Fenner Nature Center Wedding | Forest Wedding Inspiration | Allison + Alec

Forest Wedding Inspiration at Fenner Nature Center | Allison + Alec

fenner nature center wedding

There’s just something magical about saying “I do” beneath a canopy of trees. Allison and Alec’s wedding at Fenner Nature Center in Lansing, MI was the perfect blend of heartfelt, intentional, and joyfully untraditional. With nature as their backdrop, their day was deeply personal—from their hand-written ceremony to dancing the night away to Rock Lobster. If you’re looking for forest wedding inspiration, their celebration is one to bookmark.

How It All Began

“We met a few months before Covid hit and started a long-distance relationship in March 2020. About five days after deciding to give it a shot, we ended up quaranteaming together for six weeks in Allison’s apartment. We figured that if we could deal with each other in that situation, we might have something worth sticking to!”

Bride’s Dress

Allison’s dress was a BHLDN find—fun, comfortable, and perfect for a nature-forward wedding. She personalized it with a copper belt from Etsy, sewed in lace for modesty, and topped it off with custom Chaco sandals in their wedding colors: green, copper, and teal-blue.

Groom’s Suit

Alec’s teal-blue suit was a meaningful re-wear from his sister’s wedding. With a copper tie from Vivid Clothing Toronto and a matching tie clip from JLynnCreations, his look complemented both the color palette and the natural surroundings beautifully.

The Venue: Fenner Nature Center

“We got married at Fenner Nature Center in Lansing, MI. Nature and conservation are extremely important to us, so it felt right to choose a venue that aligned with our values. We held the ceremony in the Maple Grove under the trees, then wandered the trails with Rachel before heading to our reception in the Davis Nature Pavilion, surrounded by tall grass and wildflowers.”
For couples searching for a Michigan forest wedding venue, Fenner is a hidden gem.

The Decor

Letting the forest speak for itself, they kept decorations simple and meaningful:

Bouquets made from flowers grown in their own backyard garden
Tables named after special places in their relationship (where they got engaged, took trips, etc.)
A few printed photos of family and friends placed throughout the reception space

The Ceremony

“We wrote the entire ceremony ourselves. We grew up in religious households, but wanted something unique to us. We included meaningful readings from The Velveteen Rabbit and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. It was powerful and personal—and the weather held out just long enough for us to say our vows in a cathedral of trees.”

The Reception & Dancing

This reception was pure joy:

A bluegrass-inspired first dance to Jerusalem Ridge
Parent dances to 25 or 6 to 4 by Chicago, followed by a dance floor explosion
A surprise highlight: Rock Lobster by the B-52s, complete with a friend-led mayhem dance tradition

“We will always cherish the memory of laughing so hard at our wedding that our stomachs hurt.”

Advice for Future Couples

“Learn the difference between advice and opinions—you’ll get a lot of both. Don’t catastrophize. Things will go wrong, and that’s okay. Take time to talk to everyone, including each other.”

A Word About the Photographer (Hi, That’s Me!)

“Rachel is fun, friendly, considerate, talented, and infectious (in a good way)! She made an effort to get to know us and our families beforehand, which showed in how seamless everything felt the day of. She blended in when we needed space and stepped in when we needed help or time to ourselves—and captured all those moments beautifully.”

Forest Wedding Magic, Captured

Scroll down to see some of my favorite moments from Allison + Alec’s Fenner Nature Center wedding. If you’re planning a nature-filled celebration and want candid, meaningful photos to match, let’s talk!

Bride and groom walking through the forest at Fenner Nature Center wedding

Tags:

Show Hide 0 comments

Midwest Engagement Photographer – Naperville IL

Naperville, IL Engagement Session

Midwest Engagement Photographer – Naperville IL

Alexis and Brian! Oh boy, I cannot wait to share everything from this session everywhere on the internet. This year is the year of blogging I have decided (and yes I do realize we are almost halfway through the year lol). I feel like my work is getting hidden throughout the sea of social media and I want more people to interact more so here I am posting this on both Instagram and here.

