Fall Country Club Wedding in Michigan | Outdoor Autumn Wedding | Classic black and white wedding | Laurenda Marie Photography

Eva + Bill

I wrapped up my incredible 2018 wedding season with the nuptials of Eva and Bill at Gull Lake Country Club in Richland, Michigan. What a way to close a fantastic year. These two reside in New York, and when Eva found me on Instagram while searching for vendors, she didn’t hesitate to book. That right there makes my heart smile. When someone puts all their trust in me to capture their day, before even officially meeting, that speaks volumes to me. THANK YOU! We did meet for coffee prior to their wedding while they were in town tying up loose ends and getting organized! Speaking of organized, Eva didn’t fall short there! Maybe one of my most organized, detail driven brides which makes my job so much easier!

Bill and Eva are a fun, quirky, and adventurous couple. They love culture rich travel and staying active together. In fact, it’s kind of adorable the way they met, which Eva explains below! We had so many belly laughs during our bride and groom portraits and Bill had some specific, humorous visions which I I gladly obliged to!

All the details Eva put together were gorgeous, but I especially loved the pops of orange, red, and gold she sprinkled throughout her decor, especially in her floral arrangements designed by the talented Melissa from Melissa Ann Floral Co. And even though we had summer-like temps, the Fall vibes were strong for their end of September wedding!

I could keep blabbering, but I’ll let Eva step in here and explain how this love story began!

Q: How did you meet?

When I moved to Hoboken, NJ, I had joined a kickball league with several friends through ZogSports. We didn't have enough headcount to form our own league so we were combined with an existing team named, Schweddyballs - the team Bill was already on; it was my first season, his second. I remember at our first game, him and his twin brother walked down the field like they were hot shots - I quickly judged and thought I didn't want to be friends with them. However, I found out after dating, he had already called dibs on me after our first game - I didn't have a chance with anyone else, haha!

Q: Was it love at first site?

No, I actually thought he was chasing my roommate at the time. Whenever they would hangout, he would use her phone to leave me silly voicemails asking me to come hangout. It took awhile before it became clear to me that he was interested.

Q: How did he propose?

I went to Rutgers and he went to Michigan State. MSU was playing at RU on the night of Tuesday, 12/5. One of our best friends, Mark, said he had tickets to the game and asked if we were interested in going. After work that night, we quickly ran home to change into our respective school gear - I had only a Rutgers PJ shirt, which I wore that night. He typically sports his school gear, but on that night, he threw on a nice polo in his school color. I still didn't pick up any signs. Our friend came to pick us up and drove towards the kickball field where we first met. During off-season, the field is not in the safest part of town. Everything happened so quickly in the next ten minutes - Bill jumped out of the car carrying a scrapbook with something in his pocket. I remained in the car with Mark because it was dark and raining. In that moment, Mark told me to trust him and just get out of the car and it was then when I realized what was all happening. I ran over to the field where Bill was waiting for me. He gave me a scrapbook (because I love scrapbooking so he made one for me) that outlines our dating history and on the very last page, he wrote in Chinese characters - which isn't easy to do - 'Will you marry me?'. I tend to laugh hysterically when I'm nervous and that was the exact thing I did while poor Bill was kneeling on the wet grounds awaiting my response. I eventually remembered to say yes ;).

Q: Tell me about your vision and style for your day?

Quite honestly, unlike most girls, I never dreamed of my wedding day. I had no clue as to what I was doing or what I even wanted, except that I knew I wanted things to be simple, light and airy with a classic, timeless taste. For Bill, he just wanted to successfully throw a huge party where everyone was having fun. Fortunately, I had a huge support system of friends and family - and these kind of things were right up their alley. They probed me with questions and eventually I figured out that I wanted it to be at a country club with some body of water and that's where Bill found Gull Lake Country Club.

Q: What advice do you have for a newly engaged bride planning her own wedding?

Delegate work - they're your wedding party for a reason. I am too much of a perfectionist and want to be hands-on on every task. Planning an out-of-state wedding was overwhelming so let people help you, especially when they offer!