Beautiful November 5, 2011 Wedding at the Perry Hotel in Petoskey, Michigan on Lake Michigan shoreline by Paul Retherford Wedding Photography.

After a day of driving rain and dark skies the clouds parted and the sun shined down on the Wedding of Katy and Simon.  It makes a bride a bit anxious doing the rehearsal in raincoats and under umbrellas.  Katy and Simon have a very creative and artistic family and group of friends.  Each one played a roll in putting their mark on a day that began five years earlier at a friend’s Wedding.  See and listen to the Engagement story and Engagement images that I captured earlier this year where Simon and Katy talk about how they met and how they were Engaged:

Katy and the ladies started the Wedding day early in the morning at La Dolce Vita Salon in downtown Petoskey, Michigan.  If you are looking for a big city salon in small town Petoskey look no further.  Very modern and unique.  Katy’s hair was amazing!

The beautiful head piece that Katy wore was hand made by her sister Rebecca.  Katy looked stunning in the simple, yet elegant, Wedding veil.

The Wedding rings were custom designed by Richard Grinstein in Birmingham, Michigan.  Both Katy and Simon were having a hard time locating their perfect rings until they had a nice walk in downtown Birmingham, Michigan and these rings that were made from one piece of metal and replicate a blade of grass caught their eyes.

The Wedding ceremony location was outdoors on Pickerel Lake in Alanson, Michigan.

It was a beautiful day and Katy dressed in the room overlooking her ceremony location.

I created a time lapse Wedding Ceremony video which shows from the beginning of chair setup until we are finished with the images in the yard.

The Wedding was Jewish and it had all the traditional Jewish events and some modernized events too.  The bride and groom decided to see each other on the side of the house prior to signing the Katuba.

Dad sees his daughter for the first time in her Wedding gown.

The signing of the Katuba and celebration after the signing with family and Rabbi Steven.

The veiling of the bride, Badeken, just prior to walking down the Wedding isle.  The veil and head piece were hand made by Katy’s sister Rebecca.

The Chuppah was carried by the brothers down the isle and then held up during the Wedding ceremony.  The Chuppah was designed and hand made by the mothers of the bride and groom.

Here are some images from the Wedding processional.

Wedding Ceremony includes circling seven times, vows, ring ceremony, readings by the Wedding party, drinking from the cup, blessing, breaking the glass,  and the first kiss.

Katy’s brother was brought to tears by her Wedding vows to Simon.

The breaking of the glass.

The String Band for the Wedding Ceremony was Peace Meal String Band from the area.  You can find Scott and John Richey at their Wedding String Band website.

Detail images of the bride and groom’s day.

Bussing by Johnson’s Bussing.

Beautiful “Just Married” hand painted parasol by Ashley Becker of Bridal Baby Boutique.

Wedding Reception introductions by the Sun Messengers Band

The Wedding Party was introduced just like the Detroit Pistons by the voice of the Detroit Pistons introductions, Rick “The Duke” Steiger.

The Bride and Groom enter the Wedding Ceremony with style.

After a team circle dance with the Wedding party the Hora begins, played by the fabulous Sun Messengers Band.

The Chair dance.

The Wedding couple sat in the chairs and family and friends did individual dances for them.

After more than 1/2 hour of high energy dancing the family and friends sat for a welcome and thank you from the father of the bride, then salads, and the cutting of the Challah with the two dads.

The first dance at the Perry Hotel outdoor Wedding location in Petoskey, Michigan along Lake Michigan.

All of the family and friends danced the night away!  The Sun Messengers band did an awesome job and their collection of instruments created a high energy atmosphere with tons of dancing and lots of slow dancing too.  They were a pleasure to work with and their music spanned all the generations involved.

MerryMakers Wedding Planning with owner Kris Rundblad did a perfect job on planning, setup, coordinating, and the overall flow of the day.

Wedding Photobooth Photo Station available for your Wedding with Paul Retherford Wedding Photography

My Wedding Collections can include a fun Photo Station or Photobooth for your Wedding where guests can create images and get and instant print or party favor to take home.  This print is personalized for your Wedding day with your names, date, and Wedding location.  It is a beautiful sub dye 4×6 print worthy of framing.  You can see a collection of images from the Photo Station in the video below.

