It's your wedding day, it should be unique just like you, your partner and your love.

When I first chatted with Harle and Nick, their original plan was to have an intimate wedding in October of 2022 at a family cabin. When we met up in person a few weeks later, they told me they were actually thinking of changing things up. They knew they wanted to be each other's forever person, and while they loved the idea of doing a small and sweet wedding next year, they didn't want to wait, plus they wanted to do something that felt a little more like them. Which is how they decided on their extremely unique, amazing, and a little... ghostly, elopement on a beach in Saugatuck, Michigan on Halloween Eve 2021.

Beach Elopement Ceremony + Portraits

After a short hike on the trails by the historical Dorr E. Felt Mansion, we made it to a gorgeous beach on Lake Michigan where the ceremony was held. The couple's small gathering of people consisted of three close friends, Harle's sister, and of course, their precious pups, Tic Tac and Fox Trot.

With the help of Universal Life Church, her sister was able to legally officiate for Harle and Nick. Having a family member, or close friend help with such a monumental event in your lives makes it so special. Universal Life Church is a great way to legally be able to make that possible.

Pretty Little Details

Harle and Nick really wanted their day to be about celebrating their love and commitment with their people, in their own way. Their details for their wedding were simple, yet elegant and had a bit of a moody vibe, it was Halloween Eve after all!

Supporting local businesses and being sustainable is something that Harle and Nick like to do as much as possible. With their elopement details being no exception to that.
While they were shopping for Harle's bouquet florals, they met the business owner of Risen Timber Design. Local to Holland, Michigan, Risen Timber Design specializes in modern wreaths and dried bouquets. The person offered to help with Harle's floral details and actually handmade the beautiful red eucalyptus flower crown she wore! It matched perfectly with the bouquet that Harle made. Yes, she made it! I couldn't believe it either, it was perfection. It smelled amazing too!

The engagement ring, wedding band, and pearls were all from Jensen Jewelers. They opted for Jensen's because they offered pre-owned, pre-loved, jewelry, which to Harle felt more sustainable. This way, she was also able to give more history and meaning to the pieces. Which I just found to be such an outstanding perspective!

Harle's dress was also something she gave a new purpose to. The designer gown was second-hand from Tradesy.

Something that I really appreciated was the fact that both, Harle and Nick, selected outfits that made them feel great in, but also outfits that they could wear again.
Nick's pants were from Fitzgerald's and his blazer from Stylehouse Menswear, both local businesses.

Nick's ring, another re-purposed design if you will, was made from recycled whiskey barrels! Whiskey Barrel Rings offers really cool options that are a fun alternative to standard or traditional wedding bands.

BMW, Felt Mansion + Ghosts

With every couple's wedding, elopement, or special event, we always make sure we create a custom timeline. Usually, we do a phone chat or virtual meet-up, but sometimes we get drinks. With Harle and Nick, we chatted on the phone one Sunday morning, everyone in jammies, drinking coffee and getting excited about their day. Harle always did the cutest thing, every time we would talk about something, she would show me pictures. It's such an awesome experience to create a connection with someone who is willing to let you into their "bubble" and share things with you. After this chat, she sent us adorable selfies of her and Nick all cuddled up in their cozy clothes with their puppy Fox Trot.

When we were creating the timeline, they asked me if I had seen the ghost sheet trend because they really wanted to incorporate photos like that into their portrait time.
And that's exactly what we did! Though, I think we really amped the photos up by adding the Felt Mansion in the background and Nick's BMW.

Everything's Great When You're Downtown

Like the 1964 Petula Clark song says, "Everything Great When You're Downtown!". Which, if you haven't heard that song, go listen to it, it's almost impossible to not chuckle a little.

Why am I bringing up downtown? After their elopement, they wanted to celebrate with a delicious dinner at La Dolce Vita- The Chop house, then hit the town with their friends, and even make new friends! We took a couple of snaps with the nightlife-filled streets and a group of Halloween party-goers!

GLP Love Note

Harle and Nick's day was fun, exciting, passionate, and unique, just like them. We are big fans of people who embrace themselves, their styles, and love hard. That's exactly how they were and we are incredibly honored that we were able to be there to help.

Thank you to those who invite us into their lives, even if just for a brief time, we value you more than we could ever say.