10 Gorgeous Michigan Winter Wedding Venues

March 27, 2018

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Have you daydreamed about a snowy Michigan winter wedding with dinner near a cozy fireplace, followed by a warm weather honeymoon? Or maybe you’ve thought about getting your wedding photos outside with a glistening snowy scene as you invite your friends into a warm, lush greenhouse that brings everyone cheerful thoughts during the colder months.

Whatever your inspiration, you’re going to need the perfect Michigan winter wedding venue to fit your winter wedding needs, so let’s talk about a mix of different winter venues across a few different categories:

Barn or Lodge Michigan Winter Wedding Venues
Greenhouse Michigan Winter Wedding Venues
Loft Michigan Winter Wedding Venues
Classic Michigan Winter Wedding Venues

Let’s jump in.

Michigan Barn and Lodge Michigan Winter Wedding Venues

Brick Walker Tavern and Rustic Barn in Brooklyn, Michigan

Vibe: Relaxed, Vintage, Eclectic

If you have vintage or eclectic tastes, and you want to plan together a unique and cozy winter wedding, check out Brick Walker Tavern in Brooklyn, Michigan. There are two buildings—the brick building is like an inn that has rooms for your closest friends and family and a big room upstairs for your ceremony (although I’ll note that the upstairs room isn’t accessible, so keep this in mind if you have guests who require accessibility). And after the ceremony, your guests will down a short path to the heated two-story barn for the reception.

Brick Walker Tavern Wedding Photo Credits:

Faythe Emmons, Your Big Day Weddings & Events
Cake: Tavolina Catering & Events
Some photos were taken by my second photographer, Caitlin

Fox Hills Classic in Plymouth, Michigan

Vibe: “Up North Cabin,” Cozy

Although Chelsea and Jason’s February wedding day was 70+ degrees, Fox Hills Classic kept the cozy winter lodge feel alive with its fireplace, wood and stone.

Fox Hills Wedding Photo Credits:

Flowers: Lily’s Flowers of Saline
Cake: Zingerman’s Bakehouse, Ann Arbor

Black Barn Vineyard in Rives Junction, Michigan

Vibe: Modern Barn

I had the honor of being a part of a summer wedding at Black Barn Vineyard in Rives Junction before the barn was completed, but now that it’s done, it’s a gorgeous setting for a winter wedding. I’d love to see a classic black and white wedding with gold accents to play up the black barn and white snow.

Michigan Greenhouse Michigan Winter Wedding Venues

Michigan State Horticulture Gardens in East Lansing, Michigan

Vibe: Bright, Fun, Relaxed Elegance, Blank Canvas

The MSU Horticulture Gardens in East Lansing have a heated wide open greenhouse that’s perfect for a late fall or winter wedding. Guests sit at their tables as you walk down the aisle, which is becoming more and more common as a way to simplify the wedding day and avoid a setup change.

MSU Horticulture Gardens Wedding Photo Credits:

Photos by Allie & Co. Associate photographer, Rachael

Plantera Conservatory in West Bloomfield, Michigan

Vibe: Bright, Sophisticated, Lush

Plantera Conservatory is on my dream list. This greenhouse wedding venue in West Bloomfield is absolutely filled with gorgeous green spaces to brighten up any winter wedding.

These holiday wedding floral ideas from Emily at All Grand Events would bring in the perfect combination of winter reds and lighter blushes to blend in with the backdrop of Plantera.

Michigan Loft Michigan Winter Wedding Venue

Ford Piquette Plant

Vibe: Bright, Open, Great for the History Buff

The Ford Piquette Plant has a rich history in Detroit—it’s lined with vintage Ford automobiles, it’s the birthplace of the Model T, and it’s now a US National Historic Landmark. Your ceremony and reception can be set up on different floors for an easy flow for guests, and the bright loft provides the perfect backdrop for indoor photos.

Ford Piquette Plant Wedding Photo Credits:

Wedding Planner: Nicola Wilson, Simply Brilliant Events
Flowers: Ruby Slipper Design, Sandra Bostwick
Cake: Cake Ambtion, Jessica Bouren

Classic Michigan Winter Wedding Venues

Detroit Masonic Temple in Detroit, Michigan

Vibe: Classic, Timeless, Grand, Dark

The Detroit Masonic Temple is a huge classic building with endless photo opportunities, regardless of the weather outside. Invite your friends and family to come in and forget about the cold as they take in the amazing details around every corner of the Masonic Temple.

Detroit Masonic Temple Wedding Photo Credits:

Some photos were taken by my second photographer, Derek
Cake: Love & Buttercream
Flowers: Soo Fabulous
Dress: The Wedding Shoppe

The Inn at St. John’s in Plymouth, Michigan

Vibe: Bright, Classic, Grand, Easy on Guests

The Inn at St. John’s has everything under one roof—a gorgeous chapel, a variety of reception rooms and a full hotel.

The Inn at St. John’s Wedding Photo Credits:

Cecelia Ash, Orchid Events
Flowers: Silk Thumb Florist
Cake: Cakes by Stephanie

The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan

Vibe: Classic, Dark, Great for the History Buff

The massive Henry Ford Museum has a mix of classic indoor areas for photos, or you can pop outside for winter photos against the classic brick museum exterior.

The Henry Ford Museum Wedding Photo Credits:

Flowers: Petit Fleur Events, Corrina Kulhanek

The MSU Alumni Chapel and Kellogg Center in East Lansing, Michigan

Vibe: Classic, Simple, Blank Canvas, Easy on Guests

The Kellogg Center itself is basically a blank slate—its rooms can be styled any way you want. But what makes the Kellogg Center special is its proximity to the rest of MSU, which has the charming Alumni Chapel, along with gorgeous backdrops for wedding photos (both inside and outside).