View the entire Wedding day in this complete Wedding fusion video including images, audio, and video clips

Paul Retherford Wedding Photography is available anywhere in the World for your Wedding and Events!

Erin and Marc invited their friends from the Detroit area to join them on Mackinac Island for a destination Wedding in Northern Michigan.  It was a perfect day to get married at Trinity Episcopal Church with the Wedding reception at Mission Point Resort. Check out the Fusion Wedding Photography video by Mackinac Island Wedding Photographer Paul Retherford.

Fusion Wedding Photography in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan at The Iroquois Club next to The Moose Preserve.  Liz and Dustin had there Wedding Ceremony and Wedding Reception all at The Iroquois Club.  It is a fabulous Wedding location in Southern Michigan near Birmingham.  Check out the Fusion Wedding Photography by Paul Retherford Wedding Photography.

Wedding Photography intimate event at private residence in East Lansing Michigan by Michigan Photographer Paul Retherford Wedding Photography.

 

The Inn at Stonecliffe on Mackinac Island, Michigan is fabulous for your Wedding location.  Check it out for the perfect outdoor Wedding in Northern Michigan.

 

 

Mackinac Island Wedding Photography The Inn at Stonecliffe

Check out this beautiful Mackinac Island, Michigan Wedding at the Inn at Stoncliffe.  Wedding video complete with digital images, audio, and video clips.  Enjoy!

If you are looking for an outdoor Wedding at a rustic lodge look no further than Presque Isle Lodge in Northeast Michigan. Check out this beautiful Fusion Wedding Photography which includes digital images, audio clips of vows and speeches, and video clips from the day.  Stephanie and Ryan are beautiful and they make a perfect couple.  This was a destination Wedding for the couple who live downstate and brought 80 family and friends to celebrate.

Presque Isle Lodge Wedding Photographer

Mission Point Resort gazebo Wedding outdoor location on the lawn on Mackinac Island, Michigan with horse drawn carriage by Gough carriages.

Mackinac Island Wedding Photographer

Wedding Photography in Northern Michigan and Upper Michigan by Paul Retherford Wedding Photography capturing Wedding in Escanaba, Michigan.  Check out this beautiful Wedding Fusion Photography Video that includes digital images, audio of the bride and groom’s day, and video clips.  Enjoy!

Michigan Destination Wedding Photographer

May in Michigan is a beautiful time of year.  Add a Wedding day at Bay Harbor, Michigan and you get spectacular.  Then place Stephanie and Ed, the bride and groom, sprinkle in Wedding Colors of Eggplant and Gold, and you get perfection.

Bay Harbor, Michigan lies about a mile south of Petoskey, Michigan and is located right on Lake Michigan.  There are three locations for Weddings at Bay Harbor now and all of them are fabulous.  Bay Harbor has everything that you need to host your Wedding.  Their staff is impeccable too.

Since the warm weather had not been around for long, Lake Michigan was very cold and fog was forming because of the difference in temperature from Lake Michigan to land.  It was at times fairy-tale and other times overwhelmingly cool.  We had a nice variety of weather throughout the day with mother nature breaking up the fog and giving us a beautiful show of a sunset.

The day began early in the morning at The Spa at the Inn at Bay Harbor with the Bride and her Wedding party.  They were all waking up while getting their hair and makeup done.

Contact The Spa at The Inn at Bay Harbor at:

The Groom was getting ready around the same time in a fantastic room at The Inn at Bay Harbor.

The bride brought her own makeup artist, Tiffany, from Flip Salon Inc in Ferndale, Michigan.  Contact Flip and Tiffany at 248.544.1400.  Tiffany will travel anywhere in Michigan including Bay Harbor, Michigan and loves designing and teaching Make Up artistry.  You can like her on Facebook at Tiffany Elie Make Up Artistry.

The Wedding took place in East Jordan at St. Joseph Catholic Church.  A beautiful Wedding ceremony location.

