Posts Tagged ‘Michigan wedding photography’

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05.28.11 – Kimberly and John – Orchard Lake CC (Orchard Lake, MI)

June 27, 2011

The entirety of the wedding day took place at Orchard Lake CC, one of my favorite country clubs in Southeastern Michigan! The country club is located on serene and picturesque Orchard Lake, a truly beautiful setting! I have had the good fortune of photographing several weddings here in the last few years. Search my blog to find previous weddings.  Kim and John’s wedding now joins the list of many memorable celebrations here at Orchard Lake CC.

This day, however, was met with a bit of questionable weather, not uncommon in Michigan at the end of May! I don’t like to say unfortunate, because weather does not make or break a wedding day in my opinion. Good weather or bad, it just adds to the story and the backdrop of the actual wedding day story. I like to call it “character!” The day is suppose to be about the unveiling of a love story, concluding (or rather “beginning”) with the story of how two people in love – and their families – celebrate their union in marriage. I can happily attest that this was the case with Kim and John! With rain coming and going, skies cloudy and gray, adjustments made for the outdoor ceremony to take place underneath a tent, the nuptials were, indeed, the focus and triumphal joy of the day! Not a frown or sense of dismay was seen or felt on the faces of this beautiful couple because of the questionable weather, nor did it deter the celebratory mood of their family and friends! Enjoy some of my favorite photos above and below. Please scroll to the bottom of this post to see several more photos that I’ve included in a highlight slide show set to music.

Before ending this post, I must give kudos to my vendor partners who all helped make this day a success!

Venue and Caterer: Orchard Lake Country Club
Event Coordinator, Floral and Decor: Emerald City Designs (Nicole Beaudoin, planner)
Bridal Gown: Roma Sposa (Birmingham, MI)
Video: Fifth and Main Productions (Royal Oak, MI)
Band: Simone Vitale Band
Celebrant: Sherry Mullins (A Joyful Celebration)
Cake: Sweet and Savory (Oxford, MI)
Custom Printing: Very Truly Yours (A. Kelly Cash)
Makeup: Linda Bateynah
Hair: Mallory

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04.30.11 – Brittny and Corey – Colony Club (Detroit, MI)

May 12, 2011

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!

 

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01.07.2011 – Emma and Evan – Weber’s Inn (Ann Arbor, MI)

February 6, 2011

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!

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12.04.10 – Elizabeth and David – Townsend Hotel (Birmingham, MI)

December 28, 2010

I first met Elizabeth and her mother at my Birmingham Showroom about eighteen months before their wedding date. Because they commissioned us so early, we were able to photograph their engagement party in December of 2009, as well as an engagement portrait session this past summer. It has been wonderful seeing Elizabeth and David through the year prior to their wedding day! So when the day finally came this past December, it was as if we were a part of the fabric of the story leading up to the day!

I began that Saturday morning in a familiar location that many of our brides like to start: The Townsend Hotel in downtown Birmingham. Elizabeth’s suite was filled with family, hanging out to support Elizabeth. She slowly began getting ready as her bridesmaids arrived and, before you knew it, it was time to leave for the church. The ceremony took place at the Grosse Pointe Academy Chapel, about a fifty minute drive from Birmingham in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. This is where I would finally see David for the first time, behind the alter, waiting with his groomsmen and the priest. The chapel is historic. It is beautiful and ornate. The ceremony was Roman Catholic and the happy couple was escorted for their recessional by a bag pipper.

After a few portraits outside of the Chapel, we drove back to the Townsend Hotel for the beginning of the celebratory reception, where the couple was enthusiastically greeted by their guests. This December wedding couldn’t have been a more perfect day! The weather was sunny and unseasonably warm. Elizabeth and David, their families, wedding party and guests were terrific, providing me with ample opportunity to find wonderful wedding day moments!

Enjoy the some of my highlight photos posted here in the blog, as well as scrolling to the bottom of the post to view their complete wedding day highlight slideshow! Enjoy!

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10.29.10 – Erica and Steve – Townsend Hotel (Birmingham, MI)

December 19, 2010

I met Erica and Steve earlier this past summer at their friends, Andrea and James’, wedding that I was photographing.  Thank you Andrea and James for having such great friends!  They commissioned  me to photograph their wedding just a few months prior to the date!  I am so glad that the date was still open on my calendar! The wedding day structure was very similar to many of my clients who were married in the Birmingham and Bloomfield Hills area of metro Detroit Michigan.  I began the day with the bride and groom, photographing them getting ready in their separate suites at the Townsend Hotel, followed by a short drive up Woodward Avenue to St. Hugo’s Catholic church for the ceremony, followed by a return trip back to the Townsend Hotel to celebrate!  Two of Michigan’s prized wedding gems couldn’t be more conveniently located geographically to one another for the making of the perfect wedding day!  From the stately Townsend, to the historic St. Hugo’s, to the beautiful decorations and florals of the reception, the evening celebration was topped off by the talented Dan Rafferty Band.  They provided the excellent music and entertainment which kept the party at full-energy all night long!

