Hotel Walloon Spring Wedding in Michigan | Alana and Matthew
When Alana reached out about her Hotel Walloon spring wedding in Michigan, I was so excited. Alana and I were both in the same sorority at the University of Michigan which made it all extra special.
Alana and Matthew are an online success story. Funny enough, they actually went to middle and high school together, but didn’t really talk much. It wasn’t until they both graduated from college, downloaded a dating app and matched that they actually started talking. A couple years later, Matthew proposed to Alana during a trip to the Smokey Mountains while on a waterfall hike.
Destination Wedding on Lake Walloon
Alana and Matthew live along the water in southeastern Michigan and love spending time outside on the lake. When they were deciding on wedding venues, Hotel Walloon, located on Lake Walloon in northern Michigan, was a perfect fit. With an outdoor ceremony spot on the water and a timeless coastal style, it was a perfect compliment to their personal style and fit the vision they had for their wedding day. Coming from southern Michigan, for them and all of their guests, they were planning a destination wedding in Michigan. Many of their guests stayed on site at the hotel and enjoyed the quaint town of Walloon Lake.
The Wedding Morning at Hotel Walloon
Both Alana and Matthew got ready at Hotel Walloon with their wedding party and parents. I started the morning with Alana, while my teammate for the day, Brittany, started the morning with Matthew. Alana looked beautiful in her dress from The Wedding Shoppe and got dressed privately with her mom and sister.
Alana, being the thoughtful and creative person she is, featured so many personal and sentimental details into her attire. Her veil had lace from her mom’s wedding dress in it, she wore a watch from her grandmother, and her bouquet wrap was made by Matthew’s aunt with special family cloth and heirloom details on it.
Matthew and the gentlemen got dressed in a nearby suite but instead of popping champagne, they were sipping on whiskey. Matthew got dressed with the help of his dad and best man before heading out to the docks for his first look with Alana.
Wedding Dress Reveal with Friends and Family
Alana kept her dress a secret from everyone except her mom and sister. So after getting dressed, Alana revealed her wedding day look to her bridesmaids and Matthew’s mom! Their reactions were priceless, especially Matthew’s mom’s. It was great.
Then, she did a quick first look with her dad and her brother in the suite. She was also able to spy on Matt walking out to the back of the hotel for their first look.
Bride and Groom’s First Look on the Water
Alana and Matthew chose to do a first look on their wedding day. This way they could spend more time together and ease the nerves. They were also able to sign their Ketubah (Jewish marriage license) prior to the ceremony. This gave them downtime to enjoy their cocktail hour after the ceremony before the reception started.
Initially, we had planned to do their first look out on the docks. However, it was super windy in the morning. To make sure Alana’s veil didn’t go flying and dipping into the water, they stood at the start of the docks shielded by some evergreens. The first look was so cute and sweet and I loved having a second shooter in that moment. We were able to capture multiple angles from the docks and beach easily. I love looking back at their first look in the sunshine from multiple perspectives.
Hotel Walloon Wedding Portraits
Now having seen one another and calmed the nerves a bit, we did some portraits of Alana and Matthew around the hotel. The exterior of Hotel Walloon is like a dreamy New England cottage with porches for days and in May, the colorful flowers around were just starting to bloom. Of course, we stopped into the venue’s staircase of mirrors before joining their wedding party for photos outside.
Blush Pink & Black Wedding Party
Alana and Matthew’s wedding party looked timeless in blush pink silk midi dresses and black tuxedos. You can never go wrong with black tuxedos, in my opinion – they’re the ultimate timeless wedding menswear. The midi length bridesmaid’s dresses from Show Me Your Mumu were also such a fun change of pace from floor length dresses, perfect for a Hotel Walloon spring wedding. The blush pink complimented the green stripes of the hotel’s awnings perfectly, tying in the greenery of the florals.
Preparing for Family Photos on the Wedding Day
After their wedding party photos, we wrapped up family photos alongside the hotel. Alana and Matthew had a fairly long list of family photo groups, including both immediate and extended family, but we made our way through the list efficiently and quickly thanks to careful planning.
Alana and Matthew diligently communicated with their family, especially their extended family, leading up to the wedding day to let them know they would be a part of the photos. This is something I always recommend doing prior to the wedding so that there’s no confusion on whether or not someone is included, especially if you plan to do extended family photos before the ceremony. Either way, it’s worth blasting your family memories with a note that their presence will be requested at the time for photos. This ensures nobody wanders to cocktail hour when they’re needed.
