As many of you have seen, my fiance, Lynell, blogged some of the details of our wedding, but not all of them. There are a few details she left just for me to share. Coincidentally or maybe, just maybe it was planned that the details left for me to share are all beer related and special in their own unique ways. Here they are:

The bachelor/bachelorette party: Michigan Brewers Guild Winter Beer Festival  February 23rd, 2013 – This was originally the date we chose for our wedding once we concluded there’d be no conflicts with a few important and special people. One of which has yet to be born. While driving home one weekend after shooting a wedding up north, I suddenly had an odd feeling and asked Lynell to look up the date of the Winter Beer Festival…its February 23rd. After thinking about the great time we had last year, the friends we shared it with and the friends who might have to work at the next one, we both casually agreed that “Sunday works.” Problem solved! And so the wedding was moved to the 24th  and were immediately discussing the fun we’d all have if we considered the beer festival to be our bachelor/bachelorette party. Luckily, we were on it soon enough to get tickets before they sold out in just thirteen hours. If you’re going to be there, please feel free to let me know.

The ceremony venue: Founders Brewing Company – Yes! We are getting married at Founders. To us it is far more than just “getting married in a brewery.” Founders is the first choice and most common place we go to work out of the office, meet clients and get together with friends and family. It’s also led to many new friendships that we cherish deeply, some with other patrons and many with the people that work there.

As for the beer, I think it’s no secret that I’m a fan…a HUGE fan! But I’m also a fan of the culture and the craft beer industry, which has provided me many opportunities to do much more than be just a patron and consumer. This past July, Founders closed for two days for an Employee Appreciation Party and one of my best friends and I got to go as facilitators and serve them. It was great to do so for once. They deserve it for all they do! I also brought the camera along. When not attending to the needs of the event, I tried to capture as much of the fun as possible and did the same thing for the recent 15th Anniversary Party.

Being a photographer that thirsts to grow, I didn’t photograph either event with the expectation of being paid. I simply wanted to take pictures that were either revolved around something I’m extremely passionate about: Founders and the craft beer industry. This will be the first wedding to take place there because it’s not their normal practice. We asked and this was their way of saying thank you and show their appreciation for everything I’ve done for them and it’s that generosity of spirit and the great beer that fits perfectly with why we wanted to get married there in the first place.

The reception beer: Osgood Brewing Company – I know it may seem like a conflict to the venue and my own personal love of Founders, but such a conflict could only happen under such circumstances. Ron and Mindy Denning, the owners of Osgood Brewing planned to open in the spring/summer of 2013, are very close friends of ours. As a gift, Ron is making and supplying the beer for our wedding. Given his generosity, passion and love for craft beer, I know we’d be serving his beer at the wedding either way. Given the timing, it’s more of a coincidence that it will be Osgood beer represented instead of his homebrew. And he’s not just making a beer or two to serve the masses. He’s providing what will be his entire line up of beer that includes one crafted just for the occasion. Osgood beer won’t be the only thing to wash down the amazing food from Amore Trattoria Italiana. We’ll have wine, a small variety of non-alcoholic drinks and probably some misc./special/rare beer from other great breweries.

Cheers!

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Dan and Lynell at the 2012 Founders Brewing KBS release party.