I just love this family!  They are all so kind and down to earth....my kind of people!  I photographed their family a couple of years ago at this same location, but this time we ended up with very different results.  I would like to say that this is due to my increase in talent....but it mostly had to do with the gorgeous sun that we were given!  :)  It was a gorgeous evening with a gorgeous family.  I can't wait to photograph them again in the future!!

We met on a cold, windy, dreary fall day.....but Kyle and Lisa were up for anything!  They only get to see one another every couple of weekends because they live in different states, but hopefully that will change soon after their wedding!  I just absolutely love this location.....the old barn, the pretty trees, lots of fields.....heaven! 

Kyle & Lisa - good luck with your wedding!  I hope everything goes smoothly and it is everything you ever dreamed of :)

 

Kyle and Alison are so sweet, so easy going and so perfect for each other!  They live far apart, so it made our time together extra special....and extra easy for those cuddling pics :)  They will be getting married this winter in Muskegon....and I am so excited to be able to photograph their day!  I cannot wait to see Alison in her wedding dress....she will make a beautiful bride!  Only a couple more months!!!

 

Fun, energetic and totally in love ...... that is how  I would describe Joe and Sarah.  They are so much fun to be around and always the life of the party!  I know I have been saying this all year long....but 2011 was the year of photographing old friends from high school!  Sarah and I have been friends for a long time!  Our dads even worked together back in the day!  When Sarah was born...my parents had to quick choose another name for me b/c they planned on naming me Sarah.....how funny!  Once Sarah contacted me about engagement and wedding photos...I was so excited for them!  Once I got to know Joe, I could see how right they are for one another!!

We had plenty of time for pictures in Muskegon because Sarah and Joe decided to see each other prior to the ceremony.  This always allows for more photo time!!  The rain held off until the second they stepped back into the limo...what luck!  The rest of the day went quite smoothly....ending the night by celebrating with good friends and family.

Joe & Sarah - I wish you all the best!  I cannot wait until you have little babies for me to photograph :)  Good luck with everything in the future.  I hope you had a blast on your honeymoon!

Here are some important vendors from their special day:

Ceremony Location:  First Congregational Church - Fremont, MI

Reception Venue:  All Saints Catholic Church - Fremont, MI

Catering:  Moondance Cafe - Fremont, MI

Cake:  Judy Wallace - Fremont, MI

Florist:  Newaygo Floral - Newaygo, MI

Transportation:  Lakeshore Limo

Music: DJ Mystery

Hair:  Snipperz - Fremont, MI

Photographerse:  Us! :)

All I can say is.....what an adorable family!  These 6 were full of life, spunk and lots of energy!  It was fun interacting with the 4 kiddos ...... going from not wanting their photos taken to coming up with their own poses!  And their outfits!  I loved every one.  Jonice did a great job pulling their outfits togethers, but keeping each one in their own individual style!  Perfection!  Here are some of my favorites!

If you want to see some previews the day after the shoot .... like us on facebook!

 

This has to be one of my favorite engagement sessions ever!  I love the setting, the amazing lighting, the gorgeous couple, their outfits....everything!  We wandered around downtown Grand Rapids for the afternoon and found so many perfect places to use for their photos.  I go downtown often, so I am always looking for new areas to shoot so that all of my sessions look different!  We had to stray away from the main area of downtown b/c there were so many people due to ArtPrize!  It is a fun event, but not very helpful to me during an engagement session :)

Corey & Adriana are planning their beautiful August wedding from Chicago and we cannot wait to photograph it!  Enjoy a preview of their pics!!

 

Michael and Andriea are the sweetest couple!  They love the Lions and their cute little dog YJ....so of course we had to incorporate them into the session!  When photographing pets, I always seem to be barking, meowing, chirping or making any other weird noises to keep their attention.  This shoot was no different :)  We had beautiful weather and even some color from the fall leaves!  We are beyond excited to be photographing their wedding next year! 

