How would you like to celebrate your anniversary once every four years? Dani and Matt were game! Their winter Inn at St. John’s wedding was a Leap Day wedding (February 29, 2020). Not only was it a gorgeous winter day (even with a little snow on the ground), but we got SUNSHINE! If you’ve ever photographed in February in Michigan, you know that sunshine can be hard to come by.
This winter Inn at St. John’s wedding was my final wedding before our state shut down for COVID. At the time, the virus wasn’t really on everyone’s mind. My how times have changed!
Maybe you remember their downtown Detroit engagement session last spring, but Dani and Matt are truly a perfect match. Dani is exuberant, outgoing, and bubbly, while Matt is more reserved, very sweet, and super steady. You can tell that Matt has a way of truly calming Dani’s energy; and I felt that on the wedding day. As Dani recalled on their reception, their meeting changed the course of her life in all the best ways.
After a first look in that magical Inn at St. John’s hallway, we took photos with Dani and Matt around the property, followed by a ceremony in the chapel. There really isn’t another chapel in the area like it! How beautiful! Dani looked stunning and Matt super dapper. I think Dani was made to be a bride. She told me that she thinks all the America’s Top Model watching paid off and I AGREE. STUNNING.
I love the classic and timeless look that they put together for their wedding. And peep the Millennium Falcon cufflinks…letting Matt’s personality shine through! They also went to Disney for their honeymoon, and definitely made sure to spend time at Galaxy’s Edge. Dan also surprised Matt with a huge Star Wars lego set. Probably the most unique wedding gift I’ve seen!
I couldn’t get over how kind everyone was to us all day long at this winter Inn at St. John’s wedding. The entire wedding party and all of the family was just wonderful to work with. We actually ran ahead of schedule because everyone was so cooperative and the Inn at St. John’s wedding staff was on top of things! Of course, everything was running perfectly smoothly with day of coordinator Cindy Decker, who I love to work with! Cindy is always on top of things and I highly recommend having her come coordinate your day so you don’t have to worry about a thing!
The more weddings I go to, the more I realize how much joy they have. There weren’t many tears shed (okay, a few by Dani…but her makeup held up amazingly — thanks Rosa!) because this was such a happy occasion of two families coming together to celebrate. No matter the wedding I’m at, the joy is contagious. I can’t help but leave with a smile on my face. It’s why I can’t stop doing this job.
Dani and Matt, it was a pleasure. I loved your day, loved your people, and loved working with you. I wish you both ALL THE BEST!
The end of fall always brings gorgeous colors…and rain. Betsy and Michael’s Andiamo’s wedding day was the last weekend in October and the day brought both. Their day was truly a beautiful celebration among family and friends.
The day started at St. Peter Catholic Church in Mt. Clemens. St Peter’s is a beautiful church with a long aisle and plenty of stained glass. Capturing the ceremony was very important to Betsy and Michael, and I think some of the sweet in-between moments are some of my favorite.
After the ceremony, we took a few photos at the Mt. Clements Train Depot, which is one of my favorite spots on that side of town, and then stopped by Mike and Betsy’s home to say hi to their black lab Leia.
What I think I loved most about this Andiamo’s wedding was that Mike and Betsy spent essentially the whole day together. There wasn’t a first look or anything (the walk down the aisle wasn’t any less emotional for sure!) and from before the ceremony through the reception, they were around each other. I think it really adds to your memories of the day when you can both spend it together.
We arrived at Andiamo Banquet Center in Warren for the reception. It had been many many years since I had been inside at Andiamo Warren Banquet Center and it had recently been renovated — I was impressed with both the atmosphere and the food! The large round dance floor was filled with dancing guests as the night continued.
Mike and Betsy’s guests were so lovely. I had a great time photographing them, especially on the dance floor! We were treated to some polka dancing by the bride and her brothers, which was fabulous. I don’t think I’ve seen anyone polka in a long time! I was super impressed because polka dancing is hard!
This Andiamo’s wedding was full of fun, family, and so much joy. I don’t think Betsy stopped smiling! It was a beautiful wedding to end my fall season with.
When you get to photograph your college bestie’s wedding, it’s a really good day. Celeste and Jeremy’s Como Conservatory wedding last November was absolutely perfect for a November Minnesota day. No snow, actually warm for a November day, and no rain! I think we won. This was my first “destination wedding” and I’m actually glad it was in the Twin Cities because I think it’s similar to Detroit in a lot of ways.
This was my second trip to Minnesota in 2019 (we made three…Josh is from Rochester, Minnesota and we go there for Christmas), the first being Celeste and Jeremy’s Duluth engagement session. If you’re reading this from the land of ten thousand lakes (though I hear there’s more than that), I would love to go back. 🙂
It’s been a long time since I’ve photographed the wedding of a friend (cue first wedding I photographed), but it was so lovely to spend the whole day alongside Celeste, who I’ve known for nearly a decade. We met when we lived across the hall from each other during our sophomore year of college and both us and our roommates all shared an apartment and house our junior and senior years. If you look carefully in this blog post, you’ll find our roomie photo. It’s probably the only wedding blog post where you’ll find a photo of me! And you’ll see some photos of Josh who was with me!
