Scott & Tami :: Wedding

Can I just say that this year has been amazing ALREADY and it's not even October!

I feel like I've gained more girlfriends just within the past couple months than I have since I've moved up here just four years ago. They all have so many things in common: they are sweet, beautiful, sparkling with joy, fun, exciting, and all have been dressed in the most beautiful dress you've ever seen, oh and they have a handsome man by their side who loves them dearly... yes, they have all been brides that I have just so happened to be at their wedding as their photographer. Ha! I feel like I could call any one of them up and go meet up for coffee or get lunch with them. I think I could quite possibly start a sorority with them all. We all could be SISTERS... oh wow... that'd be so fun! Who's coming with me???

Ok, ok, ok... I'm getting pretty crazy now! Haha! I just have to say that it's been great... and I'll be thinking of what my "highly exclusive" sorority will be called.

I know that Tami was one of those girls that would be able to join my sorority. Both Scott and her were amazing to work with, who are such a sweet and fun couple. They looooooove to laugh and joke and be cute together. Agghhh... I love it! Scott is crazy about Tami, and Tami the same for Scott, which makes their relationship so well balanced. They adore each other and being able to capture that through our photos was truly an honor. They had their ceremony and reception at the Oak Pointe Country Club in Brighton, MI. It was one of the best days of the year, seriously... the weather, the temperature, the light, the people surrounding them, the Michigan football team winning in the last 16 seconds... one of the BEST! Yes, I had to throw that football one in there for my hubby, who was in the bar with the ENTIRE guest list watching the last stretch of game, then giving high fives all around in excitement. What a blast! We even got to work with the ever so fabulous Tyson from Rock the Booth, who was super fun... and I know Todd and I were cracking up so hard looking through all of the photos from their wedding from the booth.

We loved every minute of it and are so glad to have been a part of your day Scott & Tami! How fun you guys are going to wait and go on your honeymoon when everyone else is freezing and wishing we were all where you guys will be. Good call on that one!

Check out some of my favorites and a slideshow with more of their day!

Tami was absolutely stunning...



And so full of smiles... I love it!



Her girls were awesome and believe or not I used to work with one of her bridesmaids... what a small world! (It was great to see you, Karen!)



Scott was handsome as ever...



His guys were hilarious... I think my stomach hurt from laughing so hard!



Did I mention that together they were BREATHTAKING! A-Mazing couple... (the next two were my absolute favorites of the day!)



Loving the sun shining in... the evening light was beautiful!



Check out the slideshow for more of their day!

A Romantic Moment

As the sun was starting to set over on the west side of the state, the sky was turning all sorts of colors: from orange to pink to yellow to blue to colors that are all so indescribable.

For our first weekend off in quite awhile, sort of, we had planned to go visit some friends over in St. Joseph, MI. I had a little work to do as I was meeting my old roommate from college over there to do a kid's shoot of her dear lil' love bug, which I'll share later. But other than that we just went to go hang out for a short weekend. Todd and I, along with a few other couples all met over there to reconnect and catch up with what was going on in our lives.

As we walked down to the beach, just THREE BLOCKS from their house... which I'm SOOO jealous about, the sky turned just o-so-beautiful on us. After a few minutes on the beach, walking in the sand, and letting their kids play on the swings, we decided to power walk back to the house and drive down to the lighthouse in to get a few shots, of course, and to have a unforgettable romantic moment watching the sun set behind the waves of Lake Michigan. The sky was so beautiful and it brought a huge smile to my heart as I realized that moments like these should be cherished forever. I know, especially lately, that I get caught up with so much going on that it's hard to make time to breathe let alone watch the sun set. I was so grateful to be able to watch and just breathe a few breaths in peace with the man I love and adore so very much right by my side.

Just a glimpse of the beauty...

Simone & Jessica :: Engagements

So I'm kind of embarrassed to say this...

