Syri & Carlin’s wedding at The Graduate Hotel Ann Arbor MI, reception here as well…

Graduate Hotel Ann Arbor MI wedding photograph

This was a fabulously fun wedding for me! Syri and Carlin were married and hosted their reception at The Graduate Hotel in Ann Arbor Michigan. It was a beautiful December night in the city. I got to Ann Arbor a little early and hung around town and had a coffee. Later I stopped by one of my favorites, Westside Bookstore. I visited with Jay and Richard a little bit and caught up on things. They have such an interesting shop full of beautiful used books.

Getting ready photos…

When I met up with the bride in her room, her makeup artist and hairdresser were in full swing. We had some good laughs and everyone was in amazingly good spirits. There was such joy and excitement in the room, and everyone was having a good time. I stepped out for a bit to go downstairs and see the fellas for a few pictures then hustled back up to be with the bride.

The service in the Huron Ballroom…

The service was held at the Graduate Hotel in the Huron Ballroom with beautiful windows looking out over the city. It was dark outside and I loved the glow of the city lights in the background. It’s particularly challenging to photograph against glass with a flash. You get a reflection off the glass that will fire right back into the camera lens. It can create some terrible flaring and you have to be very careful but if done well, it can be a beautiful look! The service came off without a hitch, the room was full of big smiles and cheers as they walked back out through their friends and guests.

Around town for some night shots…

During cocktail hour, we broke away for some night shots around town and through the campus at University of Michigan. It’s such a fun feeling for me to look at these images. It was a cold night but they were brave and went outside anyway. I remember a week or so ago shooting a wedding and the groom didn’t want to walk out into the city of Detroit for night shots. The bride was pretty disappointed but she went along with the groom’s wishes. I felt terrible for her and wondered if he would come to regret it later. This side note is just one of those things that you wonder about as a photographer. Getting beautiful shots on this particular wedding warmed my heart. It just reinforces how important and fun it can be when you have a couple up for some photographic experimentation.

Family photos and dinner…

We came back inside for a few family shots before the couple sat down to enjoy their meal in the Terrace Ballroom. Some very nice words were spoken during the toast that warmed everyone’s heart. This was a pretty low-key event in terms of the reception, they focused on dinner and games with their guests. Their DJ and friend played some beautiful music in the background while everybody enjoyed themselves throughout the evening.

It’s so much fun for me to work with such a sharp couple and I enjoyed the level of conversations going on in the room. It is especially interesting when guests engage me and it isn’t just about my camera equipment. We wish this couple the very best life has to offer and hope you enjoy looking at this collection of pictures from their wedding at The Graduate Hotel of Ann Arbor MI.

In your journey to see more great wedding photography in Ann Arbor MI, check out Kristen and Mike’s wedding here.