Wedding Date: May 24th 2025

Some weddings feel like grand productions, and others feel like slipping into your favorite place in the world. Michelle and Joe’s day was absolutely the latter, a casual weekend picnic that quietly transformed into the sweetest celebration of love. I loved every minute of it.

They chose a beautiful park for their ceremony, the kind with tall birch trees, soft greenery, and walking paths that invite you to slow down. When I arrived, picnic tables were already buzzing with guests gathered around custom puzzles (yes, puzzles!). It was such a fun, unexpected touch. People leaned over the pieces, chatting, laughing, and catching up with old friends. It set the tone immediately, relaxed, welcoming, and totally authentic to who they are.

Their ceremony took place inside a log-cabin style shelter tucked into the woods. It felt like a little hideaway, wrapped in nature. Friends and family filled the space, and the sound of a good friend playing the bouzouki drifted through the trees as everyone settled in.

And then came Scout, Michelle’s little pup, who trotted down the aisle as their ring bearer, ears perked and tail wagging like he knew he had the most important job of the day. Right behind him was Avery, the adorable four-year-old, proudly scattering petals as the flower girl. Those two absolutely stole the show.

Michelle and Joe arrived looking amazing and exactly like themselves in the best possible way. Michelle’s bouquet was a loose, wild bundle of rustic wildflowers from the farmers market, simple, elegant, and completely perfect for the setting. Joe wore a vest and jeans, relaxed and comfortable, ready to marry his best friend. The ceremony was heartfelt and light, surrounded by trees swaying in the breeze. When it ended, we gathered everyone for a big group photo. It was one of those moments that captures not just who was there, but what the day felt like.

Afterward, the celebration kept its easygoing pace. Michelle and Joe slipped into custom hoodies (a detail I will forever adore) and shared their first dance right in the shelter, under wooden beams and soft light. Then we stepped away from the party for a little stroll and wandered into the birch trees and through the wetland paths, taking portraits as they talked and laughed and soaked in the day.

Michelle and Joe built a day that felt like a community gathering, a family picnic, and a love story all rolled into one. And Scout absolutely approved.