Shanahan’s Barn Wedding Charlevoix Michigan. Charlevoix, Michigan wedding photography at Shananhan’s Barn provided by Kari Dawson and her team.
When I first met Jackie she made a very long drive to meet me for a consult. Her mom came along with her and the three of us talked candidly and discovered a list of common ground and plenty of things to talk about. We all left feeling excited about the wedding and working together. Jackie married her dream guy this past Saturday in Charlevoix and the wedding did not disappoint. The weather was less than ideal but we still managed to squeeze a ton of portraits into a very small window without rain. Josh and Jackie had a large wedding party with eight guys and girls, their closest friends, that kept the energy and fun in full swing.
I arrived to meet Jackie at the Charlevoix Inn and Suites and the first thing I saw was one of the bridesmaid dresses that was a pink floor length dress with a lovely airy and summer quality about it. Lilac, grey and plum floor length dresses rounded off the rest of the bridesmaid dress collection. I love an eclectic collection of bridesmaids dresses and this particular set looked stunning in front of the weathered Shanahan’s Barn. These gentleman all cleaned up nice in their grey tuxedos. Their long neckties were a variety of colors to coordinate with the bridesmaid dresses which I have actually not seen done before and it looked awesome. When it was time for Jackie to put on her wedding dress the room grew quiet. There was a break in the torrential rain giving the bridesmaids time to get to the barn without ruining their dresses. So Jackie’s mom and sister stayed behind and helped her into her dress. I was honored to be part of such an intimate setting with Jackie and her family as she made her final preparations to see her groom. She wasn’t nervous. She wasn’t anxious. She was very funny and overall she was relaxed and took in each small moment with her mom and sister. Even the final moments before she saw Josh, when a lot of bride’s do find their nerves, Jackie was only full of excitement.
Just inside the barn doors, the ceremony was set to take place. The aisle was lined with large galvanized metal vases, each full of a bushel of baby’s breath. An arch draped in soft sheer fabric anchored the space where Josh and Jackie would say their vows. Their ceremony was beautiful with the pitter patter of rain falling on the barn. They said ‘I do’, shared their first kiss then excitedly made their way back down the aisle. We had so much fun with family and wedding party portraits while their guests settled into cocktail hour. Jackie’s sister, Amanda gave a heartfelt speech while Josh’s brother Dylan kept everyone laughing. Tears were shed during the daddy/daughter dance then the party was in full swing. And everyone brought their dancing shoes.
Jackie and Josh, I hope that you are having the best honeymoon as you finally get to enjoy the final moments of summer and some much needed time together! Hugs – Kari
Full list of Wedding Day Vendors provided at the end of this post.
Wedding Day Vendors
Wedding Coordinator: Kayley at Charlevoix Country Club
Hair + Make-up Artist: Panache
Ceremony + Reception Venue: Shanahan’s Barn
Florals: Kari at Petals
Cake Artist: Simply Sweet by Jessica
DJ: Celebration DJs
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