Planning a Fall Wedding Around Saginaw? Watch the Clock.

I love photographing Michigan weddings in the fall.

Give me cool weather, changing leaves, and that warm October light and I'm happy.

But there's one mistake I see couples make with fall weddings:

They plan the timeline like it's still July.

At a summer wedding, I have daylight forever. In October, that beautiful light disappears a whole lot faster.

Don't build your wedding around “peak color”

Everybody wants to know exactly when the trees around Saginaw will hit peak color.

The answer changes every year.

Temperature, rain and wind can push things around enough that I wouldn't choose your wedding date based on one predicted weekend.

If you get perfect color, fantastic.

But beautiful fall photographs aren't dependent on every tree being orange.

Give me good light and a nice location and I'll have plenty to work with.

Sunset matters more than you think

This is the part I'd actually plan around.

If you want those warm outdoor portraits of the two of you, I need daylight.

Ideally, I like having some portrait time during that last hour or so before sunset. The light gets lower, softer and warmer, and everything starts looking a little more cinematic.

If your ceremony ends after sunset, obviously I can't recreate that.

So before you lock your fall timeline, check when the sun is going down.

This is where a first look can really help

You don't have to do a first look.

Some couples love them. Some want the first time they see each other to be when the bride comes down the aisle.

Both are completely fine.

But during a fall wedding, a first look gives me another option: I can photograph the two of you—and sometimes the entire wedding party—while there's still plenty of daylight.

Then after the ceremony, you aren't racing the sun.

And yes, Michigan will be Michigan

I've seen beautiful warm fall days and freezing cold ones.

Sometimes practically in the same week.

Have a rain plan.

Bring something warm that you don't mind throwing on between photographs.

And don't panic if the forecast says cloudy.

Photographers actually love a good overcast sky. It's basically a giant softbox.

What colors work well?

You don't need to make your wedding look like a pumpkin patch just because it's October.

But deeper colors photograph beautifully in the fall: burgundy, forest green, rust, brown, cream and other warm neutrals.

Let the scenery do the rest.

There are some beautiful locations around here

One advantage of being based in Bridgeport is that I'm right in the middle of a lot of great options.

Saginaw has parks, riverfront areas and older architecture. Go a little farther and you've got open country roads and fields. Frankenmuth gives you a completely different look without having to drive very far.

The location matters, but good light matters even more.

If you're planning a fall wedding around Saginaw, reach out before you finish your timeline. I'm always happy to help my couples figure out when their portraits should happen.