Michelle and Tristan met on Hinge at a point when neither of them had much time to spare. He was building a career as an airline pilot. She was finishing school to become a Physician Assistant. Somehow the two of them made room for each other anyway. When Tristan proposed, he did it on a hike through Hocking Hills. On June 6, 2026, they got married at the St. Clair Inn with the river just outside the windows. The day turned out almost exactly the way they had pictured it. Their St. Clair Inn wedding photography is still the first thing Michelle goes back to.Michelle and Tristan Auxter’s St. Clair Inn wedding photography captured a spring celebration on the water in St. Clair, Michigan on June 6, 2026. They married at Historic St. Joseph Catholic Church in Port Huron, then celebrated at the riverfront inn. Mike Staff Productions provided DJ, photography, and videography for the day.
How Michelle and Tristan Found Each Other
Their story begins the way a lot of them do now, with a dating app and a first message. What made it work was simpler than that. Both of them already understood what a demanding schedule looks like, because they were each living one. The proposal suited them just as well. There was no restaurant reservation and no audience waiting nearby. Tristan asked her to marry him partway through a hike in Hocking Hills.Elegant, Joyful, and On the Water
By the time Michelle and Tristan started looking at venues, they knew how they wanted the day to feel. They described the vision as “elegant, joyful, classy and on the water.” That last phrase narrowed the search faster than anything else could have. The St. Clair Inn met all four. “Such a charming, classy and elegant place,” Michelle says. “Right on the river and a place we could revisit on anniversaries to come.” That last line is worth sitting with. It points to something couples don’t always weigh while touring venues. Michelle and Tristan weren’t only choosing a room for one night. They were choosing a place they could drive back to on their fifth anniversary and their twentieth. The inn sits on the St. Clair River in St. Clair, Michigan. That’s about an hour northeast of Detroit. It’s the kind of historic waterfront hotel that gives a couple a reason to return.St. Clair Inn Wedding Photography at Golden Hour
When Michelle talks about her favorite parts of the day, she gives two answers. The quieter one happened near sunset. “Our golden hour photos with only us two, such beautiful photos to look back on.” Golden hour is the stretch of soft, warm light in the last hour before sunset. At a riverfront venue it does something you can’t recreate indoors. The water catches that light and carries it back across everything in the frame. Getting those photos means borrowing a couple from their own reception for fifteen or twenty minutes. That only works when the photographer already knows the property well. Otherwise the time goes to searching for a spot instead of shooting. Michelle’s assessment of the photography team was short and unqualified. “Greg and Sarah were amazing. Made pictures quick, easy and amazing results.” The words worth underlining there are quick and easy. Very few couples want to spend their wedding day being posed and repositioned. Good St. Clair Inn wedding photography hands you real images without taking hours from the celebration. That’s the approach our Detroit wedding photographers bring to every wedding they shoot.St. Clair Inn Wedding Photography
A Reception with a View of the River
Michelle’s other favorite moment came later, once the dance floor filled up. “Dancing with our friends and family, with a view of the water.”
Their Mike Staff Productions wedding DJ kept that floor full all night. When Michelle described the reception, she pointed to one thing in particular. He “blended our favorite songs together well.” That’s a generous way of naming the hardest part of the job. A reception isn’t a playlist that runs start to finish on its own. It’s a room full of people from different generations, and each one needs a reason to stay standing. Finding the thread that holds them all there takes hours of close attention.
“Joy of My Life”
For their first dance, Michelle and Tristan chose “Joy of My Life” by Chris Stapleton. It had been a favorite of theirs since they first started dating. By the time they danced to it as a married couple, it already carried years of their history.
That’s usually what makes a first dance song land. The ones that work best aren’t sitting at the top of the charts. They’re the songs that already meant something long before the wedding day. If you’re still deciding on yours, our list of country first dance songs is a good place to start.
Why They Wanted a Wedding Video
Plenty of couples go back and forth on videography right up until they book it. Michelle knew exactly what she wanted it for. “To remember our day, the details that already fade so quickly,” she says. “Beautiful to look back on speeches, our ceremony and so much more.”
She’s right about how quickly it goes. Most couples hold onto the largest moments and lose nearly everything in between. That includes the exact wording of a toast and the sound of the room during the vows. A wedding video is the only thing that keeps them.
Working with the Team
Michelle booked her St. Clair Inn wedding photography, DJ, and videography through one company. That gave her a single point of contact throughout planning. It also gave her a team on the wedding day that already knew how to work around each other. That matters more when the day moves between two locations.
“Amazing, 10/10 recommend,” she says. “Our team was so easy to work with and I’m so happy with the results.”
Michelle’s Advice for Couples Still Planning
Having been through the whole process, Michelle has advice that’s more useful than most. “Be as prepared as possible, and once the weekend arrives, just enjoy it all,” she says. “Something will go wrong but at the end of the day you will get married no matter what and love the day!”
Then she added the part every engaged couple should keep somewhere they’ll see it. “Truly remember to slow down and enjoy every moment because it flies by.”
FAQs About St. Clair Inn Weddings
What makes the St. Clair Inn good for wedding photography?
The St. Clair Inn sits directly on the St. Clair River in St. Clair, Michigan. Couples get water views, open sky, and warm reflected light in the evening. The historic interiors provide a second look without leaving the property. A gallery ends up with real variety even though everything was shot in one place. That range is what makes St. Clair Inn wedding photography simple to plan around.
When is the best time for golden hour photos at the St. Clair Inn?
Golden hour falls in the hour or so before sunset. The exact timing shifts throughout the year. For a spring wedding, that usually means stepping outside in the mid to late evening. We plan the window with you ahead of time, so you’re only away from your reception briefly.
Is the St. Clair Inn a good venue for a spring wedding?
Yes. Spring on the river brings longer evenings and softer light. The venue works whether you spend the day outside on the water or inside. Either way, the windows do a lot of the work. Michelle and Tristan’s wedding is a good example of both.
Can one team cover a church ceremony and a St. Clair Inn reception?
Yes. Michelle and Tristan married at a church in Port Huron and celebrated at the St. Clair Inn. Our DJ, photography, and videography teams build the travel between locations into the day’s timeline. You get one point of contact for both.
What services did Mike Staff Productions provide for this wedding?
Mike Staff Productions provided DJ, photography, and videography for Michelle and Tristan’s St. Clair Inn wedding. One team coordinated all three.
Key Takeaways
- A venue you’ll want to revisit – Michelle and Tristan chose the St. Clair Inn partly so they could return on future anniversaries.
- Golden hour is worth protecting – The best St. Clair Inn wedding photography happens in the short window before sunset.
- One team, one point of contact – Booking DJ, photography, and videography together kept the day simple from start to finish.
Ready to start planning? If you’re picturing your own wedding on the water at the St. Clair Inn, we’d love to talk about what your day could look like.
Vendor Credits
Ceremony: Historic St. Joseph Catholic Church, Port Huron
Reception: St. Clair Inn
DJ, Photography & Videography: Mike Staff Productions
Photographers: Greg and Sarah
Florist: Viviano Flower Shop
Cake: Elite Sweets
Wedding Dress: The Dress Shop
Hair & Makeup: Primp Me