Grace + Dave: Jean Klock Beach and Veranda at the Whitcomb Wedding

August 13, 2015

I’m not kidding when I tell you that I loved Grace and Dave’s St. Joe wedding so much that we’ve already had a family vacation there since their wedding, and I may have spent a little more time than I’d care to admit browsing Zillow and dreaming about a future where I have a little summer cottage there and spend my summers photographing weddings on the beach. When you see the photos, I think you’ll know why I was so smitten (and The Knot was smitten too—Grace and Dave’s wedding was featured there last month! Be sure to check out the feature to read more details about Grace and Dave’s planning).

Thanks, as always, to Chris for coming along and doing and amazing job as the second photographer on this wedding. And thanks to Leah and Dan for introducing me to Grace and Dave—and for bringing your incredibly adorable daughter along for us obsess over.

If you’re planning a wedding in St. Joseph, be sure to check out Grace and Dave’s wedding vendor list at the bottom of this post.

Wedding Details:

Ceremony: Jean Klock Park, Benton Harbor MI
Reception Venue: Veranda at the Whitcomb, St Joseph MI
DJ: Randall Johnson, Wiser Productions
Invitations: Dianna McNicoll
Catering: CK Catering (One word: YUM!)
Wedding Dress: Vera’s Bridal, Madison, Wisconsin
Cake: Heather Turner
Hair: Mystique Doyle
Makeup: Emily Rennhack

Check out the video below to see more photos from Grace and Dave’s wedding.

Grace+Dave from Allie Siarto on Vimeo.

Courtney+Mike: Old Town Lansing Engagement Photos

July 30, 2015

I love Old Town. I’m there every Friday morning dancing like a crazy person at music lessons with my kid (my feet have the rhythm of the popcorn, pop-popcorn, pop-popcorn…), and I love the whole vibe of the area. As a photographer, I love that it’s so insanely diverse—from the colorful urban feel to the peaceful docks on the river, you can definitely hit up a ton of locations in a short amount of time.

Now let’s talk about Courtney and Mike for a minute. I met Courtney in elementary school, but we lost touch when she moved away. Then as freshmen in college, we both made the Michigan State cheerleading team and lived in the same dorm complex (yay, Brody!), and we bonded over the shared experience of finding our way as freshly minted “adults.” After a few moves on my part, we lost touch again for a bit, but I was so excited to hear from her after Mike proposed. I loved hopping around Old Town with these two—they’re full of laughs and so much fun. I’m definitely pumped for the wedding in September.

Check back next Tuesday for a brand new blog post.

A Rural Family Mini Session in DeWitt

July 23, 2015

I get questions sometimes about the difference between mini sessions (30 minutes) and full sessions (one hour). The main difference really comes down to how many locations you want to make it to. This family session was done in about 20 minutes during a mini marathon I did earlier this month, and we ended up with 50 images, all taken within one main area. For families with young children, mini sessions have been perfect.

Now can I talk about how photogenic this family is? I love this set, and I had so much fun watching the older girls interact with the little one.

Autumn + Dack: Sharon Mills Park Wedding

July 16, 2015

Autumn and Dack’s wedding had a relaxed vibe. It was small and intimate—complete with lawn games and a giant inflatable bounce house (and yes, I officially endorse bounce houses for every single wedding now).

From Autumn and Dack: “We planned a very small, intimate wedding (50 guests) in a rustic historic museum because we wanted a charming feel. We wanted to spend extra time with all of our guests. We made sure to incorporate a lot of rustic everyday things like chalkboards, wooden plaques, sunflowers, etc. We made sure to incorporate our favorite people who couldn’t be there (grandparents) in small pictures on my bouquet. My husband loved it and I surprised him with it…it was very important and meaningful to him. I also wrote him six love letters the day of our wedding for him to open up throughout the day. He loved them as well.”

What was your most memorable moment of the day? “Everything went so smoothly, we loved ALL of our vendors and especially our photographer! We loved the First Look where we could take a second to breathe and take everything in and enjoy the moment with each other before the big rush.”

Venue: Sharon Mills County Park
Florist: Flowers by Winter (Dennis Winters, Dundee, MI)
DJ: Quest Productions, Jim Adams
Catering: Food Art (SO SO good—I definitely recommend them!)
Wedding Dress: Belissima Bridal Salon (Rochester, MI) (Jade, Maggie Soterro)
Bridesmaid Dresses: Kennedy Blue, style Chloe
Wedding Shoes: Chaella flats, Zappos
Hair/Makeup: Salon Rushelle, Chelsea, MI
Bounce House: Bounce House from InflateYourParty.com (Grass Lake, MI)