Celeste and Jeremy were married at the church where they met, Hope Community Church in downtown Minneapolis. They shared an intimate first look on the balcony in front of stained glass windows. I think the emotion of the day was JOY. We headed down to the Stone Arch Bridge, which is an old pedestrian bridge that is one of the Twin Cities’ icons. Though it was super windy and chilly, it’s such a beautiful spot to take photos of the Minneapolis skyline. We also used some of the old mill ruins as a backdrop. I love the Twin Cities!
After a beautiful ceremony, the reception at the Como Zoo and Conservatory began. I think this was such a cool venue. They had the doors to the palm room open so you could walk through and all the windows overlooking the gardens would be gorgeous in the spring or summer.
When she was planning, Celeste told me they wanted to do some type of exit (they are fun duh!) but sparklers weren’t allowed. So I told her only a certain type of glow stick works well (the huge ones) and really streamers are your best bet! So they did that and I think the exit photos turned out beautiful!
Sometimes it’s just the perfect day for a wedding. Perfect weather, perfect location, perfect group of people, perfect couple. Everything just seemed to come together so perfectly for Kelsey and Kyle’s Ann Arbor Polo Fields Golf Club wedding last September.
When we first met back in September 2018, a year before their wedding, Kelsey and Kyle shared their story with me over beers, including their amazing proposal in Iceland. This pair of engineers are truly as sweet as they come and working with them over a year was an absolute treat!
How does a Nebraska boy with interests in aeronautical engineering and a Michigan girl with a mechanical engineering background meet? The University of Michigan. Kelsey and Kyle’s love for the maize and blue was evident throughout their Ann Arbor Polo Fields Golf Club wedding and their Ann Arbor engagement session held a few homages to their alma mater, including planning the wedding on a bi-week for Michigan football, as well as a rendition of Hail to the Victors and the appearance of the Michigan flag during the reception dance party.
If you know me, you know that engineers seem to be a reoccurring theme in my life. My husband is an engineer, my college roommate is an engineer, and many of my clients are engineers, including Kelsey and Kyle! I find that engineers follow and take direction really well. So if you’re an engineer, you’ll find yourself at home with me! Haha!
I truly had an amazing time at this wedding, but I think my favorite moment was the whole first look. Kelsey and Kyle were really intentional about this moment being private and just for them. They decided to read their personal vows to each other during the first look. I thought this made the moment more special and less about the photos and more about THEM. Sometimes it can be daunting to share such personal words and memories in front of 150+ people. Sometimes your church service doesn’t allow for this (most all Catholic ceremonies do not). But if sharing personal vows are still important to you, I highly suggest doing it at the first look or taking a moment after the ceremony, maybe after signing the license to do so. You don’t regret it.
After a ceremony at the historic First Baptist Church of Ann Arbor, we headed to the Law Quad with the wedding party for photos. After we finished up there, we had one more stop at the Big House for a few photos under the big M scoreboard. Iconic.
The reception at the Ann Arbor Polo Fields Golf and Country Club was absolutely perfect! Bob and the staff there are incredible and I highly recommend them! We ended the night with a beautiful sparkler exit as the couple got into the getaway car…a Lincoln of course!
I was so sad when this wedding ended because I truly loved working with Kelsey and Kyle. The end of the wedding was emotional for their friends and family, especially Kelsey’s who are local to the area, because Kelsey would join Kyle in Tucson, Arizona where Kyle had just started a new job, to make their first home together.
We had such a lovely summer for weddings. My August was filled with beautiful Saturdays like this Golden Hawk Golf Course wedding with Jason and Emily. These two choose to be married at St. John Lutheran in Rochester, the church Jason grew up in, and celebrate with their family and friends at a Golden Hawk Golf Course wedding.
The couple saw each other down the aisle for the first time and all of our portraits were taken at the golf course, which was just lovely for light. We had the perfect golden hour for these two! I really enjoyed working with this wedding party; they were tons of fun and were full of great ideas!
I loved the garden vibe of the florals, especially Emily’s floral crown. I haven’t ever had a bride with a floral crown and it was just gorgeous!
These two met working at the cafeteria at Michigan State University. I loved hearing their story of bonding over serving up those delicious collegiate meals.
If you are considering a Golden Hawk Golf Course wedding, make sure you take portraits by those willow trees! I absolutely loved using them with Jason and Emily!
I swear I had the most beautiful summer weather for my weddings! This past August I photographed Angie and Richard’s Stonebridge Golf Club wedding in Ann Arbor. Angie and Richard live in Virginia and decided to have a destination wedding in Michigan! We met up in June to go over everything but the first time I had them in front of the camera was their wedding day!
The pair had their ceremony at St. Mary Student Parish in downtown Ann Arbor where they incorporated traditional Latino traditions into their ceremony. It was my first bilingual ceremony which was a really cool experience!
After the ceremony, we took photos at their reception location, the Stonebridge Golf Club. We had the most beautiful golden light and the most beautiful sunset for their portraits! These two are so freaking cute, aren’t they? Literally stunning in portraits. It was hard to narrow it down for the blog post.
This Stonebridge Golf Club wedding was filled with Spanish music and traditional dances that I had never seen before! I thought it was so much fun! These guests were incredible dancers; I was really impressed!
We capped the night off with a sparkler send off…the best way to end the night!
