Grand Traverse Resort Wedding – Melissa and Ken

Ken and Melissa wanted a beach wedding in Michigan, so they searched all over and found the most amazing location.  The Grand Traverse Resort in Traverse City.  The skies were gloomy during the rehearsal the day before and the threat of rain loomed overhead.  During my morning run on the wedding day, the clouds were still lingering, and I had to pack my rain gear just in case.  Come on blue skies, where are you?  As the wedding day progressed, I had nothing to worry about, because the clouds went away and the blue sky showed it’s rich color.

The rented tuxes came with severely wrinkled ties, so here’s a shot of the father of the bride getting his tie ironed the only way guy’s know how to do it.

The steel drum played their song as the guests took their seats.

Ken and Melissa joined hands in matrimony on the beach, in front of the Grand Traverse Bay, below the summer sun, in front of their friends and family, and underneath the rich blue sky. Beautiful. Perfect. Amazing.

I absolutely love the way the ring bearer was looking at me here in this shot. He walked down the isle like a champ and the bride was giving him a big “thank you” smooch.

All were on their feet below the large tent as Ken and Melissa arrived to the reception.

The daddy daughter dance was quite emotional for me. I felt the joy and happiness that they had and my eyes teared up as I was taking these shots. I had a long lens on so I could stay far away and not interrupt them during this dance. Dad’s smile says a million things right here.

The final shot of the night came to me on the dance floor as the sun was setting. I saw this shot in my head and I had to grab the bride and groom. “I have an idea for a shot, do you mind walking out on the golf course for a minute?” They said “sure!” So off we went. I gave them some general direction on where to stand and asked them to just talk about their wedding. This gave them some alone time and it gave me the perfect setting for this shot.