Learn more about wedding photography

I kicked off my 2019 wedding season with Kim and Tony’s wedding at Planterra Conservatory in West Bloomfield last weekend, and was absolutely jaw dropping.

Every detail was a dream come true, from the long, sweeping tables filled with candles and garland to the impeccable service by the staff at Planterra and so so many friendly faces that made the day a joy.

Kim and Tony never seemed stressed – they were both such a joy to spend the day with, and they seemed to be having the best time every time I turned my camera their way.

Thanks to absolutely everyone who made this day special. Scroll down to the bottom of this post for a full list of wedding vendors who helped make Kim and Tony’s wedding day what it was.

Wedding Vendors:

• Wedding venue, styling, florals, and planning: Planterra Conservatory, West Bloomfield (David DiVincenzo)
• Catering: Forte Belanger
• Wedding Dress: The White Dress (Stella York)
• Bridesmaid Dresses: JJs House
• Wedding Shoes: Kate Spade
• Hair and Makeup: Stephanie Holmes Hair
• Groom’s Suit: Ted Baker
• Groom’s Shoes: Undandy
• Pocket Squares: The Tie Bar
• DJ: DJ Joey A
• Photo Assistant/Second Photographer: Ryan Grenadier

Learn more about Allie & Co. Wedding Photography >

I spent about four years living in Chicago—it’s where I first discovered the Chicago Photography Center, the nonprofit where I took just about every photography class that I could on the evenings and weekends while I worked for a large PR agency in a high-rise downtown.

Chicago is where Jeff and I originally planned to get married (before our venue went out of business, and rearranged our entire plans to get married in Mexico instead). It’s where Jeff proposed, where I met many dear friends as I started my new life after graduating from MSU, and where I spent a summer working as a second photographer before someone took a chance on me and hired me to photograph my very first solo wedding (which, lucky for me, was at an amazing wedding venue that instantly took my portfolio to a new level).

Chicago was the place where I first went out on my own as a business owner—leaving behind the relative certainty of a steady job to discover the rush of working for myself. It’s also the place we visited before hopping on a plane with only two carry on suitcases to move to Washington DC for nine months back in 2013.

I don’t get back there nearly as often as I used to, but we met some of our closest friends while we were living there (friends who convinced us to go skiing in Colorado, take a 13-month-old to Hawaii to celebrate the new year in 2014, to take two kids to Costa Rica for a week, and to go on all kinds of other travel adventures). They’ve moved outside of the city since we moved away, but it’s still a treat to get back there when we can.

Erin and Alex gave me just the excuse I was looking for last summer when they mentioned photographing their engagement session in Chicago a year ahead of their Michigan wedding. I originally convinced myself we’d be able to sail our boat across Lake Michigan from St. Joseph for the session, but I quickly realized how impractical that idea was, and so I made plans to drive in.

If you’re looking to plan an engagement session at the Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool, make sure that you get a permit ahead of time.

And one more quick note—this is a full session (60 minutes), which is usually enough time for two nearby locations and two outfits.

Learn more about wedding photography

If you’re looking at Ann Arbor wedding venues for a summer wedding, the Ann Arbor City Club is such a laid back, beautiful setting.

Andrea and Kyle had a first look near Andrea’s parents’ house to leave time for wedding party portraits in downtown Ann Arbor and group photos before the wedding ceremony on the lawn of the Ann Arbor City Club.

Since their photos were out of the way by that point, they were able to enjoy a relaxed private dinner together while their guests had cocktail hour outside. This gave them time to be together without the normal stresses of the wedding day, and by the time the reception began, they were ready to greet their guests, pose for photos with friends, and get out on the dance floor.

It’s an approach that I don’t get to see every day, but it was such a nice way to create a relaxed schedule for everyone, and Andrea and Kyle’s guests loved that I was there to take photos of them looking their best during cocktail hour.

This is a great example of a single photographer wedding—we put together a schedule that made it easy for me to take all of the photos without a second photographer.

Learn more about Allie & Co. Wedding Photography