Couples

Tammy and Paula - South Haven engagement photos

in ,

Tammy and Paula are the perfect example of people who are completely complementary to each other. We chose two locations that are special to them in some way, and the rest was just letting them be who they are together. At one point during our shoot, I asked each of them what they loved most about the other person and their answers almost had me in tears. They truly notice and appreciate the little things about each other, and that’s so special to see.

You two are so great together, and I can’t wait for your wedding this summer!

Kelsey and Jake - Kalamazoo maternity photos

in ,

Kelsey and Jake are pretty special for quite a few reasons. They have probably the coolest interests (From tennis coaching, to fire fighting, to beer brewing) but they’re also incredibly genuine and adored by so many people around them. We’re all so excited for you two to be starting a family of your own, and we can’t wait to meet your precious daughter!

Maddie and Connor - Kalamazoo greenhouse engagement photos

in ,

It’s a little bit ridiculous how natural Maddie and Connor are in front of the camera. Frequently I would look up from the camera to give them a prompt, and they would already be doing it. Basically, they’re a pair of photogenic rockstars, and I love it.
They wanted to make sure we included a piece of their WMU history in the photos, so we planned on swinging by the campus off Drake rd, and visit Asylum lake as it’s understandably one of their favorite spots in Kalamazoo, but this still left me with a warm up location for a February engagement session and I knew just the spot. VanderSalm’s Flowers is full of much needed color for winter photos, and they were super gracious to let us come in and take advantage of their greenhouse temperatures.

Thanks for being amazing you guys, I’m all sorts of excited for your Bell’s Brewery wedding this summer!

Brittnay and Brandon - Downtown Kalamazoo engagement photos

in ,

These two have some of the brightest smiles you’ll ever see in your life, and attitudes to match. They’re just the type of people who make you have a better day just by being a part of it. Brittnay requested an urban photo setting (which I am super about) so we adventured around downtown Kalamazoo and the surrounding area, stopping at Fido Motors Cafe for a warm up chai and some rare winter sunshine. My goal for any engagement session is to capture people being who they are together, and they made these photos a complete breeze.

I can’t wait for your 2020 wedding Brittnay and Brandon, you’re made for each other!

Amanda and Mark - Kalamazoo Sweetwater's Donut Mill engagement photos

in ,

When I first started talking engagement photo ideas with Amanda and Mark, she had one simple request: Her donut obsession needed to be represented. Obviously, Kalamazoo engagement photos meant Sweetwater’s was the clear option, and now I’m looking for any excuse to work delicious donuts into photo shoots!
These two are so unique and talented, and I have complete confidence their wedding is going to be a perfect reflection of who they are.

Congratulations you lovely people, I can’t wait to celebrate your marriage!

Simone and Keith - Arcadia Brewing Kalamazoo engagement

in ,

These two are a living testimonial for why I encourage dogs during sessions, and why I believe people who choose to have microbrewery weddings are a different type of phenomenal.
Simone and Keith could light up any room they enter. The genuine joy they experience from living life together is so infectious, I left the engagement shoot with a gigantic smile on my face. They’re laid back and wonderful, never missing a chance to laugh together.
It only made sense that the ideal place to warm up during the shoot would be a brewery, and Arcadia is one of my favorites. Huge windows, space for dogs in the warmer months, and no shortage of excellent brews. And let me tell you, we needed to warm up. It was beyond frigid the day of their engagement photos, and yet nothing seemed to dim their spirits.

Congratulations Simone and Keith, your Bell’s Brewery wedding is going to be unbelievable!

Stephanie and Ryan - Three Rivers engagement photos

in , , ,

Winter is here, and soon the blog will be filling up with snowy engagement sessions. I live for getting to know people while shooting, and I’m so looking forward to the next two months of doing just that!
In the meantime, I want to share with you a throwback to one of my favorite engagement sessions from before I was any good at consistently updating the blog: Stephanie and Ryan.
Stephanie is energetic, adventurous, and sweet. Ryan is equally energetic, thoughtful, and would literally do anything for Stephanie. Oh my goodness, I could tell from the first meeting with them that the attitude of mutual love and respect they had for one another would set them up for so much happiness for years to come.
Their wedding day was no exception. It was full of the sweetest first look, loads of laughter, and even fireworks (Check it out here)
I will forever adore these people.

Favorites of 2018 - Kalamazoo wedding photographer

in ,

What a fantastic year 2018 has been!

Some really special people promised forever to one another. The more I got to know many of them, the more it felt like was photographing an old friend’s wedding, and I was celebrating their love right along with the guests. I’ve been so honored to have been trusted with some of the most important photos of these wonderful people lives, and I wouldn’t trade that for anything. Here are a few favorites from the 2018 season that have always made me smile when I come across them.
Thanks for being part of my year, I can’t wait to see what 2019 brings!

Jordyn and Joel - Kalamazoo winter photos

in ,

It’s an honor to say that I’ve known these people through their entire relationship. Coincidentally, that’s almost the exact length that I’ve been photographing people in love, so naturally we’ve had our share of portrait sessions through the years!
They are both as genuine as it comes, and the best friends you could possibly want.
From our very first couples photos, to their adventure engagement under a waterfall (Highly recommend oh my gosh), to their perfect wedding day, I was joyfully there with camera in hand. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Rebecca and Robert - Grand Rapids maternity photos

in , ,

Mr and Mrs Slick had a spectacular wedding last September that I had the honor of photographing. Their love for each other was so evident that day, and it was clear there would be years of joy ahead of them.
When Rebecca reached out to me a few months ago to schedule maternity photos, I was freaking out. Genuinely way more excited than what is dignified.
You two are going to be amazing parents, congratulations on the soon-to-be growing family!

