Modern City Wedding at Shinola Hotel

One of the best things about my job is being able to see so many beautiful locations and venues. I had the honor of capturing some of the most beautiful weddings with some of the most amazing couples. One of those couples, being Alex and Nick. Together, their love is magnetic and throughout the wedding planning process you could just slowly see their wedding vision turn into a reality. Mainly, they wanted their wedding day to be one filled with joy, love, celebration and as little stress as possible. Luckily for us, we were able to get just that.

Michigan Wedding Venue – The Shinola Hotel

All of the days festivities took place at the Shinola Hotel located in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. The Shinola Hotel is the epitome of mid-century modern. Defined by a timeless sense of style, this boutique hotel is everything you could ever need and more. Especially for your wedding day. They take serving their couples to the most elevated level and truly provide a one of a kind experience to anyone who books their hotel with them. You can learn more about hosting your wedding at the Shinola Hotel here!

Getting Ready With Alex + Nick

Once I arrived at the hotel, I first met up with Alex. The most beautiful and calm bride, was in her hotel room soaking up every minute of this glorious moment. Her wedding day was truly off to a great start. One thing about Alex is that I truly admire her creative vision. Typically when we arrive, we start off with our couples getting ready while we take photos of your details + flatlays. To my surprise, Alex had curated her flatlay just perfectly.

Surrounded by her two sisters and her friends, that morning was spent sipping champagne and really enjoying what the day had in store for all of us. It was a very fun group and definitely the perfect example of how smooth and stress-free the morning of your wedding should be.

As Alex slipped into her dress you could tell that they entire ambiance changed. Everyone knew that it was at this moment all of the details were finally coming together. It was real. There even was a “not so planned” first look between Alex and her friends which made for the most beautiful and genuine reaction. We love to see it.

We finished off that morning with Alex getting some solo portraits and some portraits with her friends and family before making our way to the ceremony. While I was with Alex finishing up in her room, my lovely second photographer was with Nick and his friends and family capturing every moment with them. One of the many benefits of having a second photographer on a wedding day is making sure that no moment goes uncaptured.

Conservatory Ceremony at The Shinola Hotel

Located at the Shinola Hotel is a beautiful black rimmed conservatory. Windows that cascade from the ceiling to the floor truly lit up the space and made the perfect lighting and space for Nick and Alex’s ceremony. The ceremony was definitely a romantic and emotional one. Tears were flowing and the room was filled with pure joy for Nick and Alex. A beautiful moment that I felt so honored to capture. Incorporated into their ceremony was the Jewish glass-breaking tradition. Here, Nick stepped on the glass which essentially symbolizes the fragility of a relationship and the breaking of their past lives to start a new one together.

Portraits

For Alex and Nick, their portraits were incredibly short and sweet. However, this doesn’t mean that we weren’t able to get some incredibly beautiful photos. The Shinola Hotel has this beautiful rooftop area, which sometimes is used for ceremonies as well. It overlooks Downtown Detroit and was the perfect location to get a few photos of the newlyweds.

Cocktail Hour + Reception

We didn’t want to take too much time away from cocktail hour, so we made sure to hurry back to Alex and Nick could reunite with their guests. The Shinola Hotel has one of the most beautiful cocktail hour spaces, which gives the option of having your drink and snacks either indoor or outdoor.

After a brief cocktail hour, the reception space was finally opened up. One thing to note again, is that Alex is extremely talented. She curated, designed and put together all of her wedding signs and stationery. A beautiful bride with many talents. It was at the reception that Alex and Nick did their grand entrance, listened to some incredibly touching speeches by their guests and opened up the dance floor. The guests at this wedding were not shy to let loose, have fun and really enjoy celebrating the newlyweds which I absolutely loved.

For the full vendor list, please scroll to the bottom of the gallery.