Nicole + David: Rosewood Inn Wedding, Lansing

August 13, 2014

I’ve always had this dream about taking photographs out by my parents house. They live in the country on a dirt road far away from just about everything. Leading up to Nicole and David’s wedding, I decided to pack up Zelda and head out to the Rosewood Inn to check it out so that I would know what to expect, and I was absolutely delighted to discover that this was the wedding venue I had been passing by for years on the way to my parents’ house. It’s out in the country surrounded by corn fields, and it’s a dream (field of dreams, heh). They were absolutely the sweetest when Zelda and I stopped by to tour, and I love that they take care of all of the details—from flowers to cake—right there on site. I’m in love with this venue. It’s completely unique to the Lansing area.

Okay, after gushing about the venue, I hope you’ll allow me a moment to gush about Nicole and David. We met last year to photograph their engagement session when I was super pregnant with Zelda, and I knew that I liked them right from the get go when they were game for going behind a dumpster to take photos in a spot that I swore would be worth it. These two were just plain fun to work with—incredibly sweet and clearly head over heels in love with each other. Nicole and David, thanks for having us out. And a big thank you to Dionel for assisting on this wedding and getting some amazing shots to help tell the story of the day.

Check back next Tuesday for a brand new blog post.

Jenny + Ryan: St. Michael Church and Newberry Library Chicago Wedding

July 9, 2014

I’m going to warn you now: this post will be long. Chicago weddings still hold a special place in my heart. I lived there for almost four years—I became passionate about photography thanks to the Chicago Photography Center, where I took just about every class they offered and eventually started teaching. I apprenticed under a wedding photographer there and got my feet wet photographing insanely beautiful weddings that I probably had no right to photograph in the very early days. I started planning my own wedding there before our venue went out of business and we moved the whole shindig to Mexico.

Jenny and Ryan’s wedding took me to three stellar Chicago locations—The Palmer House, where everyone got ready, St. Michael’s Church, which epitomizes the beauty of Chicago churches, and the Newberry Library, which I remember slipping into years ago to explore after reading ‘The Time Traveler’s Wife.’ On top of all this, Jenny was one of the most expressive brides I’ve ever had the honor of meeting. Her face exuded pure joy all day, from the big hug that she gave me when I arrived until the moment we said our goodbyes. The day flew by—it was nonstop fun. Jenny and Ryan, I’m honored that I was able to be a part of your special day. I wish you all the happiness back in LA.

Check back next Tuesday for a brand new blog post.

Dottie, Matt and Lola: Family Life Photos

June 25, 2014

When my sister’s family was planning their move into a new house in DeWitt for this spring, I started to think about my own family’s move when I was two years old. I have a few very faint memories of that first house, and I always wished I had more family photos to see how my family lived when I was a baby and toddler.

Around the same time that I started thinking about this, I did a family photo swap with another photographer in the area. That inspired me to take family photos with my sister’s family around their house so that my two and four year old nephews could look back and see how they interacted together around the “old” house (I’ll post those photos soon—stay tuned). After the shoot, I asked my sister if she knew anyone else who would be moving soon who might want family photos to remember their house (my sister’s an awesome realtor in Lansing—shameless plug if anyone’s looking to move). She put me in touch with Dottie. Dottie, Matt and their daughter, Lola, will be moving to the St. Louis area later this summer. They’ve been in their house for five years. They renovated it, decorated it, turned the house into a home and brought their daughter home to this place two years ago. I love that I had a chance to capture them in their first family home, and I hope that these photos make Lola smile twenty years from now when she’s wondering what life was like in those early days before the family moved.

Rebecca + Jason: Michigan State Campus Photos

June 11, 2014

Rebecca and Jason are a rare pair. She’s from Australia. He’s from Massachusetts. They met at Michigan State, got married in Australia, and now they’re both finishing up their PhDs before moving to Massachusetts to work at the same college together. Before moving, they wanted to document their lives here at Michigan State with their two energetic pups. I loved walking around campus with these two and hearing stories from their time together at MSU. Rebecca and Jason, I wish you a smooth transition into the next chapter of your lives together. Thank you for letting me spend an evening with you soaking in campus and all of your wonderful stories.

Latest From Instagram