Pros to One Wedding Venue

Is it a good to have your wedding and reception at the same venue?

My response to this questions is, YES! If you can pull it off, it definitely takes a stressful part out of the equation.  I would definitely look for a place that has two locations for the ceremony and reception. It is nice if there is minimum set up that needs to take place.

Baker Lofts has two rooms and Ellen used one for her ceremony and the other for her reception.  Venues that have a outside location and an indoor is also nice.   The only way it could get cumbersome is if you have to tear down tables and re-arrange, but usually there is a cocktail hour so just have a good plan to have for the guests in that transition time.  Or even better, maybe you can opt out of a cocktail hour all together and save money.  You would want to have a plan of accomplishing all your pictures first, check out my blog post on benefits of a first look

Granted, if you have a home church or a beautiful establishment to have your wedding, that is great!

If you are on the fence, though, over the years these are some of the pluses I have noticed with one location:

1. Stress-reliever
2. It is a time saver.
3. Easy set-up, carrying, loading, etc… overall easier process
4. Transportation is optional for pictures, you can either stay or go
5. Easy for your guest
6. Overall just a more chill/relaxed day
7. Perhaps, it saves you money
8. Likely, have more people attend your ceremony (I have been guilty of only arriving to the reception as a guest)

The Couple

Now, a little bit about this wedding and the lovely couple in the pictures.  Ellen and Tom met through a local restaurant.  Tom friended some  moms since he was not from the area and would see them on a regular basis.  One day they saw Ellen  and orchestrated the magic that led us to this day.  Ellen, Tom,  friends and family were delightful to work with. They made us feel right at home and had a ton of humor, which I can appreciate!

Tom and Ellen did not do a first look at their wedding, but had a cocktail hour in between and two separate rooms at the Baker Lofts in Holland.  They had the super cool, sword ceremony! My first, and it was fun watching the team practice beforehand.   After the ceremony, we hopped on a trolley to tour around the beautiful town of Holland.  Ended back at the Loft, the couple was announced and cut their cake immediately.  I think this is a good idea.  I like getting the events accomplished early because after dinner, cake can be cut in a timely manner.  This was a lively bunch and I loved watching them dance the night away. So thankful to be a part of it!

Best Wishes Tom and Ellen

I hope I have helped explain the pros to having one location for your wedding venue

Pros to One Wedding Venue

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What is the right time of day to start wedding photos?

I find that this question can vary, but often times it is the same answer.  I always recommend about an hour and half before the bride is ready to put on their dress.  Hair and make up can take a really long time, and we often sit around, actually what really happens is we take way to many pictures while we wait because we just can’t stop, and all these images just aren’t necessary. I usually delete MOST of them.  Who needs 300 photos of every hair being twirled! Therefore, my suggestion is:

1. 1.5 hours before bride is ready to put on dress
2. If you are at a salon, I recommend a bit into time that you start, maybe towards the last 45-30 minutes or so.

The getting ready pictures can happen pretty quickly, we don’t really need a lot of time.  Plus, we can act like you are getting your finish touches of makeup if we missed that part.  I never mind coming, especially towards the end, it kind of can be the calm before the storm. So it is nice to visit and get ready for ‘game day.’

Some things to think about….

1. Do you want pictures without makeup? Some people don’t care and some do.
2. It is  nice to have the details ready while we are at the salon, if possible, but definitely at location of getting the ready. Details such as: Shoes, jewelry, dress, cards, etc… And let’s mention hangers. The wedding dresses never have nice hangers, EVER! I don’t know why! So even one from home would be better than the wire hanger that comes on it.
3. Provide snacks for your bridesmaids
4. Bring some music
5. Matching shirts, robes? Maybe??
6. Have an emergency bag: Some things I have seen are bobby pins, pins, mints, feminine products, toothbrushes in a pack, bandaids, anti-acids, ibuprofen, comb, extra lipstick or nail polish, that’s a good start.

So back to Brent and Kimberly’s wedding day. We started at a Engedi salon in Holland.  I thought it was a great place with exposed brick in the inside and lots of natural light.  Everyone was so smiley and happy!  A super nice group of ladies. We grabbed a few robe shots, outside the building before we left.

Macatawa Legends

We then headed to the ceremony/reception site, everything was at one location, Macatawa Legends. This was the first time I have been at this golf course.  They had a beautiful building for getting ready, the formals pictures, ceremony and reception.  I love the locker rooms!

Brent and Kimberly did a first look, where they had an exchange of written words to each other.  It was very sweet. We then started with the bridal party pictures.  I do enjoy first looks and all the time we have beforehand to get the pictures accomplished. Read a bit more about the benefits of a first look, here. Then when the wedding starts, the couple can mingle or take a break.

The ceremony was outside with beautiful views of a little lake.  I love outdoor ceremonies. We have so much more room to get different angles and perspectives. After the ceremony, we photographed the family pictures and then headed around the golf course, for some fun pictures.

After that, we headed to the reception area. This venue is unique in the sense that there are two reception areas. There was a cocktail area in one room which also ended up being the dance floor.  And another room that was down the hall that was where people ate.  So in the eating room, they were announced where speeches and cake cutting happened. I will never forget this reception because Kimberly had a separate sitting area, where there was special table, just for us. It was so cute!  I have to say that this food was one of the best that we had all season. It was amazing. And the dessert, cheesecake and key lime pie, wonderful!!!

I love how spirited all the dancing was. This was a wonderful dancing crowd!  Never a dull moment.

Buying a home?

I would also like to mention that Brent and Kimberly hired my husband, Joe May, to buy their home.  Joe works at a Greenridge Realty in Grand Haven. It is always a huge blessing to us when people consider using him for their home service, too! When this happens, I am able to help with discounts/gifts of  the wedding images a bit, too.  So it can be a win-win!

To see more pricing informations, click here

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog! Be sure to follow me on all of the social networks their are for more wedding tips and imagery!

Thank you Brent and Nicole for hiring us to photograph your wedding! It was beautiful and I can tell you both are going to be so happy for many, many years!   When Brent looks at you, it is like the whole room has quieted and he only sees you.  You can tell he just adores Kimberly!

Hugs!!

HOl

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