I first met Annette and Robert only three or four months before their wedding date. They had hired the world class artist of floral designs, Ralph Bellisario, my dear friend, of Bellisario Florists. Ralph sent them my way to photograph their spectacular, upcoming wedding at the pristine and historic Pine Knob Mansion in Clarkston, Michigan. Upon meeting them at the my showroom in Birmingham, I knew they would be a great couple to photograph. Annette with her beautiful smile and gorgeous hair, was obviously going to be a beautiful bride. Robert, so obviously in love with Annette, was beaming with ideas for their engagement shoot, so I knew that I had a romantic on my hands and that he would have all kinds of surprises on their wedding day! Well, he did not disappoint! The day started with Robert surprising Annette with a helicopter picking her up at her home to fly her and her family to Pine Knob! Not only was the Pine Knob Mansion beautiful, but the grounds were equally stunning. The ceremony took place in a superbly decorated gazebo overlooking the beautiful valley below. The floral arrangements inside and out were to die for! Robert delivered a stirring and emotional speech to Annette and, after sunset, surprised his guests with a fireworks display. After the fireworks came to an end, that party was just getting started. Annette changed into a sexy, black party dress, and she, Robert and their guests danced the night away to the talented and versatile band: Skyline and the Backstreet Horns. Check out some of my favorite photos from the day below. Remember to scroll to the bottom to see the entire slideshow set to music.
Kristine and Jason’s wedding took place at two of Detroit’s most beautiful architectural landmarks: The Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church and the Detroit Athletic Club. I had been looking forward to this wedding for a while because I found Jason to be as enthusiastic about photography as myself and was excited to photograph their wedding with my new Canon cameras. The day began for me photographing Kristine and her bridesmaids in a suite at the D.A.C. You can see some of these getting ready photos below and how beautiful Kristine looked. Driving ahead of the women to the church, we were able to capture Jason and his groomsmen for last minute moments of their preparation for the ceremony. The Cathedral is a spectacular church. It is a photographer’s dream because of the ornate, grand architectural beauty. After the ceremony, we were able to stop with the entire bridal party at the nearby Detroit Institute of Arts for a few outdoor portraits. The rest of the evening’s celebration took place at the D.A.C. A couple of the terrific benefits for a couple getting married there is their professional serving the head table in unison (see above), their fabulous cuisine (unique to Michigan because the food is in front the guest minutes after it leaves the oven, and having access to the roof of the building for some great portraits with the downtown Detroit skyline in the background. I love being up there just after sunset. The end of the evening was spent partying on the dance floor with Kristine and Jason and their guests. Below are some of my favorite images of the day. Scroll down to the bottom to see their entire highlight slideshow set to music.
Michelle and Bobbys wedding was my first booking for 2010. We originally met well over a year prior to their date and I also had the opportunity to photograph their engagement session last summer. It was during this photo session that we really had a chance to get to know one another and to have fun. Boy did we ever! You can see the results by clicking here. The reason I bring this up is because I believe that session directly impacted how well the wedding day would photograph! We became friends and we had a chance to work together prior to the wedding day. The results of Michelle and Bobbys wedding are stunning. I was in sync with them throughout the whole day and I think you can see that from the photos below.
I met Michelle for getting ready photos at her parents home. The ceremony took place at popular St. Hugos Catholic Church in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan and the reception was held at the elegant Royal Park Hotel in nearby Rochester. The wedding day ended with the biggest surprise of my eighteen year wedding career: three of the Top Ten finalists from the television show American Idol crashed the reception! I made a blog post of several photos shortly after the wedding and you can see them by clicking here. Check out some of my favorite photos of the day below and scroll down to the bottom of this post to view the entire highlight slideshow set to U2s Magnificent.
The wedding day could not have been successful without Michelle and Bobbys superb cast of Michigans top wedding vendors. The list includes:
Wedding Planning – The China Closet
Floral Arrangements – Bellisario Florist
Printing Services and Custom Invitations – Cartoleria
Band – Intrigue
Videography – Lee Thomas Films
Decor – Special Event Rentals
Wedding Dress – Roma Sposa
Blake and Jason’s wedding took place on a beautiful June day in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. It was a perfect day for a beautiful and elegant couple. The day began with my meeting them both just prior to the ceremony at Christ Church Cranbrook where they both waited in separate rooms for the ceremony to begin. They were surrounded by close family and friends and the reception convened at the nearby, pristine Bloomfield Hills Country Club. Blake and Jason and their guests were treated to a beautiful sunset as they toasted and enjoyed their meals under a tent in front of the clubhouse. Cutting the cake and dancing followed upstairs inside. Be sure to check out the highlight slideshow at the bottom of this post. The classy wedding was the result of the couples top notch vendors which included:
Complete Wedding Planning Services: Carolyn Hefner and staff of the China Closet
Florist: Ralph Bellisario of Bellisario Florists
Band: The Sun Messengers
Cocktail/Dinner Music: Scandinavian String Quartet
Cake: Patisserie Parmentier
Tent and Decor: Special Events Rental
Invitations & Menu Cards: Cartoleria
Attire: Bride – Roma Sposa
MOB – Katrina Bocci
Men – Fox Formal
Onsight Seamstress: Seka
Transportation: All Star Transportation
Like many of my clients these days, Maria became familiar with my work because she is friends with former clients of mine. For me, there is no better way to find future clients! Maria and Joshua’s wedding day began with my starting at Maria’s parents’ home where Maria and her bridesmaids were getting ready. Some of the photos below are among my favorites this year! I love documentary style photography – finding images that tell the story of moment. But that is only half of what makes these memorable images. The other part of the equation in making great images is when your subject is emotional and expressive. You will see below that this came very easily for Maria on her wedding day!
