Ben Pancoast Wedding Photography | Michigan Wedding Photography » Destination Wedding

a Wedding at Willow Harbor Vineyards

Ben — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 04:12:49 +0000

When Jake and Amanda planned their beautiful vineyard wedding at Willow Harbor Vineyards in Three Oaks Michigan I’m sure they didn’t envision a rainy wedding day and yet thats exactly how the day started. We began by dodging rain drops in New Buffalo where the bride had her hair and makeup done, then we drove to Willow Harbor to get ready in the charming bridal suite. By the time the bride was dressed the rain

had stopped and while it still looked threatening we decided to do the bride and grooms first look in one of the vineyards which is the perfect setting for a reveal. From there we took off for weko beach in Bridgman Mi for wedding photos with the wedding party. Then it was back to Willow Harbor where the bride rode up to the ceremony in a horse drawn carriage. The ceremony was beautiful and while the skies remained

overcast the rain stayed away and we ended up with an absolutely gorgeous evening for the tented wedding reception. From a photographers stand point Willow Harbor offers a bride and groom lost of flexibility when it comes to locations for gorgeous wedding pictures, whether you do them in the vineyards, the barn, or head to a nearby beach you simply can’t go wrong! Of course it helps to have a go with the flow approach and the incredible team at Stella Event Design on hand to make sure you’re ready for anything! If you’re planning on getting married and looking for an outdoor wedding or reception venue Willow Harbor should definitely be on you list of places to check out! Congratulations Amanda and Jake, and thanks for giving us the privilege of being a part of such a special day!!

Sneak Peak :: Jay & Jackie’s wedding in Saint Louis

Ben — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 07:59:29 +0000

I’ve known Jackie for about as long as I can remember, we grew spending the summers in Michigan down the street from one another, and our families have always been connected at the hip so when she asked me if I’d be willing to travel to Saint Louis and shoot her wedding of course I said yes! While I love shooting weddings normally this was a particularly fun one because my entire family was there… my sister was one of the maids of honor, my brother flew in from DC, my parents were there, and of course my wife and 2 kids were there too!! It was a beautiful day filled with wonderful moments and at the end of it all you just had to wonder… could 2 people be any happier together? I doubt it! Congratulations you guys!

Blue Dress Barn Wedding | Southwest Michigan

Ben — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 06:41:28 +0000

Here’s a collection of relatively random images from another fabulous summer wedding at the Blue Dress Barn in Southwest Michigan. If you’re considering the Blue Dress Barn for your wedding reception you’ve probably read all the great reviews about

what a beautiful and unique venue the barn is for both wedding ceremonies and receptions and everyone’s right it pretty much rocks! Laura and Brian were blessed with a beautiful day, that started out at the barber shop with the guys for hot shaves and

ended with the guests partying the night away in the barn and enjoying the bonfire and s’mores out back. Aside from all of the wonderful moments and portraits we captured throughout the day one of my favorite things about this wedding in particular were

the details! The wonderfully creative and talented Mandi Buckland was in charge of the wedding planning and event design and she blew us all away with her thoughtful details, wonderful color pallet, and creativity! I love how Mandi kept so many of the

details personal and managed to make them feel right at home in the barn as if they belonged there all along! If you’re considering getting married at the Blue Dress Barn or really anywhere you should definitely consider hiring an event planner to

help you not just with day of co-ordination but bringing your vision for the perfect wedding to life!! I’ve talked to a lot of people who think hiring a coordinator is an unnecessary added expense but that couldn’t be further from the truth! Coordinators don’t

just set up time lines, coordinate vendor meetings, and help brides who are planning from a distance, they help brides maximize their budget creatively and get the most bang for your buck while personalizing your wedding day! It may sound counter-intuitive

but if you’re planning a fabulous wedding in all likely hood hiring a coordinator will not only save you time it will save you money in the long run! Anyway like I was saying the details were wonderful and complimented the barn setting beautifully, as the guests

walked in all you could hear were a constant stream of oohs and ahhs as people marveled at what an amazing space the barn is. If you’re looking for a rustic space that will charm your guests with it’s unique qualities you’ll be hard put to find a more perfectly

suited reception site! One added bonus of course is the fact that while you may feel like you’re a million miles from anywhere it’s actually quite easy to get to from the highway so if you’ve got guests coming from out of town they won’t have a problem getting

here! All things considered it was a pretty amazing wedding day and the bride and groom have the pictures to prove it! Congratulations Laura and Brian and thank you for the opportunity to work with you on your wedding day!!

Be sure to check out Mandi’s website by clicking here Mandi Buckland | Element Event Design
Or click here to view more Blue Dress Barn weddings photos OR check out the brand new Millcreek Barn wedding venue!!!

