It's rare that I get the opportunity to photograph a wedding in my home town, nearly 200 miles from Grand Rapids but, it's even more rare that I am impressed by a wedding in Cass City, the middle of the Thumb of Michigan. There's not a lot going on there EVER. One day last year, Sara, the little sister of one of my best friends, contacted me to photograph her big day. She lives in Spokane, Washington but, wanted to be near her whole family fro her wedding.
To my surprise, from the moment I arrived to when I left the reception…I was amazed!
They did such an AWESOME job setting the scene for the day. Nothing too crazy yet, no detail left out. The ceremony took place at Grandma's farm. I barely remember meeting Grandma only once before…Then, Saturday I showed up a little early, so I promptly introduced myself and proceeded to wander around to check the place out. They had old wooden benches for seating and antique bottles with white roses dangling from the trees. There was even a small chandelier hanging from the big old tree under which the happy couple tied the knot.
The forecast called for rain, so I was prepared for the worst. I kept looking at the sky but the rain held off, all day. I was so happy it didn't rain. I was a little bummed that we didn't get the usual big puffy clouds that are so common the east side of the state, but at that point, I didn't care.
The ceremony was so…personal…it was like we weren't there. They wrote their own vows and only momentarily glanced at their notes to recall what they wanted to say. There was a moment, or two, when I got a little teary eyed but, thankfully it was behind a camera!
Then, I was again surprised at the reception to find an outdoor dance floor, china plates, and fabric tableclothes…no plastic here.
This has been, by far, my favorite Thumb wedding! Here are a few of my favorite shots…
