Hello, my name is Jamie May and I have been a wedding photographer for 13 years in West Michigan.  I have recently been selected as Best of the Knot 2024 and even made the Hall of Fame on the Knot for so many years of positive reviews.   I have photographed well over 300 weddings and have been to many beautiful places.  I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorites. Trillium Catering And Event Center Wedding Venue Review to blog  about seemed fitting as I am local to Spring Lake/ Grand Haven and was looking at wedding venues for my daughter.  One of my recommendations for her to view was close to home that being  Trillium Catering And Event Center. I highly recommend this location.

Trillium Catering And Event Center Wedding Venue Review

There are many reason why I love Trillium Catering and Event Center:

1. This venue offers beautiful backyard scenery that looks pretty all times of the year.  You can get married at the pavilion in the back, or they have an inside venue for backup if it rains.  The pictures always look so beautiful because there is a large space which creates a great depth of field.  I am always so pleased with the results.   They have recently expanded and have two different options for outside.   The west side offers a covered outdoor reception sitting area with a beautiful water fountain view.
2. The Trillium offers a lot of space to accommodate large weddings or small.  They can accommodate more guest than most venues in the area.  They also have the option of making the space smaller if need.  I do prefer the large ballroom look rather than the dividers.  But no matter which way you go, it is pretty.
3. Another reason I like the Trillium Catering and Event Center is because the food is always great!  I have never had a bad meal there, and I have been to this venue well into the double digits.
4. Having a daughter get married myself, I recently found out that they are also affordable and competitive with their pricing.
5. I also am a big fan of a one location venue for wedding and receptions, see my other blog post here to see why!

I hope you enjoyed my Trillium Catering and Event Center Venue Review. I definitely think if you are getting married, it is a worthy place to check out for your wedding day! For more helpful tips about getting married, check out my blog.

The post Trillium Catering And Event Center Wedding Venue Review appeared first on Jamie May Photography.

Helpful Tips When Having Children in Your Bridal Party

Sometimes we attend weddings that have children in the bridal party.  It can be challenging because we all know sometimes these little people will not cooperate!   What I can guarantee is that these kids will have ups and downs that day.  They will be happy for a bit and then they hit a wall of tiredness.  So I was just going to share some tips that I find are helpful when children are a MUST in the wedding party.

Helpful Tips When Having Children in Your Bridal Party

1.  Make sure they get a lot of sleep the night before. Seems like a no-brainer, but can be challenging the night before the wedding.
2.  Designate a time where they can have some quiet time or nap time.
3. Make sure someone is there to be in charge of them, especially if you are in the wedding party yourself.
4. Give them special attention, a gift, for example.  Maybe save it until you really need them to cooperate.
5. Have a toy or something they love that someone can hold behind the photographer
6. Dont’ stress over it. Let’s be real. They don’t always look, they don’t always smile, they sometimes won’t even stand there.  It is OK to NOT MAKE them do the picture.  It is 100% not worth the fight and frustration.
7. Figure out in advance what time they should go home from the reception and have someone take them home for the night.
8. Bring stuff for them to do.
9. Order them the kid-friendly meal.
10. Have fun things for them to do at the reception. (Laney had these fun grab bags for the kids)

The Couple

A little bit about Kevin and Laney, they met through Match.com where Kevin stalked me until I finally went out with him. Kevin proposed to me on our way to Traverse City for the fall colors at the top of Sleeping Bear Dunes.  Laney and Kevin were so great to work with.  I love all of the detail that she put into the wedding and how about that sweet gift that Kevin gave her with all the places that were important. ( see below)  They had their ceremony and reception at Bella Maria’s Event Center in Muskegon. To see my post about having one venue, click here.

She had the unique idea of the color bombs, which was cool! I did choke on my fair share of blue smoke.  I had to get the shot!  So fun!  We went around the city of Muskegon and visited the beach.  I definitely think it is fair to call me a BEACH WEDDING SPECIALIST!   That was a hard time of day and the sun was bright.  Good thing I photograph at the beach all the time!!!

Congratulations Laney and Kevin, so happy for you both! Stay in touch!!

Their color palette was Black, White, accent: Royal blue. Their flowers were White Gerber Daisy and Blue bomb orchid.

The post Helpful Tips When Having Children in Your Bridal Party appeared first on Jamie May Photography.

A few words from the bride….

How we met: we got set up at work by mutual friends and the rest is history!

The proposal: we were at a Mackinac Island for a weekend getaway and we went biking around the island. We stopped to look at the water and he was down on one knee!

Best memory of the day: just so happy to be surrounded by our friends and family! It was a perfect day and felt so great to be married!

Advice: As everyone says, “don’t sweat the small stuff.” The closer the wedding got, the more I just though “what will happen, will happen.” There were a few bumps in the road during the wedding day, but everything worked out perfectly!

Photography: Jamie and Marie did amazing at capturing all of our special moments! We couldn’t ask for a better team and will have these pictures forever thank you so much!

Their Story…

Lauren and Andrew had such a beautiful, detailed fall wedding. I love all the different desserts and all the decorations. She had so many great ideas and I can’t wait to share them with you!

