I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Greencrest Manor takes the cake.
There’s a reason couples choose to host full weekend weddings at this gorgeous European style wedding venue. The ivy-covered walls, the curated gardens, the architecture that feels like it belongs somewhere in the French countryside… I’m still speechless.
But it’s not just the aesthetics (it never is in my book) that make this European-style wedding venue what it is. It’s how the space invites you to slow down, gather your people, and stay awhile.
Greencrest Manor always reflects some of my favorite weddings to witness and preserve— intentional but easygoing, fashion-forward but timeless, rooted in legacy and centered on family… and it’s only 30 minutes from where I live. It doesn’t get much better than that.
So if you’re wondering how to have a European-style weekend wedding at a venue right here in Michigan, let me show you.
Vendors | Host Planner, Designer, and Florist: Kaleb Norman James + Smith & James | Videographer: Our Story Creative | Venue: Greencrest Manor | Paper Goods: Grey and Cake | Table Decor: Statuette | Rentals: Nuage Design, Event Theory, and Gigi and Laclede | Hair & Makeup: Margaret Snider Co. | Bridal Style: Gabrielle Hurwitz | Cake: Sweet Details Grand Rapids | Calligraphy: Krisanna Elizabeth Co. | Custom Linens: Noble Event Rentals | Styling Mats and Backdrops: Chasing Stone | Wedding Dresses: Varca + Lein Studio | Jewelry and Bow: Jennifer Behr | Menswear: Michael Andrews Bespoke | Bride’s Shoes: Manalo Blahnik + Jimmy Choo | Groom’s Shoes: Christian Louboutin
Start With a European Style Wedding Venue That Only Feels Like a World Away
Some venues are pretty. Greencrest is over-the-top phenomenal.
You feel it the moment you pull in, how everything is held with care. Not styled, but tended to. The symmetry of the gardens (my personal favourite), the stone steps, the string lights across the veranda… it all carries this quiet elegance that’s rare to find stateside, let alone in my own backyard in Michigan. (And it’s all so carefully maintained!)
Greencrest Manor certainly makes you pause on arrival. But what I love most is what happens after that first pause. The space shifts something within you. It prompts you to arrive early, stay late, and set the pace a little slower.
Every inch of the property feels intentional, like it was made distinctly for heartfelt gatherings and high-fashion details to coexist. When I say there isn’t a single frame I wouldn’t share, I mean it. The entire gallery needs a permanent spot on my feed.
I know I sound a bit like a sponsored Greencrest Manor wedding photographer, but it really truly does feel like you’ve stepped across the ocean. I think there’s something so special about experiencing beauty you thought you’d have to travel for, only to find it so close to where your roots are.
Make It A Full Weekend, Not Just A Wedding Day
As your photographer, I notice how a space holds a moment. And the way every space at Greencrest Manor flows into the next makes a wedding weekend feel less like a timeline and more like a story.
Greencrest really hones in on hosting your whole wedding weekend so you can start slow, soak it in, and see your people.
Stolen moments and long walks in the gardens. The tapping of cutlery against glass in the veranda while your nieces and nephews chase each other on the lawn. Even the ceremony site on the steps of the manor feels sacred.
It’s the atmosphere you would expect after a long-haul flight to France. But that relaxed European vibe is already part of the experience at Greencrest Manor… without needing to check three times over that you haven’t left your passport on the kitchen counter.
Having both your welcome party and wedding day here, you feel the difference immediately. Guests arrive calm and already connected. There is no scramble to settle in or figure out where to be and when to be there. And when the ceremony begins, it doesn’t feel like a starting point. It feels like a continuation because everyone is already fully in it with you.
That kind of energy changes everything. It lets you soak it in and stay present. And as your photographer, it gives me the room to preserve not just the highlights, but the emotional arc of your union — from first hellos to the final hug.
Greencrest doesn’t just support a full wedding weekend. It deserves one.
Choose A European Style Wedding Venue with a Vendor Team That Serves With Their Whole Heart
If the venue didn’t already do it, Jenn and her team at Greencrest Manor have me lost for words on how much they pour into every single wedding. They treat their clients with so much love and respect.
Having a vendor who is committed, collaborative, and genuinely excited to bring your vision to life is a God-send (it meant everything to me when planning my own wedding). And the Greencrest staff deeply care.
They’re thoughtful in a way that’s hard to describe, but you feel it instantly. The kind of people who show up fully, quietly, and faithfully, giving their all without needing recognition for it.
When you’re surrounded by those who lead with service in their hearts, the day becomes less about following routine and more about reverence. You can’t help but soften into a slower pace… a more European pace.
And in that stillness, you forget about the production and remember your people. That’s when the honest moments flow and the candids follow.
Make Every Detail Count (Because They All Did Here)
Can we have a moment for the fashion, the florals,and the playful tablecapes, please? I’m so obsessed with it all.
Every detail was thought out. Everything was intentional… which is definitely one of my love languages (next to quality time and words of affirmation).
What stood out most, though, wasn’t just how beautifully it all came together. It was how naturally it belonged here, without an ounce of orchestration.
Greencrest has this rare ability to elevate everything around it without overpowering it. Even the pops of bold colour felt at home here.
The environment is so effortlessly editorial that every emotion captured feels beautiful and honest. It’s impossible to be performative when you’re so deeply present.
To me, that’s what true-to-life imagery means. I’m not going to overly edit your wedding photos to where you can’t tell what the original color was. I’m never going to force your family into poses or focus only on shots that will perform best on social media. I want your images to withstand the test of time by being true to your life.
And maybe that’s what I love the most about Greencrest Manor (out of the 127 other things I love)—you can feel right at home here, even if it looks like Europe.
