Traverse City / Leelanau Peninsula Wedding | Kathleen and Carey

The Leelanau Peninsula, which juts out into Lake Michigan north of Traverse City, is a popular vacation destination in Michigan. It’s a gorgeous strip of land known for it’s vineyards and wineries, and it provided a beautiful backdrop for Carey and Kathleen’s wedding day. We started where we would later end up for the reception, a charming farmhouse near Northport, in the northern part of the peninsula.
Kathleen’s sister assisted her with her veil.Carey’s gave each of his groomsmen an antique Swiss watch complete with a monogrammed watch roll.Epic beard.
The ceremony was at First Congregational Church in Traverse city. Kathleen and Carey have three German shepherds which were part of the ceremony.I love the look on Carey’s face as he sees his bride for the first time.

The chapel where the ceremony was held is a unique space with brick walls and a huge window featuring a stained glass cross.

Carey’s dad owns a classic Pontiac Trans-Am which he and Kathleen used to make their getaway from the church.
We stopped at the marina in Suttons Bay for some bride and groom portraits before continuing north to the reception.Back at the farmhouse, it was time to celebrate with some champagne!Next we took some time to photograph the wedding party in the beautiful natural surroundings.
This small barn would serve as the hub for reception activities later on, but for now it was a perfect stage for a classic Vanity-Fair style portrait of the wedding party.
Of course, taking a photo of the guys with the Trans-Am was a necessity.
Now that’s a dinner table!
One of the dogs had a GoPro on his back!
Carey helped his nephew get some lemonade. Those expressions are priceless!
After dinner, the toasts were set to be given on top of the hill overlooking the vineyards in the distance. As the sun dropped low in the sky we head up to the lovely spot that had been prepared.
With everyone gathered together and with an awesome background, it was a perfect opportunity for a large group photo.After the cake cutting we headed back up the hill at sunset for some romantic bride and groom portraits.Once the sun was down it was time for the dances. This was definitely one of the most unique spaces for a first dance that I’ve photographed and I loved it. The lights hanging overhead really brought it all together beautifully.At the end of the night I got Kathleen and Carey to come with me for a couple of minutes to do one last photo in a spot that I knew would look amazing with the right type of lighting.