Posts Tagged ‘Detroit wedding photography’
Brittny and Corey’s wedding was my first in Michigan this Spring. It was as fun of a wedding as I can remember and, because Michigan’s weather is always unpredictable this time of year, it couldn’t have been a more beautiful day! We began the day at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel in downtown Detroit where the wedding party were getting ready. I finally met up with Corey at Ss. Peter and Paul Jesuit Church, the location for the ceremony. Even before the ceremony, both Brittny and Corey were relaxed and happy. They were also surrounded by terrific family and friends. After the ceremony, we had a couple of hours to have some fun, so we all jumped in the party bus and drove down to Slo’s Barbeque for some hanging out time, followed by a cruise over to Belle Isle for some photos on the riverfront. The reception began early that evening at the fabulous Colony Club. We arrived early enough for the wedding party to join the cocktail hour, before Brittny and Corey made their dramatic grand entrance into the grand ballroom. It has been a couple of years since I last photographed a wedding at this venue, but I must say, it is one of metro Detroit’s gems! It is absolutely beautiful and perfect for an elegant wedding reception! Enjoy some of my favorite photos of the day below! I will have a highlight slide show up and running in a couple of weeks right here on the blog as well!
Jennifer and Harry are a special couple to me. They will always be remembered for the unique experience we endured together last May when I met them for an engagement portrait session out at Kensington Park near Milford, MI. We met despite the signs of oncoming rain, but we thought we could get the session done before any chance of getting wet. Boy, were we wrong! Not only did it begin raining, but it down-poured! We were at least a half mile from our cars and all we could do is hug the trees for shelter! We were all soaked to the bone! Soaked and with the rain still coming down hard, I still captured a few memorable photos that never would have been captured had we given up before getting started. Those photos are some of my favorite e-session photos ever!
A few months later, and I photographed them again. Only this time was there beautiful wedding day! It was so terrific to see this couple in their wedding attire, dry and beautiful! The wedding was held at two of Detroit’s most treasured historical jewels: The Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament Church and The Detroit Athletic Club. Their flowers were provide by the super talented Bellisario Florist, their beautiful cake was made by the DAC, the guests were entertained by DJ Mike Dembs from Mike Staff Productions, and their dining room linens provided by Linen Hero.
Enjoy some of my favorites of the day below and scroll down to the bottom to view their highlight slideshow of the day 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.
09.19.09 – Rosemarie and Sam – Henry Ford Musuem, Dearborn, MI
October 8, 2009I met Rose and Sam about sixteen months before their wedding and have had the pleasure of getting to know them during this period of time. We were able to photograph their fantastic engagement party and a separate e-session in downtown Royal Oak. It was then that I met their lovable and precious dog Rocco. You can see him for yourself in some of the highlight photos below! It wouldn’t be right if Rocco didn’t get to give his beloved Rose a kiss before she walked the aisle! The wedding ceremony took place at the Sweetest Heart of Mary Catholic Church in downtown Detroit. From the ceremony, we headed to Hart Plaza for some fun, romantic photos (check out the skate boarder shot – it’s a classic!). After spending some time downtown, we met the couple at Greenfield Village and followed them as they enjoyed a horse-drawn carriage ride. The grand finale for this wonderful couple took place at the beautifully decorated, Henry Ford Museum, where they celebrated their reception. This beautiful, and much anticipated wedding, was planned by the one and only, Carolyn Hefner of the China Closet. The day could not have been more perfect without Carolyn’s oversight! There was also an all-star cast of vendors to help make this day beyond spectacular: Christina Dodge, the event coordinator of the Henry Ford Musuem, Ralph Bellisario of Bellisario Florist provided the floral arrangements and decor, Cartoleria, of Birmingham, provided the custom invitations and printing services, Michelle Bommarito designed the cake, the Simone Vitale Band provided the entertainment, Ryan Koral of Epic Motion had a staff of five filmmakers providing video coverage, and I had a staff of nine, including my Orange County, California partner, Michael Erdkamp of Memories By Michael Photography, who flew out to work as my second. Enjoy just a few of the many highlights below. Keep checking in on my blog for the fantastic wedding day highlight slide show. It will be here in a few weeks.
I started the day’s coverage, photographing Maureen and Eric’s wedding day at the location of their ceremony: The Academy of the Sacred Heart in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. After the beautiful nuptials and wedding portraits on the alter, the wedding party proceeded to Oakland Hills Country Club for the reception celebration of this terrific couple. Maureen and Eric were surrounded by a fun and happy crowd of good friends and loving families. We only spent a few moments overlooking the historic 18th hole of the famed golf course for additional portraits, so that the couple could begin enjoying what would become a fantastic reception. Maureen’s uncle, the iconic Motor City DJ, Ken Calvert, was Master of Ceremony for the evening. The band, Newsmaker, one of my Detroit area favorites, kept the party going all night long. One of their trademarks is to hand off the mic to guests for solos, singing to Neil Diamond’s “Sweet Caroline.” See the photo below of Maureen and her father giving it their all. Another terrific surprise, provided by the couple’s wedding party, was the appearance of the mascot “Sparty” from nearby Michigan State University. He came running out and caught the couple in complete surprise. You can see their reaction below! From beginning to end, this was a wonderful day. I loved that the couple allowed me to be me – not a lot of posed images – just meaningful, artistic, emotional photojournalism. I will have a beautiful slideshow of the wedding day posted on this blog in about a month or so.
Jennifer and Chris’ wedding day was gorgeous. Not to mention that they both have “model” quality looks, but they also selected beautiful and romantic locations for their ceremony and reception. They were married at the historic Grosse Pointe Academy Chapel, which was constructed in 1899. Their reception venue was just up Lake Shore Road at one of my favorite venues in the Detroit area: the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club. The guests were entertained by the very impressive group, Persuassion, who interacted and involved everyone. You can see this in some of the photos below with the wedding party on the dance floor! And once again, actually for the third wedding in the last month, I had the great opportunity to work with one of Detroit’s most professional videographers, Tony Mazzorana of A1 Video Professionals! Tony is a terrific cameraman and he understands perfectly how to work along side a crazy photographer like me! Enjoy the highlight photos below and be sure to check back on this blog in about a month to see a complete set of highlights set to music in a slideshow!
