Bay View Weddings, Traverse City Michigan Fall Wedding | Jessica & Adam
Adam and Jessica were married at Bay View Weddings at Gallagher Farms in Cedar, MI. It was a typical October Saturday in Michigan, rainy, windy, and a bit chilly, however the weather could not take away how absolutely stunning this day was going to be.
When we first arrived at Bay view we met up with Rose Gallagher, the venue coordinator. She was great and let us know how to find the groom. Adam and his groomsman were at a small cabin at the venue where they would be getting ready. The cabin had a deck off the front door that overlooked a small lake lined with brightly colored fall trees. The trees looked as if they were glowing as they reflected off the water.
There was a small dock where we took photos of Adams details. As you can imagine the scenery was gorgeous which made for some fantastic photos of Adam and his groomsmen. We then headed up the road to meet up with our bride, Jessica. She was getting ready with her bridesmaids and family in an old spruced up barn next to the many orchards on the property. In the barn the venue had set up a cute little getting ready area with heaters, mirrors, vintage couches, chandeliers, white fur rugs, and a vanity. Jessica’s dress was from The Wedding Shoppe Michigan and was absolutely beautiful. It was a crape material with lace details, off the shoulder poofy sleeves, and a sweetheart neckline. The dress matched their fun boho theme perfectly. Everyone’s hair and makeup were on point thanks to Team Hair + Beauty. We took portraits and bridesmaid photos outside in the orchard under twinkly lights. It was an absolute dream!
The couple wanted to do a first look before the ceremony, so we decided the best place for this was at the cabin where Adam was. We set Adam up on the dirt road that was in front of the lake with all the beautiful fall color. They both had written private vows and read them to each other. It was emotional and beautiful the way they looked at one another in those moments.
Their ceremony was on top of a hill overlooking all the beautiful fall trees and the bay. They had a circle arch with burnt orange drapery and beautiful flower garlands on both sides of the arch. Their Ceremony was officiated by the bride’s brother and was short and sweet!
After the ceremony we took Adam and Jessica out by the field to take some unforgettable portraits. We wanted to try something a bit different with this wedding because we knew Jessica & Adam were an adventurous couple! So before we arrived at the venue, we picked up some smoke bombs to play around with during the bride and groom’s portraits. This was probably one of the best ideas we’ve had because THEY CAME OUT AMAZING! We will definitely be doing this more in the future. The white smoke added a very dramatic and theatrical vibe to the photos which worked out well being so close to Halloween. We finished up with photographing the whole bridal party together by the vineyard that overlooked the bay.
The reception began with the bridal party being announced and instead of going to their seats they went to the dancefloor and had a little dance party, which was so fun! Then Adam and Jessica shared their first dance together. After their dance they headed to their seats which was set up beautifully. They had a vintage loveseat to sit on with a white neon sign of their last name hanging above them. Adam’s father started off the toasts and speeches followed by the maid of honor and the best man. They were all amazing speeches. You could tell how much everyone truly loved this couple! Dinner was catered by Catering by Kelly’s and it was delicious! They had chicken in a mushroom cream sauce, roast beef with a brown gravy and a horseradish sauce, mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, and pasta with red sauce. SOOO YUMMY! For dessert they had an assortment of donuts and macaroons which were also very tasty! After dinner they had the father daughter and mother son dances. Then the party really started to happen! Chris Stone from Lakeside DJ was amazing! He new exactly how to get everyone dancing! We got some super fun dancing photos and some super emotional slow dancing photos. Such a range of emotion at this wedding! It was beautiful to capture.
Once it was dark, we wanted to try one more smoke bomb photo. We set up our spotlight outside with the tent behind it, put Adam and Jessica in front of the light then set off the smoke bomb. This created a stunning backlit photo with the smoke illuminated around them. Very cool! We then took them in front of the fire pit and gave them sparklers to play with. You could tell they were having a blast! The last photo of the night was outside in front of the bar with our light up love sign. At least we thought that was our last photo. Jessica informed us that she was just about to change into her second dress of the night and we couldn’t leave without photographing that! Once she was dressed in her white, sequin dress which looked breathtaking on her, we took our last photo of the happy couple!
This wedding was definitely one for the books and we will not soon forget it! Adam and Jessica, your wedding was one of our favorites and we were honored to be a part of it!
Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Young!