Alexandria and Tristan’s Wedding at Crystal Gardens

Our Real Wedding: May 4, 2019

“Overall, we can’t say enough positive things about our experience. We had all our photos and video in a few weeks, the DJ kept the party going, and Mike Staff made the planning super streamlined and easy. It was so nice to not shop around or coordinate three separate vendors for photo, video, and DJ because they all worked together without us having to do any extra work or communicating. Everyone the day of and prior from the office was professional, answered my last minute emails at all hours and very promptly, and answered any off the cuff questions we had over the phone with ease. We would 100% recommend to any bride and groom who are looking for professionals that take all the coordinating and stress away.” – Happy Bride, Alexandria 

Our Love Story

alex & tristan Real Detroit Wedding

Tristan and I met our freshman year of college at Adrian College, a small school in southeast Michigan, and our roommates briefly dated! He was on the hockey team and I was on the synchronized figure skating team (Go Bulldogs!) and we spent lots of time crossing paths in the ice rink on campus until we finally started dating our sophomore year. After graduating college we began a long-distance relationship, where I went off to Michigan State University for my Master’s and he went off to Buffalo, NY for his. A job took me to NJ and him to Chicago, but we stuck through it together and eventually on December 23rd, he proposed on the ice at Campus Martius beneath the beautiful Christmas tree!

Our Wedding Photos

bride and groom forehead to forehead romantic

Our wedding photographers were Alex and Katie and we couldn’t say enough wonderful things about both of them! With how fast the day moves, you really don’t have time to pay attention to what photos are being snapped or to make sure you are getting certain shots, and with them we didn’t have to worry at all. Alex and Katie allowed our day to flow naturally and they fit right into our friend groups and family, all while capturing all the special moments. As our head photographer I asked Alex all night long how we were doing on time and he was happy to tell me every time, let me finish enjoying my moments, all while also keep things on schedule! We did private vows after the ceremony and the Mike Staff team was with us to capture the perfect intimate moment, then shoot our family photos efficiently, and take our bridal party down to the Detroit River for fun silly shots and we still made it to dinner on time! Everyone talks about how fast the day flies, and although it might be cliche, it’s incredibly true and looking back on these photos are such vivid memories that we get to treasure forever. They are very important to us.

bride reading vows
bride and groom kissing during evening romantics

Our Wedding Video

With the same mindset as our photos, the video was important to us to be able to capture some moments we couldn’t see, or others that flew by way too fast. To be able to watch my grandparents walk down the aisle, or Tristan read the love note I gave him the morning of, or listen to our Best People give their speeches are moments we can never repeat live, but watching the video brings all those feelings back like just like we are there again. It’s cliche because everyone says “The Day goes so fast” but it’s so true, that at the end of the evening, I didn’t want to take off my dress and we both wanted to replay the day all over again. The wedding video allows us to do that.  

Our Wedding DJ

We had DJ Bob and he was fabulous! Pulling off the surprise with the band, he was wonderful at communicating with Tristan. During the night, our wedding DJ made sure to have everyone’s names correct to walk out to and respected our wishes for “must-plays”, “do-not plays” and overall read the room perfectly. There were people on the dance floor all night long of all ages! Some of the big dance hits of the night were the Macarena, Everybody by the Backstreet Boys, and The Wobble.

packed dance floor at wedding reception

Our Wedding Memories

Tristan’s says his favorite moments were watching Alex and her Dad walk down the aisle, and riding the old-time red trolley we rented with our bridal party from the ceremony to the reception.

Alex’s favorite moment was the surprise Tristan planned for their first dance, which was to a Jake Owen song that her dad, his band, Tristan’s dad, and one of their groomsmen sang and played live. She had no idea he got the band to play or that they had been practicing together for months prior!

Alexandria and Tristan’s Wedding Vendors

  • Venue: Crystal Gardens of Southgate
  • Florist: Silk Thumb
  • Bakey: Cakes by Stephanie
  • Dress: Elizabeth’s Bridal Manor
  • Mike Staff Productions: DJ, Photography, and Videography

Don’t trust your wedding to anyone else. Mike Staff Productions would be honored to bring your vision to life. Let’s get started!