On February 24, 2024 Kelly and Dave tied the knot at the beautiful Royal Park Hotel in Rochester Hills, Michigan. These two had a beautiful, intimate wedding in the Royal Park conservatory. They even had their sweet pup Troy walk Dave down the aisle and party on the dance floor!

As a Metro Detroit wedding photographer, I have the privilege to document and witness couples celebrating one of the best days of their lives! It is incredibly fun to watch and celebrate with every couple. Out of all the weddings I photographed, Kelly and Dave had one of the most unique weddings I have photographed!

Unique Wedding Ideas

These two had several unique wedding ideas! These special touches helped make Kelly & Dave’s wedding special and set apart from other Metro Detroit weddings.

Asks Guests to Wear Black

With having a small wedding, they chose not to have a bridal party. Instead, they asked all guests to dress in black. This made it feel like all of their friends and family were at their bridal party! During family photos, Kelly asked all her closest friends to come and take some fun photos – and they all matched! I thought this was such a simple and fun idea.

Tequila Ceremony

Kelly loves tequila! She was even gifted a bottle during a toast at the reception! During the ceremony, Kelly and Dave decided to incorporate their mothers and add a fun twist to their day by doing a tequila ceremony. They also chose to do a shot of tequila during the ceremony together to celebrate their new unity!

Reception Dress Change

A wedding dress change is becoming more and more popular! And for good reason! Wedding dresses are absolutely beautiful, but sometimes they are not the most comfortable. A wedding dress change during the reception allows you to be more comfortable while dancing, but it also adds a fun aspect to the reception!

Guests love surprises and twists at a wedding. It keeps them excited and on their toes! After dinner and before their dances, Kelly and Dave went up to their hotel room and did a quick dress change! Kelly had a short dress and faux-fur jacket that she changed into for a second entrance. 

We even did a quick photo-op in her dress on their way back to the reception a the Royal Park Hotel. We took some fun photos in the hotel halls and elevator to add a variety of photographs to their day!

Include Your Dog!

Do you love your dog like one of your children? Why not include them in your big day? The Royal Park Hotel is a dog-friendly venue, so Kelly and Dave were able to bring their dog with them to celebrate their wedding!

Troy, the couple’s cute pup. Walked Dave down the aisle and stayed during the ceremony and partied at the reception! How fun? He tired out pretty quickly, so when he was ready family and friends were able to bring Troy back up to the hotel room for a much needed rest. 

Choreographed First Dance

If you don’t want your first dance to be like every other couples dance, consider hiring a dance teacher or studio to help you choreograph your dance! During the weeks leading up to the wedding, Kelly and Dave worked with Fred Astaire Dance Studios to create a special first dance. Dave was on the cheer team in college, so he added some fun elements like a handstand into the dance!

Photos Around the Hotel

The Royal Park Hotel is an elegant wedding venue in Metro Detroit that allows multiple room options for events. While they have multiple ballrooms, the most desired room in the hotel is the conservatory. The conservatory is an all-glass structure in the middle of the hotel. It’s a modern venue with so much natural light!

Since the ceremony and reception were being held in the conservatory, we ventured around the hotel to take bridal portraits and family photos before the ceremony. Kelly and Dave participated in a first look so they could have a special moment of seeing each other before the ceremony. This allowed us more time for bride and groom photos as well!

We chose to conduct the first look in the lobby that leads to the hotel ballrooms. There were no other evens that day, so we had the whole space to ourselves! It made for a private first look with a beautiful and simple background.

Afterwards, we took some bride and groom portraits in the lobby and hallways to utilize the light coming through the floor-to-ceiling windows! Kelly and Dave also had a special lock made to add to the Rochester Hills lock bridge just outside of the hotel. We were able to capture a few photos of them adding their lock to the bride as well.

Kelly’s dress was simple and elegant. She went for an A-line design with a slit up the side for a little pop of skin. She purchased her wedding dress from The White Dress in Brighton and said she really enjoyed her experience there! Dave got his tux from Jos. A. Bank. Since there was no bridal party, this made choosing a tux a simple and easy process.

A Wedding to Remember

Even though Kelly and Dave had a small Royal Park Hotel wedding, their friends and family filled the dance floor and really enjoyed celebrating together. Their guests danced all night! I had so much fun capturing some fun light-painting photos on the dance floor using a slow-shutter technique. 

Jon Roach with Sound Cocktail Detroit was the DJ for the night and did an amazing job keeping the dance floor fun and full! Some guests even had light up glasses and sequenced suits that added an extra element to the dance floor to help keep the good vibes going!

Rochester Michigan Wedding Photographer

As a Metro Detroit wedding photographer, I had SO much fun documenting this wedding! Kelly and Dave are the type of people who become your friends as soon as you meet them. It’s so important to find a wedding photographer you trust and vibe with.

If you are searching for a wedding photographer you can trust (and also have fun with!) contact us today so we can schedule a meeting to get to know each other better! I love hosting Zoom calls with couples so we can get to know each other and see if we’d be a good fit to spend an entire wedding day together!