Millennium Park Wedding - Amanda and Matt

St. Jude / MillenNium Park
Grand Rapids, MI

Congratulations to Amanda and Matt! So much laughter. So much love. So many happy tears and full hearts. All against a background of the beautiful Millennium Park in West Michigan.

Maybe the perfect sunny day was to balance out the not-so-perfect-but-memorable engagement story, which I have permission to get into here ;). Matt planned a weekend trip to Manistee. Friday night , after dinner at a seafood place downtown, Amanda got food poisoning! Incidentally, that's not the first time she had gotten food poisoning with Matt at the most INOPPORTUNE time imaginable.

Matt suggested to take it easy, but they rarely take vacations for pleasure and Amanda knew in her bones that he was going to pop the question, “so nothing was stopping us from having a delightful freaking day”. They had a full day of activities planned: farmer's market, walk the downtown area, lunch, hike along Lake Michigan- the works. She was a trooper. They eventually made it to a trail with a breathtaking view of the lake. Matt made a teary and heart-felt speech and she couldn't say yes fast enough.

Amanda proceeded to shout/blurt out at a passer-by on the trail that they had just gotten engaged. This person happened to be a photographer. They got their photo taken on the spot, but due to reception problems, they have never seen that photo.

That night they had dinner (successfully) and watched the sunset on the beach. The next day, they stopped at a golf course to play a round of 9 and Amanda still proceeded to tell everyone they came in contact with that they were just engaged. They called their loved ones when they got home aaaaaand then waited two years to start planning the wedding.

So funny.
Well, you may never see that photo of the engagement moment, but here is a preview of your beautiful big day, with a few hundred more coming…. ;)

The Loft at Luna- Lauren and Max

Grand Rapids, MICHIGAN
THE LOFT AT LUNA

Congratulations Lauren and Max! What a beautiful wedding for these two at The Loft at Luna, downtown Grand Rapids.

The day started with nervous butterflies, put at ease with their private first look. It was a beautiful and emotional ceremony. My favorite part was photo time at the bubbles! It was an ArtPrize installation by the river, and as packed with people as it was, everyone graciously moved aside for the bride and groom. Those photos are perfect for this celebration. We just needed the champagne. Back to the reception, where it was clear these two have such loving support from close friends and family.

It was so nice to see Sarah and Nate (I photographed the wedding of one of the Matrons-of-Honor two years ago!). I have a few adorable shots of Lauren and Max at this wedding, dancing and making hearts at each other. Who knew that, in time, I would be photographing their wedding day too?

Lauren and Max met while Max was a long term guest staying at the hotel that Lauren managed for work. Their coworkers would all hang out and Max and Lauren hit it off. They found out that they grew up a few towns over from each other in Indiana. He loved Japanese culture and had lived there, and Lauren had taken a trip there.

They both love animals, especially their cats and dogs. They moved in together after only a year of dating (give or take) and after around three years of dating, got their second puppy, Moose. While taking Moose and Mila on Moose’s first walk at the park, Max proposed with a puppy in one arm and a ring in the other.

Max is usually the interest seeker, always finding new hobbies. Lauren is always willing to try new things. Max has taken her “drifting” in his Japanese drift car, they’ve learned about guns and bow and arrows, kayaking, and they’ve taken on two puppies! Lauren has gotten Max in the pool for some laps occasionally, as well as introducing Max to reality shows like Love is Blind…

Thank you so much for choosing me to document your big day! You two are so fun and lovely. Enjoy your preview…

The Revel Center - Sam and Seth

The Revel Center
Grand Rapids, MI

Congratulations Samantha and Seth! What a beautiful winter wedding! It had some perfect moments- from Seth and Sam sharing private vows to each other before the ceremony, to family making the day even more special with their humorous toasts, and then, of course, bagpipes!

The lucky ducks have been together for about three years. They first met when the bride heckled the groom at a lacrosse game in college. Fast forward four years, when they met again on Hinge. The official first date was a movie night at Sam’s house, but it ended up being a chat that lasted for five hours instead. Seth proposed on Sam’s family vacation for the 4th of July, where everyone was in on the surprise.

In case you missed their engagement session, you can check it out here:
https://lookatthebiggerpicture.com/blog/riverside-park-grand-rapids-engagement

Thank you so much for choosing me to document your story! Please enjoy the preview of the big day…