But I'm just going to say it! So believe it or not, I don't know a lot about politics or world views. I even am getting red faced to say that I rarely watch the news (which is not always a bad thing). I kind of feel like the episode of "Friends" where Joey has been approached by a door salesman who is selling encyclopedias. The salesman asks him if he feels like he is the least educated one of his friends, and if he feels like all his friends know all these BIG words and he can only shake his head in agreement in conversations because has no clue what they are talking about. I feel like that guy! I do however have opinions, and I sometimes I even say "I object" like I am a lawyer trying to claim my case. So I guess you could say that I'm a pretty good lawyer to know the lingo in the courtroom. Ha!

Ok... so I'm probably not the best lawyer or would even be able to sit through 5 minutes of law school. However, I give props to the sweetest couple Simone and Jessica: Jessica being the law student and Simone being the supporting fiance putting up with all of her studying and absences for studying and did I mention studying? I do know what it's like to have friends in law school and we used to see them often, until she started law school. But Simone is there for her, as he should be, AND he from what I hear does some amazing carpentry work. I also hear how great his house is! I'm so jealous! But besides the talents in their career, they are so stinkin' cute together... so cute and so laid back... and a great energy for their session. They were so excited! I love it when they are just as excited as I am, it makes it more enjoyable for both! What could make it better? They were awesome in front of the camera. Simone was worried he wouldn't do good or keep his eyes open, but both of them did great. I am excited already to shoot their wedding next year, I know it will fly by so quick!

Thanks guys for the great Sunday afternoon stroll!


The adorable couple...



Mmmm... lovin the kiss, being sun-kissed!





Lovin' this one...



And of course, who doesn't love a couple who loves to have fun



The next two were a couple of my favorites!





Sooo cute!



Mmm... kisses make me happy!

Cody & Taylor :: Wedding

It's been awhile since I've seen fog in the morning. I mean isn't that usually in the spring when it's so cold and rainy and the fog just rolls in? So was fog a sign of rain? Hmmm...

Well as we were driving one morning out to Addison Oaks in Leonard, MI, I was a just a tad-bit nervous seeing that fog. For one, it was hard to see the road and for two, we were on our way to shoot a "supposedly" beautiful sun filled, blue skied, outdoor wedding. Yikes! I mean who wants to walk through that cold, wet, muggy steam room-like air down the aisle. They would have had to wear flashlights so they could see ahead of themselves. But as the day went on, the sun decided to creep out of the clouds, clear the fog up, and bring that blue sky that we were all dreaming of.

Cody and Taylor have also been together for MANY years now, and when I say MANY... I mean since way back beginning in early high school. I think they are going on 8 years now. (Is that right guys?) Well... whatever the number is I know why they have been together that long... because they are so darn cute together and because they compliment each other just like PB & J! Cody being the peanut butter and Taylor being the fruit filled jelly, of course. I have to say that was one of the many reasons I was really excited to shoot their wedding, everyone has so many ancient stories to tell of them together. Ha! It was nice to hear them speak of them and what a great moment for the two of them. Everything was perfect! And I had probably the best salad ever... with Michigan dried cherries. Mmmm... talk about yummy!

Thanks guys for a WONDERFUL wedding and a HUGE thank you to mother nature for adding such a sparkle to their day!

Here are just a few of my favorites of them... plus their slideshow.

The morning light added so much to getting ready. There was light coming in all the windows... just breathtaking





Taylor was STUNNING!



The guys were awesome... and having just shot his best man, Jason's wedding two weeks before, I practically knew them all.



I love it when the guy gets so emotional the first time he sees his beautiful bride



A beautiful day, a beautiful couple... I love the recessional... always will because of this shot!



I love these two...





Such a sweet first dance



Hilarious...



Check out more in their slideshow.

Jonathan & Jenn :: Engagement

You know the feeling you have when you connect with someone so well? It makes life just sparkle so bright and makes life so enjoyable!

