Choosing the photos for today’s blog post, I couldn’t help smiling.  Betsy & Danny had such a terrific wedding, and they are such wonderful, warm people.  Betsy was absolutely radiant, and there wasn’t a moment she didn’t have a big smile on her face.  Their wedding was full of exceptional details and exceptional people that made it richly memorable.  This is another one of those posts where you might want to refill your coffee cup before you settle in, because it’s a big one!

Hotel: Detroit Athletic Club
Ceremony:  Old St. Mary’s, Detroit
Reception: Detroit Athletic Club
Band: The Jerry Ross Band

I loved their tongue-in-cheek Save The Dates – these two have been an item for quite some time.

Betsy’s  stunning Kate Spade heels added a splash of color.

We were thrilled to be back at Old St. Mary’s – easily one of Detroit’s most beautiful churches.

Even though it’s been awhile, I still remember how touching and lovely the toasts at this wedding were.

Betsy’s brother injected a little comedic relief into his toast when he remarked on how happy everyone was for Betsy & Danny, “except maybe that lady up there”.

I have to mention that Betsy’s brother also went up and rocked out with the band, a moment which left his children awestruck. 

Betsy & Danny – THANK YOU.  You guys are seriously wonderful and we enjoyed every minute of working with you.  We wish you much happiness and hope we run into each other again in the future. 

I’ve got another big, giant post so share with you all today.  For those of you who follow our page on facebook, you’ve probably noticed that I’m still updating our 2010 wedding galleries.  I feel sheepish doing it, because I’m sure at least one or two people are scratching their heads and thinking “Doesn’t she know it’s 2012?“  And yes, I do know it.  It seems absolutely insane to me that I’m still catching up on blogging weddings this far back – and rest assured, the couples got their proofs back WAY before now!  But here I am.  2010 was a crazy year for us and my blog posts suffered as a result.  And then 2011 was uber busy as well.  I’m not complaining, mind you, but there you have it.  I could just skip over the older weddings and blog the newer ones, but every event we photograph has meaning for us, and we’ve got some work I’m quite proud to show off.

So let me get back on topic.  Beth & Chris has a gorgeous fall wedding at the Inn at St. John’s. They put a priority on getting great portraits, so they opted to do a first look, which we always recommend.  These two were such a joy to photograph.  Beth has a stunning face.  The camera loves every angle of her.  She certainly made things easy for us. Chris is hilarious and has a super expressive face that radiates emotion. I met up with Beth in her hotel room while she got dressed.

See what I mean?  Stunning.

They chose to see each other for the first time in the courtyard at the Inn at St. John’s.

Is that a happy groom or what?  See what I mean about Chris? I love his expressions.

Beth & Chris – thanks again for choosing us to photograph your day.  You guys were incredible to work with and we enjoyed sharing  your day with you!

Alex and Alex’s wedding was a feast of color and a study in elegance.  From the bright pop of pink and green in Alexandra’s bouquet to her amazing and festive reception, she went bold all the way.  The day was filled with excitement, big smiles, and lots of laughter.  I started the day at Alexandra’s mom’s house in Grosse Pointe where Alex’s dress was magnificently displayed in the living room.  Meanwhile, Andy was with our groom as he prepared for their wedding at St. Paul on the Lake.

I LOVE the expressions in these processional shots.  Especially Alexandra’s dad.

Alexandra’s parents were also married at St. Paul on the Lake and have a portrait in their home from in front of the church, so we had to be sure to get a similar shot to add to their family’s history.  From the church, we headed downtown for some more portraits with the bridal party before going to the reception.

This shot below cracked me up.  It’s not the type of image I normally blog, but I love the spontaneity of this moment.  It’s not uncommon to run into other brides when we are hitting landmark sites on a Saturday.  (One previous time we were at the Fox there was, no kidding, FIVE other bridal parties there at the same time for photos!)  But usually the brides never get close enough to do anything other than shout “congratulations” at each other from a distance.  A bridal high-five in the middle of Woodward?  That’s pretty rad!

The reception was held at Lakeland Banquet & Event Centre in St. Clair Shores.  The room was completely transformed with up-lights and accent lighting, bathing the entire room in a pink glow.  It was really a stunning reception, and a lot of fun to photograph!

I’m still catching up on my wedding blogging, but I have to say, it’s been such fun going back and looking at these images from our earlier events.  I still have a LOT more weddings to get through, so stay tuned!   Big thanks to Alex + Alex for letting us be a part of your amazing wedding.  :)

I’m excited to share another great wedding with you today.  It was so much fun to chose the images for this post.  Sarah and Trevor started their day at the beautiful Inn on Ferry Street in Detroit.  The Inn is actually a group of restored Victorian homes and two carriage houses located in Midtown.  It is a great place to get ready and Sarah and Trevor chose to do their first look there as well.