It all started back when a friend of a friend of a friend introduced them.  Well....there may not have been that many friends involved, but whatever happened work!  Who knew that a couple years later Nick and Katie would become husband and wife. 

Both, Nick and Katie, were so excited to marry one another.  Katie anxiously waiting to see Nick for the first time at the end of the aisle and Nick excitedly anticipating his first view of Katie as his bride!  What a perfect day!  There were lots of happy tears and non-stop happiness from friends and family, making their day all the more enjoyable. 

Katie & Nick - Thank you for asking us to be there on your special day.  We felt so welcome with your families and cannot wait to see what the future holds for you two.  We hope you had a blast on your honeymoon in Italy!

Here are some of the amazing vendors that we worked with on Nick and Katie's wedding day:

Ceremony Location:  Faith Covenant Church - Manistee, MI

Reception Venue:  Little River Casino & Resort - Manistee, MI

Caterer:  Little River Casino & Resort

Cake:  Sheer Delight

Florist:  Stacey's Flowers - Manistee, MI

Trolley:  American Classic Luxury Transport

Music & Entertainment:  Northern Michigan DJ

Hair & Make-up: Fiesta Hair Salon - Manistee, MI

Photographers:  Us!

Ben and Carlie has such a fun, energetic, adorable little girl!  Riley is full of life and not a big fan of having her photo taken.  After a lot of playing and chasing....we ended up with some awesome shots!  It was so much fun to watch the three of them interact....showing Riley little bugs and trying to grab pine cones off of the trees above.  Even a game of ring-around-the-rosy.....what a wonderful way to spend an evening!!

These little dolls are very special to me!  They belong to my beautiful best friend, Heather!  It was a fun and emotional experience being pregnant together, but now it is an entirely new experience watching our little girls grow up alongside one another.  Their big brother, Austin, is very protective over them and loves his little sisters to pieces!  What a perfect family my friend has been blessed with!!  Love you guys!

 

What a sweet, adorable family!  Kristi is my cousin, so obviously you know where they get their good looks :)  I finally had the chance to meet her little ones and they are so cute!  Sammie is as sweet as can be, Dane full of personality and Audrey is a little heartbreaker!  What a fun, busy combination!  Here are some of my favorites from their entertaining session!

 

Michael and Ashley are such a sweet couple!  Their love story began in high school and the time has come to where they will finally be husband and wife!  It is so much fun to look back to those days....  Ashley was my first paid senior session and I can remember her talking about Michael then!  Time sure does fly and so will the next few months before their spring wedding!  I cannot wait to be there to watch and photograph their special day!  Congrats you two!  I hope you love these images as much as I do (yummy light....!!).

 

Ever since Jessica was a little girl, she wanted to be a princess.  So, of course, she always dreamed of a princess wedding in a beautiful castle!  This even became more evident throughout their wedding day, because everyone kept on calling her "Princess"!  I loved it :) 

Aaron and Jessica met several years ago....even moving to Las Vegas together!  I laughed a little to myself when I found out that Aaron's dad lived in Canadian Lakes, MI because in order to use the one and only castle around here for a wedding, you had to have someone who lived in Canadian Lakes reserve the building for you.  That solidified my feelings that they were meant to be together!! 

Jessica found her handsome prince and Aaron finally married his beautiful bride!  It was a beautiful day that they will enjoy looking back on for years to come! 

Here is a little preview of their royal wedding day :)

 

Some more of the fabulous wedding vendors that we were able to work with are:

Ceremony & Reception Venue:  The Castle - Canadian Lakes, MI

Caterer: Mayfair Restaurant

Florist:  DIY

Music & Entertainment:  Pete Sodini

Hair:  Diane Smith

Photographers:  Us :)

By the way....if you were wondering if that was Joe a few photos up dancing with the big glasses....well...yes...that is him.  He decided that he wanted to dance all of a sudden .... I am so proud :)  haha