All of the tree’s blooms have fallen, and I feel super nostalgic looking back through these images to write this post. The dripping trees are now surrounded by fallen blooms and the heat has been oppressive and thick the past few days, wedding season is in full bloom (my first solo wedding this year isn’t until June but I have been second shooting since January!). On this day in April, we felt the chill of the breeze and couldn’t wait until the second half of their Midwest Naperville IL session which was indoors with some tasty treats! I am hoping to share the rest of their session sometime real soon!

These two no longer live in the area where they are getting married so they planned a weekend trip just for this session and some other wedding planning activities! I was so excited to meetup near both of their venues for this fall. We had so much fun walking along the Naperville Riverwalk and then later on headed for a snack.

Cannot Pick A Favorite

Which blooms do you like better? I can’t decide which ones I like better, the white or pink <3 Loving all the flowering trees popping this spring! Alexis’ white dress also made for a great pairing with the backdrop. Brian had to borrow a shirt because his white shirt was slightly different than Alexis’ (I hate when this happens! It happens with ALL COLORS) Alexis’ shoes were so fun and sparkly! I can’t wait to see their outfits for their wedding day.

Even with all the riverwalk construction, we found some really fun spots that were quiet to take photos! We shot these right around sunset (even though it was a cloudy day) which made for really calm breeze and relaxed vibes.

I cannot wait to hang with these two at their wedding this fall in Naperville, IL. I don’t get to travel to the Chicago suburbs as much as I would like anymore but man oh man do I LOVE Naperville and the florals at the riverwalk! There is so much construction going on down there right now but we made the best of it and had such a great time exploring all the beauty and color of the florals there.

Interested in Getting into my schedule?

Rachel Kaye is a Midwest Engagement Photographer and happily comes to Naperville, IL whenever clients get married here! I am available for travel anywhere in the US and quite a few other countries. Don’t hesitate to contact me for more details on how I can best photograph your engagement or wedding session!

Tags:

Show Hide 0 comments

2023 Wrap-Up

Reflecting on this year feels different. The past three years have been a whirlwind, especially with the challenges the pandemic brought. It made sharing my work—a source of joy—quite a task, confined only to those I captured in the frames. Social media, both personally and professionally, became a bit of a maze during this time.

This year, I hesitated to create another wrap-up post. It was a year unlike any other, marked by myriad reasons to forego this reflective tradition. The foremost among them was losing my best friend—my confidant in photography, Disney, memes, and late-night texts. The daily struggle with grief, coexisting with the joy of capturing weddings, has been a significant learning curve.

Every session and wedding since their departure has been a rollercoaster. The absence of positive reinforcement in the group chat during the drive to a venue, the missing screenshots of random songs, the traffic rants, and weather complaints—there was no one to share these moments with. Even the post-wedding quirks like complaining about the surplus of photos or color adjustments lacked their familiar audience. Yet, amid this, I began to discover solace within grief.

Every moment of these photos echoes memories of my friend, reminding me why I’m here—to capture every detail, ensuring no memory fades away. Initially daunting, revisiting and selecting ‘favorites’ seemed an impossible task tangled with grief.

However, as I began sifting through a few weddings, I realized I was choosing pure joy. Each image resonates with an indescribable peace and happiness within me. These images might not boast technical prowess or have the perfect edits, but they embody something deeper—the essence of preserving cherished moments.

Losing my friend emphasized the fragility of every single moment and memory we share. It taught me the urgency of capturing these fragments. Everything falls apart when you lose someone close to you, I cling onto the fragments I have of him.

I regret not taking more pictures in these past years, not snapping selfies or taking silly pictures with imperfections and all. It’s made me understand the importance of having someone there to capture these fleeting moments for us, someone with a critical eye for memories who won’t focus on keeping out the imperfect. As I look through photos with him, I don’t see ANY of those imperfections I was worried about, I see incredible memories I can forever look back onto.

So, hire the photographer. Take the picture. Memories may fade, but a photo preserves them eternally.

Extra special thanks to anyone who let me into their lives this year. You have helped me realize how healing joy is, the space you have given me in grief and in joy has been so healing. Words cannot fully express how thankful I am to each and every one of you.

Thank you thank you thank you thank you

For being my client

For sending me referrals and kind words about your photos

For being my friend

For reading this blog post

Heres to 2024 being an even more wonderful year capturing even more memories!

