The Brinza Family // Grand Rapids Family Photographer

Weather this year has been all over the place in Michigan. Right now, it's 54 degrees out but when we shot this session, it was like 15. haha So we toughed it out for about 15 minutes outside and then head into the studio where it was nice and toasty! Babies tend to not enjoy 15 degree weather :) 

We just love shooting extended families because it's so important to have photos of everyone together especially as the family is growing. Now that we have a studio space to work out of in Grand Rapids, it makes winter time a lot easier for sessions! No more freezing! Hooray! 

Brooke & Eddie // Wabeek Country Club Wedding Photographer

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This was our last fall wedding of 2016 and what a way to end the season! The night before their wedding Ryan and I stocked up in a huge tin of special whole foods cookies since we were in Detroit and honestly, that really felt like the right way to start the wedding day. We run on adrenaline so much during weddings that when you add sugary goodness, we are unstoppable!

Their wedding was at the Wabeek Country Club and on my stars, what a beautiful place! In the fall, everything is golden and the air is fresh and its just this last little bit of magic before it's super cold and winter is upon us. 

Some mini stories about a few images: 

- The first image above. AHHHHH! There's always one image per wedding that I love more than all the rest and this one is it. Originally, I was straightening out her dress when all the water from the wet grass kicked up at me and I realize what an awesome shot this was if I wasn't in it so I switched with Eddie and this magical wonder happened. 

- The ring shots. The first one was shot on one of the uplights. I saw all those colors and knew immediately I must have them. I look like an insane person half way under a table to get the right angle on the light. I wish Ryan would take shots of me and my weird setups since it's funny. 

- The eyeball. That is all I will say. You'll know it when you see it. hahahaha! This wedding party was the best! 

- Last, let's all take a moment to appreciate how a twinkle light background should look. In 9 years of shooting weddings full time this is the first twinkle light setup that was perfection. They were close together, in perfect rows, it was a dream! The second we walked in the room and saw that Ryan and I both were filled with glee. haha 

Enjoy! 

Jordan & Lindsey // Kalamazoo Wedding Photographer

Many years ago in what seems like another life, Ryan was a youth leader at church and met Jordan as a wee lad. Fast forward a decade and here we are at Jordan's wedding. For some reason, whenever I think of Jordan, I recall him helping us move to a bigger apartment not long after we got married and he was swinging from a stairwell haha! We made this big time lapse of the whole thing so that is probably why. See! 

This wedding was such a fun group of people on a PERFECT fall day. The venue was beautiful but most importantly, was filled with free roaming cats. If we could go back and get married all over again, our wedding would be filled with tons of cats running around. 

At one point, Ryan called me and said come outside. I figured he needed something from me but when I went outside, he was just standing there holding a kitten filled with joy. Typical Ryan. hahah

It's so awesome to be a part of weddings like this that have such great families involved and everything just makes sense. I always say that love shouldn't be complicated, it should just make sense and be obvious and I feel like that is Jordan and Lindsey. You ALL know how much I love good laughers and my gosh, they are both so great but I especially love Lindsey's laugh, her smile is so real and like pure joy bursting out of her face in some of these pictures. 

Some Fun Mini Stories: 
- Out of all the twirling I do with brides, Lindsey was my first to get tangled in her dress and take a dive. She was a great sport and I think it made for a couple pretty funny pictures. haha It's all about memories guys! 

- Ryan and Jordan used to work with Steve in construction and he has since moved to Texas. Steve was Ryan's best man at our wedding and we were all bummed he wasn't able to make it to Jordan's but out of nowhere, he was there at the reception! Steve has tried to get everyone to move to Texas and work for him at one point or another but for some insane reason, we all choose Michigan like a bunch of crazies. 

- While Jordan was opening his gift from Lindsey, instead of a small note it was like 20 pages of stuff, letters from their relationship, ect. The first thing he says is "I can't read all of this!" and then reads the first thing which said, "Jordan - you don't have to read all of this" hahaha that is when you know how well they know each other :) 

We had such a great time and hope you all enjoy these images as much as we do! 

