Who doesn't love a backyard wedding?! If your hope is to make your wedding as unique and personal as possible, then a backyard wedding is the shindig for you. It's one of my absolute favorite locations for a Lansing area wedding, because there's no better way to fully embrace one's roots and upbringing than by having a wedding at home. Kelly and Luke decided to have their wedding at Kelly's childhood home, in the country north of Lansing. The area was just perfect for an open-air ceremony and a tented reception, offering plenty of wide-open spaces to work within. Kelly has a very large group of friends and family and had an entourage of ladies on-hand to help her prep for the day in the room she grew up in. So bittersweet!
The ceremony was held in the front yard, with a view of the woods and house, combining much laughter, tears and plentiful sunshine. Kelly and her family took on the task of handling all the floral arrangements and it was beautiful. Kelly chose simple greens paired with ivory lace, pearl accents and black feathers. It definitely had an elegant vintage vibe, which worked well with both the natural surroundings and elements that were brought in, such as cool retro couches. If you are hunting for vintage decor rentals for your event, be sure to check out Fancy Fray. They are based out of Grand Rapids, but serve Lansing and central Michigan. Their seating, tables and extras definitely helped define Kelly and Luke's space and helped to lend the right character to their reception. They were also quite comfy and were used for portraits, as well as reception lounging. A win-win for everyone!
Following the ceremony, we were able to take advantage of a friend's Model A that they let us borrow for a few shots near a neighboring pond. What a perfect spot for a few quiet photos! Here are some favorite images from the first part of Kelly and Luke's gorgeous wedding day... part two to follow soon. Get ready... their reception was quite a celebration with a packed dance floor the entire night!!