Kayla and Tyler decided to have their wedding at Millcreek Wilde in Watervliet, Michigan on the day after Fourth of July. I'm also lucky enough to have Tyler as a cousin, so this wedding was extra fun. Both of them had planned that the 4th of July would be their rehearsal dinner so they could end with fireworks. I loved the idea that it was celebrating our freedom and semi-celebrating them getting married. Actually, Kayla and Tyler had booked this venue before they were even engaged! They were super excited to have their wedding at this magnificent location.

Kayla and Tyler's love story is definitely one for the books. They met each other while both attending Valparaiso University for engineering. They had a few classes together, and Kayla eventually introduced herself after class one day as they were walking. After months of getting to know each other in class and out of class, Kayla made some bold moves to get Tyler to finally ask her to be his girlfriend. And that's what started this amazing journey that they have together

I was actually lucky enough to be asked by Tyler to photograph the proposal! You can read all about it here. Kayla knew that Tyler was going to propose in the near future, especially since they just booked their wedding venue. However, she was expecting it to be on their anniversary. Tyler decided to throw her off and do it the day before their anniversary - he's so clever! Luckily, Kayla looked super cute anyway (more than I ever would in college), so her photos turned out great. On their way back from class, walking on the sidewalk, in the spot they first met, Tyler dropped one knee. Kayla thought that he was joking at first, since Tyler has been teasing her about proposing.

Kayla and Tyler are one of the few couples who actually have three sessions. They have proposal photos, engagement photos, and wedding photos. I personally love this because it shows them growing together through photos. Check out their engagement session here.

Kayla and Tyler are very goofy together, and I love that about them. They are both adventurous and smart - I mean, both of them are engineers. They both love being outdoors, enjoy playing card games, and love their dog Winnie. Kayla was adamant that we got photos of Winnie while they were getting ready since she couldn't come to the wedding venue.

Fast forward to their wedding day, and I couldn't have imagined a better day for them. They decided that they didn't want to have a first look, and save all the moments for the second she walked down the aisle. Kayla was pretty calm and collected throughout the day, though you could tell that she was trying to not have anxiety about all of the decorations getting to the venue. Tyler was extremely excited to see his bride, but only when the ceremony started. So, when he showed up to the venue he blindfolded himself and had his groomsmen walk him to where they were getting ready.

I showed up with Kayla and her bridesmaids were getting ready, everyone seem to be on track for time. Until the moments right before we needed to leave - all the girls helped run around to gather everything to get to the venue. Millcreek Wilde venue has two little cabin areas for getting ready. One for the guys and one for the girls. Kayla was nervous about coming out of her little cabin, fearful that Tyler might accidentally see her. But we made sure we tucked her away.

Then the ceremony was finally here, and I couldn't wait to see Tyler's face when he saw Kayla walk down the aisle. I turned to Tyler to take some photos, and he was choking back tears. Then suddenly, Tyler and everyone else started chuckling a little bit. I turn to look, and Kayla's veil had come off! Luckily she kept her cool while the wedding coordinator helped put it back in. It definitely gave a little bit of comedic relief for both of them.

The ceremony was absolutely beautiful at Millcreek Wilde, and while it was quite hot that day, God was good and provided lots of clouds during the ceremony to help.

Once they were announced to all of their guests and walk down the aisle, I stole them away from everyone so that they could have some moments alone together. I took them in front of the venue to take some photos and then tucked them in to the bridal suite for about 5 minutes just have some alone time. I especially like to do this if the couple isn't doing a first look.

The reception was a blast, even though it was hot. It seemed like no one was phased by the fact of how hot and humid was. Everyone had gotten up on the dance floor and was having the best time that they could! Before my time was up at their wedding, I made sure to take them away from everyone to enjoy the small moments together.

I'm so thankful that I got to be their wedding photographer!

RECEPTION/CEREMONY VENUE: The MillCreek Wilde
WEDDING COORDINATOR: TLC Weddings
VIDEOGRAPHER: Paradise Studios
FLORIST: AndyLous Flowers
CAKE ARTIST: Simple Sweets
DJ: Paradise Studios
MAKE-UP ARTIST: Styles by KK - Krystle Kandler
HAIR ARTIST: Hair by Leah Walker
BRIDESMAIDS DRESS: Azazie
BRIDAL GOWN: Simply Yours Bridal - Morilee