Kristina & Justin // North Carolina Wedding Photographer

I met Kristina about 6 years ago and she is one of those people you meet and instantly know they are an incredible human. She has such a kind and joyful heart and such a great sense of humor. Justin is her perfect other half. I think love is at it's best when your person really knows and appreciates who you truly are and they have that. He brings out the absolute best in her and before even meeting him I could see how happy she was. When we got to the wedding and got to know him a little bit, I just couldn't imagine a world where these two aren't best buddies for life. 

I'm always saying "buddies for life" to Ryan since it's really my favorite part of marriage. He's the one person that knows me so well and values and understands every weird or vulnerable part of who I am and it's the most wonderful thing. These two have that and it's such a great thing to witness. 

Their attitude towards difficulties also goes to show what a strong relationship they have. Life isn't always easy and dealing with the tough stuff really shows who you are. So lets talk about that hurricane! 

Yep. Their wedding was set to be on the beach in South Carolina right as the hurricane was coming in. Now, to make it more fun, we had a wedding in Michigan the day before so we would be flying in THE MORNING OF HER WEDDING which was stressful and risky all on it's own. To make it more crazy, there was only ONE flight out. Awesome.

Eventually, Kristina called me and told me the wedding was cancelled. My heart broke for her. There was talk of rescheduling but that didn't work and it was just a mess. Later, I got another call from her and the wedding was BACK ON! However, it was moved to where they live in North Carolina since that was more inland. We re-routed our flight and prayed there were no delays in the morning. We made it just in time!

The development where they live has a beautiful clubhouse and golf course and these big tall trees and it's really lovely. She basically planned the whole wedding over in 2 days for the new location and seemed to keep her cool through it all. It was certainly a bit different since she said we were winging it when we got there so I was like...Ok! haha but it all turned out amazing. I cannot believe everything it took to make it happen. 

It reminds me of the day Ryan proposed. (click here to read the whole story if you are interested) He planned this big day in Chicago and it seemed like everything kept going wrong. I lost most of his cash out of his wallet, The sears tower took way too long, The ferris wheel wasn't running so he couldn't propose while taking a picture like he wanted and then we left the GPS in a cab. He finally gave up and found an easy way out of the city and started driving home. Eventually, he pulled off and parked at a car dealership and proposed to me there. He Said "I didn’t really want to propose to you in a car but this is what we have been dealt. I am going to love you even when things aren’t perfect and things don’t work out as planned" then asked to marry me. I replied “I would marry you if we were covered in mud”. 

I think Kristina and Justin would have been happy to marry each other even covered in mud too. :)

--> Also, be sure to check out the custom doodled programs at the end of this post! 

 

One final story for this wedding... Kristina had this awesome idea to have me do doodles of everyone in the wedding party with things that are unique to them. We got this finished and sent to the printer JUST in time. Then when the wedding got moved, I tried so hard to have them rerouted in time but they never made it. 

After our Saturday night wedding, I printed out as many as I had ink for on my home printer and brought those with me when we left Sunday morning so they at least had something after all the thought and work we put into them. 

I think this was the coolest idea ever though! 

Rachel & Phil // The Cheney Place Wedding Photographer

I love when people really make weddings unique to them. If you recall Rachel and Phil's engagement session a while ago, they planned a space themed wedding which I think is such a cool idea! Ryan and I had a Dr. Seuss themed wedding so we are all about doing oddball things :) 

The wedding was at The Cheney Place which is such a great venue. It's close to downtown, has a ton of awesome indoor places to shoot and is just a beautiful place to shoot in overall! I am always encouraging people to consider a rain plan since this is Michigan after all and this is certainly a good one! 

Their wedding was right at the end of Art Prize in Grand Rapids and I'm shocked we were able to manage getting any shots at some of the pieces since getting through traffic while on a schedule is always tricky but I'm so glad we did, there are so many incredible things there! The flower building is my absolute favorite though! 

Enjoy! 

Najat & Paul // Kalamazoo Engagement Photographer

I am BEYOND excited for Najat & Paul's wedding! When we first met them I swear we sat and talked for hours without realizing how long it had been. That is always a great sign since connection is such a big part of photography. They are so much fun, know how to make each other laugh and can we take a second to talk about Najat's glorious red hair. The color is perfect and the curls are super bouncy! Perfect hair color for fall engagement photos thats for sure :) 

Sarah & Brendon // Jackson Michigan Wedding Photographer

Sarah & Brendon // Jackson Michigan Wedding Photographer

These two are the most excellent example of what being attractive on the outside and inside looks like. They photograph so well and are just full of so much genuine happiness and as human beings, are both incredibly kind. The best way I can think to describe this wedding is a perfect storm but of good things, haha! 

