ALN Images brings us Kathy and Calvin’s Elegant Downtown Real Wedding. As always, Allie from ALN delivers stunning black photograph after photograph. Enjoy!
How did you and your partner meet?
Ours is a classic “friends first” story — we knew each other from afar in high school, occasionally crossing paths socially, but it wasn’t until a holiday break during our Senior year of college that Calvin suggested an official date. A month later, Kathy went out to visit Calvin at the USMA for a gala and the rest is history after that weekend.
How did Calvin propose?
Calvin planned a couples trip to the Bahamas with Kathy’s best friend from college. The first night of the trip, the group tricked Kathy into thinking that they were all going on a sunset boat cruise, then as they walked down the dock to “the boat”, Calvin got down on one knee and asked her to marry him.
What was your experience in planning your wedding?
Our experience was probably a little more chaotic than most couples, because 6 months before the wedding Calvin got a new job that required a move halfway across the country. It was a crazy time to say the least, but fortunately, we had a great group of friends, family, and vendors around us to help pick up the slack while we were getting settled in a new city and a new house.
Tell us about your venue, and why you chose it?
We knew we wanted to get married near our hometown in Michigan. We’d been to the DAC a couple times and it was an early favorite for venues but we both decided that it only made sense if we landed on a winter wedding. As fate would have it there was a date available 13 months after our engagement in December 2022 so the stars aligned. The venue was perfect because without any alterations or changes, it fit the timeless and elegant vibe that we were going for.
What was your inspiration for the wedding?
Timeless, elegant, personal. Those were the words we drew time and time again as we made our decisions about the day. We wanted to enjoy the day as much as possible and tried our hardest to keep the reason for the day at the forefront of our decisions.
What was the best memory/moment from your wedding day?
It’s impossible to pick just one, but we were absolutely blown away by the speeches and toasts from our friends and family. It was so special to share the evening surrounded by love and laughter. Ending the night on the dance floor with all our friends and family as we sang “Shut Up and Dance With Me” will always be a special moment for us.
What advice can you give to couples planning a wedding?
Everyone involved in your wedding day will have an opinion and likely a vision for your day. Early on in the planning process, sit down as a couple, and decide what you about your day is most important to you, then try your hardest to stick to that, despite the many outside influences. (easier said than done, I’ll admit.)
What was your experience like working with your vendors?
We truly could not have asked for a better group of vendors to be a part of our day. We can’t think of one thing that went wrong on our wedding day, which speaks to the group of vendors (or at least their ability to handle any issues without us knowing!)
Photographer: ALN Images