BLUE DRESS BARN Wedding IN SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN

Madi & Duran

I am so thankful that I get to meet so many different couples, each with their own unique visions. A while back I had the honor of capturing Madi and Duran's engagement session at Stony Creek Metro Park. If you haven't read about that yet, click here! Since then we have been anticipating the big day and it finally arrived! Now one thing you should know is that there are a lot of moving components when it comes to planning a wedding. I always like to stress to my couples that while the little details can seem important, in the grand scheme of things you should focus more on the moment and the picture as a whole. Well, as soon as I walked into Madi & Duran's wedding venue I just knew it was going to be pure perfection. The attention to detail was just immaculate and how everything came together so perfectly was incredible. While most of the time we say "don't sweat the small stuff", I can whole heartedly say I saw every little detail that came together to make Madi & Durans rustic boho summer wedding come to life.

FIRST TOUCH

So instead of a first look, Madi and Duran opted to do a first touch. While many couples lately have been loving incorporating first looks into their wedding day, first touch moments are not as common. A first touch is a chance for you to be able to touch, feel and speak to your partner without having to see them before the ceremony. This first touch moment is the perfect opportunity if you're still wanting the surprise of seeing your partner for the first time at the ceremony, but you're wanting to have a bit more intimacy and privacy on a rather busy day.

Madi and Duran stood back to back as they just stood there for a few minutes, talking back and forth. Behind them were these large silos completely covered in vines. It was a truly touching and beautiful moment and one that I am so glad to have witnessed between the two of them.

OUTDOOR RUSTIC CEREMONY

The theme for Madi and Duran's wedding definitely leaned towards rustic and bohemian, especially with all of the beautiful decor and florals. Madi and Duran had this beautiful outdoor rustic ceremony underneath this beautifully made birch archway. Since Madi and Duran hadn't seen each other up until this point, it was such a beautiful reaction to see these two watch each other down the aisle for the first time. Madi's mother walked her down the aisle as she met up with Duran and began saying their vows. The love and the passion that these two have for each other truly reflected throughout their ceremony, and it was pure bliss.

WEDDING PORTRAITS

Shortly after the ceremony, we then moved into wedding portraits. An honorable mention has to go out to the bridal party and how stunning their dress coordination was. While the groomsmen wore gray suits, all of the bridesmaids wore varying style/color dresses which really made their images pop. Which just goes to show, not all of your bridesmaids need to match during your wedding! Your wedding party can be as bright and bold as you want and I always encourage my couples to think outside of the box and choose what they want to do on their wedding day.

After spending time with their wedding party, I stole Madi and Duran for some solo portraits of the newlyweds. The property of their venue was surrounded by greenery and just about every object was hugged by vines. It hit their rustic boho theme on the head and was absolutely perfect - I'm pretty much obsessed with how all of these turned out.

RECEPTION

Once we finished up with portraits, it was time for the newlywed couple to meet up with the remainder of their wedding guests for their reception. The barn in which they had their reception in was filled with all of the beautiful twinkling lights and really gave off that intimate cozy vibe. Now typically, couples will do their grand entrance and move right into speeches. However, in Madi and Duran's case they went straight for the goods. Oh and by goods, I mean cake. However rather than feeding each other the cake, these two went straight in, licked the knife and that was that. Who says you need to eat a piece of cake? Not me!

We spent the remainder of the night watching Madi and Duran during their first dances and really living in that moment. In took everything in my body to not cry, but you know I held it together pretty good - lol.

If you loved reading this Rustic Boho Summer Wedding, then maybe you should check out this blog here!

Photos By Gayle does more than just take photos of people. Rather, it is capturing moments of LOVE and HAPPINESS. Singing to the skies, dancing in a field, smiles that hurt because they’re so big. There is nothing else I would rather be doing than photographing these unique details that make you and your significant other a couple. If these photos from Madi & Duran's wedding puts a spark in you, you know where to click <——— right there!