Apple Blossom Chapel and Gardens

Fennville, MI
Fenn Valley Vineyards
Apple Blossom Chapel and Gardens

Congratulations Tara and Caitlin!!

These two met at work, when Caitlin fell in love with Tara’s sweet dance moves and great personality. Their first official date was at Founder’s Brewing in Grand Rapids.

Did you miss their adorable engagement session at Founder’s? Please check it out here:
https://lookatthebiggerpicture.com/blog/founders-brewing-engagement

For the proposal, Caitlin was sneaky and invited Tara’s best friends to The Detroit Zoo during the holidays, making it look like it was their idea. Caitlin found the perfect spot in a somewhat secluded part of the zoo in front of purple Christmas lights (Tara’s favorite color), and Caitlin (in her very awkward manner) got down on one knee and proposed, not knowing that Tara also had an engagement ring waiting for her at home!

Their shared interests include Batman, craft beer, Harry Potter, and exploring new things together.

My favorite parts of their wedding day:
—Tara’s animated facial expressions- a photographer’s dream!
—They were so easy to shoot because they were laughing and interacting with each other the whole time!!
—We snuck off to the winery to get some really great shots and give them some alone time
—Tara’s veil. It glowed the whole sunny day!
—I love the Calcutt family! I got to see Erin (Caitlin’s sister) and Bryan, who I photographed over 4 yrs ago! I was so honored to continue to document new adventures in the Calcutt family.

—A huge thank you to Maria Lewis Photography for her talent, skill, fun personality, and knowledge of what is needed without me even saying anything. I absolutely adore working with her!

Tara and Caitlin are so fun and I loved this oh so much! Please enjoy the preview:

The Cheney Place Wedding - Melanie and Dustin

THE CHENEY PLACE
GRAND RAPIDS, MI

Congratulations Melanie and Dustin! What a beautiful celebration! These two met in college, living on the same floor in the dorm, which was mostly guys. They have been together for 13 years!!

Dustin proposed after dinner one night, walking around downtown Grand Rapids.

Both Melanie and Dustin are very laid-back souls, which is why this day was so easy-going. The whole chi-bang was in one spot. I ADORE this venue! The Cheney Place is full of vintage chic finds, from furniture to chandeliers, to little touches. Guests chatted upstairs for cocktail hour on beautiful couches, with old colorful pianos, dressers, and unique touches. Sippin’ cocktails underneath chandeliers and lanterns. It was so beautiful.

My favorite part of the day was when everyone rushed to dance! I have never seen a better reception! Everyone was so calm and collected throughout the day and then it was like an explosion hit and people had to MOVE! I think everyone was out on the dance floor. It was so much fun.

Melanie and Dustin, thank you for choosing me to document your story. I am honored.
Please enjoy the preview:

Blodgett Barn Wedding

Schoolcraft, MI
Blodgett Barn

Congratulations Jessica and Eric! These two met five years ago, when Jessica was the new girl to an all male department at work. Eric was hopping between shifts when their paths crossed. She mentioned how nice it would be to grab breakfast after getting out at 6:30 am, but didn’t have any friends who would be awake at that time. Eric managed to hear this and they exchanged numbers, and the following morning, she forced him out of bed at 6:30 am to grab breakfast at Crow’s Nest in Kalamazoo. From that point on they were pretty content with spending all of their time together. Being on separate shifts, she would call Eric every morning, and he would reluctantly wake up to grab breakfast.

Eric proposed a few years later on a backpacking trip on North Manitou Island. On the ferry to get to the island, a storm was slowly rolling in. They made a plan to set up camp at the first good site they could find, just as it started to rain. The mosquitoes were AWFUL without the wind blowing off the lake, and they spent the better part of the night dousing themselves selves in bug spray, although they managed to eat dinner on the beach in between the rain showers. The rain started to pick up in the middle of the night, with the loudest thunder ever, along with a slow leak in the tent. The following morning they watched the sun rise, and hiked out. The mosquitoes were still persistent, but they had fun joking and hiking along, given the lack of sleep the night before. They set up camp on the highest dune they could find with nice tree cover, overlooking Lake Michigan. They walked down to the beach and spent some time watching boats out on the water, and marveled at how drastically the weather had changed from the night before. It was at this point that Eric got down on one knee…

They are backpacking around New Zealand for their honeymoon!! Amazing, right?

In case you missed their adorable engagement session at Townsend Park, you can check it out here:
https://lookatthebiggerpicture.com/blog/townsend-park-engaged-jessica-and-eric

Enjoy the preview of their big day!!
Thank you to the fabulous and talented Emily Betcher for second shooting with me! We had so much fun!