The Ceremony Site…

We started the day at the church where everyone was getting ready for the day.  Lauren and Andrew had a traditional Catholic wedding ceremony.  There were a few strict rules at this church that we experienced.  We were not able to get close to the bride and groom at all, we could not go down the aisles.  We had to stay on the perimeter of a few select areas.  We also were not allowed to use flash.

I was very thankful for the equipment I have at that point my long lens and ability to shoot in high ISO!

As a reminder…

People getting married, make sure you check the rules and limitations of a ceremony site.

It was still a very beautiful ceremony and it made for a lot of ambience lighting that the congregation had, which can be pretty!  Catholic churches always seem to have beautiful buildings.

The 2018 season was the rainiest year that we have had. I had done over a 100 weddings with only one rainy day, and this year, I think it sprinkled/rain at every one!  To read my blog about beating the rain, click here.

Formal Pictures…

After the ceremony, we went to the next location to photograph the bridal party.  Since she was having a fall themed wedding, a barn just made sense!  The rain did stop, and we were able to photograph for the next hour, as we traveled and took pictures!  The mosquitos that day were dangerous! They were everywhere and about 15 minutes into photographing, poor Lauren was getting welts.  I hope I put her mind to rest that I could care for it in post-work, she was so relieved!   We can all go through a lot sometimes to get these pictures.  We finished the pictures at Rycenga Park.

Reception…

Then, Marie and I headed to the reception sight a little before the bride and groom, which gave us some time to capture the reception before they arrived.  I was in awe of all her amazing details. Her fall themed wedding came to life!  Up to that point, I already knew she picked rich maroon, bridesmaids dress, and her flowers!!! So gorgeous.

Fall Themed Came to Life

I love dahlias, another perk about a fall wedding!!  But at the reception, the fall themed took life, desserts with the leaf-formed cookies, and the stacks of donuts and the sprinkled cupcakes, the pumpkins and signage.  Furthermore, on the guest tables were the trees with branches. The cider that was provided and the fallen leaves on the table.  Everything was so darling.

Andrew and Lauren are such delightful people. They were so pleasant and kind to work with. I was so thrilled to be a part of their beautiful wedding day, as they committed their lives to each other.  I can tell that they are so in love with each other, their faces light up when they are together.  There were a few very special dances, dedicated to her grandpa and him with one of his aunts.  I had a few tears during that whole process.  This wedding definitely touched my heart.

Wishing you many more years of happiness! xoxox

For more pricing information for Jamie May Photography, click here

Fall-Themed Wedding Ideas

1. bridesmaid dress – fall color
2. flowers – flowers in season, fall colors
3. barn setting for photos
4. wood-fall trees setting for photos
5. desserts in shapes of fall favorites
6. pumpkins
7. leaves
8. trees
9. Invitations with leaves

To view more fall themed weddings, click here

Vendors:

Church- St. Mary’s in Spring Lake

Venue/Food/Drink- Verdonis Event Center

Harris Hospitality Flowers- Chalet Floral

Desserts- Ryke’s Bakery

DJ- Hugh Randall

Transportation- Harbor Transit Trolley

Wedding Dress- Petoskey Bridal

Bridesmaids Dresses- David’s Bridal Groom

Groomsmen Tux’s- Men’s Wearhouse

The post Fall Themed Wedding | Muskegon Wedding Photographer appeared first on Jamie May Photography.

Melissa’s family hired us based on a wedding we did six year prior. We sat by them at a reception during dinner.  They were so sweet to remember us and to call. I was so flattered and thankful.  Melissa and Kyle had a packed party. You can tell this couple is well loved.  There was a lot of laughing and dancing. Wishing you many more hunting and fishing years together!!!  xoxoxox

How to have an successful Engagement Session with a professional photographer:

1. I alway recommend bringing props to have in your engagement session that may represent who you are and what you love as a couple.  For example, Melissa and Kyle love to hunt and fish together.  I love that they brought a pole and signage that represents a characteristic/hobby that they share.

2.  You don’t have to dress exactly the same. I love variety. Look at a palette that you may like.  They picked orange and blues and then did a clothes change with red and black. I think up to four colors can be successful if done right.

3.  Bring poses you like. If you want to put a little elbow grease into the session, feel free to pin a few pictures poses that you love and we can accomplish them

4. Have fun. This is a great chance to get familiar with the camera and have fun. You can get a great blend of romantic, traditional and creative because we have the time.

A Wedding Photographer point of view of the Hitching Post Wedding Venue:

The Hitching Post Facts:

• On-site props and backgrounds. I like that there is a lot of variety on site.  You don’t have to go anywhere and you have barns, and fields, animals, farm equipment, rustic texture, etc… Lots of options
•  Indoor or Outdoor ceremony site. I do prefer the outdoor location, but in a bind at least you have back up
• Everything at one spot! I love this. It reduces stress by a lot!
• Budget friendly. I think it is pretty reasonable in cost
• The barn inside is very nice.

What could improve at the Hitching Post

They could take care of their grounds a little better, it is not horrible, but it is very rustic. Weeds in the cement cracks and worn down parking lot.

It’s a barn, so it can be hot if a humid August day.

Overall, it is a very nice venue and am always happy to be a wedding photographer there!  I have been there on a great day and a rainy day, and I equally love the wedding pictures.

To learn more about pricing for Jamie May Photography, click here

The post Hitching Post Wedding Photographer | Jamie May Photography appeared first on Jamie May Photography.