While some people live for the hustle and bustle of a big wedding with extravagant décor and an impossibly long guest list, others find these kinds of weddings to be too much hoopla, preferring instead something simpler and quieter, allowing for more intimacy between them and their fiancés on this special day. So how do you infuse your wedding with all the romance but none of the fuss? ALONE AT LAST Many couples these days are opting to elope rather than planning a large wedding. For the no-...Read more
Are you planning a short-notice, small wedding or elopement?
Many couples don’t want to wait. They are planning to get married in the very near future, eloping, or rushing a small ceremony with their photographer, some close friends, and family but dispensing with or postponing the reception party.
View WPJA photo stories from smaller weddings - WedElope | Choose love, not fear!
Detroit Wedding Photographers
Wedding Photographers of Detroit, Michigan
Ann Arbor, Flint, Dearborn, Livonia, Monroe, Warren, Birmingham, Grosse Pointe Woods
Detroit Elopement Photographers
In recent days, some of our United States photographers have expressed their desire to accommodate couples who don’t want to wait to be married and are rushing the ceremony.
Many brides and grooms around the globe are planning to elope and deciding to reschedule their original ideas for a big event. They are getting wed on a whim, but dispensing with or postponing all else.
The WPJA has an abundance of top-ranked, documentary-style elopement photographers who are available right now who understand that some weddings can’t wait. Find yours today!
Most Recent WPJA WedElope Story Awards
Elopement Photographers for Small Michigan Weddings
Shooting an elopement or small Detroit wedding event is a wedding photojournalist’s dream: a fairly open schedule with lots of breathing space for creativity – it’s just the photographer, the couple, the officiant, and perhaps a few select companions.
Members are ready to document any small, themed, justice of the peace, or elopement wedding, even if it is a Monday-Thursday ceremony. Search for the “Can Shoot Weddings on Short Notice!” message on the listings below.
We are anxious to create a picture story chronicling your outdoor, intimate, casual, small wedding from beginning to end. In this sense, it is no different from any other event that we have covered. The emphasis is on documenting key moments, capturing spontaneous displays of emotion, telling your real love story, as well as creating artistic portraits and details.
Map of Wedding Photojournalists Serving Detroit Couples
3 Documentary Wedding Photographers...
Ray Anthony Iavasile is the owner of Ray Anthony Photography in Birmingham, Michigan. He began photographing weddings in Los Angeles, California in 1992, but his love and passion for his documentary style of photographing weddings began clicking for him in the early 2000s when he traded in his Bronica medium format cameras for faster Canon 35mm SLR's. The change opened the door to shoot a lot more candid-style photos than ever before. This ignited a passion in him to redirect his focus entirely to photographing weddings from beginning to end as a documentary style wedding photographer, or as a wedding photojournalist. By 2004, with the acquisition of his first professional digital camera, there was no turning back. He began developing an authentic style of capturing the "decisive moment" and has since become an expert at documenting the unfolding story of the couple's wedding day. For the last four years running with WPJA, Ray has ranked as one of the Top 150 wedding photojournalists in the world, once in the Top 100 and twice ranking in the Top 50. In 2019, Ray's success has seen him climb to the #7 wedding photojournalist in North America, and #28 in the world. When Ray is commissioned to photograph a wedding, he truly believes it’s his job to photograph the “complete story” of that day! He is so sincere with this idea, that he even provides "unlimited coverage" on the wedding day, photographing from the early morning until the end of the night! Ray doesn’t want to miss a single moment! Ray Anthony Iavasile earned his BA Degree at Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, California. The Ray Anthony Photography showroom has been located in Birmingham, Michigan since 2005 and Ray has become the premier wedding photojournalist in all of Michigan. Though most of his weddings are photographed in the Metro Detroit area, he has photographed weddings extensively in California as well as Florida, Boston, New York, Chicago, and Las Vegas. Ray is always willing to travel to destinations around the world. He is also an underwater photographer and would love to photograph a wedding under the sea! [Detroit Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
4500 (USD)
Shannon discovered her love for wedding photography while working as an ad exec for Modern Bride Magazine. It was there that she first learned of the term "photojournalist" and worked with some of the most sought-after photographers in the industry. Shannon loves to capture real life reactions and moments that happen during a wedding when family and friends are just being themselves. Her greatest compliment has been when brides have told her how amazed they were that they had so many incredible images and yet didn't even realize that they were being photographed. An international award winning photojournalist, Shannon has been a full time wedding photographer for over 10 years. She has worked professionally in Toronto, Chicago and Los Angeles and has just recently moved back home to the Metro Detroit area. [Detroit Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
400/hour (USD)
Claire Abendroth works alongside her business partner, Matthew Lash, to form Fresh Coast Candids. She has a passion for telling stories and does so by getting to know each subject individually and forming a unique bond with each of them. She will work with passion to make sure each client goes home satisfied and with copious amounts of memories to always remember their big day. She graduated from Central Michigan University with a Bachelors of Science in photojournalism. Currently, she is a photographer at Michigan Department of Talent and Economic Development. In the past, she has worked as a Photography Intern with MLive Media Group and the Jackson Citizen Patriot as well as a Photo Intern for University Communications at Central Michigan University. She has also worked for the National Park Service and Student Conservation Association as a Media Specialist. She has won multiple awards including third place College Photographer of the Year for two years in a row, as well as second place Feature Story for “Picking This Life” and third place Sports Feature Story for “The Love For Rugby” at the Michigan Press Photographers Association seminar in 2016 and 2017. She is currently located in Lansing, Michigan. [Lansing Wedding Photographer]
Starting Price:
2000 (USD)
Wedding Venues from Detroit
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WPJA Communiqué: Features
It’s no secret that these are strange times we’re going through right now, and there are many couples out there with weddings set in the near future who are left feeling uncertain and concerned about their futures. While that’s understandable, it’s also important to remember the reason you’re getting married in the first place; not for the grand celebration, but because you love each other and want to be together. REMEMBER WHAT'S IMPORTANT You’re in this position now, about to get married, for...Read more
Traditionally speaking, often times it is the couple’s families who help pay for their wedding. However, unfortunately that’s just not possible for everyone, especially these days when the cost of weddings can quickly and easily get out of control. Some couples find themselves in the position of paying for all of their own wedding expenses, which can be quite the financial burden to take on, and about 40% of Millennials end up in this boat. So, how can you stick to your allotted...Read more
Everyone always says that your wedding day is all about you. But let’s face it; that’s not always actually the case. Many couples stress over guest lists, planning, expenses, and all the frills and traditions of your standard large wedding that they may or may not even be interested in. Fortunately, though, the concept of small weddings is becoming increasingly popular for couples who either want to be able to completely customize their day where and when they want with the option...Read more
Oftentimes when people are considering a venue for their weddings, they search for a location away from home, whether that be ten minutes or ten hours, all just to find what they already have: a place that holds meaning for them, that feels comfortable, or that they find special and memorable. But what could hold more memory, meaning, and importance than your own home? For those looking for that perfect venue, it may not be any further than beyond your threshold.Read more
WHAT EXACTLY DOES IT MEAN TO ELOPE? If you look up the definition of “elope” in the Merriam-Webster dictionary , you’ll find a plethora of meanings making it quite clear how polarizing the word has become, and how it has transformed and evolved with the passage of time and even personal preference.Read more
WPJA contest judges have been recognized by their industry peers, winning top awards as staff picture editors, staff photojournalists, and newsroom mentors while working for these and other leading publications and journalism organizations.
