Oh, Silver Beach! You never disappoint! I adore everything about this location and Silver Beach is one of my very favorite beachside wedding locations! Like many St. Joe fans, Alainey and Kyle are actually from the Chicagoland area. It’s an easy drive, and totally worthwhile to get to the “sunset” side of Lake Michigan!
The family stayed at The Boulevard Hotel. Onsite hair and makeup were done in the executive suites by Reva Salon and Spa (Hair: Tricia & Make-up: Ashley). The Boulevard is within walking distance of Shadowland and we meant to do our pre-ceremony bridal party portraits on the grassy overlook just across the street, and walk to the venue, but ended up being entirely thwarted by the biggest art show of the year! Oops! Well, it had a fun vibe anyway.
Happily, there is a very tiny nearby park around the back of the hotel, so we were still able to find a zone for the first look and pre-ceremony fun! But not before the groomsmen had the groom do a shot of Malort. Why, guys?! Why!?! In case you didn’t know, Malort has legendary status for being the worst-tasting liquor in the world. And it actually is too! Thankfully, they also had other options to toast the occasion with.
Then on to the final details for the girls, and the flowers from Rosie’s Little Posies have arrived! After Alainey was dressed, we did a first look with Mom and Dad and walked to the tiny park for a first look with Kyle. Zac (my husband and the second shooter for this wedding) stayed with Kyle so we have some adorable scenes of him waiting and carefully rehearsing his vows before the first look.
We did most of the bridal party “formal” scenes immediately after the first look to get those taken care of before the ceremony began. I love the new “blurred bridal party” photo trend! It’s super fun! And my second favorite – to ask the girls to pose like guys and vice versa. It always makes for fabulous chaos.
On to Shadowland, where the ballroom was decorated with beachy elements everywhere for the ceremony and the huge gallery windows bathed the bridal couple in a gentle wash of soft light.
We did lots of family portraits, some epic beach bridal party, and bride and groom photos afterward!
Reception time! Details, grand announcement, and right into the first dance! It works great if you’re nervous. I don’t think Alainey and Kyle felt nervous, though. They had an impressive choreographed ballroom dance routine!
Okay – have you seen the new “guest photo challenge?” What a great way to ensure you have a photo of EVERY guest. The challenge is to do it in the space of one song. The DJ for the evening (Kaleidoscope Entertainment) played “Popparazzi” while the guests from each table raced forward to hop into the scene. 18 tables! (To be fair, he did slow the song down a bit at the end, lol). The guests came to the bride and groom in this case, but there is another version where the bride and groom race to each table and try to get them to quickly pose together. Both versions are fun chaos. This version may arguably yield a better photo result, but the “race to each table” version may create more comical keepsakes.
So much fun and joy! Parent dances were next, followed by Grandma and Grandpa claiming the “longest married” title to win the anniversary dance. The guests livened up the dance floor, visited the photo booth, and played rounds of cornhole outside while Alainey and Kyle did one last photo session during golden hour. We wanted to use the outdoor fountains – and St Joe sunsets are pure magic! What a perfect end to the night! I confess – we did have to “pretend” for the fountain picture and create a composite. Note for the future – the splash pad turns off at 9 p.m. in the summer, not 10 p.m! Thankfully, I had already captured a few test shots while setting up (before 9), so it was possible to layer the fun, misty sprinkler water back into the image… but for next time… I’ll be keeping that 9:00 end time in mind to capture those splash pad images. It’s worth it for sure!
Venue: Shadowland on Silver Beach | St. Joseph, MI (Day-of Coordinator: Charlie Johan)
Stationery suite (invitations, save the dates, hotel details card): Zazzle.com
Hair and makeup: Reva Salon and Spa (Hair: Tricia, Make-up: Ashley) | St. Joseph, MI
Flowers: Rosie’s Little Posies (Owner: Sara DeHaan) | Sparta, MI
Photographers: Almost Fantasy (Angela and Zach) | Kalamazoo, MI
Getting ready suite: The Boulevard Inn & Bistro | St. Joseph, MI
Favors: Garrett’s Popcorn | Chicago, IL
Bride’s nails: Jazza Nail Studio | Warrenville, IL
Officiant: Pastor Larry Embury, Grass Lake Methodist Church | Grass Lake, MI
Cornhole Board Guest Book: Larry Embury and Robben Embury
Bride’s Dress/veil: The Crystal Bride | Geneva, IL (Designer: Stella York)
Bride’s alterations: The Golden Thimble (Eva) | Geneva, IL
Bridesmaid dresses: Azazie.com
Groom and groomsmen suits/pants/socks: Men’s Wearhouse
Shoes: Sperry
Rings: Kessler’s Diamonds | Grand Rapids, MI
First Dance Choreographer: Paulina at NP Dance | Naperville, IL
Catering: CK Catering | Benton Harbor Michigan
Event stationery: (Welcome sign, table numbers, seating chart, Instagram challenge papers, reserved seating, hubby/wifey signs, etc.) ThreeCheersPaperie (Etsy)
DJ and lighting: Kaleidoscope Entertainment (DJ William, owner Jonathan Swihart)
Cake: Suisse Chalet Bakery | St. Joseph, MI
Cake decor: shell candies: ViCakeToppers (Etsy) Topper: ThistleandLaceDesign (Etsy)
Chair Covers: Special Occasions Rentals | Grand Rapids, MI
Acrylic bar sign: BoneandDarbyMakersCo (Etsy)
Custom champagne flutes: Pacific Customs (Etsy)
Starfish hairpiece: Savchenko Designs (Etsy)
Last name sign on sweetheart table: BeachsideboutiqueNJ (Etsy)
Vow books: SunnyHomeStudio (Etsy)
Neon sign: SJworktop (Etsy)
Wooden hangers: WeddingDecorStudio (Etsy)
Ring box: VitaminLove (Etsy)