On the last Saturday in July my associate photographer, Nicole, and I left rainy Detroit behind as we headed up to photograph two amazing people for a Black Star Farms Vineyard Traverse City wedding! This Black Star Farms Vineyard Traverse City wedding was beyond spectacular! The location was stunning, the weather was gorgeous, and the love was heartfelt. I would wake up at 4am anytime to do this all over again!
The whole day was held at Black Star Farms Winery, located just outside of Traverse City in Suttons Bay. And it was beyond perfect. Stephanie and Adam are amazing together and they coordinated an absolutely beautiful wedding. As Stephanie described it, it was rustic yet chic. She managed to pull off a simple, classic look tied in with a relaxed, vintage barn feel. I don’t know how she did it, but it was stunning nonetheless.
Once we said hello to Stephanie and Adam, we took some time to walk around the property and get a feel for the day. The inn, painted bright red, was beautiful. And the farm had horses and goats that were a blast to photograph. The whole place was surrounded by green vineyards and lush forests. I knew it was going to be a spectacular day!
It wasn’t just the location that made this wedding so great, it was the people two. Stephanie and Adam are so sweet and laidback and their bridal party was great too! While they guys relaxed and played some cornhole, I documented Stephanie getting ready for her big day! Her hairdresser, who has been doing her hair since she was three, was right by her side making sure her look was perfect for her big day! Oh and they also had their adorable dog at the inn!
It wasn’t long before it was time for Stephanie and Adam to see each other for the first time on their wedding day. Adam stood in the vineyard while Stephanie amazingly climbed a hill in heels to see her man. These two were the absolute cutest as Stephanie showed off her gorgeous dress.
Before the ceremony, we photographed the bridal party in front of the inn. The girls looked fabulous with their black dresses against the bright red inn and they guys looked pretty sharp too! They were so easy to photograph! So laid back and just fun loving people!
The ceremony was held on a hill surrounding by the vineyard overlooking the beautiful city. And it was a beautiful site to witness! Nicole captured the sweet moments of Stephanie and her dad before the ceremony as I prepared to document the bridal party walking in. Despite the heat, it was a gorgeous ceremony. Stephanie and Adam laughed, smiled, and it was so evident in that moment how much they loved each other!
Before we knew it, the ceremony was over and it was time to prepare for the reception. The cocktail hour was held at the inn. Guests mingled in the back and some extremely talented violinists rocked out. We took a break from photographing the details in the barn to document all the fun that was happening at cocktail hour. Guests barely wanted to leave when the announcement was made to move into the barn.
They had their fun and gorgeous reception in the barn at Black Star Farms. The bridal party danced their way into the reception and the whole place roared with happiness when Stephanie and Adam walked through the door. The speeches were immensely heartfelt and it filled me with such emotion to see the love shared between everyone. It was beautiful! During dinner we even managed to sneak away to capture some freaking amazing aerial shots with my new drone. The views were incredible!
Before the dancing began, we took Stephanie and Adam outside with the beautiful light to capture the two of them! They visited the horses who were fighting for their attention. Then we headed to a more relaxed location in the vineyard to capture these two! As we were heading back we could hear the music blasting and sure enough the party started without us! Everyone was up on their feet having a great time! After their first dance, the dancing preceded and it was an incredible site. And let me tell you, Adam has the moves! He rocked out all night long!
We left the reception filled with happiness because of the day. It didn’t matter that we were tired, all the mattered was that we documented the love between two spectacular people on the most amazing day!
xoxo,
Sarah
Vendors
DJ – Wes Estell
Videographer – Will Leung, Bodhi Tree Films
Dress – Amsale, Nordstrom
florist – Kalin Sheick, stems and sprigs
officiant – Crystal Yarlott
