Lakefront Summer Wedding in Detroit, Michigan

Gabby & Ian

I had the honor of capturing Gabby and Ian's engagement session at the Michigan State Fair last year. You may or may not have had a chance to see that, to get a sneak peek just click here! Since that day I have been counting down the minutes until we could meet up again and have them tie the knot. Before we knew it, it was time for their wedding day and after all the wedding planning and decision making I just knew it was going to be a good one.

Ceremony at basilica of sainte anne

So for this wedding in particular, we had decided that we would start their photography coverage at their ceremony. Their ceremony was at Basilica of Sainte Anne de Detroit, one of the most beautiful churches in Detroit in my humble opinion. Fun fact, the priest that officiated Gabby and Ian's wedding was a priest that Gabby has known her whole life. It was such a full circle moment and one I was so happy to witness. Gabby and Ian chose not to have a first look either, which meant that the ceremony was the first time they were to see each other on their wedding day. This can lead to emotions running high, so just be prepared for a few tears to be shed!

The ceremony was a traditional church ceremony and since the church has beautiful interior decor, it was an amazing place to photograph. Keep in mind that when you are planning on having a church ceremony, speak with the officiant/priest to see if there are any photo/video restrictions. Some churches will require photographers to be a certain distance from the altar so it's always good to know this ahead of time to plan accordingly!

PORTRAITS

Shortly after, we went outside to do a few family portraits. Keep in mind that it was about 90 degrees out this today and for us Michigan folk... that's hot! Despite the hot weather, we were still able to get some amazing family portraits and get some phenomenal lighting for them. Of course since the outside of the church was so dang pretty we had to use this to our advantage to get some photos of Gabby and Ian in front of the grand architecture of the building. Beyond that, Gabby let me know that unfortunately due to her Grandfather being ill, he wasn't able to make it to the wedding. Luckily for us we were able to make our way to his house for a few portraits so he wouldn't miss out on any of the days festivities. No man get's left behind with us!

On the way to the reception, naturally Gabby and Ian had to stop for a few snacks. By snacks I mean some fast food fries so of course I did my due diligence and followed them there to get a few portraits of them ordering. Who says you can't make a McDonald's pit stop? Not us! As soon as we arrived to their reception space, we also took a few portraits of Gabby and Ian. Although the sun was blazing and the lighting was pretty harsh, we were able to make it work. One thing about being a wedding photographer is being able to think on the spot and improvise so that's sometimes the name of the game!

RECEPTION

Gabby and Ian had their reception at Waldenwoods. Waldenwoods is a beautiful venue with a 140 acre spring fed lake and is surrounded by 400 acres of woods. The entire space is meant to transport you back to simpler times where you could sit back, relax and enjoy the scenery. We enjoyed some pretty emotional speeches and sweet cake cutting moments before we were able to sneak Gabby and Ian away for some golden hour portraits. Golden hour is one of my favorite moments to capture on a wedding day, so I will almost always suggest we take a few. Although since it was so hot, we could only bare being outside for a few minutes before sweating our bums off. It was okay though because the end results were just *chefs kiss*

After golden hour portraits, we went back inside for Gabby and Ian's special dances and let me just say... these dances were IT. Gabby and her dad had the most uplifting and fun special dance and while it was so upbeat and happy, I couldn't help but find myself tearing up. It was so cute! She wore a shawl while her dad wore a sombrero as they danced together, center stage. This moment was definitely one for the books and was completely unexpected. A bit of time had went by as guests were dancing and enjoying themselves in celebration, we gathered everyone outside for Gabby and Ian's grand sparkler exit. I'm not going to lie, there are a bunch of photos of these, but can you blame me? Before packing up our bags to head out, I was able to see Gabby change into a second dress of the night. While it wasn't a traditional "wedding dress" change, it switched up her look a ton and just made things a bit more fun and casual which we love. We always encourage our couples to make their wedding day their own and not be afraid to express themselves, and Gabby and Ian were not shy in doing so.

If you loved reading this Lakefront Summer Wedding, then you're going to love this blog!

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 Gabby & Ian's wedding puts a spark in you, you know where to click <——— right there!