I can’t even begin to describe how sacred Michael and Aubrey’s orthodox wedding ceremony was from the singing, the sound of the harp, the golden iconography, the smell of the incense and even the surprise bagpiper (a nod to Michael’s Scottish heritage.) Such beautiful and rich tradition ended with a night full of cultural dances and laughter.

Owen and Ashley, two compassionate doctors and really good people, wanted to get married overlooking Lake Michigan, a favorite place of theirs. They crossed their fingers for good weather and were married on a gorgeous August day at Michillinda Lodge.

Adam and Anne’s South Haven church wedding ended with a laid-back reception at the historic Bangor Elevator with a spread of BBQ mixed with traditional Polish foods.

There was something really wonderful about this wedding. I’m a small town girl myself so perhaps it was the quaint church where everyone settled in closely in the creaky wooden pews or maybe it was the kindness I felt from everyone — a genuineness that comes naturally to rural folks.

The couple chose to get married in the Northern Michigan town where Becky spent her summers since she was six years old. She wore a gown made by her great-grandmother. It was the same dress that her mother wore and her grandmother wore before that. The bridal party (seriously, the most fun bunch I’ve ever had the chance to photograph) all gathered at the family cottage to get ready and then it was moment after moment until the sun set over Betsie Lake.

Matt and Alyssa were married in the backyard of Alyssa’s childhood East Grand Rapids home. A tented reception at sunset overlooking Reeds Lake, with a great live band, finished off the evening.

They were married in Charlevoix at Dunmaglas Golf Club — owned by Katie’s family at one time — and the walls of the barn reception were decorated with quilts made by the bride’s grandmother and her sisters. When I first talked to Katie on the phone she told me she wanted her wedding to feel like “a fun party with lots of laughter.”