Charles and Ashley’s wedding was held on a very cold winter day at Castle Farms in Charlevoix Michigan.

We started out at a local hotel for some getting ready pictures. It was a lovely spot with a couple of very nice hotel suites. In particular, the bridal suite is very spacious and has ample room for a good size group. Ashley was getting her hair done and her makeup touched up when we arrived. Maurice & Patrick bounced back and forth between the groom’s room and the bride’s room having fun getting some very nice getting ready shots.

A note about the filters and black and white photos…

I would like to call your attention to the black and white shots next to the color pictures. People often wonder what black and white looks like on a very similar shot to a color photo. We’ve deliberately chosen throughout this blog several examples of this very point. We’ve also picked some different filters and put them side-by-side of identical images. You can see how in an edit process there’s latitude to increase or decrease a particular filter saturation or put an image in black and white.

In most of our blogs we don’t have duplicates like this but we thought it would be important to try to display that a little bit here in this blog and show the editing process at work. After everyone was ready and things were being loaded up, we headed out to Castle Farms in Charlevoix Michigan.

Charles and Ashley’s first look and service upstairs…

The couple met for their first look on a beautiful staircase. We had come into the location knowing a lot of the spots we wanted to use, so as we worked around in the cold, the couple didn’t have to wait and wonder what we were thinking. Everyone moved fairly quickly and this is important to note that good planning often produces some of the best pictures. Especially when it’s this cold!

The service was held at the West end of the upstairs large banquet room. It is a gorgeous room with old field stone walls. My understanding is this section of the repair work was part of the original building and kept with an original look. When I say it’s fantastic, I really mean it is fantastic!

The service came off without a hitch. Ashley & Charles shared their vows in front of their best friends. I believe the service lasted about 15 or 20 minutes. After the exchange of vows, we took a few key family photos. Generally family photos take about 10 or 15 minutes. With a couple of more night shots, the couple got ready for their grand entrance into the room.

The party was on…

It was a ruckus applause that they were greeted with. It was so exciting and so much fun to feel the exuberance of the guests as they welcomed the new couple into their party. The dance photos after the meal are absolutely stunning in this room. High above, the drapes that hung from the ceiling create a gorgeous semi-circular shape above the couple. It is particularly nice from a distance when you can see the room and the tables and the draping. It’s just gorgeous!

Ashley danced with a dear family friend that helped raise her and Charles danced with his mom. It’s so beautiful to see families embrace a couple in this way. It was very moving to watch. Later in the evening, the party was well underway and we went outside for some night photos. Once again, we had a plan in place so they weren’t standing in the cold for long but you can see just how beautiful a gorgeous winter shoot can be!

We can’t wait for our next Castle Farms wedding!

In your journey to see more great wedding photography from around West and Northern Michigan, check out this link for weddings here.