I had not met Emma and Evan in person prior to their wedding day. We were contacted by Evan’s mother, Rose, who had been referred to me by a local vendor. My wife received the call and after hearing her name, asked if her daughter was a figure skater. Sure enough, Evan’s sister Brianne was a wonderful figure skater we had known almost ten years ago in Holland, Michigan. My own daughter, who was just beginning to take a serious interest in skating at the time, was a big fan of Brianne and was one of her early inspirations in her young skating career. So, it is definitely a small world!

It’s not very often that I get to photograph a January wedding in Michigan! Most bride and grooms prefer Michigan’s warmer months, though I have had my fare share of December weddings over the years. Emma and Evan’s wedding was the first Friday of the New Year. Exactly one week prior – New Year’s Eve – a wedding you can see in my blog post, the weather was fairly balmy! The temperature hit the 50′s and we had a little rain! Unusual for this time of year! Well, Emma and Evan’s big day was Michigan was not unusual for January! Not only did the mercury not quite reach the freezing mark on the thermometer, but the snow decided to fall as well! In it’s own, kind-of-Michigan way, it was quite beautiful!

I began photographing Emma getting ready at Weber’s Inn in Ann Arbor. We had planned in advance to photograph a few portraits of the couple at the historic University of Michigan Law Quad and a couple of wedding party photos in front of the State Street Theater, before arriving at First Baptist Church for the ceremony, another historic icon of the Ann Arbor area. After a beautiful and emotional ceremony, we were shuttled back by limousine to Weber’s to celebrate the couple’s reception. From beginning to end, it was a beautiful wedding, filled with love, laughter and emotion! Enjoy some of my favorites of the day above and below. Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the post to view a highlight slide show set to music!