Courtney & Mike = The Grande Victorian Wedding Day!

The Grande Victorian Wedding Day  |  Courtney & Mike  |  October 19, 2024

It’s not everyday that we get to photograph a “destination” wedding – so it was fun to travel to Monroe and work at The Grande Victorian for the first time! And wow, what a beautiful fall wedding day Courtney & Mike had! We arrived at the venue & loved meeting their wedding parties – they chose such a fun, sweet crew of people to be surrounded by on their day!!!

Courtney & the girls had the ENTIRE upstairs of the venue for getting ready spaces! They enjoyed getting glam & wearing their flannels – while listening to a custom playlist of each of their go-to karaoke songs! It was so cute to see how much fun they were all having together! While they were getting glammed, I enjoyed photographing Courtney’s detail photos – it’s not every day that I get to use my favorite color (BLACK!) for details, so that was fun for me!! (A few notes about her details: the pocket watch she carried in her dress pocket – it was a gift the night before from her Aunt – originally being her great-great-grandfather’s watch! The veil was her Aunt’s veil, and the perfume was her mom’s!)

After getting ready – Courtney chose to do a First Look with her dad, and then Mike & Courtney did a First Touch & exchanged letters! They waited until the ceremony to see each other for the first time – and it was really special to see their reactions. Mike’s brother officiated the ceremony and did a great job! After the ceremony were all of our formal photos – and we chased the light across the front yard together!

The reception kicked off in the beautiful ballroom! Speaking of “kicks” – Mike and Courtney changed into Nikes for the reception & it was really fun to show their personalities like that! I LOVED the black/white flooring in the reception ballroom, it was so classic! Dinner was absolutely delicious – and following dinner was lots of cake, speeches & toasts, and then a full night of dancing, PhotoBooth photos, firepit conversations, and everyone was having a blast!! Courtney & Mike made such a big effort to spend quality time with their family and friends all night!

The reception was extra special for us – because we got to catch up with our TLJ Couple Megan & Derek – who moved to Charlotte after their wedding, met Mike + Courtney, and referred them to us! They’re now parents, so we were so happy to see them and hear about all their new life changes! (If you want to see their wedding blog, click HERE!)

They ended the evening with a sparkler exit from the main house to their getaway car! It was such a perfect way to end a gorgeous day. It was such an honor to capture this sweet couple’s wedding! I have so many favorites from their happy day to share! I hope you ENJOY!!!

P.S. Thanks so much to the vendor team:

– Florist: Mimi Eden Florals

– Makeup Artist: Beauty Asylum

– Wedding Director: Amy Plyler

– DJ: Dow Oak Events

– Wedding Venue: The Grande Victorian

– Catering & Bartending: Best Impressions Caterers

– Cake Designer: Publix

– Musicians: Union Symphony

– Officiant: Blake LaRussa

– Ring Designer: Diamonds Direct

– Dress Designer and Boutique: Aisle & Veil (Atlanta)

– Bridesmaid Dresses Designer: Dessy Group

– Groom & Groomsmen attire: Men’s Warehouse