. They have a mirrors and lots of natural light. The boys get ready in a vintage camper, again with some pretty sweet furnishing. I wish I could decorate like that!
We were greeted with warm smiles by the ladies and decided to take pictures of all the dresses outside of the cottage. I loved the barn, so we decided to hang them there. It was nice to have so many helpful hands. We then started to plan for the first look. I am a big fan of the first look, you can read why by clicking here. I love first looks. We try to keep our distance for the most part, but we moved even farther away when they decided to read a letter to each other. After they had a few moments, we went right into photos with the bride and groom.
Benefits of planning your first dance at your wedding?
- I loved that they practiced beforehand. You will see candid pictures of them practicing and in different spaces. I just sat back and let them do their thing and captured some really gorgeous pictures in the meantime. I thought that was a benefit to having a plan because Marie and I were able to photograph some really beautiful images beforehand without them feeling over posed.
- It is very classy. I love when people plan a first dance. I think there is no bigger crowd pleaser at a wedding. Everyone gathers and watches. It is much more exciting then the other.
- It gives you some one on one time together before the wedding, working on a cool project. I would love to learn to dance, and really there is no better time before you have to buy a house, have kids, start a career, or whatever journey is next!
- Does it have to be formal? No, I have seen people just come out and have a goofy routine! That was awesome, too! Bottom line, put a little effort into your first dances. It makes it more memorable.
If you keep scrolling down through the pictures, I will continue with Tom and Haley’s wedding story! There were so many lovely pictures, I had a hard time choosing! So trying to break up the text and pictures.
Wedding Party Pictures
We had a great time with this crowd! They were filled with much joy and laughter. They were up for anything. Haley was a cheerleader for Michigan, so I suggested a pyramid and the guys jumped to it! We were all laughing so hard!!! As you keep scrolling, I have a few pictures that are the same pose with different coloring editing.
Color Editing Trends
Right now there are some color editing trends happening. Personally, I really like it! It gives a moody, subtle tone to the whole picture. I would be cautious of someone giving you all the pictures edited this way, though. I have been doing this so long, I have seen many color trends come and go. If all the images were like this, it could potentially date your pictures. Think back to the black and white photo with the pop a color that was popular, not even that long ago. Now, totally dated. Another thing is it does change the tones of the tuxes and bridesmaids dresses. The color trend worked well for a lot of pictures in this wedding, but I also provided them with the classic, true to color, original. I think that is important.
Color Editing Examples – The new trend of color editing….
Which one do you like better?
Ceremony
Since I had so many pictures already. I am just sharing a few of these so you can get an idea of the whole day. Tom and Haley got married at Trinity Lutheran in St. Joseph.
The bubbles! Love the bubbles!!
A few pictures of MillCreek Wilde Barn
The Details! Stunning!!
The Reception
So let’s just say that it was quite an entrance with the bridal party, even pants splitting!! Haley and Tom went right into speeches. This can be done right away or as food is being served. After dinner, Haley and Tom went into their formal, first dance. They nailed it! It was awesome! I know I was smiling from ear to ear and clicking my camera like crazy, hoping not to miss a shot. I think all that practicing helped beforehand, so I had the timing down. After that they cut their cake. Did you see all the variety of cupcakes!? It was hard to pick one. I will say, I did not try the bacon, but am still very curious to what it tasted like!!!
