The Great Oaks Country Club Wedding of Kendra & Alex

The Great Oaks Country Club Wedding of Kendra & Alex: October 26, 2024

“The Mike Staff Experience was awesome! Right from the beginning with our initial calls to learn more, the Mike Staff Productions team was so responsive and helpful. The fact we could book three services all at once and they all worked together as a team was so cool and unique. Everyone was professional, high quality, and a joy to be around. It made things much easier for us and helped us to worry less so we could enjoy our day. We are beyond satisfied with all of our services and would 100% recommend Mike Staff Productions.” – Happy bride, Kendra

Our Love Story & Proposal

Our love story began actually on Hinge! We instantly clicked and exchanged numbers and began texting and Facetiming a lot. We had our first date at Sedona Taphouse in Troy, and now it’s one of our favorite spots. We actually talked for so long that night, that the waitress kindly asked us to move to the bar or head out, so someone else could have our table. From there, we continued to get to know each other and found our other favorite place to go on dates, Blake’s Cider Mill in Armada. We traveled to new places with our families, tried new things together, and to some it all up, fell in love. We were on a family vacation in Gatlinburg, Tennessee when Alex proposed. We had all gone out to a big, beautiful dinner and then came home to our cabin. The cabin had a large balcony and overlooked the Smoky Mountains. Alex asked me to take a picture with him out there during sunset, and that’s when he got down on one knee. We could here all my family yelling and cheering inside.

Our Wedding Vision

When we began planning for our wedding, I envisioned a romantic and elegant day surrounded by all our favorite people. That vision became a reality and was even more special than I could have imagined.

Our Favorite Wedding Moments

There were so many favorite moments! However, one of my favorites was the moment the double doors opened, my dad held my arm, and we began walking down the aisle. My eyes were locked on Alex and even though we were surrounded by all our loved ones, it felt like it was just the two of us. A moment I had always dreamed about became reality and it was even more special than I ever could have predicted. Another moment that was one of my favorites is the fact we really danced the night away! Once the dance floor was open that was where you could find us the rest of the night. Dancing and singing with each other and all of our favorite people. Alex has never danced so much in one evening!

Wedding DJ Experience

DJ Tim , our professional wedding DJ, was amazing! From our very first phone call to prepare for the wedding all the way to the very last song on the night of. When we chatted with him on wedding day he asked, “are you guys ready to party?!” We told him yes, and he made that happen! He kept good vibes going all night and people dancing until the very end of the reception. We were so grateful to have had such a great DJ who made our night everything we wanted it to be. Our first dance was to “All of Me” by John Legend. This was a song that I first heard when I was in middle school. I remember hearing it for the first time and thinking to myself, “This is the song I’m going to dance to at my wedding.” I believed in that so much, that only my closest family members and friends knew how I felt about that song because I was holding on to it until the right person came along. Once I met Alex, it all just clicked.

Wedding Photography Experience

Our wedding photographer was Jenny and there are so many wonderful things to say about her. Not only did she do our wedding photos but she also did our engagement photos, which was great because we got to meet her before our wedding day, which helped us feel even more comfortable on our big day. Photos are incredibly important to me as they capture the beauty, emotion, and all the people who helped make our day so special. She captured all the details, all the emotion, and all the pure candids. I can look at the photos and instantly go back to that day and feel all the same emotions I felt in that moment.

Wedding Videography Experience

Getting a wedding video was important to me because as the bride and groom, there are a lot of things that go on throughout the day that we don’t really get to always see. We decided we wanted the video to ensure we truly captured every part of the day so we could re-live it and be in those moments that we maybe missed on the day of. And that is what I love about the video. It captured everything, things we saw and things we didn’t. I get to watch Alex’s live reaction of me walking down the aisle as many times as I want! I get to watch my grandparents walking down the aisle. I’ll forever get to hear the speeches and toasts made. We almost didn’t do videography, and I am SO glad we made the choice to do it.

Our Wedding Planning Advice

My biggest advice would be to start early and use some kind of checklist or app, like The Knot, to help keep you on track. There are so many things that pop up that you may not have even thought about (that happened a lot with us). However, if you are giving yourself time to plan and prep you’ll have time to get that figured out. Also, remember that it does come together. Even when you are stressed and you have a hard time seeing how the pieces all connect, they do! And lastly and probably the most important thing to remember is on the day of your wedding, slow down. Take even five minutes to be in the moment with your person and take it all in. We did a private vow reading and spent time together just one on one before cocktail hour and I am so grateful for that. It helped us slow down, connect and remind ourselves what the day is truly about… us and the future we are building together.

Our Vendor Team

  • Ceremony: St. John Vianney Catholic Church
  • Reception: Great Oaks Country Club
  • Florist: Floral Designs by Lori
  • Wedding Cake: Christine’s Bakery and Pastries
  • Dessert Table: Sweet Eats by Erin
  • Wedding Dress: The Wedding Shoppe
  • Bridesmaid dresses: Azazie
  • Menswear: The Black Tux
  • Transportation: Lavdas Limousines
  • Hair: NV Beauty Studio
  • Makeup: Primp Beauty for Makeup
  • DJ: Mike Staff Productions
  • Photography: Mike Staff Productions
  • Videography: Mike Staff Productions
  • Wedding Planner: Something awesome about Great Oaks Country Club and one of the reasons we chose that venue is due to their amazing Director of Events- Keli Mannino. We didn’t need a wedding planner because Keli was SO helpful throughout the whole process. She took care of everything and helped us stay on track. On the day of, she handled everything and anything and we could not be more thankful!

Wedding Photography at Great Oaks Country Club