Intimate Wedding in Vermont

Michaella and Zach wanted an intimate Vermont wedding that was laid back, but still included all of their loved ones. They created a wedding day that was so fun and chill, and so well thought out! They included a lot of DIY wedding details, and they found little ways to make the day unique to them (like renting a Jeep to drive around in!) It was really important to them to have as much time celebrating and enjoying the day with their loved ones; so they did just that! By starting early and crafting a flexible timeline; they had a laid-back yet well-planned wedding day!

Getting ready at North Hero House

The day started early for everyone. They all spent the morning at Zach’s family lake house (also their reception venue!) We watched the sunrise over the lake, and enjoyed the misty dawn. After that, everyone parted ways to get ready! Zach got ready at the North Hero House with his dad, and Michaella got ready across the street with all the women in her life. Michaella also chose to have a first look with her dad (such a sweet moment to share!)

After getting ready, we all left to go to Knight Point State Park for their intimate wedding ceremony. They decided to keep it small and include just their immediate family (and then everyone else came later to the reception!) Their ceremony spot was right at the water’s edge, which meant we got to enjoy a little stroll through the park first. It was such an emotional and intimate ceremony, as everyone gathered around them to bless their marriage. Since they wanted a full day of celebration, they started everything pretty early. With the ceremony done before noon we had lots of time to chill and enjoy each moment without feeling rushed! Such a good reminder that your ceremony can be at whatever time you’d like. Just focus on creating a beautiful and epic day.

An Intimate Wedding Cocktail Hour

After the ceremony, they had a cute little table set up in the middle of the field and prepared with champagne. Everyone gathered around, giving hugs and congratulations, and then some sweet champagne toast. After a few family photos and portraits we set off in their JEEP for a little fun! They love unique rides, so booking a car was top on their list! So we drove around to a few areas, and even made a pit stop for ICE CREAM! Yeah, that’s right. You can go get ice cream on your intimate wedding day – because you have time!! I love that they made their timeline so flexible, with extra time to breathe and enjoy the day.

Backyard Vermont Wedding Reception

My all time favorite thing about Michaella and Zach’s backyard reception was how relaxed it was. As you’ll see in the photos, everyone was in sun dresses, hawaiian button downs, or were dressed up. It didn’t matter, the only thing that they cared about was everyone was having fun. The reception venue, aka Zach’s family lake house, had a bunch of backyard games set up, and a tent space for dinner and dancing! There was now more guests at this portion of the day – as they wanted everyone there for the PARTY! They had their first dance, parent dances, speeches; a few traditions that they really wanted to include. I absolutely love that they decided to choose the traditions THEY wanted in their day. It really was so special to see their families coming together to celebrate them.

A creative DIY DJ tip for your backyard wedding: for music they just had an iPhone hooked up to the speakers with a playlist going. Guests had the freedom to choose music to queue up!

The rest of the night was just loads of fun hangout time. They had a pizza truck, loads of desserts, games, and then FIREWORKS to end the night!! The whole day was so laid back, but together at the same time. It was truly a blast. Truly a shining example of how amazing a DIY backyard wedding can be!

Lake Champlain Wedding + Elopement Photographer

Check out my guide on How to Elope in Vermont for more details, get in touch with us to start planning your dream elopement in Vermont, and follow us on Instagram for elopement location inspiration.

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Vermont Wedding on Lake Champlain