I had the best time photographing this wedding for the Abrams in Grand Rapids. November was a weird month for me because I was sick a lot but also ended up taking on last minute weddings (something I don’t normally do for November). This wedding day was just me- no second photographer, and it was a wedding I picked up last minute due to the lead being ill. For this day I was contracted under Chelsey Ferguson Photography.
Getting Ready in the Bridal Suites
Starting the day with a 3 hour drive, I made sure to fuel up with a nice iced blonde latte from Starbucks. By the time I arrived at The Revel Center, I was ready to go and I beat the wedding party there. I love arriving early to scope out a venue I’ve never been to before. It gives me the opportunity to check out the venue and also connect with the venue owners or planners or whatever other vendors are there. I love networking with other wedding industry professionals- I always learn so much about the behind the scenes work that goes on. A lot of times, we see the finished product of florals or table-scapes but never all the work that goes into it. I also spent a little bit of time researching the area to see what was around. Being in the middle of the city, I needed to find where we would be doing portraits at.
When both wedding parties arrived, I touched base with both bride and groom. Bailey had her mom as her wedding planner and she did a fantastic job. Mom had a day of binder with every essential detail in it which I found very handy jumping in to this day. I was able to flow between the bridal and groom suites easily to capture getting ready details. My favorite detail moments from this part of the day were hanging Bailey’s gown on the many hooks throughout the venue and using the arcade for some ring details. The Revel Center has the coolest little arcade inside for guests to use! I love a good game of Pac-Man and DigDug. I’m also a big Frogger fan but I’m terrible at it!
Austin and Bailey had wanted to do a first look. I cleared out the area so they could have a private moment, and helped arrange them into position. We used the top floor of the venue, right outside the arcade. It was a beautiful, quiet moment and the couple read their own vows to each other. If you’re nervous about reading personal vows to each other at your ceremony, I highly suggest reading them privately to one another. Private vows will give you a moment together to take in the day and say what’s really on your heart without an audience.
Ceremony in The Revel Center Basement
Bailey and Austin decided to hold their ceremony in the basement of the building. Their ceremony had ambient lighting, which was perfect for the setting. It would later to flipped into the reception space. Their ceremony was short and sweet- it was my quickest ceremony of the year at about 4 minutes.
Immediately after the ceremony, the wedding party, family, and I all piled into cars to go take formal portraits. Bailey and Austin had chosen to use the park nearby for all their formal portraits, but unfortunately the park was closed. They were hosting a cross country meet and the park was gated at every entrance. I could see the disappointment on Bailey’s face as she realized we couldn’t get into the park. In the moment, I made the decision for all of us to return to the venue where I would take portraits outside. The venue had a nice, clean white wall on the outside we were able to use- it was also handicap accessible where the park was not. Revel Center also has two murals right under the train bridge next door that we used for both wedding part and couple portraits. With such colorful florals used throughout the indoor space, we opted to use the brighter mural for portraits. These are some of my favorite portraits to date!
Cocktail Hour & Reception in Grand Rapids
Cocktail Hour was a blast. Once we were done taking portraits, I hurried Bailey and Austin back inside (it was so cold out). While planning their timeline, the couple was very intentional about wanting to attend their cocktail hour to chat with guests and thank them for coming. It was held upstairs while the ceremony space was flipped into the reception space. Kids were playing in the arcade, adults were laughing and chatting, and the couple made an effort to really connect with everyone there. The arcade brought a lot of people together, young and older, and there was so much joy in the moment.
When it was time for dinner, the venue coordinators ushered everyone back downstairs to be seated. The couple had staged a grand entrance into the reception space, and Bailey and Austin immediately launched into their first dance. After the dance, we moved into speeches and toasts- dinner was a taco bar, and that got all the guests excited! After a leisurely dinner, Bailey and Austin cut their cake and we transitioned into the final dancing portion of the night. Bailey had a really sweet mother and daughter dance planned for her mom. This has been a newer trend I’ve been loving- moms do so much for us, especially during wedding planning. I love when brides honor their moms with a dance during the parent dance portion of the night.
The dance floor was hopping all night long. Bailey and Austin were on the floor all night with friends and family. Some favorite songs that really heated up the dance floor were Shake That by Eminem, Pour Some Sugar On Me by Def Leppard, and Wobble by VIC. Their DJ played a lot of classic rock hits, and I was here for it. I listen to a lot of different genres of music, classic rock being one of them, and I don’t hear it often at weddings. I was pleasantly surprised to hear classic rock hits, and the guests went crazy on the dance floor!
