Raymond + MacKenzie | Irish Hills Wedding + Michigan International Speedway

Raymond + MacKenzie

May 18th, 2019

Onsted, MI

An Irish Hills wedding in Southern Michigan full of charm, Ray and MacKenzie’s wedding included a unique stop to the Michigan International Speedway to revisit where the bride and groom first met.

Raymond and MacKenzie met at the Michigan International Speedway after both just getting out of long term relationships. Ray asked God to make it clear to him if he was supposed to be with someone. MacKenzie, never having given my phone number out to anyone, walked up to him and said, "you need this." To his dismay, Ray lost her number. He called MIS and had people look in the rain for the paper. No luck. Three days later in his car, it landed on his lap.

When you meet Ray and MacKenzie, you know divine intervention brought them together. They are two of the humblest, kindest people you could ever meet, as individuals and as a couple, and they know how to have fun! If you’ve been following along on the blog, you’ll recognize them from this epic engagement session that ended with a water ballon fight.

Soon after Ray found MacKenzie’s number again, they went on their first date at Hidden Lake Gardens. Fast forward a bit and they found themselves back at Hidden Gardens, but this time when MacKenzie turned me to face Ray, he bent down on one knee and asked, " MacKenzie Diane Elizabeth Gentner, will you marry me?" MacKenzie almost tackled him, and in the bushes were her brother and his friend capturing the moment on video.

On the wedding day, MacKenzie and the ladies started getting ready at the Gentner’s home in Onsted, Michigan:

They chose to get married at Saint Joseph Church and Shrine, where MacKenzie’s parents were married. The historic church was built by Irish settlers in the mid-1800’s. Both the bridesmaids and groomsmen finished getting ready at the church.

We had the opportunity to recreate one of MacKenzie’s mom’s wedding photos!

MacKenzie didn’t opt for a first look with her groom, but rather planned a private moment with her dad! Also, he swears he just had bad allergies, he’s not actually crying ;)

Right before the ceremony, Ray and MacKenzie opted for a silent prayer moment. I took a few frames and walked away:

The ceremony:

From the church grounds, we headed down the road to MIS! I can’t say I’ve ever photographed at a NASCAR track before. It was a fun change of pace, especially with the significance behind the location in their love story!