Getting Ready in Owosso

I recently had the pleasure of working with Fortitude Farms for Chelsea & Kevin’s wedding day- a venue I highly recommend couples check out! This flower farm offers the best blooms for summer weddings and the most gorgeous tent for your receptions. Fortitude Farms offers in-house florals. The florals for this wedding were picked exclusively from the U-Pick fields and put together by both Chelsea and the venue owner Lauren. It made for simple, yet stunning, decor.

Chelsea started her day with some fun. She stopped with her best friend to get some breakfast on the way to Fortitude Farms. It was such an intimate way to start the day in celebration. Once they arrived at the venue, Chelsea did her own hair & makeup. A feat I definitely could not do. She also made time to help her daughters get ready as well- a special moment I know they will remember as they grow older. While she was in the bridal suite getting ready, Kevin and his guys were over in their getting ready space. Chelsea & Kevin had a unique wedding party that was made up entirely of groomsmen- something I haven’t seen before but I loved it! The guys were so easy to work with and made their portrait time fun. 

First Look at The Farm

Chelsea and Kevin opted in for a first look before their ceremony. I love when couples choose to incorporate this into their day and there’s actually a way to do it without seeing each other if that’s something that is important to you! We did 3 different first looks: Kevin and his daughters, Chelsea and Kevin, Chelsea and the groomsmen. I definitely teared up a little during Kevin and his daughters’ moment. The girls are old enough to where they are going to remember this day, and to me that moment is just so special.

Because we had time before the ceremony, we went ahead and did some portraits before. I always recommend doing this when possible for a couple reasons. One, everyone is already together so it’s easy to get some portraits done. Two, you want to enjoy your reception as much as possible and taking these portraits before can free up your time later to have fun.

For more first look ideas, check out this other wedding I photographed!

Ceremony in the U-Pick Flower Field

Chelsea and Kevin kept their ceremony short and sweet in the U-Pick Field at Fortitude Farms. Chelsea’s dad walked her down the aisle after the groomsmen had walked. Once the vows were read, Kevin presented Chelsea with their “kiss”- a giant Hershey Kiss! It was actually really cute and showed his funny side.

Chelsea and Kevin met with each of their guests in a receiving line right after the ceremony. Guests could stop to congratulate the couple on their way to the reception. I loved the idea of the receiving line because you get to have a moment with each and every person you invited. This also makes for great candid photos of you hugging your loved ones while you’re riding the high of just being married. It’s a beautiful moment!

Reception in the Tent

Chelsea and Kevin’s reception was held in the tent at Fortitude Farms. The tent was perfect with that summer evening breeze going through. Guests were able to mingle before dinner and the kids were running around the fields, laughing and having so much fun. I was able to snag Kevin, Chelsea, and their daughters for some quick golden hour portraits throughout the flower fields. The lighting was perfect and we were able to get family portraits done during this time, too. These portraits are unique to any other wedding I’ve done this year because of the vibrant florals. No other venue I’ve been to this year was a flower farm so I love how unique their gallery is!

After portraits, we kicked off the party. Kevin and Chelsea had their first dance together during the sunset which was super romantic. They also danced with their parents and the girls joined them on the dance floor. Chelsea and Kevin ended up having two dance floors during their reception. It was unexpected, but so fun! The adults mainly stayed in the tent to dance and party but the kids all created their own dance floor right in front of the DJ on the concrete patio outside the bar. The kids were running around and dancing all night long- they were the ones that kept the party rocking and rolling. It was so cute watching them all dance together! The DJ had brought a fog machine and the kids were going crazy over it! Those photos are not included in this blog post- I always try to keep the kiddos off my website and social media for privacy reasons. I don’t always get to talk to each individual parent at every wedding so I make it a point to not post children’s images from a wedding day if I don’t have explicit permission.

Vendors That Made The Day Possible

I’d like to take a moment to list out all the incredible vendors that banded together for Chelsea and Kevin’s wedding day. Obviously, I handled the photography! You can get in contact with me here and check out more of my work here. I am always updating my blog with a look into the weddings I have photographed.

Fortitude Farms and Events is located in Owosso Michigan. They host weddings and micro-weddings and function as a farm the rest of the year. Alec and Lauren are the owners and they do a fabulous job. Alec and Lauren both bartended throughout the night and I know Lauren does florals for every event as well.

Justin Irish was the DJ for the evening. He DJs at local bars in the Owosso area!

Defying Gravity Bakery provided the desserts for the reception and they were amazing. I had the best peanut butter brownie I’ve ever had in my life. Chelsea and Kevin did not do a traditional wedding cake, but a whole dessert bar instead. It was a fantastic choice!