allie, Author at Allie & Co. Photography, Lansing, Michigan Headshot and Commercial Photographers

A Barn Wedding Near Traverse City, Michigan

June 27, 2017

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Kelly and Murphy live in my old city (Chicago), and Kelly grew up in my current city (East Lansing), but Kelly’s parents moved up to Elk Lake recently, so they decided a destination wedding at the Garvey Barn in northern Michigan would be just the right fit for them.

There was so much creativity in this group—from the custom flag that Murphy designed (check it out above flying over the lake) to the house on the lake that Kelly’s sister, an architect, designed for her parents, to the wedding flowers that were custom designed by Murphy’s dad’s partner, Scott.

We got a bit of rain around ceremony time, but both Kelly and Murphy were so laid back about moving everything inside. Kelly was definitely a “bride-chilla,” and I loved her for it 🙂

Here’s a bit more from Kelly about how they planned their day:

“I grew up visiting my Grandma in Traverse City every summer, and more recently my parents moved onto Elk Lake, so the area has sentimental value to me. We were looking for a venue that could be semi-formal but still have a casual relaxed feel. Murphy designed and made all the signs and printed materials for the wedding (invites, save the dates, etc). His Dad’s partner Scott prepared all of the flowers for us, my friend Mary made all the vases for the centerpieces and my brother in law was our officiant! We were so excited to share this moment with our friends and family!”

Scroll all the way to the bottom for more details on Kelly and Murphy’s wedding vendors.

Wedding Vendors:

Venue: The Garvey Barn
DJ: DJ Them Flavors
Catering: Catering by Kelly’s

Check back next Tuesday for a brand new blog post.

Sailing Trip #3: Our First Sail on Lake Michigan

June 22, 2017

Jeff and I set last weekend aside ages ago to go up north and go sailing—even before we had a sailboat of our own, my parents had offered to watch the girls, and we planned to charter a boat out of Traverse City for the weekend.

This ended up being a great chance to get the sails up out on Lake Michigan for the first time (before this, we had only sailed on Lake Muskegon and motored on Lake Michigan).

These photos make it look so calm, but there were definitely moments when I yelped as the boat bobbed across the waves or heeled over in the wind (I’m still getting used to that part). Not to mention the minor injuries—a bumped head (mine), a few bruises and cuts from the lines. But injuries aside, there’s really nothing like sailing across the water with the quiet sound of wind and waves.

We did get a chance to practice our anchoring—we anchored in one of the arms of the channel in Muksegon, and we paddle boarded over to the beach to pick up some takeout from The Deck, a restaurant on the beach (we also learned that they sell sunglasses for $5 after Jeff lost his). It was a bit surreal looking out at the boat anchored there as we shared our plate of nachos. It was like looking out at a decade of hard work—multiple companies, multiple cities, late nights and long trips—all coming together to realize our dream.

Lifestyle Newborn Session at Home

June 20, 2017

I’m finding myself so drawn to the snugly at home lifestyle newborn sessions lately. I remember those first few days when we got home with each girl—both times we were so excited, so relieved to be home, so in awe of these tiny girls that had our features. I never want to forget how that felt, and I never want to lose that awe that I still have for my children.

Sarah + Ron: Adoption Profile Photos

June 13, 2017

Sarah and Ron asked me to help them with a very important project—they needed photos for their adoption profile and book that would let their personalities shine through. I learned pretty quickly that these two are a hoot—with a few interactive prompts, it didn’t take long to get them laughing together and showing off their goofy side.

Sarah and Ron, I loved hearing your stories, and I’m so excited to follow your journey into parenthood. One very lucky kid is going to have the honor of calling you Mom and Dad soon.

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