All Photos © Robyn + Finch

Krista and Rhys’s Grosse Pointe War Memorial wedding was truly something, according to Robyn+Finch (photographers Robyn and Jacob, based in Detroit). “From their initial story to the wedding day, we were enthralled,” they say. “We should mention up front that this was their second ceremony. Not that it changed anything about the day, the feel, the emotion, or anything. It was just as special and poignant, if not more so.”

The bride is from Michigan, the groom from Sydney, says Robyn, “and in one fell swoop, a study abroad in Australia for her turned into a phone call home saying, ‘Sorry but I won’t be coming back.’ Years went by, studies finished, and traveling settled down when these two decided it was time to tie the knot.”

The first ceremony took place in Sydney, and then Krista and Rhys decided to host another wedding in the U.S. for the rest of their family and friends. “Beginning with the bride and her Champagne-stained dress that she wore a few months back at the first wedding,” explain the photographers, “and most of the groomsmen forgetting their socks to a search for matching pairs of cufflinks, you would think everyone would be working their butts off trying to make this day perfect, but nobody cared in the slightest bit. Sure, some gasps and eye rolls happened when Mom read off a list of words in her speech that she learned were actually really inappropriate to all the Aussies in the room. Plus, there was the moment when the bride told one of the groomsman not to get drunk and take off his shirt off until the photographers left, which he, of course, didn’t listen to in the slightest, but we don’t think she minded. Grandma took over the dance floor pretty much all night, cocktails and full glasses of wine poured in the study while jazz tunes from the seven-piece live band kept the party going in the library of this lovely historic site. This couple along with their friends and family were there to soak in the moments, to spend time with the people they love and to have a ton a fun doing it.”

As Robyn and Jacob sum up, “We just loved the old-world feeling of the venue: the light was dim, the mood was romantic, the toasts were witty and slightly crass, and we only paused for maybe 10 minutes for portraits the entire day. With this lovely couple giving us the freedom to capture their entire day in a journalistic, hands-off fashion, we found ourselves melting into the story.”

GEAR OF THE DAY

Cameras: Canon 5D Mark III, Canon 5D Mark IV

Lenses: Canon 24mm f/1.4., Sigma 35mm f/1.4, Canon 50mm f/1.2, Canon 85mm f/1.8, Canon 135mm f/2.0

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