I am so thrilled to share information about two great bridal shows that I am honored to be participating in. Both are really unique shows that are hoping to present brides with fabulous vendors with great reputations and really wonderful work. Instead of being overrun by options and information both of these shows are include a select group of vendors who were chosen for their distinctive visions and professional quality. I am so lucky to be included with the talented artists, artisans, and professionals that are participating in these shows and I can’t tell you how wonderful it feels to be included in their company.

I know that bridal shows have reputation for being traditional and even outdated—but both of these shows are looking to break the mold of bridal shows by giving couples a unique, and dare I even say, hip bridal show experience. Seriously, these shows are going to be different and contemporary and a wonderful way to meet with potential vendors face to face to learn about the talents and skills they could bring to your most special day. I hope you are able to join me at one of these two shows and please stop by my booth to meet me in person and to chat!

The Little Black Book Event will be set-up like a wedding with a color palette of purples, lavender and fuchsia.  Champagne and hors d’oeuvres will be served throughout the event allowing you to have a great and fun experience while meeting and interacting with some fabulous Lansing wedding vendors.

Saturday, February 6, 2010

The Country Club of Lansing

2200 Moores River Drive

Lansing, Michigan 48911

11am - 2pm

$10 entry fee payable at door

Call 517-333-6881 or go to Little Black Book Event for more information

I was so thrilled to finally meet Kristy and Josh in person. Although I had gotten to know Kristy and Josh a little via email and phone chats these California residents booked me to shoot their summer wedding without meeting me in person. I am always honored when a couple asks me to photograph their wedding, but I get even more excited when they find me and my work from the other side of the country. And I couldn’t be happier that Kristy and Josh found me. Kristy is beautiful and has such a lovely presence—seriously; you can see in the images how infectious her radiant smile is. And Josh kept me laughing throughout the session. It was wonderful to see this couple interact and see how comfortable and natural they were with each other. I can’t wait for their summer wedding at the Fountain Street Church and Amway Grand in Grand Rapids.

Kristy was so eager to get out in the snow and make a snow angel–Josh, a California native, not so much. Even though Kristy ended up going solo on making a snow angel I love this image of her in a sea of snow. They were troopers for heading outdoors on an incredibly snowy day and I love the snowy shots we got.

I was thrilled and honored when Bethany and Justin asked me to photograph their wedding, not only are they a great couple who share my affinity for British television, but Bethany is also my cousin. You may remember Bethany from the headshots I took of her last summer. Bethany has been busy turning her blog The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks into a book which will be published later this year, so what better place to take their engagement photos than the Herrick District Library in Holland, MI. It was great lurking around a library with my camera and Justin and Bethany were good sports for getting cozy in the non-fiction section. After the library we took advantage of some rare winter light—the midday sun bouncing off the snow was SO beautiful that I may insist on shooting more sessions knee deep in snow. I can’t wait for Justin and Bethany’s summer wedding in Holland, but for now, enjoy a few favorites from their e-session.

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats-required reading for all Michigan youngsters. Justin and Bethany wanted a shot with their laptops as an ode to their long distance relationship. Love it.

So I now have a list of must have items for a great lifestyle session, it includes: fairy wings, a handmade green sweater, and amazing light (and it doesn’t hurt to have adorable curly haired kids either). I had an amazing time photographing the entire Meerts clan. It was really cool to see three generations of this family hanging out together and it was nice getting to know them a little bit while photographing them. It was wonderful hearing how Janet and John met (or as their grandkids call them, Oma and Opa) and it was fun to see how naturally siblings, no matter how old, fall into familiar laughter. And yeah, those adorable kids were great too (seriously, those fairly wings are incredible aren’t they?). Coming up with just a few favorites from this session was hard, but here is a little peak of the Meerts family starting with the two youngest members.

Before Christmas I had the pleasure of photographing April and Kathryn. Kathryn is a very active little girl so we decided to do our lifestyle session at Impressions 5, Lansing’s hands on science museum. Kathryn was totally into all the activities and I had a blast chasing after her as she experimented in the bubble room and made a very wet mess in the water room. After the museum we had a little fun in the snow followed but a very blue cup of ice cream (a nice treat for being such a good model, but really a treat for me because kids with ice cream is always fun to photograph). I was deeply honored to be able to capture Kathryn at this very fun age and to shoot this mother/daughter session. I can’t say enough how much I admire April, not just for raising such a enjoyable and spirited little girl, but also for her commitment to the National Guard the training necessary to become an officer. Here are a few favorites from the session, and good luck April as you head to OCS training!

So I don’t normally post pictures from events that I photograph (other than weddings) but I have been dying to show some pics from the Lucy Grey launch party. Lucy Grey is a great new purse line created by the fabulous Michelle Thelen. I love Lucy Grey because not only is it a Michigan based company but because the whole concept is phenomenal—you get to pick from one of the super cute purse designs and then customize your bag by choosing what fabric combinations you want (and the fabrics are phenomenal). Then your bag gets custom created for you and arrives with a special little feature—instructions for three random acts of kindness that you can do and share on the Lucy Grey blog. LOVE IT! Michelle has consultants who are happy to host a Lucy Grey party at your house or you can order a custom page through her website.

