Stephanie and Charles' wedding last week was a great time!

The girls got ready at the royal park hotel in downtown rochester - this is always one of my favorite 'getting ready' hotels (great for boudior too!) because the rooms are just gorgeous and filled with great light. 

Stephanie's dress was amazing - the hem was killer!

And she looked awesome, too - so cute and petite!  hair and makeup by the always awesome Patty @ luigi bruni


me likey diamonds!!




Stephanie and Charles agreed to meet before the ceremony for some portraits with Charles' son Parker.  This was a great idea - I always encourage it, especially when the ceremony is later (theirs was 6pm).  This way, we had plenty of time for some special family portraits.


such fun colors for the bridesmaids!

charles presented each of his groomsmen with a custom pocket watch.  what a nice gift!

cute moment with grandma

some more shots at addison oaks, where the ceremony and reception were held


these two were total BFF's - so cute!

parker took his duties as ring bearer *very* seriously ;-)


the ceremony site at addison oaks is one of my favorites!



i really liked how they included Parker in the ceremony - their officiant did a really cute 'family ceremony'

their cake was super-adorable (by holiday bakery) - loved the cake topper!  it's actually edible!

first dance
father/daughter dance

and a little late-night romance (my favorite!)

Charles, Stephanie and Parker: congratulations!  You guys make a beautiful family ;-)

What an AWESOME time I had shooting these guys!  For family sessions, I always really encourage people to 'come as they are' - don't stress out about what to wear or how to pose - just make sure you're comfortable, and be ready to HAVE FUN!  This family totally 'got' that, and i'm so excited about the images we created!

Here's just a teeny tiny sampling of some favorites

seriously, how cute are they?

i think this is my favorite ;-)  definitely going on the website once I have a chance to update!



it was the *perfect* summer day for some ICE CREAM!




thanks for such a fun session guys ;-)  So glad you found me - you were a delight to photograph!

This kind of family photography isn't for everyone - definitely the not the typical 'white shirts and jeans, smiling for the camera' type imagery that many people associate with professional family shoots.  But for those who enjoy this, I'm scheduling sessions now through fall.  give me a buzz ;-)

Just a quick note to all - this is probably my craziest, busiest time of year.  With weddings every weekend, family and engagement sessions during the week, I'm shooting so much I've barely had a chance to edit!  I know my turnaround is dragging a bit - hang in there, and I so appreciate everyone's patience.   I have the best clients ;-)

Coming soon to the blog - favorites from stephanie and charles (and parker's!) wedding, and TWO adorable baby shoots.  stay tuned!

what can I say about alex and sara?!  I've been so lucky to get to know these two over the past year.  I shot sara's sister amanda's wedding last June, and have done portraits for her other sisters' family as well.  So by the time Saturday rolled around, we were old friends ;-)

It was so cool to walk in and see my photos displayed everywhere!

the wedding was held at the River Birch Lodge - an amazing location!  Full of rustic charm, but with all the modern amenities you could want. 

I got to work with some great vendors for this wedding: Katherine's Catering prepared the delicious and innovative dinner, yummy cupcakes by decadent delight, hair by Julie of Imagine Three, makeup by Dana (danaishome@prodigy.net), and DJ extraordinare Mary Ann Ross.

Sara's dress was AMAZING

cute little 'getting ready' moment

HOTT!




cute blue shoes ;-)

Taylor Rose stole the show!
also - how cute are the yellow shoes?!

there are no words for this kind of cuteness!
Alex was lookin' pretty good too

some relaxed portraits of the fellas

and onto the ceremony
traditional handfasting:

you may kiss the bride!
some portraits with the newlyweds...




the food was killer!  mini grilled cheese with tomato soup shooters, gourmet sliders, handmade sweet potato chips....YUM!

When Annmarie first emailed me to chat about her wedding plans, I knew this was just the kind of day I'd love to photograph - a classy, intimate affair held at Via Nove Restaurant in downtown Ferndale.

Her and Jason were looking for relaxed, photojournalistic portraits that would really capture the 'spirit' of their day - and I was happy to oblige!

Some favorites:
lovely bouquet and centerpieces by bloomz



after the ceremony we hit up downtown for some pictures.  Tommy was totally on fire!  I thought this would be a good opportunity to demonstrate why having a 2nd photographer can be so great.  While I was shooting this:
tommy was shooting this.  One moment, two great images! 

we passed by this adorable vintage shop with the cutest storefront...

honestly, is there *anyhting* more fun than green wedding shoes?!

jason and dana were married on a delightful Sunday in Ann Arbor.  It's always a treat when we shoot right in Ann Arbor - because, oddly enough, even though it's where my studio is based, most of my weddings are elsewhere in SE michigan.

This was such a fun wedding to be a part of - and Tommy and I also had a great time working with Jamie Honce video - looking forward to seeing the trailer!

We started the day at the four points sheraton.  dana's hotel room was brimming with friends and family to keep her company while she primped.  I've said it before, but the 'getting ready' part of the day is always one of my favorites to shoot.  So many pretty details, moments, and emotions...

makeup by Catherine @ Dessange





ceremony at temple beth emmeth

beautiful ketubah

Just watch ;-)

Matt and Megan's wedding last month was a great time!  The blue dress barn (in Milburg, MI) is such a fun and unique spot for a wedding.
talk about photographer eye candy!  the barn itself is fantastic and full of great details - but matt and megan added their own special touches to truly personalize everything.  Here's a pretty little inspiration board to show off their day (gotta give megan a shout out for her great taste - i totally got some ideas for my own big day.  looved her little cake toppers - check em out towards the bottom row - by naked peggies.  too cute!). 

We couldn't have asked for nicer day
i loved that megan rocked these hot purple shoes - found on ebay and dressed up with some vintage clip-on earrings!

gorgeous veil and hairpiece by etsy seller Loboheme



some stuff with the guys...




the girls looked great


and a few from their short and sweet ceremony


pure joy.  I just love this!

Soooo many great moments


some romantic shots




i was able to grab matt and megan away from the party for a few moments to take advantage of this gorgeous evening light...


inside the barn, the party was hoppin'!  Mike Dangeroux band kept everyone grooving, especially when they busted out with a michael jackson greatest hits medley


congrats matt and megan!  hope you guys had a blast, and enjoyed your 'minimoon' on the lake!

I just stumbled across this out there on the interwebs, and had to share - never seen anything quite like it! Created by the wicked-awesome lockdown projects in the UK. It seems like it would be a LOT of work to actually achieve this on a wedding day - but what a fun result! enjoy!

A wedding movie by LOCKDOWNprojects.com | MyOwnMusicVideo.co.uk | WeddingMusicVideos.co.uk

I've just started editing through Megan and Matt's amazing wedding at the blue dress barn (one of my new favorite wedding spots!)  Check back soon for a yummy blog post - and here's a little sneak peek in the meantime ;-)

jason and dana's wedding is this sunday - so we realized we'd better get crackin' with an engagement session!  we met up last week for a fun shoot in Ann Arbor.  Some favorites:




there's something so fun and quirky about this next series!

thanks dana and jason!  see you guys soon!