Katie + Philip: Engagement

We had never met Katie and Philip before their engagement session a few weeks ago, so we decided to meet for lunch before getting out the cameras. We really enjoyed getting to know them then, over Panera soup and bread-bowls, and over the course of the afternoon. We started at the church they'll be getting married, in the chapel where Philip proposed, and then moved on to downtown Rockford, along the river. The cold wind, blowing snow, and beautiful winter sunset were a perfect backdrop to capture the joy and care they give one another!



I can nearly guarantee you'll see pictures at this spot from their wedding, too. It was great for pictures! It's a man-made cave in a hill on the grounds of their church that had great light and atmosphere. We'll definitely look to make the short jaunt up to it once again come May.




Really like the light in this one, in the cave entrance...




On to Rockford, by the river.


A favorite, for sure.






Shooting through a Christmas tree with lights on it.




Leandra and I really like a Walt Whitman poem called "Song of the Open Road" because of this quote (which we actually ended up including in our wedding program!):

"I give you my hand!
I give you my love, more precious than money,
I give you myself, before preaching or law;
Shall we stick by each other as long as we live?"

We liked the poem because of the deep devotion it describes; that we should, could, and would stay devotedly at each others' sides throughout our entire lives (and it's also about travelling!). This next picture isn't anything technically fancy, but it captures that same determined devotion, I think...




Katie and Philip, you were both a joy to work with and get to know more! We're so glad you braved the cold with us.

Happy Christmas Eve, everyone!

Jill + Jeff: Engagement

Typically when we have a Grand Rapids area wedding we shoot the engagement session nearby. When we first met with Jillian and Jeff a few months ago over coffee though, they joked about how much they love Notre Dame, and how that's where they would *really* love to have their pictures taken. At that point, Grant and I just smiled because, well, our families live about half an hour from ND, so we knew we could make it work! The four of us met up on campus over Thanksgiving weekend and squeezed in their session between a visit to the campus bookstore and their trip back home to watch the ND football game later that evening.





We think this is Jeff's "I'm-marrying-my-best-friend-and-I-like-it" face.




A favorite, for sure.














Up next: Katie and Philip!

Abbey + TJ: Wedding

Abbey and TJ got married last month in a small church in Union, MI, and had their reception at the Sturges-Young Civic Center in Sturgis. I'll admit, Grant and I were a bit nervous because this was the first wedding we have shot without meeting the bride or groom before the wedding day. As usual, there was absolutely nothing to worry about--Abbey and TJ are two of the most easygoing, genuinely nice people you will ever meet. The day was truly about their love for one another, and they were naturally affectionate for us and our cameras.

The picture of the rings (and most of the detail shots at the church) always falls to Grant, since he takes them while I am with the bride in the dressing room. I love this one.




The veil.








Abbey, you looked gorgeous!


The lineup before walking out the door and down the aisle.






TJ was one of the most openly affectionate grooms we have ever had. The first kiss says it all!






Father-daughter dance.


TJ and his mom (really his whole family) were amazing dancers. Seriously, we had so much fun watching everyone at the reception. I believe the mother-son dance was a samba (someone correct me if I'm wrong, because I am no expert on dancing!).




Like I said, this reception was a dance party! Even the DJ, David Rice, joined in on a dance-off later. This is TJ and one of his sisters...




The Best Man watching the groom get down. I'm telling you, there was no escaping the music and dancing at this thing (great job, David!). I can't dance hip-hop to save my life, but going through these images again makes me want to try.




Last song of the night: "Lean On Me"


Abbey and TJ, thank you for letting us be a part of your wedding day. We hope the first month of married life has been wonderful, and we wish you many happy years to come.

Katie + Philip: Sneak Peek

Katie and Philip braved the cold and snow with us a few weeks ago. Here are a few that caught our eye while we were going through them...



This might be a favorite from the whole season. We LOVE it.


More soon!

Jill + Jeff: Sneak Peek

It might not be apparent where we met Jill and Jeff for their engagement session a few Saturdays ago from this picture...


...but it should be from this one! Jill and Jeff are another couple that also happen to be die-hard Notre Dame fans (so of course, we had to have a few with the golden dome in it!).


Abbey and TJ's post is *still* on the way, so we decided to sneak a few sneak peeks in before it's ready. Tomorrow we'll have two posts: Katie and Philip's engagement session sneak peek and Abbey and TJ's full wedding post. Thanks for your patience!

Surprise in the Mail!

Well, we were expecting it, but not so soon--we just received a new flushmount sample album! We put a lot of work into making it just how we wanted, and it turned out better than we could have imagined! We'll be putting the same TLC into designing and ordering our clients' wedding albums, and can't wait to share it with you...

We opened this box to see this beautiful packaging. Our album company endeavors to use environmentally-friendly packaging and materials, which makes us even happier.


We ordered a two-tone leather cover with an inset picture.






Imprinting on the inside cover. We went for the subtle clear imprint, but the text can also be imprinted with gold, silver, copper, red, black, or white foil.


Lay-flat binding! You can also see the soft, square spine in this picture. Our flushmounts can also be ordered with a rounded, solid spine for a more traditional wedding-album look.








If you can't tell already, we love this album. It is so exciting for us to take a wedding through the editing process all the way to a completed album. As our lives become more and more digital, holding a finished product in our hands is very gratifying. When we photograph a wedding, this is the end product we have in mind. Boiling all those hours down to something tangible and beautiful, something that will become a family heirloom for the couple, makes us feel so excited and satisfied with our jobs. Like I said, we love it.