Erica and Steve’s wedding went flawlessly!  Not only do they make an attractive couple, but they were fun and energetic!  You can see this in the photos below!  As a documentary-style wedding photographer, it’s my job to find great moments and preserve them photographically as artistically as I am able.  My goal is always to find great moments, great compositions, great lighting and great exposures simultaneously.  Erica, Steve and their family and friends were a perfect fit for me as they gave me all the raw emotion and excitement that I needed to capture wonderful moments!  Check out some of my favorites above and below and be sure to scroll to the bottom of this post to see the highlight slideshow set to music!

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10.09.10 – Carrie and Joe – Pine Lake Country Club (Orchard Lake, MI)

December 2, 2010

I almost was unable to photograph Carrie and Joe’s wedding because I had booked events in Las Vegas the day before and the day after their wedding date. Our mutual friend, Carolyn Hefner of the China Closet – who was also their wedding planner, was very persistent in keeping both Carrie’s family and me in touch, that we decided that we would make it happen. I am so thankful it did!!! Just take a look at the photos below! I love everything thing about the results! I love the emotion that was on display by Carrie, Joe and their parents! I had a hard time making a bad photo! Not to mention, once again, we were blessed with a beautiful Michigan, autumn day! Joe and Carrie are a great couple and they have great families! The wedding ceremony took place at a church I had never photographed before: Orchard Lake Community Church Presbyterian. The reception was at a venue that I have become fond of and have worked for a handful of weddings: Pine Lake Country Club in Orchard Lake.

Some of the other fine vendors included:
English Gardens – florist
Jerry Ross Band
Roma Sposa – wedding dress & seamstress
Lavdas Limo Coach
BBJ Linen Rentals

Be sure to check out the highlight slideshow set to music at the bottom of this post!

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Posted in Slideshows, Weddings - 2010 | 1 Comment »

10.02.10 – Abigail and Clay – Cranbrook House and Gardens (Bloomfield Hills, MI)

November 23, 2010

When I was first commissioned to photograph Abigail Klarr and Clay Bebee’s wedding, they secured my services at my starting package which allowed for six hours of photography. We knew that this was going to be modified once the picture was more clear of what would be needed as the wedding celebration became more defined. Knowing that Carolyn Hefner of The China Closet would be coordinating these events, it definitely had the potential of becoming one of my biggest weddings of the year!

Clay’s family is from Texas and Abigail’s family had many out of town guests as well. The Klarr’s made sure that everyone coming to town would have a wonderful time! First on the list of events was a Thursday welcoming “Hoedown!” Friday followed with three fun and celebratory events as well: a morning “hunt” for the men, a bridal luncheon for the women, and the Rehearsal Dinner in the evening. We provided photography for each of these, thanks to my main associate photographer David Yarnall who attended three of the four events. The wedding day itself needed three photographers for twelve hours! I brought along my good friend, Los Angeles-based photographer Asgeir Bollason of Asgeir Fotographica, who filled in as my second shooter for the wedding day. What started out as six hours of wedding day coverage, evolved to three days of events! The Klarr and Bebee families are some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet and, boy, do they all know how to party!

If you check out the wedding I photographed on 10.01.10, the day before this wedding, you will see why we Michigander’s love our Fall season. However, Michigan in the autumn is unpredictable regarding the weather, and, well, you just don’t know what you’re going to get day to day. On Abigail and Clay’s wedding, a day later, it rained all day! You will see the umbrellas in the photos below, but I can assure you: the ground may have been damp, but the celebration was far from dampened! As far as I am concerned, the misty weather just added character to a beautiful day for a beautiful couple. It could not have been as successful had some of Michigan’s finest wedding vendors not been hired. They include:

Deyo Studio for face and body
Bob Hardwick and His Orchestra
The Townsend Hotel
Christ Church of Cranbrook – wedding ceremony
Cranbrook House and Gardens – wedding day reception
Cartoleria – custom invitations, programs and place settings
Special Events Rental
Bellisario Florists
Hunter’s Creek Club of Metamora

Check out some of my favorite images from the wedding day. Scroll to the bottom of this post to see the complete highlight slideshow set to music.

