Jam Handy Wedding in Detroit!

Jam Handy Wedding Fun In The “D”!

Congratulations, David and Josh!

Same sex wedding at the Jam Handy, across the street from the "bleeding rainbow" in Detroit, Michigan.

Same sex wedding at the Jam Handy, across the street from the “bleeding rainbow” in Detroit, Michigan.

So by now, most of you can either guess or you know that blogging is my LEAST favorite part of my wedding photography business. It takes a LOT to get me motivated and inspired to add extra hours into what is always a long process to get photos ready and delivered to my clients. But there were a couple of things about Josh and David’s wedding day that was unique. It’s always a great day (in the world according to Marci) if I can see something new, try something new and learn something new.

Jam Handy Wedding location with siblings.

The groom and his siblings snuggle during their photos at the Jam Handy wedding venue in Detroit, Michigan.

Same sex wedding couple on stairs at Detroit Michigan's Jam Handy wedding venue.

Wedding couple on the staircase at Detroit’s Jam Handy wedding venue.

Wedding party during ridiculous wind during a wedding in downtown Detroit at the "bleeding rainbow" spot.

Wedding party during ridiculous wind during a wedding in downtown Detroit at the “bleeding rainbow” spot.

A couple is reflected in their officiant's eyes at Detroit's Bleeding Rainbow wall.

A same sex couple are reflected in their officiant’s sun glasses while taking photos at the “bleeding rainbow wall” in Detroit, Michigan.

Gusty winds made standing still difficult during wedding party photos in Detroit, Michigan.

Wedding party men are being blown away during wedding party photos at the “Bleeding rainbow wall” in Detroit, Michigan.

For starters, Josh and David’s wedding was at the old Jam Handy building just down the street from the Fisher building. You wouldn’t think twice about it and would probably drive by it without even realizing it’s there. But that’s the place that brought my father in law to Michigan to start his career back when they used to produce and create industrial movies. The owner/manager of Jam Handy, Simeon, was available throughout the day for questions and helped to coordinate all of our comings and goings. Very helpful chap to have around, indeed. The space is industrial and has four spaces (well, five if you count where they set up the kitchen). It took me a while to figure out what was on the walls at the Jam Handy’s windowless room where they held the reception. They are dark gray with what appears to be dark chicken wire holding stuff to the wall. Ah… it must have served as soundproofing back in the day when they were using it as a “sound stage”. I loved the main room and the planner, Andy Keina from “Top That Table” really made the joint stand out and soften the industrialness (not a word) for this amazing wedding.

Front of the Jam Handy building is great for wedding photos in Detroit, Michigan.

Wedding couple snuggle outside of the Jam Handy before their wedding in Detroit, Michigan.

Back alley provides color for wedding photos at the Jam Handy in Detroit, Michigan.

Back alley of the Jam Handy is nice for small groupings of wind blown groomsmen at the Jam Handy for weddings in Detroit, Michigan.

Jam Handy wedding location set for farm table style seating for wedding.

Farm table style set up for Jam Handy wedding in Detroit, Michigan.

Up lighting with chilled champagne.

Chilled champagne set out in front of up lighting at the Jam Handy for a same sex wedding in Detroit.

Wedding cake with yellow uplighting at the Jam Handy in Detroit, Michigan.

Wedding cake set out at the Jam Handy shows off the yellow uplighting at this Detroit wedding venue.

So enough about the Jam Handy building as the “newest” cool location for Detroiters to hold cool weddings and on to what was perhaps the most amazing wedding ceremony I’ve ever seen. Josh and David offered up a lot of firsts for me as a wedding photographer. Their parents joined in for the family photos and DIDN’T stand by their children! They mixed and matched and didn’t want “our photos” and “their photos”. Never seen that wonderful family dynamic before. Also, when I went to see what they were doing before the ceremony, all the siblings and Josh and David were playing games from youth group camp. You know, the kind that involve standing in a group, laughing, concentrating on a task and then eliminating each of them one by one. I’ve never seen that as a way to keep each other occupied before heading into a ceremony!

Wedding day speech written out.

Notes one of the groomsmen was working on for his speech before the wedding ceremony at the Jam Handy in Detroit, Michigan.

Camping it up in the loft at the Jam Handy before the wedding ceremony in Detroit, Michigan.

While the groom’s try to spy on their guests through a crack in the curtains at the Jam Handy, the rest of the wedding party camps it up!

View of Jam Handy set for a wedding from their loft area in Detroit, Michigan.

View of the Jam Handy from the loft where the wedding party was spying on their guests in Detroit, Michigan.

Two grooms before their wedding ceremony at Jam Handy in Detroit.

The grooms have a nice quite moment shortly before their wedding ceremony at the Jam Handy in Detroit, Michigan.