Jonathan and Jenn made my day sparkle. It helps a little that Jenn is a good friend of mine (and also photographer extraordinaire), but they have this energy between each other that makes you smile by just watching them interact. They love each other so much, and love to make each other laugh. It's hard not to awe over just how cute they are! I was so honored that they chose me to be their photographer on the SAME exact weekend that Todd and I were married three years back. I guess us photographers think alike! But I am even more honored that I was able to witness the cutest, lovable engagement session.

Thanks for making my day sparkle!!! You guys rocked it out... and it was hard to narrow down which ones to use on here!


Looking amazing... as always... their outfits were awesome!



Love it!



The next two are my favorites of the day...



So cute...



Jonathan is so GQ



Jenn has got SOME SASS in her! Love it!!!



Oh my gosh... that evening light is breath taking!



Haha!



Enjoying a romantic evening...



Adorable!



Showing off her *BLING*



On a side note:

Jenn made this cute "Thank You" sign for their shoot so they can send it with their Thank you's... LOVE IT!

Inspiration out the Wazzooo!

You know those emails you get that has the sideshow of all the photos and quotes that leave you feeling you can just go out and save the world?

That is exactly how I feel right now. I'm going to save the world, end the war on terror, give everyone health care and jobs. Ok, Ok... well maybe I'm getting just a little ahead of myself right now. But I feel like I was just sent one of those emails and it has inspired me to jump in feet first.

I went to see the most amazing photographer speak over at Michigan State University Club, which I have to add I have NEVER been there (I'm still new to Michigan, remember?). So anyways... I went to MSU to see Orange County native, Jasmine Star. For those of you who have never heard of her, she's amazing! She's fun and has a spunky personality, which makes her so lovable. She is a very talented photographer and such a great speaker. Not many people have gifts of all kinds, but she happens to have quite a few. I have been a huge follower since she won the photographer of the year a few years back. So needless to say, it was like being star struck when you see someone and feel like you know way too much about since you stalk their blog, but have never met them. After leaving her presentation, I felt so inspired like I COULD save the world, but I'll settle with one thing at a time... and right now that's to blog about saving the world and share my love with you all, along with my love for photography.

Thank you Jasmine for being who you are and give all of us hope that ANYTHING is possible! (Todd said we look like 'buddies'... I guess we are!)

Chris & Mia :: Wedding

I LOVE September! I'm not sure if it's the smell of hot apple cider or if it's the start of the leaves changing, but not yet falling... let's not go there YET! For one, I'm not ready and for two, I ran over the rake in the garage a few weeks ago. Opppsss... sorry babe!

Well the weather, the breeze, the smell, is great, but what's even better is Chris & Mia in September! The most calm and soothing couple. They were so relaxed, or at least seemed like it, yet were thrilled to see each other. They opted to see each other beforehand, which was super sweet, which might have added to their relaxment (is that a word? Ha!) Their ceremony was at the First Presbyterian Church of Plymouth, which is like an old world style church. The inside reminded me of the architecture of churches in Ireland and even the pastor had an Irish accent. After the ceremony, we headed off to the St. Mary's Cultural Center, which was really beautiful. When we walked in I noticed a unique book people were signing... check it out:

Their engagement album showed up as their guest book... LOVE this!



So a beautiful day, sun shining, the smell of fall in the air, the sights of the gorgeous couple Chris & Mia... a great start to the favorite month of September!

Congratulations to the two of you... we wish you the best over the Grand Rapids... it's a shame you had to switch sides of the state, but being by the water isn't such a bad thing right?


Could she get any more gorgeous?



Why yes she can!



And what a great groom... look at that smile



I loved their first look... sweet & hilarious... I won't mention what happened, but Mia & Chris you sure know ;)



Such beautiful girls... did I mention that I LOVED their dresses?



And such a laid back group of guys...



The church was gorgeous... it was hard to not find a good spot to do photos



My FAVORITE photo of the day... love the light slightly peeking over the church & love their genuine affection!



And a super fun couple as well...



Check out their slideshow...