Michael & Stephanie: A Wedding (Grand Rapids Wedding Photographer)

June 29, 2013

After my wedding was over, I was pretty excited to get back into being behind the scenes again. As much fun as it was, it was so very stressful! Stephanie can relate. This girl is definitely an over-achieving bride. Not only was she planning a wedding but she was also finishing up her graduate degree and thesis... from Missouri! I don't know how she did it but somehow she managed to get the perfect wedding put together. I actually met Stephanie and Mike just about four years prior to her own wedding, when her sister, Katie, and her husband, Niko, got married. It's always fun to see how a family grows in that amount of time. Lots of cute adorable nieces and nephews were there as Stephanie and Mike walked down the same aisle that both her sisters did years ago. So cool.

Stephanie and Mike are both outdoors-y types, and so having the reception at Fredrick Meijer Gardens seemed just about right. We wandered the gardens for quite awhile and got lots of amazing shots. I've been dying to do a wedding there for years, and I had the privilege of having my great photo friend, Misty Minna, shooting there with me too. The bride and groom are so good together, and they both looked amazing on their big day. Also the pie was really good! Congrats to the two of you, and I hope your graduation is the perfect ending to a crazy-fun year, Stephanie!

Hair Stylist: Design One Salon (Plainfield location), Grand Rapids, MI

Dress Shop: The Gown Hous, Columbia, Missouri
Dress Designer: Allure Bridals

Tuxes: Men's Wearhouse, Grand Rapids, MI
Church: Saint Mary's Catholic Church, Grand Rapids, MI

Flowers: Lily's Floral and Gifts, Grand Rapids, MI

Reception: Fredrick Meijer Gardens, Grand Rapids, MI

Caterers: Applause Catering, Grand Rapids, MI
Pies: Grand Rapids Pie Company, Grand Rapids, MI
DJ: Larry Bush

^The last time we were here, it was under construction (scaffolding everywhere!). A much prettier church now!

^Gorgeous details, mostly by Misty!

^Love her dress!

^Stephanie's two neices... I met the older of the two at her other aunt's wedding four years ago. She was much smaller!

^You have to love a good balcony shot!

^Portrait time at Fredrick Meijer Gardens!

^Love this one by Misty.

^One of my favorites!

^Our handsome groom is a photographer too! I remember chatting with him about it at Katie's wedding!

^One of my favorites of Stephanie!

^After awhile, the bridal party arrived!

^The gardens closed at 5, so we started up more photos inside the greenhouses.

^So cute!

^The groom and his groomsmen in the 'desert'.

^Another favorite of mine!

^I really think these shots fit well with their love of the outdoors :-)

^I've shot this sculpture so many times on my trips to FMG. Still love it.

^Mmmmmm, pie! So many choices...

^They kindly let Misty and myself get our own pieces after they took theirs. Soooo tasty!

^Mike's mom and he also did wedding photography as well!

^Here's Niko and his little man!

Save the Date: Tim & Crista

Back in March, I photographed Tim and Crista's engagement session in downtown Holland. In just a few more months (October, to be exact!), the two of them will be back in Holland to tie the knot. I'm excited to be a part of their wedding. Just today, Crista reminded me that because they didn't want to ruin the surprise, I didn't post their Save the Date photos on my blog. And they were some of my favorites! But the Save the Dates are out and today, since we've been a little slow on the blog lately, I'm debuting them for you. Congrats to Crista and Tim... see you on October 5th!

^They had the hook up, taking over the Knickerbocker's sign for a bit!

Sneak Peek: Nicole & Zach

July 6, 2013

Nicole was one of my first 2013 brides, she first contacted me way back at the end of 2011 so we've been chatting forever. As I suspected, her wedding was nothing short of awesome. Her details were wonderful (and honestly I don't know how she did it all!) and she looked gorgeous. Oh yeah, and her new husband, Zach (who is such a nice and obviously wonderful guy!), looked pretty good too. Despite some unexpected rain, everyone had a wonderful and eventful day! As promised, here's the sneak for this weekend's wedding. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for the full post (and all the awesome details!).

 

Sneak Peek: Mike & Stephanie

June 29, 2013

 It's finally time to get my wedding season into full swing. Our first big one this summer was last weekend, and I was super excited to get to shoot at Fredrick Meijer Gardens for the first time! Check out a few of my favorites, although there are a lot more... coming soon!