Waterfront Jewish Ceremony at Hotel Walloon
Meanwhile, guests started arriving and made their way to the beach area for the waterfront ceremony. We got lucky with great weather for their Hotel Walloon spring wedding in Michigan. In honor of Alana’s jewish faith, they were married under a chuppah. The chuppah was adorned with stunning florals from Hoopers Forever Florals and prayer shawls from Alana’s grandfather.
The sunny, waterfront ceremony was stunning. It turned out extra memorable when the wind blew away Alana’s veil right at the start of the aisle. Perfectly, she shrugged it off with a laugh and was escorted to the altar by her parents. Alana and Matthew exchanged personal vows and were married by Alana’s brother with their parents standing up alongside them. The wind gave way to some of my favorite photos from the ceremony. I love the details of the bridesmaids dresses or Alana’s hair blowing with the wind.
The Outdoor Cocktail Hour
Guests stuck around the Hotel’s terrace after the ceremony for cocktail hour. They were served cocktails alongside a variety of passed hors d’oeuvres. Meanwhile, The Talcott reception space was coming to life. The Talcott was previously a boathouse that Hotel Walloon refinished. Now, it serves as an indoor event space across the street from the hotel.
Warm White Reception at the Talcott Lake Wallooon
Alana and Matthew’s brought warm white reception decor to The Talcott. The seating chart was a sailboat they built together – a nod to their love of being on the water. Each guest even received an individualized note at their seat from Alana and Matthew. Watching guests first start to notice and read these was so fun. It of course made for sweet photos as I caught people reading them throughout the evening.
After their entrance, Alana and Matthew cut the cake and Alana’s dad did the blessing of the challah. Their wedding party followed with a few speeches before their plated dinner. After dinner, guests started to explore the Moomer’s Ice Cream station and cookies for dessert. Meanwhile, we stepped out to take in the lakeside sunset.
Sunset Wedding Portraits on Lake Walloon
We crossed the street over to Village Green Park where we meandered onto some docks during sunset. The park overlooks the boat docks and is right next to the hotel. The sun peeked through the clouds just enough to give us some color and for Alana and Matthew to enjoy a moment away together.
Dance Party With Blue Water Kings Band
The rest of the night was a party with Blue Water Kings Band leading the way. Guests ate, drank and danced the rest of the evening. I loved capturing some nighttime flat lays of the “mess” of the night – signs of a good time!
Destination weddings, both in up north Michigan and elsewhere, are always a treat! I love to combine my love of travel and photography which made Alana and Matthew’s Hotel Walloon spring wedding in Michigan a great start to the wedding season. As if it couldn’t get better, in addition to my second Brittany being alongside me, Shayna was with me too to do content creation for Alana and Matthew.
At the end of the evening, we turned around hundreds of pieces of iPhone content to Alana and Matthew and two days later, they received the previews of their wedding photos. Bringing alongside my team always makes wedding days even more fun!
Curious about wedding photography and wedding day content creation? Just feel out our contact form and we can share more information!
Vendors
Venue: Hotel Walloon | @hotelwalloon
Wedding Planning: Beyond Eventful | @beyondeventful4u
Photography: Emily Kyle Photography | @emilykylephoto
Videographer: LKJ Film | @lkjfilm
Hair & Make Up: Vogue Salon | @vogue_salon_and_spa
Florist: Hoopers Forever Florals | @hoopers_1992
Favors: Kilwins | @kilwinstc
Dress Shop: The Wedding Shoppe | @weddingshoppemi
Veil: Family Heirloom
Shoes: Jimmy Choo | @jimmychoo
Jewelry/Accessories: Wachler Diamonds | @dwachler
Rings: Wachler Diamonds | @dwachler
Bridesmaids Dresses: Show Me Your Mumu | @showmeyourmumu
Groom’s Suit: Indochino | @indochino
Groomsmen’s Suits: Indochino | @indochino, Men’s Wearhouse | @menswearhouse, State & Liberty | @stateandliberty
Baker/Cake: Johans’ Pastry Shop Petoskey
Ice Cream: Moomer’s | @moomersicecream
Caterer: Wine Guys Catering | @wineguys_catering
Band: Bluewater Kings Band | @bluewaterkingsband
