Wedding at Camp Anna Behrens | Greenvile MI
Ceremony at St Mary’s Catholic Church in Spring Lake MI
Reception without Electricity
Rachel and Jacob are two peas in pod! I first photographed Rachel’s girl scout group many years ago. Then they came to me for their engagement session and finally I had the honor to finish their story.
What an amazing day their wedding ending up being! We had storms roll through the night before and the power was still out the day of the wedding and remained off! Do you think that put a damper on things? Why don’t you read from Rachel herself and see?
Tell us about your venue and why you chose it
Our ceremony took place at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Spring Lake. We chose this because it was really important for us to get married in the Catholic church, and to do so you need to be married in a church in most cases. Our reception was at Camp Anna Berhrens Sherwood Lodge in Greenville. We wanted an outdoorsy feel for the reception without it physically taking place outside because of the unpredictable Michigan Weather. I was also a Scout growing up, and having such a big event of out lives was an amazing tribute to that.
What fun/interesting activities or traditions did you include in your day?
We were both dead set on eating out meal instead of people clanking there dinnerware, so we had a game take place before dinner where people would have to come up to our sweetheart table. The effect was the same, but it gave us a chance to interact with more guests as well!
Tell us about the dress. Why did you love it?
I fell in love with my dress because it made me feel like a princess. It had 3/4 length sleeves that I loved (even for a July wedding). I loved the lace top with the train bottom and where it cut on the waist. I ended up having a sparkly band added to the waist that gave the dress the perfect amount of sparkle.
Was there a theme for the wedding? What was it and why?
There wasn’t really a theme, but our goal was to keep things outdoorsy, but not too rustic.
Any advice for other couples?
Do not sweat the small things or even some of the bigger things. Something is bound to go wrong or not go according to plan, but focus on why you are getting married and the true reason for the special day. The power went out the night before at our venue due to a big rainstorm, our plan for beach front pictures was rained out, but we still had the best day AND amazing pictures.
Tell us about your experience with Brenda Hoffman Photography
Working with Brenda Hoffman Photography was amazing! We did out engagement photos with her too so it was nice to already have a working relationship. She was flexible with all the hiccups of the day, the rule of the church, and the low lighting at the venue. It was a long, hot day and Brenda kept her professionalism. She was able to get amazing shots outdoors, even with all the rain. Our pictures from our engagement session and our wedding day are amazing and capture the feelings between us!
What were your most memorable moments?
The whole day was such a whirlwind it is hard to pick just a few. Our first look was memorable because it got rid of all the little nerved before the ceremony. We had a party bus take the bridal party from the Church to the reception and it was a nice way to unwind with some of our closest friends. Our entrance into the reception was super memorable because when we walked in all our family and friends were smiling and cheering. In addition, we snuck out for some sunset pictures in the woods towards the end of the reception. It was nice to have a few seconds just us and we got some of our favorite pictures from it.