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10.01.10 – Lisa and John – Twin Lakes Golf Club (Oakland, MI)

November 17, 2010

Lisa and John had their wedding on one of those autumn days that Michiganders love to brag about! Those fall days that are unmatched anywhere else in the country! Beautiful changing colors in the trees, sunny and blue skies with pillow like clouds, and warm enough that not even a sweater is necessary to fight off the typical chilly air! Certainly, this could not have been predicted in advance – no weather in Michigan can – just listen to the local weather forecasters get it wrong on a daily basis! Enough said, it was a perfectly beautiful outdoor wedding under a gazebo at a perfectly beautiful Twin Lakes Golf Club in Oakland, Michigan! I spoke with John about a week before the wedding to plan out the day. The entire event – getting ready, ceremony and reception – were to take place at Twin Lakes. The day was to unfold as straight forward as could be, without all the stress of needing to drive from one location to the next. That’s not usually a big issue for Saturday weddings, but it’s perfect for Friday afternoon and evening weddings, because the rest of the world is still working and you face the danger of getting slowed down in rush hour traffic. John’s biggest concern for the day was to provide his bride with a perfect wedding day. As mentioned already, the weather and setting were perfect. It also didn’t hurt that they commissioned Bellisario Florist – Michigan’s finest florist in this photographer’s opinion – to decorate and enhance the venue further with beautiful floral designs. What John was about to find out was that his beautiful Lisa was even more perfect! This couple was a complete joy to work with. They were happy, joyful, and unwilling to hide their tears and emotions from the camera. Much more than that, they made sure that they communicated their trust in me. What more can a documentary photographer ask for? Lisa and John gave me complete freedom to photograph the wedding in my style of documentary, fine art style photography. However, one request that John did give me was to do my best to capture as many photos of his daughter because he was sure she would be camera shy. You will see from the photos below that I was able to find several wonderful moments of John’s cute, little blond hair flower girl! Be sure to scroll to the bottom of the post to view their wedding highlight slideshow.

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Posted in Slideshows, Weddings - 2010 | 3 Comments »

09.05.10 – Nicole and Micah – Royal Park Hotel (Rochester, MI)

October 28, 2010

Nicole and Micah’s wedding could not have been photographed successfully without the help of having my second photographer, David Yarnall, helping me. This was one of my more challenging, yet rewarding, weddings of the year. Nicole and Micah had two ceremonies, three changes of outfits, and two sets of portrait sessions after each wedding. The reason is that the two honored both of their families’ cultural and religious backgrounds, one being Hindu and the other Jewish. To say the least, the day was unique and beautiful, full of color, emotion and rich in traditions. The entire event took place at the glorious Royal Park Hotel in Rochester, Michigan, a very popular venue because of the beautiful setting. Both ceremonies took place there, the Hindu wedding in the morning and the Jewish wedding in the late afternoon, followed by an evening reception. The day could not have been as successful without the fine cast of vendors that were selected by the couple:

Mandavo Wedding Planners, Mercury Lighting, videography by Fifth and Main Productions, and music by DJ Naveen Sharma

Enjoy some of my favorite photos below and scroll down to the bottom of the blog to see the highlight slide show set to music.

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08.28.10 – Kathryn and Casey – Orchard Lake Country Club (Orchard Lake, MI)

October 19, 2010

Kathryn and Casey’s wedding was one of those weddings that was not only about a bride and a groom, it was about their families and their friends who were there in love and support of this happy couple. The day was so much fun to photograph for me because of the excitement that was in the air the minute my assistant and I started photographing. As soon as I began concentrating on finding moments to capture, I knew I was in for a great day of photography! For me, it’s much more than point and shoot my camera. As my clients soon find out, I am like a stalker, looking for the perfect composition, the perfect light, the perfect moment. Sometimes I am two feet away, the next second I am lurking around the corner or laying on the floor! Anything for a perfect photo! From the beautiful Kathryn and her supportive family and bridesmaids, to Casey, his family and his groomsmen, to the fabulous settings of the Townsend Hotel, Christ Church Cranbrook and Orchard Lake Country Club, the moments were all around me! Not to mention, it was a perfect August day! Check out the great moments above and below. Also, please scroll down to the bottom of this post to find the highlight slideshow set to music.

The day could not have been as perfect as it was without the following talented Metro Detroit area vendors:

Bridal Couture (for bride’s dress)
Affairs To Remember (linens and chairs)
Entertainment Express Inc Limousine and Coach Service,
Katie McClelland (Day of the wedding coordinator)
Newsmaker Band
Personal Touch Productions (video)
Shutterbooth
Todd’s Room (makeup)
Vanity Hair

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