cranberry and navy fall clark lake backyard wedding in clark lake michigan

i do {weddings}

clark lake backyard wedding . erin + robert {i do} . kari dawson photography

Cranberry and navy fall outdoor Clark Lake backyard wedding in Clark Lake, Michigan provided by Kari Dawson photography and her team.

Their story…

If you ask Erin or Robert “what do you do?” They are classic Coloridian transplants that would list their favorite and adventurous hobbies instead of telling you how they earn a living. And isn’t that really the way it should be? Erin and Robert each took to the app Coffee Meets Bagel and found each other. They shared thier first date at Sava’s in Ann Arbor. You might remember me sharing their engagement photos last fall where we began right at Sava’s to honor their first date. It was a perfect way to kick things off because they both knew, that very first date, that they had found something special.

They shared their first year dating in Ohio so all of their wedding day vendors (except for Moi) were from Ohio. They were all incredible and I’d be thrilled to work here in Michigan or pop into Ohio to work with either of them again. A year into their courtship Robert was offered a job in Denver and off they went together. The proposal itself went exactly the way you would guess a couple getting engaged in Colorado would go. At the end of a four mile hike in the Rocky Mountain National Park. From there, the adventure of planning a backyard wedding in a place so special and personal to them both… Erin’s father’s lake house on Clarklake.

Their wedding day…

If you happen to be a past bride or groom you know I typically pride myself on having incredible luck with mother nature and avoiding the rain. Until this year. Mother Nature has definitely had her way with me just in the month of September alone. Two weekends in a row, just after all the guests were seated for an outdoor ceremony, the heaves OPENED UP! We managed to get everyone under cover without getting too horribly wet while keeping the bride and groom and their wedding party dry. In about 15 minutes the sky dried and the sun reappeared for the ceremony.

Robert and Erin provided a prayer stone for each guest to toss into the together moments after the ceremony. If you’re planning a wedding and want something creative instead of a receiving line, watching guests try to skip rocks together was SO MUCH FUN! Of course, as soon as the last guest tossed the last rock… it started pouring again. But only long enough to get everyone soaked. The rain decided to stop for the night once everyone had the option of being covered by the reception tent.

Through all of it, nothing stressed Erin or Robert. And the real MVP calm in the literal storm was their coordinator April from Your Perfect Day. I wish she wasn’t based in Ohio!

Their party…

And what followed next just made my whole wedding season. Erin and Robert danced together for not just one song or two. But these two were nearly inseparable at their wedding reception and on the dance floor. Robert and Erin I hope you have many, many dance parties and Rocky Mountain adventures in the days and years ahead. You both have indeed found something special!!! xoxo

Full list of wedding day vendors provided at the end of this post. *** scroll for their first look because it’s frickn’ epic along with the CUTEST flower girls and ring bearer. ***