Erin & Mike - An international affair!

Sunday was a destination wedding... to Windsor! Okay, so that’s closer to me than say, Ann Arbor, but still, it is international and we did need our passports! Erin was perhaps the most prepared bride ever and she and Mike were able to have their ceremony outdoors despite rain in the morning. We were also able to navigate the weeds and trash at the parks along the river (the city of Windsor has been on strike for two months and it’s a bit of a jungle down there) for some cool water front shots. Hula hoops provided endless entertainment for the kids during dancing and Skye debuted our frames props for the photobooth with roaring success!

Janeiro & Ronnie

For a day that started out getting a moving violation ticket, this ended up being a great group of people who not only celebrated their good fortune of being together, but surrounded themselves with great friends and family.  I don’t ever remember people clapping when the wedding party started coming down the aisle. I also loved the church coordinator, the bridal party was gracious (literally holding me while a balanced on top of a very skinny bench) and we bonded over sweating ourselves silly in the limo with no air conditioning (do any limos ever have air conditioning that works?). I had so many people come up during the reception to tell me what a great job I was doing, I was blushing by the end of the evening. One or two is pretty normal... but thirty? That was awesome. I was my uber embergency bridal kit came into play when the fairly inexpensive garter I’d purchased earlier this year was needed. “Saving the Day” was a kick! So thanks for embrassing me so fully into your newly formed fold!

Playing with Technique

Sometimes it's just fun to try something new and learn a new technique. Of course, I could never try this out while on assignment... there was a lot of fumbling "ums" and "ers" involved... things that need to be second nature and just weren't yesterday! So with two lovely volunteers... Skye and her boyfriend, Joel... I've added a new thing to try with my couples!

Owen!

One of my favorite things to do is to see my wedding couples again and this time, we met three years later to shoot a new family portrait with their 7 month old, Owen. Not only is he THE most adorable kid on earth... he smiles on cue (and for me!) letting me get tons of great shots. He’s just about the easiest kid I’ve ever shot (my own included). I’m not saying he loved every minute, but one Cheerio in an hour and a half was pretty much all he needed to keep a smile on his face!

Amy & Tim May 9, 2009

I knew I was in for a great day when Tim’s mom came into the room and said, “Aaaaww, Timmy!” making them both burst into tears. Lots of my grooms are sentimental (way more so than the brides, I might add), but Tim was very, very into the wedding day.  He was so happy and so teary, you only needed to see his mom for about three seconds to realize where he gets his wear-your-emotions-on-your-sleeve sentimentality from! Church of the Little Flower provided a wonderful 360 degree view of the church and I was able to get some amazing photos during the ceremony in a way that’s rarely feasible in most churches. Amy and Tim wanted to take photos in the park where they walk their dogs (who also came along for some photos) before heading to their favorite pub for a quick drink. The Somerset Inn hosted the wedding reception and put up a HUGE screen for me to project my “best of” slideshow. I was taken aback when the entire room’s conversation came to a halt during dinner to ooh and aah during the slideshow.  That’s never happened, but Amy assured me afterwards that it was a huge hit with everyone, including them. We all got treated to a really cool first dance that incorporated salsa into their first dance as well as some entertaining toasts. Thanks for hosting such a great party and having such amazing guests!

Melissa & Dennis May 8, 2009

Sometimes it’s best to watch a wedding through the eyes of children and Dennis & Melissa’s kids gave me the perfect opportunity to witness their wedding through their eyes. They have a close bond with their kids, but also with their parents. I loved their infectious joy at the whole celebration of the day. Their kids were happily and easily simulated into the day. Sam, the two year old, made it down the aisle not once, but twice down the aisle solo (with a little encouragement from mom and dad). Tyler’s total disdain for his tux provided some great photo opportunities and so did the flowers various bridesmaid left in the pews and steps during the ceremony. Ever the playful group, we stopped at the George George Memorial Park to play on their playground (the bride and groom’s request) before heading to the reception. Fun group, fun couple and fun photos!

Ann and Erich May 2, 2009

I can’t remember the last time I met such a sweet and goofy groom as Erich. He was totally into the wedding, totally into the bride (always a plus!) and very excited about the whole day. Their beautiful church in Chelsea gave me wonderful access to the goings on of the ceremony and the ring bearer provided lots of comic relief along with Erich and Ann’s 10 second smooch! Chelsea’s rail depot turned out to be a great spot to have fun with a shoot before heading off to the reception where Sparty made an appearance in Ann Arbor. When he was a few minutes late, I was worried the U of M grads were tarring and feathering him at the city limits, but he eventually made it! I worked with a wonderful coordinator, Tracie, from You’re the Bride, who was as down to earth and easy going as the bride and groom. Erich’s mom gave a toast/roast which managed to embarrass just about everybody there! As you can see from the photos, nobody had a better time at their wedding than Ann and Erich.... isn’t that how it’s supposed to be?