Derrick & Katie had a beautiful wedding day last Friday, April 22.  Rain was forcasted all day, but we got lucky and had enough time for photos outside before it began!!

We started the day with the ladies getting ready at the Courtyard Marriott in downtown Grand Rapids.  What a beautiful hotel for getting ready shots....I fell in love with their recent remodal!  Once the ladies were all dressed and beautified, we travelled over to St. Cecilia's Music Center for the bride and groom's first look.  This is always one of my favorite parts of the day!  Everything was going great until someone bumped into the fire alarm switch, which made the alarm sound continuously.  Eventually the fire department showed up, fire truck and all, so we decided to make the best of it and use the incident to our advantage (you will see below)!  All in all....it was a great day!  We enjoyed getting to know Derrick & Katie over the past year.....thank you so much for allowing us to be a part of your day!  It is always nice making new friends :)

Here are some wedding detail stats:

Ceremony & Reception Location:  St. Cecilia's Music Center, Grand Rapids MI

Caterer: Brann's Steakhouse

Flowers:  Designing Dreams

Music & Entertainment:  Celebrity Productions

Hair:  AKA Salon

Maku-up:  Erik Gerson

Dress:  David's Bridal

Shoes:  Michelangelo

Shoe Clips:  vendor on etsy.com

Here are some our faves from the day!

 

Thank you so much to everyone who participated in the "LOVE" Contest!  I had tallied up the scores and double checked the numbers.....this was a close one! 

And the winner is..........

"Mother & Daughter Holding Hands"

by Shiloh L.

Shiloh wins a free lifestyle session along with a $50.00 print credit!!  Woohooo!!!!

 

The photo coming in second place is.....

"Nothing Else Matters"

by Kuirsta S.

Kuirsta will be taking home a lovely gift card for Hetler Photo in the amount of $40.00!

And finally....third place is.......

 "...in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part..."
by Andrea D.

 Andrea will receive a $25.00 gift card to Hetler Photo! 

We decided to be generous and give a $10.00 gift card to Hetler Photo to everyone else that participated.  Congratulations everyone!!

We plan on having another contest in the near future.....any ideas for a topic??

I had a blast with Adam & Terra.  The weather was perfect.....finally warm and dry enough to be outside for some fun beach photos!  Adam and Terra are such a fun couple....you can tell they are perfect for one another....which makes my heart happy :)  The sun was super bright at first, but we made it work.  We decided to do lots of sun flares which are perfect for romantic shots.....I am in love with this session!

We are beyond thrilled to be shooting their May 2011 wedding at the Double JJ Ranch!  Keep an eye out in a couple months for their wedding post!!

 

Terra is going to be a beautiful bride!!

We were so fortunate for the amazing-ly gorgeous day that we had for Michael & Andrea's e.session!  We had to reschedule several times due to the un-predictible Michigan weather, but it was totally worth the wait!  Andrea and Michael love to be outside and spend time with their dogs, so we decided to have a spring-picnic styled shoot!  My sister even made the pretty quilt!! 

We are looking forward to their summer wedding this year!!  Here are some of the faves!

Here are their sweet dogs, Rory & Kimba!

It is time to vote for your favorite photo that best represents "LOVE"! 

Here are the rules:

- one vote per person allowed on facebook (leave a comment under the photo to place your vote)

-one vote per person allowed on Hetler Photo Blog (leave a comment under this blog post stating which # you want to vote for)

Pretty Easy...right?

 

The winner will receive a free lifestyle session along with a $50 print credit!!  Awesomeness!!!

Second and Third place will receive some rockin' gift cards :)  !!

 

Here are the final entries for your viewing pleasure :)

 

Entry #1

"Grandma's House" by Deja H.

Entry #2

"A Mother & Daughter Holding Hands" by Shiloh L.

Entry #3

"Love Between Brothers & Sisters" by Missy A.

Entry #4

"Nothing Else Matters" by Kuirsta S.

Entry #5

"A Father & Son" by Desirae R.

Entry #6

"in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part" by Andrea D.

Entry #7

"Christmas Cuties" by Jillian V.

Entry #8

"Love as a Mother & a Daughter" by Katie L.

Entry #9

"Cuddling with Daddy" by Liz D.

Entry #10

"Love" by Melissa R.

Entry #11

"Step-Daughter Promise Vows" by Katie M.

Entry #12

"Best Buds" by Kara V.

Entry #13

"Puppy Love" by Heather C.

Entry #14

"Puppy <3 Love" by Raquel M.