Tags:

Show Hide 1 comment

The Inn at Stonecliffe Wedding // Kristen and Max

a photograph of the invitations, kristens shoes with sparkley ankles, the rings, and kristens sparkle dress with feathers

When Kristen and Max contacted me about their wedding I was so excited!!!! THEN COVID HIT and they decided to wait and replan the whole thing to be more intimate and personal and I couldn’t have been more excited that I was still open to their change of plans. Meeting up on Mackinac Island for this wedding was a dream! It’s not my first time on the island for a wedding, but it is one of my favorite memories of the island. The most gorgeous day was spent at the Little Stone Church for the ceremony, a carriage ride for photos around the island, then the reception at a tent overlooking the Inn at Stonecliffe. It was an incredible day with the most wonderful people.

the inn at stonecliff on mackinac island wedding venue

kristens dress haniging in the tree. the back of the dress is showing and has a beautiful cut out with sparkles

kristens shoes on a chair they have sparkley ankles and are otherwise white.

Tags:

Show Hide 0 comments

The Pavilions in Walnut Grove Wedding Crane Orchards | Amanda + Casey

The Pavilions in Walnut Grove Wedding Crane OrchardsThe Beginning:

Amanda and Casey met one summer in beautiful West Michigan. Amanda was celebrating her 24th birthday and Casey had just gotten off work. “If you’re going to live in this town, you’re going to need friends,” Amanda told Casey. Little did either of them know, they had each just met their lifelong best friend. That night was spent dancing, talking, and touring Amanda’s hometown. From that day forward they were connected by an indescribable draw to one another, what they called “love magnets.”

Casey, who had planned to return to California, stayed in Michigan that year and their relationship grew. They spent that winter bundled up laughing, choking down Amanda’s first attempts at cooking, and observing their “pet” squirrel Munchers. The next fall they decided to move to paradise as the islands were calling. The following four years were filled with many adventures, from a two-week road trip across the states to new foods, many waterfall hikes, and plenty of surfing. They grew up and grew together.

Thanksgiving weekend 2019, they took their first trip to the neighboring island of Kauai. They had a blast touring the island via helicopter, hiking to waterfalls, and surfing beautiful point break waves. On a hike to one of the most stunning coastlines in all of the world, the Napali coast, Casey finally popped the question! Amanda cried and Casey had a smile on his face that nearly stretched a mile. Here began yet another adventure, one that will last a lifetime.

Amanda’s Dress

After we had gotten engaged I decided to fly home over Christmas Break to share the news with my family. During that trip, My sisters, mom, grandma, and I decided to do some light browsing of dresses to see what was out there, and I found it! I wanted something light, airy, and comfortable. The dress has floral appliques which went well with the orchard vibe, and the inside has super soft satin! The best part was it was on super sale, I couldn’t pass it up!

It’s a Melissa Sweet dress from David’s Bridal, ivory with a “cashmere” colored underskirt. With it, I wore dangly pearl earrings my mom got while on her honeymoon to Hawai’i, a pearl bracelet my parents got me as a wedding day gift, and a special perfume Casey had picked for me. Around my bouquet, I used a cutting from my Grandmother’s dress as well as one of her broaches. My veil was made by my cousin.

My bridesmaids wore 3 different blue/green tones of the Jenn Maxi dress from the site Show Me Your Mumu. With so many bridesmaids I loved the idea of breaking up the big wall of color. These colors also gave a relaxed ocean vibe, which I loved.

Casey’s Suit

This was Casey’s very first suit that he has owned, so he wanted it to be something that looked sharp, fit his personality, but was also something he could use for grad school interviews. He went with a blue Jos A Bank 1905 collection suit and I chose a champagne bow tie from the tie bar to go with the undertones of my dress.

Venue

We wanted a venue that really spoke to us; somewhere outdoors with trees and lots of space. We both had grown up apple picking over at Crane’s Orchards but hadn’t really thought of it as a wedding venue until I saw it in some bridal magazine. We loved all the tall rows of walnut trees and how the venue felt secluded without being too far in the middle of nowhere. Crane’s also only does one wedding a weekend so we had full access days before the wedding, which was very helpful with how DIY our wedding was!