Wedding party plays games before their ceremony begins at the Jam Handy in Detroit.

The wedding party plays at camp game for some fun distraction JUST before the wedding ceremony begins at the Jam Handy in Detroit, Michigan.

So the ceremony. Ah… the ceremony. They did many things in their own unique way. One of the main differences was that they had one friend officiate / mc the order of things. But they ran the show. Each of the grooms had three friends and/or family members come up and speak about them, their relationship to them and their relationship as a couple. It was lovely. It was heartfelt. They weren’t your typical speeches (aka toasts), but rather a way for everyone to learn something about them and to get a sense of them as a couple. And then there were the vows. Unique, funny, insightful, joyous, intellectual and sob inducing all at once. Quite an act to follow, gentleman! I’ve had many of my couples ask about where to find officiants for same sex couples and honestly, whether you’re gay or not, if you don’t want to have a religious officiant, this is an amazing way to accomplish having an intimate, heartfelt ceremony done on the couple’s terms and imbued with their personality.

Laughter during the wedding ceremony at the Jam Handy in Detroit, Michigan.

One of the couple’s lifelong friend cries as she delivers her speech during the wedding at the Jam Handy in Detroit cracking everyone up.

Wedding ceremony at the Jam Handy.

One of the groom’s mother smiles during the wedding ceremony at the Jam Handy in Detroit, Michigan.

Cambodian Buddhist wedding ceremony at the Jam Handy in Detroit, Michigan.

One groom gets a hug from his husband’s mother during a traditional Cambodian buddhist wedding ceremony at the Jam Handy in Detroit, Michigan.

Groom reacts while reading his wedding vows in Detroit, Michigan at the Jam Handy.

Amazingly touching and poignant wedding vows at the Jam Handy in Detroit, Michigan.

Grooms exit their Jam Handy wedding ceremony.

The grooms exit their Jam Handy wedding to tears, cheers and applause in Detroit, Michigan.

A string is tied onto the groom's wrist after their wedding ceremony at the Jam Handy in Detroit.

A wedding guest at the Jam Handy ties string onto one of the groom’s wrist after their wedding ceremony.

The dancing all took place in a small side room. You’ll see I included two photos that are very, very similar. I couldn’t pick a favorite of Josh and his mom and my photo editing hubby could not pick a favorite, so… you get to see both of them. Besides Josh’s great expressions, what really makes this series of photos (and is SO sadly unique) is that all of their friends and family in the background are a) watching them, b) reacting to this wonderful moment and c) NOT TAKING FREAKING iPHONE PHOTOS!!!

A string of lights decorate the venue at the Jam Handy.

The grooms with their string of lights used to decorate their Jam Handy wedding venue.

First Dance for same sex couple at the Jam Handy.

The grooms share their first dance in a side room at the Jam handy in Detroit, Michigan.

Mother and son dance at wedding in Jam Handy.

One of the grooms dances with his mother as his husband looks on at the Jam Handy in Detroit, Michigan.

Groom dances with his mother at Jam Handy's in Detroit.

One of the grooms dances with his mother as his husband looks on at the Jam Handy in Detroit, Michigan.

Mother of the groom cries during her dance with her son at Jam Handy.

The mother of the groom tears up during her mother / son dance at Jam Handy’s in Detroit, Michigan.

Dancing at the Jam Handy for a wedding in Detroit, Michigan.

The mother of one of the grooms has a dynamic conversation with one of the guests during a wedding reception at the Jam Handy in Detroit, Michigan.

wedding guests on the dance floor at the Jam Handy in Detroit, Michigan.

A couple take a “selfie” on the dance floor during a wedding at the Jam Handy in Detroit, Michigan.

Loved this wedding! Hope you do too!

Lastly, I’m including lots of photos of Jam Handy because there aren’t a lot of good wedding images of the Jam Handy online! What I have seen doesn’t often include off camera lighting, so it looks weird, so I wanted to post lots of photos that show what it can look like when it’s properly lit with extra lights and a bit of technical know how!

view of two rooms during a wedding at the Jam Handy in Detroit, Michigan.

View of the Jam Handy during a wedding showing the main room versus the dancing room with two different colors of uplighting in Detroit, Michigan.

Overall view of dinner being served at the Jam Handy in Detroit during an event.

View of dinner being served during an event at the industrial event space, Jam Handy in Detroit, Michigan.

Jam Handy event photo of a dinner in Detroit, Michigan.

Same view of a dinner, but from a catwalk at the Jam Handy in Detroit, Michigan.

Jam Handy event photograph in Detroit, Michigan.

View of the Jam Handy from the doorway during an event in Michigan.

Dinner service at event venue Jam Handy in Detroit, Michigan.

Dinner being served farm style at urban industrial event venue the Jam Handy in Detroit, Michigan.

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