Celestina & Jason // Battle Creek Wedding Photographer

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Celestina and Jason were so great to shoot. They laugh with...and at...each other and you all know how much I love good laughers! That sense of playfulness I think is just everything in a relationship. 

As far as details go, let's just take a moment to appreciate those incredible flowers. seriously, they were huge and awesome and quite possibly my favorite of the year. 

Then there are the children. The shots of Celestina and her boys just melt my soul into a puddle. I remember their reaction when they saw her and they just seemed so amazed and gosh, there's probably nothing better than that for a mother. 

This was such a fun and relaxed day with the perfect ending of incredible golden light and a mysterious castle. I know theres a lot here but keep scrolling, those golden light shots are worth it!! GO! 

Brian & Melissa // Kalamazoo Nature Center Wedding

Remember when it was hot out? Michigan is having some weirdly warm days recently but without any warning, it's 20 degrees again. However, back in September the sun was here and I believed winter would never come. 

Unfortunately, what comes with the magic of summer are bugs. We had time, the light was beautiful and the bridesmaids hair and dresses were so awesome I wanted to do individual portraits but while shooting them, a wasp got stuck in the neckline of my dress and stung the daylights out of me. Within a moment, those sweet girls I just met ran over, unzipped the back of my dress to make sure the wasp wasn't still in there and got me a ziplock bag of ice to help with the pain. 

So I had this hunchback look going on with a plastic bag full of ice shoved in my dress the rest of the day. Thank goodness for that since as long as it was cold and numb, it didn't hurt. I tell ya, weddings are just a non stop adventure! 

The Kalamazoo Nature Center is so beautiful, the property is lovely, the barn was adorable and all the details Melissa put into this wedding were just so pretty. I am all about this glam/vintage/rustic business! 

Hayley // Grand Rapids Senior Photographer

Shooting Hayley's senior pictures makes me feel about 1,000 years old because I swear it seemed just like yesterday that we photographed her family when they adopted two little girls but apparently it's been 5 years! Yowza! 

--> You can view that session here: http://www.mudeyes.com/the-simcox-family/

They came up to Muskegon to have beach pictures and I'm so glad! It's just so beautiful out here and I love every chance we get to shoot at this beach. With the wind in her hair and many giggles to be had, she just looked beautiful! 

Jana & Cody // South Haven Engagement Photographer

WHOA. Seriously...this session, these people, that sunset. It's all so whoa-worthy. 

This was filled with all of my favorite things. A super happy little family with a kid full of character and energy, beautiful weather, an incredible sunset, a couple who truly love and enjoy each other and a general laid back, up for anything spirit. I was literally jumping around because I couldn't contain my excitement from how awesome I knew these pictures would be. 

There's just such beauty in not overthinking things and just enjoying being with someone. It's really about not worrying about us and if you look good in the pictures, we will always worry about that. Your part is just to do your best to make your person happy and that is really what makes photos meaningful and what makes people beautiful. I know it sounds so cheesy, but loving someone changes them. It makes their posture better, their smile bigger, their eyes brighter, their laugh full of energy and gives them courage to let go and have fun. 

So that is the lesson we should all learn from this session. Let go, stop worrying and just love the person you are with and we will take care of the rest. 

Part of me wanted to post it backwards since the sunset stuff is so great but then this kid is so cute so it was such a hard choice. It's a long post, but the end is worth it! 

I am so beyond excited for their wedding next year! 

DeAnna & Zach // Kalamazoo Wedding Photographer

They said it was going to be a hot summer and boy were they right! However, that all played well in DeAnna's favor since she is apparently ALWAYS cold. So I suppose if everyone else is melting, she is at her perfect temperature so perhaps this 200 degree day was a gift :) 

While pondering on what to say here, I remembered what I told Ryan on the drive home from this wedding and it's that the world needs more people like her. She cares for everyone else around her and has this incredible sense of joy. I don't even know if it's something she tries to do, I think it's just who she is. I know that sometimes I have to choose joy every day and make an effort to seek out the best in life. With her, I think joy chooses her and what an incredible gift that is. And gosh, Zach, he's in for a wonderful life to be loved and supported by that kind of person. They go so well together and it was such an awesome experience to be present in them becoming family.

