H & I

I’ve been quite on the blogging front for too long.  We’ve been busy this year planning and coordinating some absolutely stunning weddings!  I’ve decided to reengage with the blogging world with this beautiful St. Joseph, Michigan wedding.  Stephanie, our fabulous SW Michigan wedding planner, coordinated Hilary & Ian’s classic, soft mint green wedding.

Rather than beginning with the first image of the day, I decided to start with one image that I fell in love with immediately.  Niki Marie Photography really conveyed the warmth of the wedding day through her images.

I love the use of watercolor on these wedding invitations.  Aren’t they pretty?

On the whole, this season I started to fall in love with the details against a textured fabric.  Isn’t this pink velvet stunning?  The velvet is from a chair within the house where the Hilary and her ladies got ready.

                                            

If you’ve never been to St. Joseph before, you’ll have to make a trip up to this great little beach town.  It’s really grown over the last ten to fifteen years.  Many Chicagoans travel around the southern tip of the lake to drive to the beach for the weekend.  Similarly, Hilary and Ian fell in love with the town, and chose to make that trek as Chicagoans themselves.  To host each side of their wedding party, they rented houses for the ladies and guys.  The quaint, romantic feeling makes a perfect backdrop for Hilary’s detail shots!

Wedding Party

In St. Joseph, not only do you have the beach as an option for photos, but you can find plenty of grassy areas, too.  It’s a photographer’s dream for weddings!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hilary & Ian got married at the First Congressional Church in St. Joseph.

While Stephanie remained on site with Hilary and the wedding to ensure a smooth ceremony, her assistant set up at the reception.

Aren’t beach wedding photos magical?  The lighthouse in the back of this photo is iconic in St. Joe.

Reception

When Jenny opened two new branches of jpb designs in Chicago and SW Michigan about three years ago, we were blessed by Shadowland when we quickly landed on their preferred vendor list as one of the go-to wedding planners.  Shadowland is one of our favorite venues in SW Michigan.  Thank you for allowing us to thrive at your venue as a top Michigan wedding planner.

If you can picture this layout, the ballroom is attached to a larger building, which hosts a children’s museum and a carnival-like area.  They have popcorn, games, rocking chairs, and a carousel, to name a few.  (This building and the activities inside are reminiscent of the 1940s when all of these were alive and well on Silver Beach.)

In modern day, while guests enjoy cocktails, the bride and groom can opt to open the carousel to their guests.  Because I love a good wedding picture, I always recommend the couple hops on the carousel!  Getting creative, photographers can have fun with the images they can get while the couple relaxes on their ride.

Hilary & Ian, thank you for having jpb designs as a part of your wedding day!  It was our pleasure to help make your special day as memorable, smooth, and enjoyable as possible.

This couldn’t be possible without the help of all the amazing vendors.  Especially relevant – a special thank you to the great SW Michigan vendor team!

church:  First Congressional Church

venue:  Shadowland Ballroom on Silver Beach

florist:  Crystal Springs Florist

coordinator:  Stephanie @ jpbdesigns