Early September is such a beautiful time to get married in Michigan, and this Watermark Country Club wedding in Grand Rapids, Michigan was one of those perfectly beautiful late summer days, complete with the most perfect golden hour sunset.

I don’t get to work on the west side of Michigan too often (maybe once or twice a year) so I was excited to be able to work with Erika and Will on their Watermark Country Club wedding. Maybe you remember their gorgeous Grand Rapids engagement session (complete with puppy Nala…she makes an appearance at the wedding too!)? After spending time with these Central Michigan lovebirds, I was so excited to photograph their day!

Erika and Will made minimal changes to their wedding to still keep their original date. Their largest sacrifice was cutting their guest list down to 100 and moving to a tent on the Watermark Country Club lawn rather than using the beautiful indoor space at the venue. BUT, it all turned out so beautifully; making this one of the most beautiful tented weddings I’ve been to.

One of the best parts about this Watermark Country Club wedding was that everything was in one place! That’s my favorite – makes it so much easier on everyone (including guests) and lets us be a little more laid back about the day. After an emotional first look, we did couples portraits on the golf course. The ceremony was perfectly placed in front of a gorgeous fountain, and these two said their vows just as the sun peeked out!

One of the most emotional moments of the day was Will’s dad’s speech during the reception. It is usually very emotional for a father of the bride to speak at a wedding, and often fathers of the groom don’t speak. But Will had asked his father to be his best man and his dad had fun stories to tell and wonderful things to say about his son and his new wife.

After the sun went down, Will, Erika and their guests boogied down on a grass dance floor, lit just by the lights of the tent. I kind of loved it and wished I could have stayed and danced the night away with them!

vendors
floral: stems market | dj: ace wedding djs | gown: becker’s bridal | bridesmaids: azazie | men: men’s warehouse | venue/catering: watermark country club