As always, we hope you enjoy the images as much as we do and just a huge thank you for having us be part of this incredible day. I'd like to say we were all sweating out happiness. That sounds more glamorous than regular sweat. :) 

Katie & Justin // frederik meijer gardens Wedding Photographer

Katie & Justin // frederik meijer gardens Wedding Photographer

Katie and Justin got married at the frederik meijer gardens in Grand Rapids and oh my word, this place is so beautiful! We had rain that was threatening us most of the day but it only started right when we were finishing photos outside, it was perfect timing! Even if there was more rain though, the inside is amazing. I really loved their cactus garden! We took all the portraits in their Japanese garden which was incredible. It's this big circle with the most beautiful plants and hills and walkways. Basically, this whole place is a dream! 

Sammie & Gabe // Muskegon State Park Beach Photography

Every year we give away a session during Mini Session season and the Gruss Family were the winners. Instead of using it themselves they wanted to hang onto it and give it away to someone else when they found the right people which I thought was super nice! 

I think at LEAST 90% of the people we shoot have this dynamic where the girl is outgoing and loud and laughs like a champ and the guy is just more quiet and low key. Maybe that is just a common way people are but I think I'm saying the same thing in every blog post, haha. Regardless, I'll say it again! Sammie had such an excellent laugh! It took like...almost no effort to get her laughing and she was just so excited and ready for this shoot. I swear if we told her to roll down one of the hills and it would be a great picture, she'd grab gabe and be like " LET'S DO THIS!!!!!" hahah and you all know I love that kind of enthusiasm! :) 

Enjoy! 

A Cat Mini Session!!

Jennifer is one of Duma's Instagram followers and she just happens to live literally down the road from us! So when we started promoting things years mini sessions she got in contact with us about doing one for her cats! Naturally, we were super excited since we love any excuse to be around more kitties :) 

As cats do, they all hid from us like we were their greatest enemy, haha. However, we are onto their games and I think got some pretty cute shots even though they thought they were being so sneaky. You can actually get some really cool compositions when cats are hiding since they are in tight spaces. 

But lets get on with all the cuteness! Meet Lucky, Olivia, Peony & Soul...

The Stevens/Bentz Family // Battle Creek Family Photographer

One of our favorite families is back and they brought the rest of the family too! We shot John Paul and Ashley's engagement, wedding, family and now extended family all here at the Battle Creek Country Club. It's such a beautiful place, It never gets old! 

Last year it was just Kate as far as adorable kids go but this year we've got two new tiny babies! What a difference a year makes! 

Enjoy! 

The DeMarse Family // Grand Haven Family Photographer

I wish there were enough hours in the day to do videos and ramble about all the things I love about our clients but alas, I say UMM and AND so many times, editing it all out take a decade. :) 

Kim and Gary's wedding was one of our first weddings many many moons ago. It's crazy to think back on how much has changed since then! We've shot a couple hundred more weddings and they have created two new human beings. We've all been busy in one way or another! haha

This session was in Grand Haven in the wee hours of the morning (which is like 8am for me....haha) and well worth it for the pretty light coming in! We've had quite a few extended family sessions this year and they are quickly becoming my favorite thing to shoot. I love that everyone gets their own little mini session and I also really enjoy the big group shots. Getting everyone together for photos is so important and I'm just super happy so many people are making it a priority! 

DeMarse family, you guys are all so lovely and we had a ton of fun creating these images with you! Enjoy!! 

The Danielson Family // Kalamazoo Family Photographer

YOU GUYS! Everyone listen! This family the best. If you don't have 5 minutes for the video above, here are some highlights and reasons why. 

1. I was in PHYSICAL PAIN from laughing so hard. I honestly don't think I've laughed that much all year. 

2. Tom and Pam are such wonderful people, It's like they are still kids dating and I can only dream for us to be like that 30 years into our marriage. 

3. Their personalities are so evident in their children and the world just needs a lot more families like this in it!