Intimate Oval Beach Elopement on Lake Michigan
When you live 20 minutes from Lake Michigan, chances are pretty high that you’ll get wedding clients wanting to book you for their dreamy beachfront wedding. The dunes on Lake Michigan are so perfect for elopements, intimate weddings, and for sneaking away from the party with your boo to enjoy your first few moments of marriage. If you’re struggling to envision what your beachfront wedding will look like and need some inspiration or are a photographer wanting to add something special to your client’s beach pics, keep on reading!
Why we chose Lake Michigan
I never realized how much I took our beautiful great lakes for granted until I went to the beach with people who had never lived near the third coast. They were in awe of our sandy beaches, miles of shoreline, and absolutely killer sunsets. Some of them had never even seen dunes! I was shocked - I’d grown up hiking the dunes behind Felt Mansion with my family on Sundays after church and spent so many summer days swimming at Holland State Park. Almost all of my favorite summer memories revolve around the lake.
All this to say that it was a no brainer to host our intimate elopement shoot at Oval Beach.
Making your beachfront wedding unique
So many of the beachfront weddings I see on Pinterest all revolve around couples portraits or the ceremony, but I rarely see tablescapes and ways for newlyweds to sneak away and relax for a bit before they put their dancing shoes on. As Olivia and I planned this shoot, I knew we had to incorporate a sweetheart table into the mix. I chose our round white coffee table to put on top of my favorite neutral boho rug that I got from Target last year. It’s the perfect size for a meal for two. I added cream colored pillows that I got from Homegoods and Amazon for Kevin & Tamarind to relax on and used a few lanterns from Aldi to give it a more romantic feel (Aldi seasonal aisle for the win!).
To pull in more blues, I used our light blue goblets paired with clear ice tea glasses alongside vintage silverware and our blue floral plates. It was the perfect beach set up!
