Evan & Sabrina's Wedding

July 4, 2009

When I first pulled up to the site of Sabrina and Evan's wedding the day before for their rehearsal, I KNEW we were going to get some good shots. The W.K. Kellogg Manor House in Hickory Corners is a beautiful wedding location. I met the wedding coordinater, Chris, and she gave me a quick tour of the house. I also took a good look at the grounds outside and was more than pleased to be getting to work in such a perfect place. NOW I definitely understand why they picked July 4, the only day the manor was available in 2009. Good choice, you two!

I first met up with the bride and bridesmaids down at their hotel in Kalamazoo, where we did a few "fake" prep photos (and quite a few real ones too, haha!). I then proceeded to take a few of the wedding party with me on our drive back to Hickory Corners. Being that it was July 4th and around noon, we hit a detour because of a parade on the way there. Luckily my sense of direction found us back on track and just behind the bride and company. I got lost the night before, glad I got that one out of my system.

Josh and the boys were already there and doing some photos. We strategically coordinated our efforts to ensure Evan and Sabrina saw each other for the first time when she walked down the staircase with her dad at the wedding. We got some lovely shots and having the wedding on the lake was wonderful! It was a perfect day for it too. Normally I'm not a fan of COMPLETE overcast, but Sabrina is an eye-closer (love ya anyway, dear!) and the lack of bright sun helped immensely. The ceremony was beautiful and went off without a hitch!

The reception was held at the Doster County Golf Club, where we spent a good part of an hour gallavanting on hole three (and across the course) with the hilariously fun bridal party. We got some very fun shots in the process as well. I wish I could post more, they were a very creative bunch! This was definitely one of the best wedding I've had! Thanks to EVERYONE, you all were great, and congrats to Sabrina and Evan!

Special shout out to Tracy Park with Affordable Elegance, who did the flowers for the wedding. Beautiful job, Tracy, it was a pleasure to work with you.

Niko & Katie's Wedding

June 20, 2009

Some people have wonderful taste! I can definitely say that for Katie and Niko. The locations for their wedding this past June were beautiful and very fun to use for their photos. First, the girls started out at Design One on Plainfield where they had their hair and make-up done. From there we went on to St. Mary's in Grand Rapids, where I got some of my VERY favorite "getting ready" shots ever. The cathedral's architecture was beautiful (although unfortunately, the outside was under construction and we couldn't use it for photos because of all the scaffolding).

The day was pretty warm but once we went to the big blue walking bridge in downtown GR (we saw at least three other wedding parties doing photos down there with us), we were getting a good breeze and didn't have to worry about it too much. I love some of the shots we got with Katie and Niko, and there were some good ones with the whole bridal party (even though we had some trouble with our jumping photo, haha!).

Last, we went to Noto's, an Italian restaurant on 28th Street that had this AMAZING staircase and basement. My only regret was that I feel like we should have done more photos there. At least we got quite a few good ones before the reception got going. It was great working with Katie and Niko, and it went pretty well since I met them for the very first time the Friday before the wedding. Congrats to the both of you!

Monica & Josh's Engagement Photos

June 28, 2009

Not all locations are created equal. When I shoot up north (back where I'm from in the Mid Michigan area), I always tend to have a hard time finding nice places to work with. One I've used a lot is in Gladwin at some property my Aunt Charlotte own, but other than that, I have a hard time finding places I really like.

Well Monica had a great choice for her engagement photos this weekend. Island Park in Mt. Pleasant. Oddly enough, I'm surprised I've never thought of it myself before. I used to go out to Island Park with a few friends back when we were in high school and just starting college and we had some good times out there. I guess I just never realized how nice of a photography spot it is!

Even though they had their summer celebration going on down there this weekend, we still had a lot of good locations to use (the river, railroad tracks, the bridges, etc.). Monica and I have been chatting online for a long time now so it was good to finally meet her and her fiance, Josh. Her younger brother, Doug, tagged along as well (check out his taming of the bear in the photos below!). It was a good session and it was fun chatting with the three of them. I'm excited to get to do their wedding in October!

Special thanks to my mom, Patti, for coming along to help in creating shade, you're the best, Mom!!!