The Decor:

We wanted the ceremony space to be very soft and romantic with lots of candles and lanterns. Amanda’s dad built the pergola we stood in front of as well as the doors that I walked through. The ceremony was originally planned to be in the far most row of trees, but with the rain, we changed the plan and had it in the pavillions, which actually made it more intimate!

We wanted to add a bit of fun for the cocktail hour/reception! The bar area was our ode to Hawai’i with a surfboard “chandelier” and we hand-made 4-foot tall “LOVE” marquee letters for the dance floor.

The dining tent was also meant to have more of a soft romantic vibe. We went with loose greenery and tons of pillar candles for the table decorations. We also found awesome gold flatware, which really popped with the dusty blue napkins! On our sweetheart table, we used candlesticks that were used at Amanda’s grandparents’ wedding, which was very special.

Our paper was very special. We worked with Amaryllis Paperie for the invitations, programs, and signs! Hayley custom-designed all the floral elements and illustrated the venue for our programs as well as a wedding day map sent with our invites!

The Ceremony:

We wanted our ceremony to really reflect the two of us and so we put a ton of thought into every aspect. Casey is a musician, so music was very important to him, he actually wrote and recorded the song I walked down the aisle to!

On our wedding day, it rained like crazy, but just as we said “I do” the rain stopped! In Amanda’s vows, she wrote that Casey helps her see the rainbow when all she sees in the rain, and later that evening they got a double rainbow!

Any Advice for couples planning their wedding?

Rent linens, because ironing 30 table cloths and 140 napkins is as bad as it sounds.

At the least, hire a day-of coordinator. Our friend Cara volunteered to be our day-of coordinator, and with the crazy weather, tornado warnings, and flooding if we didn’t have her we would have been screwed! She was so decisive in decision-making and coming up with backup plans A – Z! She really saved the day and allowed me to enjoy getting ready! Brides you do not want to have to worry about the morning of, so make sure you have someone you trust in charge!

Take time with your partner on your wedding day! It goes by fast so enjoy it together and don’t get too caught up with event hosting!

Your Photographer:

Rachel was so helpful on the day! She came prepared and organized and worked well with our videographers to get everything we wanted in! We had a huge bridal party, which could get a little chaotic at times, but she was able to get everyone organized! It was also downpouring half the time during the wedding but she kept a smile on her face, and when there were opportunities for orchard pics she was on it!

Thank you for viewing The Pavilions in Walnut Grove Wedding Crane Orchards wedding with Amanda and Casey! Follow the blog for more amazing weddings or socials for up to date information. Email hello@rachelkayephoto.com with inquiries

Tags:

Show Hide 1 comment

The Little Red Barn of Nunica Wedding | Christie + Marlin

The Little Red Barn of Nunica Wedding

The Beginning:

We first met in the summer of 2016 at a friends pool party but things stayed casual. After enlisting in the Navy in 2018, Marlin had left in August 2019 and that’s when we saw each other for the first time in years and we just fell for each other instantly. We spent every day together during his time home and did two months of long-distance before he flew me out to Italy to attend the Navy ball as his date. After that we knew we wanted to be together always. Fast forward to December 2019 when he surprised me by coming home and asking me to marry him! We had plans to see each other as much as possible but of course Covid-19 had other plans. We spent 11 months apart and we’re finally able to see each other just weeks before our wedding in May! Love is crazy!

Venue:

The Little Red Barn of Nunica. Marlin actually went to Church with the owners of the venue so it was special for them as well seeing Marlin all grown up! The sweetest people!

The Decor:

Everything used for decor was from the barn! Would recommend them to anyone!

The Ceremony: How did it go? Anything special?

it was amazing! Short and sweet. It was a breeze! Literally because it was windy lol!

Reception/Dancing/Music: All the fun!

we just let loose lol! Loved having all our family and friends there to celebrate! Especially since Covid kept us all apart for so long. One my favorite moments was dancing with my grandpa. I’m 100% grandpas girls and he was so surprised I asked him to dance. He brings it up every time I talk to him now and he gets teary eyed all over again. I know it’s something we’ll both never forget.