A post Wedding image in the isle of St. Joseph Church.  This just screams love.

The bride’s flower bouquet from Flowers by Nature’s Garden looked at pretty as it smelled.

Contact Mary at Nature’s Garden at:

The bride were introduced to the Wedding reception at Bay Harbor Golf Club by DJ Delicious, Todd Dumas.

The cake cutting was right after introductions of Stephanie and Ed to the Bay Harbor Wedding reception.  Thank you to Galley Gourmet cake design.

Contact Galley Gourmet Cake designer at Bay Harbor 231.439.2665

Then delicious and pretty dinner.

The Photo Fun Station was a hit again with so many unique images.  People always open up to the Photo Station and the bride gets all of the fun images, while the friends get a beautiful print instantly like this.  See more images on the bride and groom’s Wedding website at Bay Harbor Wedding.

Dj Delicious rocked the dance floor at Bay Harbor Country Club.

You can’t beat the sunset from the deck or the fairway at Bay Harbor Golf Club.

Fun is mandatory at my Weddings.  After the day has passed and all the stress is gone it is time to party.

Every Wedding I do Fusion Wedding Photography where I capture digital images, audio, and video and put it together in a beautiful and emotional Wedding day slideshow.  This Bay Harbor, Michigan Wedding slideshow incorporates words from the bride, vows, speeches, video, and much more.  Be sure to visit my Northern Michigan Wedding Photography and friend me on Facebook at my Wedding Photography Page.

Amanda and Matt were in town for the weekend to do some planning for their Summer Wedding later this year.  We met on a cold and windy day along Lake Michigan in Petoskey and quickly made our way to downtown Petoskey to capture some Engagement Photography.  Amanda and Matt are naturally photogenic, contrary to their beliefs.  They are a beautiful couple and you can feel their love for each other.  We made quick work of the session since the wind was blowing so hard and non of us were dressed for the weather.  In the 30 minutes of shooting we made our way around downtown Petoskey and captured a beautiful selection of images, mostly out of the wind.:-)

Here are a few images from Amanda and Matt’s Engagement Photography Session and a fusion slideshow of them at the end.  You can also see their Wedding website at Amanda and Matt’s upcoming Summer Wedding.

This is the second time that I have captured this family at their lake home in Southern Michigan.  They have recently added a new girl to the family and wanted to get the whole gang in some nice images for their wall.  We spent a nice amount of time hanging out and capturing beautiful images.  Here are a few images that I captured and then a slideshow of a selection of images.

Check out my family photography website and slideshow below.

Fall color along Brevort Lake

Not too often do I have couples who meet on EHarmony and get married.  This destination Wedding in Northern Michigan, above the bridge, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan was a match by this online dating service.  They booked everything online and rented cabins on Brevort Lake in Upper Michigan.  The intimate ceremony included about 20 people total.

The Wedding ceremony was a skit put on by the bride and groom.  Music was played by two close friends on the guitar and violin.  The bride started out in the upstairs room of the house and the groom on the deck.  The bride walked down the stairs and into the living room where the groom was building a fire.  There were two readings that were read by siblings of the bride and groom.  The bride and groom mixed a ceremonial drink which included three alcohols, juice, and lemon.  It was a double ring ceremony with personally written vows.  The Reverand read this story about how the couple may have met if not for EHarmony.  It was based in the caveman era.  At the end of the ceremony the Reverand announced the couple and said to the groom, “You may now take your bride back to the cave.”  The bride and groom proceeded to a room adjacent for a short time.  Everyone was looking around and laughing, not sure what to do.

This is one of the most unique ceremonies that I have photographed.  I asked the bride where she came up with the ideas and she said that most of them were from www.Offbeatbride.com.

Here are a couple more images then a slideshow of a selection of images from the Wedding day.

Cabin Wedding on Brevort Lake Michigan

Brevort Lake morning Wedding photo on dock

Visit my Northern Michigan and Destination Wedding Photography

An intimate Wedding at Mission Point Resort on Mackinac Island, Michigan with two corgi dogs dressed up in a tuxedo and dress.