The Kellogg Center has the added bonus of being a full hotel, so your guests can simply take the elevator upstairs at the end of the night instead of traveling home in the snow.

The Kellogg Center Wedding Photo Credits:

Flowers: Petal & Forrest
Chairs: Chair Happy

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A Romantic Spring Wedding at Wellers Carriage House in Saline, Michigan

December 27, 2017

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I love photographing weddings at venues I’ve never been to before. I feel this big ball of creative energy as I take in each new corner of the place and explore the way the light plays across the scene. That said, oh my gosh—I would happily photograph every wedding at Wellers Carriage House in Saline. Being a part of these Wellers Carriage House wedding photos has been such a dream, and I’m excited to get back there later this year for Kait and Zach’s fall wedding.

I was the solo photographer on this wedding, which was no trouble at all with the easygoing pace of a wedding that’s all in one place and a relaxed couple like Jessica and Matt. Jessica got ready at the Hospitality House, and then we headed over to Wellers for a first look along the most perfect path of trees budding for Spring (their wedding was May 6).

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How We Style Our Wedding Album Into Our Home

December 19, 2017

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Anyone who knows me knows that I spend way too much time thinking about how to keep my favorite memories at my fingertips. I spent about an hour last night writing letters to each of my daughters in a little notebook that I keep for each of them, and I’ve been taking one second of video every single day to compile into my yearly “One Second A Day” videos. And as a photographer, I’ve gone all in on highlighting our most cherished memories through photographs in our home.

But one piece that we put extra effort into both highlighting and protecting is our wedding album. Our album sits on an open bookshelf in our family room, and as our girls get older and taller, it’s important for us to keep the album protected from sticky, curious little hands.

We put the album in a custom engraved bamboo album box last year. It really completes the look in the display—the album looks great standing alone among other books and items (we just topped it off with a little faux succulent for interest).

In general, we try to add levels to our open bookshelf to give it balance. The bottom shelf has three big baskets filled with toys so that the girls can grab toys and put them away as they play (or more likely, dump them out and leave them—but at least they’re easy to put away). We mixed up the shelves with stacked books topped with a variety of photos and plants, and our top shelf is dedicated to our yearly memory boxes to keep all of our favorite photos and small keepsakes from each year (handprints, a few sample art pieces from the girls, hospital bracelets from when they were born, etc.).

And if you’re looking for a little help mixing sentimental items with a stylish look in your home, check out the interior design company, Havenly. They have some really affordable packages to help you with the interior design of your home (especially for those newlyweds out there who are just starting to design their homes together).

Want a custom bamboo album box for your own home?

And now for some exciting news—I’m rolling out a new branch of my photography studio to help more people get custom keepsakes in their homes. I’m now offering custom designed bamboo boxes, memory boxes, albums and framed prints to everyone, whether you’ve worked with me as a photography client in the past or not.

You can check out more details about custom wall art and keepsakes right here.

I just realized that Jeff snuck his lego sailboat onto the top shelf—ha.

Thanks to Havenly for asking me to highlight a sentimental item in my home and inspiring this post.

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Create A Gorgeous Gallery Wall in 3 Easy Steps

November 21, 2017

I’ve been offering complimentary wall design for all of my A&Co. couples, families and seniors for about two years now—I realized that it can be so hard to figure out which images to print, how many to print and how to display them in a way that pulls the whole room together.

So I took a bit of inspiration from Joanna, Chip, Drew and Jonathan (a few of my HGTV favorites), and I started using a tool that lets clients see a digital version of the final look before choosing a final layout.

Here’s what you need to do to see exactly what art will look like to scale on your own walls:

Three Steps to a Gorgeous Wall Gallery

Step One: Tape an 8.5×11″ sheet of paper to any wall that you want to see designed. Take a photo straight on (or as straight on as possible). Try to capture the full wall if you can so we can see how framed art will balance across the space. Email me all of the wall photos. If you think you might want mix in other photos from prior sessions or milestones (like the example above), you can use wetransfer.com to send up to ten other photos.

Step Two: I will set up design ideas for you in my wall design tool. Check out a real live version of the wall designer right here (note: I can’t take credit for the photos on this wall design—Sheila was a past A&Co. bride who lives out of state, and I was helping her put together some ideas from a mix of recent family sessions).

Step Three: Choose your favorite design. You’re welcome to note the print sizes and order prints only to frame later (I do recommend my styrene mounted prints to avoid bending, warping or dimpling over time in the frame), or I offer full service framing with seven frame style to choose from.

When your frames are ready, you’ll pick them up in East Lansing, and you’ll have access to the original designs to guide how you hang the frames on your walls. Voila—designing wall galleries has never been so easy.

Michigan Barn and Lodge Michigan Winter Wedding Venues

Brick Walker Tavern and Rustic Barn in Brooklyn, Michigan

Fox Hills Classic in Plymouth, Michigan

Black Barn Vineyard in Rives Junction, Michigan

Michigan Greenhouse Michigan Winter Wedding Venues

Michigan State Horticulture Gardens in East Lansing, Michigan

Plantera Conservatory in West Bloomfield, Michigan

Michigan Loft Michigan Winter Wedding Venue

Ford Piquette Plant

Classic Michigan Winter Wedding Venues

Detroit Masonic Temple in Detroit, Michigan

The Inn at St. John’s in Plymouth, Michigan

The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan

The MSU Alumni Chapel and Kellogg Center in East Lansing, Michigan

Want a custom bamboo album box for your own home?

Three Steps to a Gorgeous Wall Gallery

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