Wedding Under the Dark Skies
Headlands International Dark Sky Park Wedding
I love my travel weddings because I am able to pack up and head out to Headlands International Dark Sky Park in the Mackinaw City, Michigan area with my new teardrop camper! I love love LOVE doing this because not only can I travel, but I can be in the area the night before (think time for scouting, possibly) and then rest up after a long 9-11 hour day! Friday, after work I headed home to finish packing everything up and hit the road.
4 hours later, I was setting up at one of my FAVORITE Mackinaw Campgrounds, Mackinaw Mill Creek Campground and even had a little time to explore. It was my 2nd time at this campground and definitely one of my favorites. Check out this cell pic:
Hair and Makeup: Isabell O’Neil
Florist: A.R. Pontius
Caterer: Audie’s Restaurant
Cake/Desserts: Simply Sweet by Jessica
Henna: Henna by Julia Kuhns
I then headed over to Morgan and Jason’s venue to get a feel for the place. I explored the venue and beach area and found plenty of cute little spots for us to go too.
The morning of the wedding, I got ready in my little camper and headed over to a little Airbnb nestled along the lake. There was no shortage of Midge Flies haha tis the season. So while I battled those, I went between detail shots and Morgan getting ready. The Airbnb was a cute little spot with outdoor seating and a firepit right by the lake. I hung out with the girls here for about an hour till I met up with the guys. Which happened to be my first time meeting Groomy, by the way. He was never able to attend any of the meetings so it was nice to finally meet him. The guys were getting ready at the guesthouse at Headlands International Dark Sky Park which was an easy 10 minute drive from where the girls were.
The ceremony turned out to have the best weather and we all were kind of scared the morning of because we woke up cold and to rain, but all that went away just in time for their outdoor wedding. Which happened to have the beautiful lake right in the background and sometimes the sun would pop up. I just love how they incorporated their dog, Johnse into the ceremony as well along with Jason’s son, Brayden.
Morgan wanted all of her family photos done right at the ceremony spot with the water in the background (so pretty!) so after we signed the marriage license (well, they did…I didn’t haha) we headed back down into the Amphitheater area for photos, which was falling just a tad behind…but that’s what we do. We rally and get it done!!
I wanted to keep the bridal party in the same area and found a convenient location right in front of the pavilion area. I like to start with family, work my way down to the bridal party and then dismiss everyone for some one on one time with the bride and groom, so that’s what we did. Worked our way through the trails and to the beach.
Morgan and Jason decided to save on the DJ expenses and enlisted the help of friends and family to take care of the announcements and music. Most of the party ended up going outside into the pavilion anyways and everyone was dancing outside…which totally works for me as well since I prefer natural lighting! All the first dances and speeches took place inside.
“Julie has a great bubbly personality that makes you feel comfortable. She is highly organized (which helped me because I am not LOL) but also is laid back and makes your photos very personalized. She has a great eye for light, angles and vision for your photos. She simply catches the unconditional love you have with your partner, friends and family. She made our day truly special, unforgettable and we are so happy we chose her for capture our special moments. I recommend Julie for not only her talent but her professionalism and ambition to get the perfect shot. Thanks Julie!”
Until, next time Mackinaw!
Catchfly Photography is a traditional wedding and adventurous elopement photographer based in Farmington Hills, MI. Julie Believes in the little details and in between moments. Nature completely inspires Julie and she incorporates nature into almost every photo she takes. Julie travels to photograph traditional weddings and intimate elopements in Traverse City, Mackinaw City, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Colorado, Arizona, Jamaica and Ireland.