The bride wore a Pronovias dress and the groom wore a President tuxedos tux.

Wedding flowers on Mackinac Island designed by Webers Floral.

Wedding carriage ride with Gough Carriages and driver John.

Check out more images in the Wedding slideshow below by Mackianc Island Photographer Paul Retherford Wedding Photography.

Emily and Norm are Married!  Traverse City, Michigan in Northern Michigan is on Lake Michigan and there are a bunch of beautiful Wedding locations including Central United Methodist Church in downtown Traverse City.  This Methodist Church is beautiful inside and out.  The sound is amazing inside the domed cathedral.  There are three balconies that surround the ceremony location so that you can create images all around the location.

Wedding flowers were created by floral designer flowers by Marla Courtney Wood.

The bride had here hair done by Pavlova Day Spa and Salon in Traverse City Michigan.

Wedding reception at Traverse City Golf and Country Club

The Wedding reception location, Traverse City Country Club,  in Traverse City, Michigan is set amongst lots of old growth oak trees with beautiful views of the greens and fairways.  Janet, the Wedding coordinator, is very organized and it was a pleasure working with her.   The food is amazing and the drinks are strong, according to the guests.

The Wedding cake was beautiful and really good by Kingsley Cakes.

The Dj was Aaron Wolinski from Avatar Media Productions.

Check out a beautiful Wedding slideshow from this Traverse City Wedding and also the Wedding album that was produced from this beautiful Wedding day by Paul Retherford Wedding Photography, Northern Michigan Wedding Photographer.

Kasey and Jordan are Married!  The beautiful couple were married at the family bar, Jack Pine Bar and Grill, in Kinross, Michigan.   We took some time to capture images on Lake Superior prior to the Wedding.  It was a rainy, overcast day with high winds and HUGE waves on Lake Superior.  Even the northerners were cold at times.

We had a lot of fun and kept moving to keep everyone warm.  Amazing that is was hot last week and, thanks to Earl, we had high winds, cool, and rainy.

The waves on Lake Superior were 6-8 feet and the surge pushed the water level almost all the way up to the Big Pine beach stairs which is at least 30 feet of shoreline.   It was crazy windy but I am SO glad that we made it out to Lake Superior.

A bunch of beautiful images of the bride and groom on the Lake Superior beach

Then a short Wedding at the Jack Pine Bar & Grill with a party following with wood-fire grilled ribs, chicken and a whole lot of other food.  The bar remained open to patrons and there were a bunch of people who joined the party throughout the night.

Upper Michigan Wedding Photographer Paul Retherford

Check out a nice Wedding slideshow with a selection of images from the day.  This group knows how to have a PARTY!

This past Saturday I had the honor of capturing Nesrin and Jeff on their Wedding day in Petoskey, Michigan.  The Wedding ceremony was held at Parrs Memorial Baptist Church in Petoskey, Michigan and the Wedding reception was held at the Knights of Columbus banquet hall in Petoskey, Michigan across from the fairgrounds.

My day began in the early morning hours packing my gear and prepping for the Wedding.  The day was hot and sunny.  I arrived in Petoskey early to check out and photograph the Wedding reception location and the Wedding ceremony location prior to beginning with the bride and groom.  I scouted out areas for images following the Wedding ceremony.

I began with the bride in the downstairs of Parrs Memorial Baptist Church with her bridesmaids and flower girls.  They prepped in the infant room.

The top of Nesrin’s Wedding gown.

Nesrin had beautiful hair and makeup.

The Wedding Isle

The Grooms first look

The Wedding Ceremony

The lovely couple escaping in the limo

Beautiful couple images in church

We explored the Petoskey area outdoor image scene

We headed to Lake Michigan shoreline for images

Bay Harbor, Michigan was our next stop with marina images

Some fun dancing and Wedding reception images

The evening end with the setting sun

Watch a slideshow of a bunch of the Wedding day images from this Petoskey, Michigan Wedding by Petoskey Wedding Photographer Paul Retherford Wedding Photography