Jessica & Mike’s Wedding at Black Barn Vineyard & Winery Rives Junction aka Westers Vineyard & Winery

Black Barn Vineyard & Winery Rives Junction MI wedding photograph

Jessica and Mike were married at Black Barn Vineyard & Winery in Rives Junction Michigan. Recently we see they changed their name to Westers Vineyard & Winery. This was a beautiful smaller wedding and part two of a 2-year COVID-19 split. The first event was held in spite of the heavy lock-downs due to COVID-19. This was a larger event for the rest of the family that couldn’t make it to the first event. We will link to day one down below.

A little background on this great vineyard and barn wedding…

Jennifer G. wedding photographer MI — Jennifer G. Photographer

The bride got ready in the beautiful dressing room at Black Barn Vineyard. Westers Vineyard & Winery is located a little bit south of Lansing nestled on a beautiful piece of property out in the country. There is a fantastic feel to this facility. Jessica got ready in the dressing room while the guys pretty much hung out outside. They were all ready when they arrived. After a few photos of the girls preparing, everyone was ready to go. Jessica rode down on the golf cart to be introduced to her dad under a beautiful Willow tree.

We tried to get a picture of him with a tear in his eye but he turned away from the camera and we got what we could. It was a very emotional moment in time. Jessica was all smiles. Shortly after, the groom made his appearance and the couple had their first look as well. One of my favorite shots is of the couple kissing in the foreground with Mom and Dad kissing in the background looking up toward Black Barn Vineyard.

Patrick Abel wedding photograph — Patrick A. Photographer

We took a little time as the minister wanted to run through a rehearsal of how things were going to go, so that took place and everyone talked away while the guests arrived. Once everyone was seated the wedding commenced. It was a beautiful service out in the shade of the high tree line. Late in the fall as the sun dropped lower and lower on the horizon, the light became so pretty. It was a beautiful service.

Photos out by the swing…

After the service concluded, we took a few family photos then used the golf carts to take a ride out to the swing at the back corner of the property. It’s a beautiful swing hanging from an old oak tree and what a majestic scene it is. My best guess is that this oak tree is well over 400 years old. My folks have a tree farm up north and I’ve watched these kinds of beautiful trees grow for many years. It’s fun to see one of this stature.

On with the party in the barn…

After several photographs outside and around the property, the couple was introduced into their reception. They came immediately to the dance floor for their first dance as the guests looked on. It was a very special moment for those in attendance to see this couple enjoy their special day. The second dance of the evening was with Jessica and her father. I had gotten to know the family and knew how special this was for her dad. I saw him very gently crying with tears of joy as he enjoyed this beautiful moment with his daughter on the dance floor. It’s really fun to get to know the families and I could tell this was a very special one.

After dinner, several toasts were made with some very meaningful words spoken. The party was underway and the dance floor was open. There was a beautiful sunset I could see out toward the west and I asked if the couple would go back out to the willow tree for some photos. There are some beautiful shots in that evening golden light. It’s fun to look back on these images and remember how special that moment was.

Night Shots and a sparkler sendoff…

Later on in the evening about 10 pm, the bride and groom made their way outside for a sparkler send off. It’s really fun to try to get the lighting right on a sparkler tunnel. It’s pretty tricky to shoot and thankfully we’ve had lots of practice over the years to get it right. They’re really fun to look at blown up to a large size! Too bad the web isn’t better at that sort of high resolution look but I think you can see quite well how beautiful the lighting was on these shots.

We wish the couple the very best life has to offer and know that they will enjoy their time together. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to photograph your wedding both times! We can’t wait for our next Black Barn Vineyard wedding!

In your journey to see more great wedding photography from another vineyard, check out Emily & Peter’s, wedding here.

We can’t wait for our next barn wedding!