Historic Bowen Mills Wedding in Middleville, MI | Kristina and Matt

Kristina and Matt are a super fun couple who decided on a “craft beer” theme for their wedding to celebrate a favorite pastime that they share. The entire day took place at Historic Bowen Mills, a great rustic wedding venue in Middleville, MI. Bowen Mills is a historic location with many buildings and structures still standing from the 1860’s, including a cider mill, a beautiful Victorian farmhouse, and a covered bridge where the ceremony took place.  Below, Kristina’s parents and bridesmaids see her for the first time in her wedding dress.
The elegant vintage setting of the historic Bowens house was perfect for these classic portraits of the bride.Meanwhile, Matt and the guys were enjoying a beer and preparing to get ready at the old cider mill, which is still operational and powered by an enormous water wheel.The interior of the mill houses a blacksmith shop on the first floor, where the guys got dressed.The boutonnieres were made of hops and barley, and awesome tie-in with the craft beer theme.The first look took place on the lawn between the Bowens house and the cider mill. The joy on Matt and Kristina’s faces was evident as they saw each other for the first time on their wedding day. I love it when my couples decide to do a first look. They get to share this moment together in private and express themselves freely, without the pressure of everyone staring at them. And as you’ll see later, we still got wonderful, emotional images during the processional as well.What a cute dog!Instead of petals, the flower girl had a basket of hops to throw as she walked down the aisle!The ceremony took place in front of the covered bridge, next to the cider mill and water wheel.The bridesmaids, and later the bride, arrived via horse and buggy.I had the help of a second photographer for this wedding, and you can see how it paid off in the multiple angles we were able to capture of Kristina and her father coming down the aisle, along with Matt’s reaction.The bride and groom shared a “unity pint” as part of the ceremony. What a great, unique twist on a common tradition.
After the ceremony the wedding party took a wagon ride while the guests enjoyed cocktail hour.That’s a fine looking trio.After the outdoor cocktail hour, it was time to head inside for the reception.More beer-themed goodness: bottle-opener favors for the guests, and empty growlers repurposed as vases to hold flowers.
After dinner we snuck out of the reception for some golden hour photos.After the cake cutting it was time for the first dance and parent dances.The dance floor was packed for the rest of the night… these folks know how to party!After the bouquet and garter tosses, I stole Matt and Kristina for a few minutes to do a quick night portrait. Using the Christmas lights behind the head table, I was able to create this stunningly abstract image.