Romantic Rustic Barn Wedding at The Vintage Rose Barn

I was so excited to be able to come back to The Vintage Rose Barn in Gobles Michigan to photograph Alex and Stephen’s romantic rustic barn wedding. Their wedding had a very romantic feel with the backdrop of the gorgeous barn and outbuildings. Photographing weddings at the The Vintage Rose Barn is just down right easy and fun!

Stephen and Alex were so excited about their wedding day. You could feel the eagerness, the nervousness and the anticipation. One of my favorite moments of the day is when they were back to back reading each other hand written letters before they turned around to see each other for the “first look”. It was such a sweet moment and one I am sure they will never forget and always cherish from their wedding day.

It was suppose to be a hot day and it was….and it was suppose to rain….it did not! Honestly, it was a perfect sunny Summer Michigan Saturday to get married on!

We love to make our wedding blog posts all about the couple and so we asked them to share their story and their memories about their wedding day….enjoy reading all about them below. 🙂

Please tell us your love story….Steven and I met at a wedding in February 2015. We hit it off right away and he asked for my phone number. All week we talked on the phone getting to know one another. The next weekend was Valentine’s day and he asked me to come over to his house and stay the weekend with him. We have been inseparable ever since!

Was there an official proposal?

Steven and I dedicated 2017 to our bucket list where we created new goals as a couple. We took on a big fall project by building our basement and our dream home. Two weeks after ground broke, and all we were left with was a huge, empty whole in the middle of the earth. We both pretended not to be terrified adults! On October 6, 2017 Steven walked me to the top of the dirt hill and got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. Together we built a life we love and everyday has been a victory celebration. We even filled a glass jar with the sandy dirt that he proposed to me on that’s in our new home.

What was the best memory of your wedding day for each of you?

My best memory from our wedding day was seeing Steven for the first time standing underneath the tree. I was walking towards him and the view was breathtaking. I remember the bright green grass, polished white chairs and feeling the sunshine on my arms, it was pure bliss. I was walking towards my future husband and he looked so damn handsome! We stood back to back and read our letters we wrote to each other. We counted to three and turned around and it was true closeness and raw emotion while we had our private moment to reflect, soak each other in, and truly remind ourselves what the day is all about. His favorite memory from our wedding day was marrying me and having our first kiss as husband and wife. Woohoo!!

What characteristic to you love most about each other?

The characteristic I love most about Steven is his generous and enthusiastic persona for everything he does in life. He is cheerful, humble and doesn’t take life too serious. The characteristic he loves about me is my originality. I’m not afraid to hop off the bandwagon and host a shindig on my own!

What are some fun things you love to do together?

We love to go on new adventures! Anytime we can take time off work, we enjoy going up north to go camping, kayaking, rafting, hiking, etc. In the summer’s we love to stay on Mackinac Island and wander are way north to Pictured Rocks. The Upper Peninsula holds a special place in our hearts. Our biggest and most dearest journey is chasing waterfalls in Michigan.

If there was one thing you could change about the day what would it be?

If there was one thing I could change about the day it would be that I wish I didn’t have a moment of being to some extent, “bridezilla-ish” before getting into my wedding dress. (I panicked because I left my wedding dress belt at home, the room was small/hot, and I felt rushed and overwhelmed). But being at your own wedding can feel like you’re in a dream. The experience is honestly surreal it’s like, “OMG.. I’m wearing a wedding dress and I’m going to be somebody’s wife!”

Any advice to other bride and grooms out there?

My best advice is don’t worry or stress about any of the details on your big day!! Things might go wrong but that is why you should have a wedding coordinator/friend to minimize the cluster. Everyone want’s their big day to be perfect so if you’re going to worry, make sure you get all of your worries/pressure/stress out a couple of days before, so you can enjoy your wedding week and all the fun events leading up to the big day. Stay grounded by taking deep breaths and reminding yourself to be in the moment. But remember that it’s perfectly okay to feel a bit in awe of everything and everyone around you.

Where did you go on your honeymoon?
Camping! – Go figure 🙂 We went rafting down the Pine River.

What is your biggest accomplishment together so far?Our biggest accomplishment together was deciding to tear down our old double wide trailer, and live in a camper on our property for 3 months while our house was being built. We would wake up in the mornings and didn’t have running water because the pipes would freeze overnight. There’s something about being in love and creating magical monuments that can get you through anything! It’s all about embracing each and every day !

Please add a wonderful special memory if you would like…

A wonderful special memory from our wedding was being able to honor my Dad during our wedding ceremony. He is not here to walk me down aisle because he passed away in 2000. We had a special dedicated song the celloist played for him in his spirit. Also, my amazing and strong momma walked me down the aisle and that was wonderful too!!

Please list the top three priorities in your life as a couple together now. Things you will strive for together each day….

The top three priorities in our life as a couple is to keep God the center of our relationship and to always know that we have something to be grateful for. The second priority is to always strive to give each other the very best of ourselves; not what’s left over after we have given our best to everyone else. The third priority is to not sweat the small stuff!!! Life is too short to get upset at the little things.