Red Brick Hall Lawton Wedding Ceremony and Reception - Emily and Lloyd
All-in-one ceremony and reception venue
The Red Brick Hall is new as of 2019, and so it is still gaining traction as a fun, simple and easy, all-inclusive wedding venue. With a getting-ready room on-site, several really cool portrait locations nearby, and the overall ambiance of "clean white elegance meets a vintage history" vibe - I fell in love pretty fast!
It was easy for Emily's team to get ready in the adorable bridal suite, while Lloyd's team took the more spacious loft above the main floor. Both areas have their perks for sure, but I loved the loft with that iconic door and the amazing port windows. If you are a fan of natural window light portraits, let me tell you, these windows are perfectly placed! Everyone looked absolutely fabulous in the gentle window-lit loft. And it was enough room to photograph the entire bridal party, which was awesome since it was a very windy day, and going outside before the ceremony wasn't quite ideal. Check out the cathedral-length veil blowing in the breeze! The energy of motion was so fun!
Emily's brother did the honor of walking the bride down the aisle, and the ceremony was super short-and-sweet with a simple one-camera tripod-style video captured by the DJ company and a non-traditional officiant ordained as a Dudeist Priest. Oh yes, they exist!
After the ceremony... PORTRAITS, more portraits! This part I LOVE! And since Emily and Lloyd were fairly relaxed and non-traditional, not only did we get some fabulous romantic looks, but we also had so much fun with the bridal party setting up epic alternative scenes. There were leaves to throw, and a decommissioned canon to pose with, along with the great sky access you can get from that same loft area. The upper loft "door to nowhere" leaves nothing but soft trees and sky behind you (at the right angle), so both silhouettes and ocf ("off-camera-flash") portraits are possible. They wanted a picture with each member of their bridal party too, and the images were so unique and fun I made them into a cute GIF to enjoy! At the very end, the passing cars were beeping and yelling their congratulations, so the bridal party stopped to wave to them. :)
The flowers were DIY (as well as hair and makeup) and another reception detail I loved was the party favors! Both practical and fun, an eclectic collection of mugs were available to take home. What a sweet way to remember a wedding. Even if you're the type to have only matching coffee cups in your cupboard these cute mementos could easily be used to grow a tiny flower or some windowsill basil in memory of the wedding event.
The bridal party was announced in groups, and the first dance looked so magical with a seven-foot chandelier as a backdrop!
Sometimes on these cloudy, windy November days, you think there is no way a beautiful golden hour will happen, and then BAM! Look at the SKY right now! Let me tell you, we ran outside immediately to get those gorgeous clouds and the gentle evening light. If you are also a West Michigan November bride, be advised, sunset happens earlier than you think it will! The time stamp on the raw images from these scenes starts at 6:15 pm and the light was gone by 6:24! There was this super cool building right out back, along with some old vines and a massive tree... plenty of great spots for photos! I could've stayed out for another hour, but the light had faded, the reception was in full swing, and we needed to get back to the party and dance!
