They biked 21 miles to get there. Tandem Ciders sits just outside Suttons Bay — a working farm, a low white barn, picnic tables that in two months will be packed and loud. On an April morning with the threat of snow still fresh from the night before, Karl had a ring in his pocket and a plan that required getting Tiffa back outside after she'd just gotten warm.
A place they actually love
Tiffa and Karl are from Chicago, and they've been coming to Tandem Ciders for years. Five or six times, by Karl's count. It's not a destination they discovered on a list. It's just a place they keep going back to — the kind of spot that becomes yours without you deciding it will.
That's what made it the right call. Not the aesthetics, not the backdrop. The fact that it meant something before any of this happened.
The plan
Karl's logistics were solid. He'd had custom sweatshirts made — Tandem Ciders branding on the front, "Tandem Forever" on the back. The ring was ready. The harder part was the cold. After 21 miles on bikes, Tiffa wanted to be inside. Karl let her warm up, played it patient, then came up with a reason to get them back out to the picnic area.
I was already out there. I'd tucked my camera into my bag and found a spot behind a wall of firewood, sitting with a cider, trying to look like I belonged. The picnic benches were empty. The place was quiet. When Karl finally got Tiffa back outside, I had about ten feet of cover between me and the moment.
How it went
He gave her the sweatshirt first. She pulled it on — still cold, still not sure what was happening — and then he got down and handed her the ring. She said yes somewhere around the time she read the back of the sweatshirt.
We moved inside after that for some portraits in the farmhouse — dark wood, warm light coming through the windows, the kind of room that does most of the work for you. On the way back through, Tiffa ran into a bachelorette party who spotted the ring and made a whole thing of it. A good kind of thing.
At some point during portraits I put on some Metallica. Tiffa approved.
Planning a proposal in Northern Michigan? I've got the hiding spots, the timing, and a solid read on when to stay out of the way. Let's talk through what you're thinking.
Proposal Photography Get in Touch
