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Traverse City Wedding Photographers

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Traverse City Wedding Photographers

Our Traverse City photographers also provide documentary-style coverage in: Grand Traverse County, Leelanau County, and the Northern Michigan region

Traverse City Wedding Photography, Engagement Photo Sessions + Elopements

LOVE WON'T WAIT! - Couples are quickly moving forward with smaller weddings. Our Traverse City photographers are ready to accommodate.

By planning a simple Traverse City elopement, couples are able to stay present in the moment and fully absorb the impact of their wedding day. Given the fact that many couples feel more natural and at ease in intimate settings, it's no surprise that some of the most breathtaking wedding images come from elopements.

The WPJA has an abundance of top-ranked, Traverse City documentary wedding photographers available right now who understand that some weddings and elopements can’t wait. Find yours today!
Recent WPJA WedElope Story Awards
The military couple had a small wedding at a church, and made a grand exit under swords held by the honor guard
Eduardo Blanco
Country Manor Bride and Groom Image with Scottich Bag Pipe | The cool winter sun shines down upon the couple
Dominic Whiten
Two friends serenade the newlyweds with table tennis on the seafront
Jenny Rutterford

Traverse City Photographers for Large or Small Weddings

Shooting an elopement or small Traverse City 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.

Michigan WPJA members are ready to document any justice of the peace, city hall, themed, 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.

View Award-Winning Pictures from Traverse City Wedding Venues

2 Traverse City Wedding Photographers...

Wedding photography and elopements by Ray Iavasile of Michigan

Ray Iavasile

Birmingham in Michigan, US *Now booking Traverse City weddings.
65
3000 (USD)
Destination weddings, engagement couple sessions and elopement photography by Angela Nelson

Angela Nelson

Makawao in Hawaii, US *Now booking Traverse City weddings.
8
1
22
3400 (USD)

Map of Wedding Photojournalists Serving Traverse City Couples

Wedding Venue Pictures by Traverse City Wedding Photographers

Please select a venue below to view all associated contest-winning Traverse City wedding photos.

Traverse City Wedding, Elopement and Engagement Images by WPJA Photographers

Below are some Traverse City wedding photography samples from the world’s best wedding photographers of the WPJA. Some of these Traverse City marriage pictures might be artistic portraits, details, or documentary-style images that have come from getting ready sessions, wedding ceremonies, reception venues, or Traverse City engagement portrait sessions with couples.

View this grand, pictorial Traverse City wedding image of the cake and a large sword cutting it which was a featured picture among the best wedding photography in Michigan from the WPJA
View this dramatic Traverse City wedding image of A colorful backlit portrait of the bride and groom in front of a fountain which was a featured picture among the best wedding photography in Michigan from the WPJA
Little Traverse Lake, Traverse City, MI Wedding Photography at Night | Father's surprise gift to the bride and groom!
A wild reception party for this bride and her friends at the Brengman Brothers Winery, Traverse City, MI

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can a wedding photojournalist create artistic portraits on my Traverse City wedding day?
A: While wedding photojournalists strive to capture candid moments on the wedding day, our photographers also are skilled artists who can compose powerful portraits. If you have a specific vision of what types of images you want from your wedding day, look at the top-ranked Traverse City wedding photographers who have earned Artistic Guild awards for portrait and detail images.
Q: How can couples find reviews of Traverse City wedding photographers?
A: We call them Client Letters. At the WPJA, we decided more than 20 years ago to avoid incorporating those third-person testimonials and endorsements that are found all too often in advertisements. Instead, we elevated our listings with the use of Client Letters, which represent the actual words and feelings of the clients who booked those Traverse City wedding photographers for their own wedding.
Q: Who are the best Traverse City wedding photographers for small elopements?
A: The WPJA is proud to have some of the top Traverse City documentary wedding photographers for elopements. Our members are able to submit WedElope Stories that take you step-by-step, via a 9 image picture story, through the unique and moving elopements that take place around the world.
WPJA Communiqué: Featured Wedding Photography Articles
What is a Modern Elopement?
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...Read more
jperlman elk cove inn ceremony
Top 4 Types of Small Weddings to Make Your Day Truly Yours
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...Read more
Jola Mulder, of Overijssel, is a wedding photographer for
Bringing it Home: The Joys of a Backyard Wedding
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...Read more

WPJA Communiqué: Viewpoints
Elopements: Traditional and Modern
The oldsters among the WPJA ranks no doubt remember when 'to elope' meant, in Merriam-Webster’s definition, “to run away secretly with the intention of getting married, usually without parental consent.” Many wedding photographers have gone on the lam with couples who did just that. However, even Merriam-Webster now acknowledges that “elope appears to have become shorthand for ‘ small destination weddings ,’ a ‘ wedding that is not financially insane ,’ or a ‘ wedding that allows us to not invite all the people we would rather not invite .’” Smaller Weddings are... Read more
What is Reportage?
On Instagram and elsewhere, one can see images labeled as #photojournalism or #reportage when they are, in fact, merely photos. I say "merely," even though photography has been my career's great passion. But it's because of that passion and my respect for the work of actual photojournalists that I am particularly bothered to see wedding photographers call their work "reportage." That word properly used actually means something important beyond just a stylistic conceit. By contrast, however, I'm the lead cheerleader for those practitioners of #weddingphotojournalism ... 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.