Wedding photographer & videographer in Grand Rapids
In Michigan a marriage license has a three-day waiting period that includes the day you apply, and it stays valid for 33 days after the application1. In Grand Rapids in June, the sun rises at 06:03 and sets at 21:232.
Last updated
- Coverage
- Photo · Video · Photo + Video
- Collections
- Half day · Full day · Two days
- Travel
- In the quote
- Booking
- Direct with your photographer
In short
Troth Weddings introduces you to an independent photographer and videographer for Grand Rapids weddings, with one team for both. Michigan's marriage license has a three-day wait and is valid for 33 days after the application1, and the ceremony needs two witnesses. City venues need a permit. Travel is built into the quote.
In pictures
How we shoot Grand Rapids
In Grand Rapids we plan elopements, full-day weddings and two-day weekends, from garden ceremonies to evenings by the river.
Collections
Every collection comes as photo, video, or both, with the same team on the day. Half day covers an elopement or a small ceremony and portraits; Full day runs from getting ready to the first hour of the reception; Two days adds a rehearsal dinner, a welcome evening or a next-morning session. Travel to Grand Rapids is built into the quote, not added later.
Prices depend on the date, the team and how far we travel, so we send a price list for Grand Rapids rather than publishing one number for every town. Ask for it below; it arrives within one business day.
Half day
Covers an elopement or a small ceremony and portraits.
- Edited gallery
- Print rights
- Sneak peek within days
- Feature film
- Teaser
- Full ceremony audio
- One crew
Full day
Runs from getting ready to the first hour of the reception.
- Edited gallery
- Print rights
- Sneak peek within days
- Feature film
- Teaser
- Full ceremony audio
- One crew
Two days
Adds a rehearsal dinner, a welcome evening or a next-morning session.
- Edited gallery
- Print rights
- Sneak peek within days
- Feature film
- Teaser
- Full ceremony audio
- One crew
Good to know in Grand Rapids
Michigan marriage licenses come from the county clerk, the Kent County Clerk for Grand Rapids. There is a three-day wait that includes the day you apply, and the license is valid for 33 days after the application1. For good and sufficient cause the clerk may deliver it immediately, for a fee set by the county board of commissioners1. The ceremony needs two witnesses besides the officiant, and no particular form of ceremony is required3.
City of Grand Rapids venues, including city parks, the Blue Bridge and the Gillett Bridge, need a permit from the Office of Special Events and a $1,000,000 certificate of insurance at least 30 days before the wedding4. The application fee is $100 and non-refundable4. On the pedestrian bridges a 6-foot path must be kept clear4.
Dress for the date: January's average high is 31.0 °F and its average low is 18.6 °F5.
Marriage license
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan5 | 31 °F | 18.6 °F | 2.52 in |
| Feb5 | 33.7 °F | 19.5 °F | 2.12 in |
| Mar5 | 44.5 °F | 26.9 °F | 2.39 in |
| Apr5 | 57.8 °F | 37.3 °F | 3.99 in |
| May5 | 69.8 °F | 48.6 °F | 4 in |
| Jun5 | 79.4 °F | 58.3 °F | 3.94 in |
| Jul5 | 83.1 °F | 62.5 °F | 3.86 in |
| Aug5 | 80.9 °F | 61.2 °F | 3.55 in |
| Sep5 | 73.9 °F | 53.1 °F | 3.43 in |
| Oct5 | 60.7 °F | 42.2 °F | 4.02 in |
| Nov5 | 47.2 °F | 32.8 °F | 3.1 in |
| Dec5 | 36.1 °F | 24.7 °F | 2.48 in |
The day
The day,as we shoot it in Grand Rapids
A sample June Saturday in Grand Rapids. The sun rises at 06:03 and sets at 21:23 on the 15th2, with an average high of 79.4 °F and a low of 58.3 °F5. The sun times are sourced; the clock times are our plan around them.
- Getting ready: details first, then a portrait of each of you.
- First look and couple portraits in the shade of a garden, while the afternoon is at its brightest.
- Ceremony.
- Family groups, then dinner.
- Portraits by the Grand River at the Sixth Street Bridge7.
- The last portraits, in the final hour before the 21:23 sunset2.
June has the latest sunset of any month in the table2, so the portrait window sits after dinner and does not compete with the ceremony. October is the wettest month in the normals, at 4.02 in, with May at 4.00 in5. October's average low is also 42.2 °F5, so an autumn date gets a wrap and a sheltered backup. July's average high is 83.1 °F5, which lets summer portraits stay in the open.