I love this shot – Sarah, you are so beautiful!

They did their first look in front of one of the carriage houses.  Trevor lit up when he saw his bride.

Their wedding ceremony took place at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit.  This was our first time there and we thought it was a stunning church.  I have to post two exterior shots because I couldn’t choose a favorite.







After their ceremony, we were only given a few minutes to take photos in front of the church, but we made the most of them.

After the ceremony, we headed to the reception at the Shenandoah Country Club in West Bloomfield.  Emerald City did a great job with the flowers and decor.

Thanks so much to Sarah & Trevor for allowing us to document their day.  We had a great time working with you and wish you both the best!  :)

Look at me blogging two days in a row!  I’m back today with another wedding I’ve been meaning to share forever.  Valerie & K.C. had a beautiful, elegant wedding at St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church in Grosse Pointe and a gorgeous reception downtown at the Detroit Athletic Club.  Valerie was an absolutely stunning bride and we had a wonderful time working with them both.

Valerie and K.C. – thanks again for letting us be part of your day.  Your wedding was gorgeous!

Awhile back I mentioned that I still had a few weddings from last year left to blog. I am hoping to get this blog up to date, so here’s the first of several wedding posts to share!  Laura & Nico flew in from California for their wedding at St. James Catholic Church in Ferndale. Laura didn’t stop smiling all day, and Nico is a true gentleman, and an all-around nice guy.  Here are some of our favorites:

We love this bow tie shot.  If it looks familiar, it’s because it’s been on the gallery on our main website for awhile now.  :)

This is also another one of my favorites.  I love that Laura’s dad walked it at just the perfect moment.

Laura and Nico decided to relax at Laura’s mom’s house after the wedding, and we had to get a few photos with their pups.  How cute are they?

Laura & Nico, It was our pleasure documenting your day!  We wish you all the best!

We are in the midst of another busy (and HOT!) wedding season.  We’ve already photographed over a dozen beautiful events this year and we have a lot more to go.  As I’ve been a bit remiss in blogging the weddings in a timely basis, I thought I’d put a quick post up with some previews of weddings I still have to blog….and here’s the embarrassing part – a few are even from last year!  The image above is from Betsy & Danny’s wedding at Old St. Mary’s in Downtown Detroit.  Betsy was positively radiant and this is one of my favorite processional photos to date.  :)

Continuing 2010:

KATIE + JEREMY

SARAH + TREVOR

LAURA + NICO

VALERIE + K.C.

BETH + CHRIS

ALEX + ALEX

2011:

ELIZABETH + CHRIS

ERIN + CHRIS

LAUREN + PHIL

I started blogging this year’s weddings already, so I am not quite as far behind.     Here are a few more recent ones currently being edited:

COLLEEN + MATT

SHANNON + DEAN

KELLY + DON

So yeah……I’ve got a LOT of blog content to share with you.  :)  And I still have a few more engagement sessions to post as well.   I have to admit part of the reason I’m putting these previews up is that I am a bit paranoid that a prospective client may be checking out our blog and thinking we aren’t doing much work!  It couldn’t be more the opposite.   (It also is worth mentioning that while I take my sweet time getting the blog posts up, files are delivered to clients on a much more timely basis.)

I would also like to thank our clients for being awesome (first and foremost) and also for their patience as we are in the midst of the most hectic part of the season.  If you call trying to reach us on a Friday or Saturday, there is a good chance we’ll be at a wedding. And unless we have a wedding, we usually take Sundays off.  So while we may be working at home editing, we may not be responding to e-mail or starting on new orders until Monday.  (We need some time to charge our internal batteries!)

Alright, time for me to go – today we’ll be off to Plymouth to photograph Hayley & Joel‘s wedding.  :)  Have a good weekend everybody!

Wow, where do I even begin?  This was a really special wedding for us.  I’ve been friends with the groom’s mother, Anne Marie, for several years now.  Anne Marie is the type of person who adopts people and once you’re in, you become part of her family.  Andy and I have been to many of the DeRosier clan’s gatherings, large and small, so nearly everyone at this wedding was a familiar face.  Photographing the wedding of someone you know personally really gives you a bit of a different perspective and I think it makes us better rounded photographers.

We also had a close connection with the bride and groom.  Chris & Jessica’s proposal in 2008 was the first one we ever shot and will always have a special place in our heart.  We were still pretty new to wedding photography then, so I feel in a way that they kind of made this journey with us.  We photographed them again last year for their engagement, and now I’m thrilled to share their wedding images.  (You guys know a baby session is next, right?) 

I’ve naturally got a lot of favorites from their wedding, so let’s get started!  The bridal preparations started at the home of Jessica’s maid-of-honor, Katie’s house.