A wedding at Devils Thumb Ranch, Tabernash CO

Ben — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:02:07 +0000

A couple of months ago I had the opportunity to shoot a destination wedding at the Devils Thumb Ranch & Resort in Tabernash Colorado. Destination weddings are always fun to do because you have the opportunity to shoot somewhere you’ve never been

and capture images you simply couldn’t capture close to home, of course when the destination is a place like the Devils Thumb Ranch it just makes your job that much easier. Devils Thumb Ranch is a 5000 acre ranch located in the Rocky Mountains just 1 hour

west of Denver, it offers brides and grooms all of the amenities of a world class resort yet maintains a uniquely rustic feel. While it offers vacationers a wealth of outdoor activities to choose from like horseback riding, hiking, fishing, and skiing in the winter what

makes this a special place to be married is the fact that you don’t feel like you’re getting married at a resort, in fact the entire wedding felt like it was out in the mountains miles from anywhere. The bride got ready in one of the ridge top cabins overlooking

the valley and resort below and we actually did the “first look” on the steps of the cabin. From there we went to a meadow for a couple of quick portraits with the bride and groom and then on to the ceremony site which the Devils Thumb Ranch has set up

near the Broad Axe Barn which acts as the reception site for most of the weddings there. This location is a photographers dream because the wedding ceremony looks out over an expansive meadow which covers the valley that runs up towards the

mountains. You simply could not find a more peaceful or beautiful place to get married and whats most amazing is the fact that you’re just an hour from Denver!

After the wedding ceremony ended we took a few more pictures with the bride and groom as well as their bridal party before heading to the barn for the reception. The Broad Axe Barn is as simple as it is beautiful and was the perfect setting for an incredible night of dancing and celebration.

All in all it was one of the most beautiful weddings I’ve ever photographed and the pictures here are just the smallest sampling of pictures captured that day, it was almost impossible to narrow them down enough to fit it all on one blog post and I feel like I’ve left so many favorites out.

I just hope I have the opportunity to shoot another wedding at the Devils Thumb Ranch in the future so that I have an excuse to share even more beautiful pictures from this amazing place. Thank you Dave & Jessica for allowing me to be a part of this
incredible wedding!

Washington DC: Engagement Pictures | Sunrise over the National Mall

Ben — Sun, 03 May 2009 23:11:09 +0000

This past weekend I met up with Ken & Katy to do engagement pictures at sunrise in Washington DC. We met up at the Lincoln Memorial overlooking the Reflecting Pool, the Washington Monument, and the Capitol building before the sun came up.

The National Mall is incredibly peaceful before sunrise and we had the view almost completely to ourselves. As the sun started to rise over Washington DC we took a few engagement pictures looking down the length of the Mall from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The Lincoln Memorial is a fantastic location for several reasons but I think the view of the Mall and the fact that the sun rises behind the Capitol building are the 2 that make this the ideal starting location for any DC engagement shoot!

Once we were done at the Lincoln memorial we took a few pictures by the reflecting pool. I love how these shots give you a feel for the enormous size of the National Mall, it’s really hard to tell just how large these monuments are until you see people within the landscape which gives things a sense of scale! Of course the beautiful sunrise reflecting on the pool doesn’t hurt things either!

After shooting a few landscapes by the Reflecting Pool we walked over to the Tidal Basin where we had a beautiful view of the Jefferson Memorial. The walk along the tidal basin is gorgeous and while we had missed the Cherry blossoms by a couple of weeks we certainly didn’t need them to make the engagement pictures look great! We wrapped up the sunrise engagement pictures with a few shots on the steps of the Jefferson Memorial before being kicked out by a security guard who must not have gotten enough sleep! While we would have loved to have stayed a while longer we didn’t want to get arrested and I didn’t want my gear confiscated so we called it a morning and took off for a couple of other fun locations around capitol hill!

If you’re reading this thinking you’d like to do your engagement pictures at one of the Memorials around the National Mall check out this link to the National Park Service website regarding photography permits. From what I can tell you really shouldn’t need but that doesn’t mean you won’t run into some guard on a power trip so having one might not be a bad idea! If nothing else print this page out and bring it with you so you know what your talking about when they tell you to leave! =)

I have more pictures to share from the morning but I think this post is long enough as it is so you’ll have to check back to see the rest! Many thanks to Ken & Katy for willingly subjecting themselves to engagement pictures at sunrise, I really enjoyed hanging out and hope you love the pictures as much as I do!

UPDATE:
They’re MARRIED!! Check out a few of their amazing wedding pictures from the Basilica at Notre Dame here!