Not only is this a fabulous last minute Christmas gift (think gift card for a design it yourself bag) but also a great idea for a bridesmaid gift. I know when I got married I didn’t know what to get my bridesmaids and Lucy Grey clutches custom made to match my colors would have been amazing (and you can even make them each bag with different fabrics to personalize them for your bridesmaids). Okay, enough gushing. But I wish Michelle and Lucy Grey all the best on what is sure to be a huge success—and I can’t wait till

my Lucy Grey bags arrive!

I am in LOVE with all the fabulous fabric that you can use on your bag.This is the beautiful Michelle passing out blooms which you can add to your bag or wear seperately as an accessory. Three random acts of kindness (or RAoK) cards come with each bag. 

A couple of days ago I had the absolute pleasure of shooting a maternity session for Erek and Kate. Kate looks amazing and I can’t believe that it is only two weeks till her due date. I was pretty blown away by how joyful Kate was and what amazing peace she had about everything. It was great getting to know them better and I can’t wait to meet their soon to be born son. Here are a few of my favorites from the session. I absolutely loved the fact that their dog Harper got in on the action. We started at their beautiful home and then headed to the Grand Rapids Art Museum for some outdoor shots (and yes I am cruel enough to ask a pregnant woman to stand outside in winter—thanks for being such good sports Kate and Erek).

And a little self promotion if you don’t mind…if you are pregnant and are interested in both a maternity session and a family session post baby please contact me for info on my great new package for new families.

Last Saturday I shot my last wedding of 2009 and I couldn’t have asked for a nicer or more beautiful wedding to end the year with. Seth and Amelea got married at Eastern Avenue CRC in Grand Rapids, MI with a reception at the Douglas Walker Park shelter house. I LOVED all the little details and personal touches that Seth and Amelea incorporated into their wedding. From the paper birds they carefully hung at the front of the church to the bluegrass band at the reception, Seth and Amelea made sure that their wedding reflected their passions and personalities. I loved watching Seth and Amelea interact throughout the day—you could just feel the love between them and it was really amazing to photograph them and to capture the joy and happiness they were both radiating. I was also privileged to have my good friend Karen second shoot the wedding with me. I shot with Karen when I lived in Ohio and it was wonderful to have her along with me for this fabulous wedding.

Karen got this amazing shot of Amelea getting ready.

The light in Amelea’s parents house was just amazing!

I LOVE the headpiece that Amelea made herself.

Karen got these two great shots of Seth getting ready.

Seth and Amelea had their friends and family put flowers in vases as they entered the sanctuary for the wedding. By the time everyone arrived they had four large and beautiful arrangements.

Love this little moment after they just walked up the aisle.

Before they met each other Seth and Amelea both bought bingo cards at a thrift store–they made the perfect table numbers.

Amelea and her mom made these fabulous ceramic tiles.

It is hard to believe that it has been a month since Halloween, but the decorations on my mantle tell me that fall is long gone. I have been reliving the autumn today (and wishing winter wasn’t already here) as I went through images from Walt and Sara’s wedding. Brett Maxwell was kind enough to ask me to shoot this great wedding with him. I love shooting with friends and can’t thank Brett enough for having me tag along to this fabulous Halloween wedding. My favorite part of the day had to be Walt’s kilt. It takes a pretty courageous man to wear a skirt but Walt wore it with some serious style and flair. And I love how Sara and Walt incorporated all the colors of his family’s tartan into the wedding day. I also enjoyed shooting at the Wellers Carriage House in Saline, MI which proved to be the perfect reception location for this plaid happy couple. Congrats to Sara and Walt!

Loved Sara’s lime green shoes!A quiet moment as husband and wife.In honor of the holiday Sara and Walt had jack-o-lanterns scattered throughout the Wellers Carriage House.Favorite of the day…for sure.Synchronized shooting…should be an Olympic sport.A little hint of Halloween.

Okay, today’s Tuesday’s tip is admittedly less tip and more advertisement, but hey, I love what I do so I want to share all the fabulous things you can do with your photographs. Every year I try to come up with a unique and interesting idea for our Christmas cards—and generally those ideas involve photography. This year’s idea is still coming to fruition but it will definitely be in the mail to friends and family soon (the retro pics were a real hit and a little better received than our German Expressionist portraits—Cory has remained relatively open minded this year). As you are trying to decide what kind of Holiday card you want to send keep in mind a card with your photo on it (nothing says Happy Holiday to friends and family like a picture of yourself). It is not too late to order a custom holiday card or to order a pre-Christmas portrait session. Here are a few of my custom card templates that are ready to share this holiday season.  

I also want to mention Jenny Schu who is one of my fabulous former brides and a really talented fiber artist (see sample card #2—she’s the one with the totally chic hat/veil). She has some great pieces available for holiday gift giving so be sure to check out her blog!