It’s a tradition in Jessica’s family to attach some pins with special significance on the inside lining of the dress.   I loved this detail!

Jessica’s dress was perfection.

This image below is one of my favorite getting ready images ever.  I “saw” this photo in black & white before I even clicked the shutter, and I love it.

And here’s Chris & his dad getting ready:

Super cute bride and maid-of-honor!

Chris’s dad and brother….who look more and more like each other every time I see them together.

Early in the day, we headed over to the Grosse Pointe War Memorial to get a few bridal images of Jess before we headed to the church.  The weather forecast threatened rain pretty much all day, but we lucked out and it stayed dry for us.

St. Ambrose in Grosse Pointe Park.  This is one of our favorite churches to photograph.  It’s just a few blocks from our house, it’s beautiful inside, and the rows of pews are laid out in such a way that it’s easy for us to keep out of sight during a ceremony but still get really great shots from a variety of angles.  It’s kind of a wedding photographer’s dream church.  Down the aisle!

Chris’s reaction!

Married!

The bridal party was so much fun.  This photo really needs to be seen LARGE because it’s hilarious.  Of course we took some more traditional shots, but this one cracks me up. 

Chris & Jessica didn’t do a First Look, but they did put PLENTY of time into the timeline for photos which is a MUST if you aren’t doing a First Look.  We really appreciate the time they spent with us, and I think they are going to have a tough time picking photos for their album. 

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this one below. 

Jessica knows how to work it for the camera.  Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Their reception was held at Mac & Ray’s overlooking Lake St. Clair. 

Their cake was created by Chocolate Bar Cafe, a local favorite.

Touching first dance.    Another favorite of mine.

I could post about a hundred more photos of the reception, but I reined myself in.  Here is just a sampling. 

Chris and JJ, we are glad to count you as friends & neighbors.  We wish you nothing but the best as you start this new chapter of your lives.  (And a big congrats to JJ on graduating nursing school and landing a new job downtown!)  We love you guys and we had a blast documenting your relationship from your proposal to your walk down the aisle.  Congratulations to you both!

If you’d like to see even more images, you can check out their slideshow on Vimeo.

It was such a pleasure to work with Erica & Matt! From our first time meeting them, we knew they were going to fun, and they didn’t disappoint. Their wedding, which took place in May, was the first of our 2011 season. I can’t think of a better couple to start the year off with. We arrived at Erica’s house in the morning to photograph the preparations. Devawn from Airbrush Michigan was on the scene making sure all the ladies looked flawless.

Erica’s sister gifted her a lovely pearl bracelet with her initials engraved on it from Tiffany & Co. What a great keepsake!

I love when brides have pretty hangers for their dresses, and I love it even more when they have custom ones created! Also, I loved Erica’s choice in shoes. These sweet Kate Spade flats are not only completely adorable, but also totally practical for a day that involves being on your feet. They are also very re-wearable, and she can always think of her wedding day when she puts them on.

Erica & Matt exchanged vows at the Plymouth Manor.

From there, we quickly went to downtown Plymouth for a few portraits before returning to Plymouth Manor.

Erica just glowed all day.

Finally, I’ll wrap up with some of our favorite candids from the reception.

And of course, I gotta include the “bling” shot!

Erica & Matt, thank you so much for letting us be a part of your day. Your wedding was such fun and it was a pleasure to witness it. We are so excited about your big move to NYC and wish nothing but the best! We hope you stay in touch!

Want to see more?  Their wedding slideshow can be viewed here.

Hey everybody!  I am so excited to share the first few weddings of our 2011 season, but I still have some events from last year to catch up on.  Today, I have some of our favorites from JeeYoung & David’s September wedding at Cherry Creek Golf Club in Shelby Twp.  This was our third time at this venue, and it was a pleasure working there.  First up though are some details from JeeYoung getting ready at her house.  JeeYoung’s bridesmaids were there to help her get dressed and the house was buzzing with laughter and excitement. 

JeeYoung and David decided to do a First Look, which we always recommend.  It’s always a standout moment of the day.   I love this sequence as JeeYoung sneaks up on David.

JeeYoung’s happy yellow bouquet injected a pop of festive color into her look.  I love when brides go bold with their bouquets!

The couple’s pups stopped by for a quick photo.  We photographed them at JeeYoung and David’s engagement session too.  I love that they included them on their wedding day. 

A few more of our favorites…JeeYoung, you are so beautiful!

Their ceremony was held at the Korean United Methodist Church in Troy.

After their ceremony, it was back to Cherry Creek for the reception!

First dance!

I normally try not to post two images from the Father-Daughter dance, but both of these were so sweet, I can’t choose. 

JeeYoung & David – THANK YOU for letting us be part of your day.  We hope law school is going well for you JeeYoung!  Best of luck to you both!