The day continued with the ceremony at St Hugo’s Catholic Church in Bloomfield Hills where I met Joshua for the very first time. Joshua is the perfect compliment to Maria. It was obvious to all that they are happy and in love and are surrounded by wonderful family and friends. The evening moved forward to Orchard Lake Country Club for the wedding reception and celebration. I am so happy that they invited me to photograph their beautiful day! Please see the highlight slideshow at the bottom of this post to see how the entire story unfolded. Their day could not have been the success it became without the expertise of the following vendors:
Florist – Dave Calcaterra of Thrifty Florist
Linens – Special Events
Cake – Orchard Lake Country Club
Videographer – Chad Shwartzenberger
Day-of Coordinator – Molly Robinson
Paper Products and Design – Jen Wells of Miss Pickles Press
I met Erin and Brian for the first time when I arrived to photograph their wedding at the luxurious Townsend Hotel in Birmingham, Michigan. Upon meeting them, Erin warned me about both Brian and her father in that they were certain to shed tears throughout the day! She wasn’t kidding! Both men were very emotional and you will see this in some of the great moments captured below! I love photographing Jewish weddings because they are rich in tradition and very, very festive! The entire event – ceremony and reception – took place at the one location. Of course, the wedding day’s success was, in part, due to the contributions of Erin and Brian’s great wedding vendors:
Florist – Breath of Spring (Bruce)
Day of Coordinator – Party Assurance
Linens and Chairs – Modern Art
Cake – Townsend Bakery
Band – Intrigue
Programs and Place Cards – Lee’s Specialty
Videographer – Jeff Schoenberg
Enjoy some of my memorable photos below as well as the entire highlight slideshow at the bottom of this post:
Samantha and John flew me to Boston to spend the weekend with them over the Memorial Day holiday to photograph their engagement photos. I had not met the couple in person but I knew this was going to be a special event because of their enthusiasm and excitement they had expressed over the phone and via email. The goal was to photograph them similar to how I had photographed another client of mine in Boston last year where we had walked around the city, photographing creative portraits where ever we went. I would love to do this with all my clients! Not only did we spend two days together walking around Boston and Rockport (seaside photos below), but I left Boston having made two new friends! In photographing a couple as if I were out on a date with them, like you will see below, it allows me to get to know the couple, learn about their personalities and see them interact with one another. It prepares us all even more for the wedding day because they get to see me in action as well. You will see a combination of spontaneous moments as well as posed. In posing Samantha and John, they allowed me to be “me” and to be creative and fun.
I had as much fun spending the weekend in Boston with this couple as I can remember! They are terrific and I am very excited to photograph their wedding this coming August! Enjoy some of my favorites below and scroll to the bottom of the post to see their highlight slideshow!
Tara and Prasad’s wedding day ceremony and reception was held entirely at Burton Manor in Livonia, Michigan. I have photographed a few Indian weddings over the years but this was the first weekend where I photographed two in consecutive days! Tara and Prasad’s wedding day was a beautiful, joyful and colorful celebration! We had not met personally before because the couple resides out of state, but we had a some time before the reception to get to know one another and photograph a few portraits at a nearby park. You can see from the photos below that Tara and Prasad are very much in love and and I found them to be as warm and friendly a couple as you will ever meet. You can see some of my favorite moments below as well as the highlight slideshow at the bottom of this post. Tara and Prasads list of vendors were as follows:
Cake- Edwards Cafe Northville MI
Venue – Burton Manor
Florist – Fancy Florist
Caterer- Ashoka Indian restaurant, Krishna catering
Video – Anil Relan
DJ- DJ Naveen
We photographed Aarti and Atul’s spectacular wedding entirely at the beautiful Dearborn Inn. It was as colorful and beautiful of a wedding as you will ever see! I am so grateful that this couple – who come from a long list of friends whose weddings I’ve photographed – selected me to be their wedding photographer! I was assisted by my second photographer, David Yarnall. You can see some of my favorite moments below as well of the highlight slideshow of almost 200 hundred photos at the bottom of this post. Aarti and Atul had a terrific list of vendors, who all contributed to making this day a huge success:
Decorator/Florist by MPE Events, Inc., Videography by Fifth and Main Productions, Catering by Rangoli, Hair/Makeup by Brides on Location, LLC, Shutterbooth by Shutterbooth, Inc., Deejay by Jay Chana DJ Services, Elephant by Ivory Haven Farms, Mehendi by Mehendi Art and Desserts by Sweet Creations. Enjoy my faves and the slideshow:
