The Cheney Place - Lydia and Will

The Cheney Place

Grand Rapids, Michigan

Congratulations Lydia and Will!

These two met through a church friend at Aquinas College. For their first date, they got lunch at the Grand Rapids Brewing Company and explored the city. While sitting on a bench at school, someone almost stole his wallet!

Will proposed in the Japanese Gardens inside Frederick Meijer Gardens last December, while a friend was hiding to take photos. They have been together for about three years, and now will be together for the rest of their lives, watching Marvel and Star Wars movies.

They became Mr. and Mrs. right before Christmas. It was a beautiful celebration with nonstop smiles! What a great tribe this couple has too! Family and friends were just as sweet and fun as these two.

This has to be one of my favorite west Michigan wedding venues to photograph. I just love the mix of vintage and modern decor and including it in the images.

Please enjoy the preview of their big day…

Winter Engagement Lenderink Tree Farm- Jesse and Matt

Lenderink Tree Farm, Belmont MI

Congratulations Matt and Jesse!! What a beautiful snowy day we had in west Michigan for their engagement session! I hope they get a lovely day like this next December for their wedding. These two were such troopers. The free hot chocolate helped us out a bit.

Matt and Jesse have known each other for ten years. They lived on the same floor in college, did the long-distance thing in grad school, and both ended up back in Michigan years later. Matt proposed on the 4th of July, while they were at Indiana National Park with their pup, Stanley.

After observing their fun and up-for-anything attitudes, with lots of laughter and energy (from Stanley too), I am so excited for their wedding at The Cheney Place, in Grand Rapids! It’s one of my favorite venues to photograph weddings and I know it’s gonna be a good time.

Please enjoy the preview of their engagement session…

Heritage Museum and Cultural Center - Kirstin and Jake

Congratulations to Kirstin and Jake!! What a fun celebration for such a fun couple!

These two met at Hope College, in the back seat of a mutual friend’s van while catching a ride home in a rainstorm. They were friends for a while and finally got serious in their junior year of college. They started dating in October of 2017 and have been together ever since! Jake proposed on October 29th , 2020. It was important to him that she was surprised and she was! He decorated the basement of their AirBnB on a visit home to west Michigan and lured her there the morning they checked out under false pretenses. He popped the question and Kirstin’s bridesmaids, Grace and Alex, jumped out of the closet with champagne!

Jake and Kirstin describe themselves as “the cool kind of nerdy”. They love to socialize and meet new people (especially when it involves dancing). They share a love of fantasy books and movies and love having conversations about things like politics, stocks, and fanfiction. They always know that whatever weird interest one of them is picking up at a given moment, the other is always there to listen and engage. Their relationship is one of intense comfort and joy in knowing that they love and accept each other just as they are.

Best of wishes to you both! Thank you so much for choosing me to document your story. Enjoy the preview of your day….