Natalie and Libby - Kalamazoo Asylum Lake engagement photos

in ,

When we first arrived for Natalie and Libby’s engagement session, it didn’t take long to feel like everyone had already been old friends. Asylum Lake preserve holds a lot of memories for these two, and so we hiked around to their favorite spots, probably spending no more than 30 seconds not laughing.
You two are so incredible to spend time with, and your life is only going to get more awesome with one another in it.
I can’t wait for your wedding next year!

Mr and Mrs Price - Dark Horse Bewing Co wedding

in ,

What can I even say about Greg and Kristi? The minute you meet them you realize they’re exceptional people who are madly in love with each other. Our initial wedding consultation took place over craft beer, their engagement session fell on national beer day, and of course their wedding itself took place at one of my favorite breweries in Michigan. By the time the day was over, I felt like I had known them for years. I adore these people.
Chilly October temperatures made for some excellent reception blanket dancing (Best favor ever for outdoor fall weddings by the way) and the whole thing was laid back and beautiful, just like Greg and Kristi.

Congratulations you two! Looks like the Price was right.

Mr and Mrs Roberts - Southern Exposure wedding

in ,

When we shot Billy and Kelsey’s engagement session earlier this year, I could tell they had an adventurous side. They’re the type of people that aren’t quick to let anything get them down because being together is what really matters. I absolutely love that about them, so when the forecast leading up to their wedding day called for nothing but straight rain, I wasn’t worried. The umbrellas were packed and the energy was high.
Well, this is Michigan, and the entire day’s prediction was changing hour by hour. The ceremony was moved indoors to be safe at the last minute, but we had a few dry skies here and there that we absolutely took advantage of! Kelsey didn’t stop smiling the entire day, and the whole wedding party was 100% down to grab umbrellas and adventure outside for photos. I’m so so happy with the results, it just goes to show there’s nothing to fear about a little rain on your wedding day.

Congratulations Mr and Mrs Roberts!

Mr and Mrs Harrington - Intimate backyard wedding

in ,

Felicia and Josh are very much in love with each other, and that was obvious the entire day.
The wedding took place on her parent’s property where Felicia grew up, and it was an unbelievably perfect venue to host the most important day of their lives.
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of backyard weddings, I just love to see a couple share the day with the people who are the most important to them, and these two did exactly that!

Congratulations Mr and Mrs Harrington, I’m so happy for you and what the future holds!

Mr and Mrs Kammer - Bowens Mills wedding

in ,

Brandon and Kati’s wedding day was a roller coaster of wonderful emotions, and not even one unexpected event could take any of the joy away.

As soon as we arrived, the rain poured absolute buckets with no sign of stopping. I’m talking torrential downpour the likes of which we hadn’t seen all year. Everyone had agreed the outdoor ceremony would be moved inside to the reception hall, and preparations went on as normal with Kati keeping her calm like a boss. She laughed with all her bridesmaids as though the monsoon outside didn’t exist.
It’s almost as though she knew something we didn’t, because as soon as the preparations ended and I was about to move the portraits to plan B, the rain stopped with only a light cloud cover remaining. By the end of the ceremony, the sun was out in the most perfect golden portrait light!

The dancing was legendary, and we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect end to the day. Congratulations Mr and Mrs Kammer, you two are perfect for one another!

Montana

in , , , ,

If you follow the blog, you'll know David and I don't stay in one place too long. We love Kalamazoo, and call it home, but there's way too much of the world left to see, so every so often we plan an adventure. 
This one had been in the works for over a year, but I had no idea just how special it was going to be. David had lived in Montana for a bit previously, and had been compiling a list of must-see places since we first started dating, knowing someday he would be able to show me around Kalispell and the Glacier National Park area. When wildfires halted our plans last September, we decided to try again for June of 2018. 

It was everything I could have ever hoped. The natural beauty was every photographers dream, but the company was the absolute best. 
We started the trip off with his favorite breakfast spot in Kalispell (Split Rock Cafe) and then toured a few the top breweries (Bonsai Brewing Project was pleasant as heck), and finished up on Flathead Lake, boating with one of David's best big sky buddies. 
 

Day number two held things I didn't see coming from a mile away. 

David took me on a hike to Holland Falls, knowing the entire time I would want to take photos at the top, so we packed a tripod and remote (on top of that, I looked like a hot mess, hiking with a boots/sundress combo that I swapped out for flip flops when the walking was done.... for the photos sake of course). 
We had been planning on shooting frame-able photos at some point this trip, so I thought nothing of his insistence I make absolutely sure to have the wireless remote in the bag.

Once we  fought off the invasive ground squirrels searching for snacks (note that close up shot was not taken with a telephoto lens) we set up the tripod and took a few shots. 

And then he surprised me. 

I had no idea he had been planning the proposal ever since we booked the first trip that got rescheduled, and had kept the ring a complete secret all this time! I've been on cloud nine ever since, this man is my best friend, and my biggest supporter. Life is such an adventure with him, and I can't wait to start the next chapter of it. 

He planned it all perfectly, and even got us THE most beautiful Airbnb in St. Ignatius to spend our first engaged night.

After all that, we spent the next few days camping, hiking, and getting overall publicly unpresentable. One of my favorite hikes from the standpoint of feeling so accomplished when we finished was definitely Iceberg Lake, but there wasn't a single bad day and not one hike I regretted. We spent loads of time outdoors away from cell reception, and it was perfect. 

I have no doubt we will be back to this other-worldly place. Bears and ground squirrels included, there is something special about Montana.