Posts Tagged ‘Michigan weddings’
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
07.31.10 – Andrea and James – Pine Lakes Country Club (Orchard Lake, MI)
September 21, 2010
Andrea and James’ wedding is definitely one of my favorites this year! I really believe that because they allowed me to photograph the wedding almost 100% in my documentary style, I was able to be at my best! As you can see below from the getting ready photos, they went about their day without worrying about the camera and the results are wonderful! Spontaneous, creative, meaningful moments were found and this only enhanced my ability throughout the remainder of the day! Andrea and James had a beautiful wedding! It was fun, full of life, ornate and celebratory! The day began with my meeting up with the bride and groom at the Townsend Hotel in Birmingham, where they were getting ready. We then headed up Woodward to nearby St. Hugo’s Catholic Church in Bloomfield Hills – always a favorite location for wedding ceremonies! I have photographed a lot of weddings there, but the photo above of Andrea downstairs, and the guests walking into the sanctuary above her , is an original. I can’t believe I’ve never caught this image before but I love the contrast of seeing two scenes at once!!! After the ceremony, we headed over to James’s country club, Pine Lakes in Orchard Lake. After a break was taken by Andrea and James and some last minute touchups with hair and makeup, the couple were greeted by their loving and energetic guests in the dining room!
A couple of notes: Andrea comes from a musical family as her father is an accomplished singer and band leader. You can see photos of he and his band below. Also, their good friend Royce the Voice serenaded them at the ceremony and reception with his band. He is a favorite in Detroit and his vocals are legendary! Enjoy my favorite photos below as well as the highlight slideshow at the bottom of this post.
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
