# 3 - Talk with Venue About Lighting Opportunities

This is a big one if you are doing a resort or an indoor wedding in Michigan. Banquet and dancing halls are beautiful and romantic. But oftentimes, they have high ceilings, dark corners, and harsh shadows. Ask you venue coordinator to do two things:

Give you a list of lighting options (you can also order uplighting from your dj & string lights from your rental company)!!!!

Invest in draping to hide all of the "ugly" things usually on walls ie. light switches, bright red exit signs, wall panels, etc

#4 - schedule your wedding photography timeline 
around the “golden hour.”

Northern Michigan is THE destination wedding area in the whole Midwest (not that I am biased at all). And the most glorious time of the day is actually sunset, when those golden rays touch down upon the beautiful grasslands and sandy beaches for romantic, summer light. However, it is not always easy to plan your wedding around this quick, 30-60 golden zone before the light completely leaves. If beautiful romantic wedding pictures during sunset are something that you truly want, talk to your photographer. Together, you can come up with a timeline and plan to slip away during the reception activities, and make sure you can get those beautiful wedding poses between you and your groom.

#5 - Bring Alternative Shoes

Consider your second pair of shoes to be “Michigan” friendly, meaning that you will be able walk through the sand with them, walk across rolling farm hills, climb onto rocks , etc. Of course it all depends on the type of photos and how adventurous you want to be, but DO at least plan to have comfortable and safe walking shoes.

#6 - Protect Your Hair From Wind

When choosing a hairstyle with your vendors before the wedding date, make sure you describe to them, what type of wedding yo will be having. If you are seeking an outdoor beach wedding, be prepared for some wind to be coming off of Lake Michigan. If you decide to have your hair down for the ceremony, consider hiring a stylist you can be there in between the ceremony and reception, to possibly pin it back up in a loose, fun way for your reception. The winds can take out your curls and bobby pins, so be prepared for some touch ups (or bring hairspray if you are doing an up-do to smooth back throes flyways).

#7 - MIX New Decor With Old

As mentioned above, DIY can be awesome, and can really define your style and the type of wedding photos you want. But don’t go too crazy with the DIY. Sometimes budgeting for new or high quality decor and details can really turn your rustic homemade wedding, into a rustic elegant wedding. For example, you can DIY your reception centerpieces with mason jars, wine bottles, homemade candles, etc. But instead of putting together your bouquets and having loose flowers hang out of these vases, work with your florist to create an elegant looking bouquet, that fits in your DIY jars. This style is sure to cut down on budget, but make sure you still have a high quality feel to your decor.

#8 - Check Your Electrical Situation

Many northern Michigan weddings take place (at some point) outside, taking advantage of the intrinsic beautiful landscapes we have to offer. But while you are planning the logistics of your wedding, take into consideration this question: do you need electricity at some point, and where are you going to get it? For example, many brides love beach weddings, were they say their vows out on the sand dunes. This is a gorgeous wedding, but many of the guests can never hear your ceremony because of the wind, but where would you officiant be able to get a microphone or electricity to run it? Problems like these can be simple, but often overlooked.

#9 - Christmas Lights Galore!

White tents for your wedding reception are also quite popular, and fun for your outdoor wedding! What a lot of couples don’t consider though, is that a white tent is very unflattering to be photographed in. It is typically dark inside the tent and very bright outside the tent, meaning the wedding photo light can be very unbalanced. To solve this problem, and to truly get those glowing wedding photos you see on the wedding blogs, fill your tent up with as many Christmas or globe lights as possible. Don’t just run them around the edges of your tent, truly LITE IT UP and you will love your reception wedding photos!

#10 - PLAN B for Rain

Yes, unfortunately is it possible that it might rain on your wedding day. Because northern Michigan borders Lake Michigan, we get Lake Effect weather, which means we get more rain/snow and the weather is much more unpredictable. Make sure that if it does rain on your special day, you come prepared! Wedding photos can still be really cute, with matching umbrellas for your bridesmaids, dorky rain boots for your groomsmen, and much more! Talk to your wedding photographer a few days before if the forecast is predicting rain, and she can give you some great ideas, and recommendations for good photo locations despite the rain.

Follow these 10 tips for the planning the perfect outdoor Michigan wedding, and you will have beautiful beach, barn, and vintage wedding photography, guaranteed!