Turquoise & Coral Destination Beach Wedding, Oscoda, MI: Maegan + Eric
My favorite place on Earth is Northern Michigan. To be more specific it is on the lake watching the beautiful blue water or enjoying the warm sunshine on my shoulders as I read a book and feeling the cool breeze at night by the fire pit, and basically never going inside! Northern Michigan is just so amazing and I was ecstatic when Maegan & Eric told me that they planned to hold their wedding on the beach in Oscoda, MI!
Maegan & Eric told me during their romantic engagement session that they originally were thinking of having a destination wedding in Hawaii, but after considering travel and other factors with bringing family all the way from Michigan to Hawaii it just wouldn't work out. Although it is a bucket list item for me to photograph a on a beach/mountain in Hawaii, I think Maegan & Eric's wedding day at the Mai Tiki Resort definitely had a tropical island vibe that was absolutely amazing! (Plus they still ended up planning a destination beach wedding - it just happened to be in Michigan!)
Despite the wind (and potential for rain in the forecast!), Maegan & Eric had a bright, sunny wedding day on the beach! They shared the most heart-warming first look prior to the ceremony before walking around the colorful little resort for some romantic portraits! The colors of these cabins were awesome - I don't think I've had a more colorful wedding!
Maegan & Eric, thank you so so much for giving me the honor of photographing your wedding day. Your wedding is one I will never forget because you both are just so amazing and your wedding day was filled with so many emotional moments that will stick with me forever! I wish you both nothing but happiness, laughter, and amazing adventures in your life together!
Love Always,
Courtney
How cute are these cabins! They even had a couple in Maegan's wedding colors of turquoise and coral!
Eric and his groomsmen were all so much fun and they enjoyed trying to figure out how to put on their beach inspired boutineers!
How can anyone not love this view?!
Maegan was all smiles as her mom and bridesmaids helped her step into her wedding dress.
It's time for the first look!! I feel like you can see Eric's anticipation all over his face as he waits for Maegan!
My favorite part - ahhh!! :)
Eric's reaction is, "Wow!" at seeing his beautiful bride!
Even though there was a lot of color all throughout the resort, I think the turquoise bridesmaids dresses and crisp white button up shirts on the groomsmen looked great together!
Look at how romantic these two are!
When I have the opportunity to work with wonderful couples who feel more like friends than clients I feel so blessed . . . and when their wedding party turns out to be just as welcoming, fun, and game for photo requests my day is MADE!
Maegan and Eric's ceremony took place right on the beach overlooking a very wavy Lake Huron!
Incorporating those Hawaiian island vibes Maegan & Eric's alter was made of bamboo, there was a tiki bar for guests to enjoy refreshments, and in the casual setting of the beach there was a "leave your shoes" here option!
Here comes the bride!
I enjoy seeing couples incorporate different elements into their ceremony because I think it makes it more personal to the couple! Maegan & Eric decided to have a knot tying unity ceremony and it was especially personal to them because they also love to rock climb together!
This was one of the most emotional recessionals and it hit me with all at once when Eric started to cry tears of joy - which made everyone else (me included) tear up!
All of the amazing turquoise and coral details came together perfectly at the reception!
Maegan & Eric's blue ombre cake from Tasty Layers looked gorgeous! They also had personal favors for each of their family and friends which were s'mores - perfect for those Michigan bonfire nights!
Maegan's dad gave a really wonderful toast to the new Mr. & Mrs. Pitts in which he recounted the day he went to work and received the phone call that would change his life forever. That was the day he heard that Maegan's mom was pregnant and that he was going to be a father! He said it was the best day of his life. So sweet!
My absolute favorite part of the reception was the prayer before dinner. Originally Maegan had wanted her grandfather to give the blessing, but do to his health he was unable to attend. So when the DJ started to play the next "song" a very familiar voice came out over the speakers; Maegan's grandfather!! He had sat down an pre-recorded the blessing and had everyone in tears!
As I listened to Maegan's grandfather speak of hope for the couple and as I captured these very real and honest reactions, I felt a lump in my throat and a swelling in my heart of happiness for Maegan, Eric, and all of there family.
During the first dance, I love to watch the guests who are watching the couple because those can be really great opportunities to capture joy and emotion - including here with Maegan's mom!
My FAVORITE dance shot of them!
Maegan's brothers started to watch as their sister and dad danced together and they never looked away.
Dance, Dance, Dance!
As the party raged on and laughter was aplenty, Maegan & Eric stole away to a small secluded section of the beach to enjoy the last little bit of sunlight on their wedding day!
It had just started to rain as they looked out over the water, but they were both still excited to get a couple end of the night portraits of just them! Maegan and Eric's attitude throughout the whole day made it an absolute joy to work with them and I just love them both!
Many (many) thanks to the talented team who were apart of creating this beautiful wedding:
Ceremony and Reception: Mai Tiki Resort, Oscoda, MI
DJ Entertainment: Rusch Entertainment
Cake: Tasty Layers
Photographer: Courtney Carolyn Photography
(Also a special shout out to my amazing assistant, Scott! Your help and patience are always a blessing to me!)
Check Out Maegan + Eric's Romantic Secret Garden Engagement Here > > >
Meet Courtney
Welcome to the CCP Blog! I'm Courtney Carolyn a wedding photographer based just outside of Detroit, Michigan. I hope you grab a cup of coffee (or sweet tea) and enjoy viewing my latest work, reading up on resources for brides, and getting a little peek into my life! I'm so excited you stopped by! Read more . . .
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