After the 21:23 sunset2 the sky holds its color for a short while. That is when we make the last frames of the two of you, then hand the evening back to your guests.
| Month | Sunrise | Sunset |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 08:11 | 17:33 |
| Feb | 07:40 | 18:13 |
| Mar | 07:54 | 19:48 |
| Apr | 07:01 | 20:25 |
| May | 06:19 | 20:59 |
| Jun | 06:03 | 21:23 |
| Jul | 06:17 | 21:19 |
| Aug | 06:48 | 20:45 |
| Sep | 07:22 | 19:52 |
| Oct | 07:56 | 19:00 |
| Nov | 07:34 | 17:19 |
| Dec | 08:06 | 17:08 |
Sunrise and sunset computed for the 15th of each month, local time.2
Where we shoot in Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids was founded in 18265. The places below are the ones we build portraits and ceremonies around; city venues have their own permit rules, set out above.
- Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park a 158-acre botanical garden and sculpture park, opened in 19958, in Grand Rapids Township. We ask the gardens about photography before we plan it.
- Heritage Hill Historic District a residential neighborhood listed on the National Register of Historic Places, one of the largest urban historic districts in the US9. Streets to walk for portraits between stops.
- Sixth Street Bridge a four-span wrought-iron bridge over the Grand River, a Michigan State Historic Site on the National Register7.
- Rosa Parks Circle a downtown plaza used for concerts and dances in the warmer months10. A city-center stop for a short portrait session.
- Reeds Lake a freshwater lake in East Grand Rapids, beside the suburb's city center11.
- Millennium Park the largest urban park in West Michigan, on the southwest side of Grand Rapids, spanning Grand Rapids, Wyoming, Grandville and Walker12.
- Kent Trails a 15-mile rail trail running south from John Ball Park through Grand Rapids, Grandville, Walker, Wyoming and Byron Township13.
How we match you with your photographer
Troth Weddings is a network of independent wedding photographers and videographers, built location by location. When you inquire about Grand Rapids, we introduce you to the partner photographer matched to it. We share their recent galleries and films and set up a call. You book directly with them; we stay in the loop until your gallery is delivered.
Partners join by invitation. Before we list anyone we review full weddings, not highlight reels, and how they handle contracts, backups and delivery.
How booking works
- Send the form with your date and location.
- We reply within one business day with the Grand Rapids price list and the partner's recent work.
- Call with the photographer; if it fits, a deposit holds the date.
- A short questionnaire about people, places and timing, two weeks before.
- The day.
- A sneak peek first, then the full gallery and the film on the dates set in your contract.
Questions couples ask
01How far in advance should we book a wedding photographer in Grand Rapids?
Work backwards from the date. A permit for City of Grand Rapids venues needs a certificate of insurance at least 30 days before the wedding4, and Michigan's license is valid for 33 days after you apply1, so the license is the last job. The photographer's date is the first one; a deposit holds it once you have spoken.
02Do you travel to Grand Rapids, and is travel included?
Travel to Grand Rapids is built into the quote, whether your partner lives nearby or travels in. If your plan also takes in a venue outside the city, such as a lakeside setting in East Grand Rapids, name it on the form so the price list covers the whole day.
03Can we book photo and video together?
Yes. Every collection comes as photo, video, or both, with the same team on the day. On the Blue Bridge and the Gillett Bridge a 6-foot path must be kept clear4, and one crew that plans its positions together is easier to fit around that than two.
04How many photos do we receive, and when?
Your contract with the photographer states the number of images and the delivery dates, because both follow from the collection and the hours. You receive a sneak peek first, then the full gallery and the film on those dates. Ask for the figure on your call.
05What happens if it rains on our wedding day?
Say when.
Send your date and the setting you are imagining, from the river to a garden. We reply within one business day with the Grand Rapids price list and a partner's recent work.
Sources
- Michigan Compiled Laws 551.103a (delivery of license; 33-day use) legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-551-103a
- Computed with suncalc (NOAA algorithm) for the 15th of each month, 2027, at 42.9634, -85.6681, local time (America/Detroit) github.com/mourner/suncalc
- Michigan Compiled Laws 551.9 (solemnization; witnesses) legislature.mi.gov/Laws/MCL?objectName=mcl-551-9
- City of Grand Rapids — Apply for a Wedding Permit grandrapidsmi.gov/explore-and-play/special-events/apply-for-a-wedding-permit
- Wikipedia — Grand Rapids, Michigan: history and climate table (Gerald Ford Int'l, 1991–2020 NOAA normals) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Rapids,_Michigan
- Wikidata — Q184587 (accessed 2026-11-06) wikidata.org/wiki/Q184587
- Wikipedia — Sixth Street Bridge (Grand Rapids, Michigan) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sixth_Street_Bridge_(Grand_Rapids,_Michigan)
- Wikipedia — Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederik_Meijer_Gardens_%26_Sculpture_Park
- Wikipedia — Heritage Hill Historic District (Grand Rapids, Michigan) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heritage_Hill_Historic_District_(Grand_Rapids,_Michigan)
- Wikipedia — Rosa Parks Circle en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosa_Parks_Circle
- Wikipedia — Reeds Lake en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reeds_Lake
- Wikipedia — Millennium Park (Grand Rapids) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Millennium_Park_(Grand_Rapids)
- Wikipedia — Kent Trails en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_Trails