Kelsey and Andrew were so down for getting into the prompts that I gave them during their engagement photos—and it totally shows in their huge laughs and their genuinely sweet moments together.

This was the first set of engagement photos that I ever took with my favorite new lens, and I swear to you that this thing is never leaving my side again.

Check back next Tuesday for a brand new blog post.

Learn more about wedding photography

I just happened to schedule an afternoon out to see Beauty and the Beast with friends the day after Lauren and Kyle’s wedding, and as I jumped into editing that week, I couldn’t help but see the similarities between their wedding and the gorgeous royal castle where it all takes place. Even the candlesticks had a striking resemblance to Lumière—and Lauren’s classic white bouquet by Petal and Forrest echoed the colors of the 2011 royal wedding that we all know and love. Add in a classic cathedral veil and gold chairs from Chair Happy, and you have the perfect elegant, timeless wedding. Scroll all the way down for more details from Lauren, along with a list of wedding vendors.

From Lauren, the bride:

Kyle and I worked really hard to incorporate a lot of the traditional items in weddings that were important to us, a family-focused and intimate event, and also something that really reflected both Kyle and my personalities. Some details we incorporated to make it unique to us:

• Our wedding colors: I’m a Spartan grad (therefore, green and white) and Kyle is a graduate of Adrian College (black and gold). Much of our relationship grew while I worked at Adrian College, and we spend a LOT of our time on the campus of MSU. We incorporated our past and our present with the colors.
• Our wedding party: Not only was it important to us to have some of our best friends by our side—including fraternity brothers, lifelong friends, and high school besties. But also our siblings! On Kyle’s side, his little brothers joined in as groomsmen. And on my side, my best friends in the whole world (besides Kyle!), my brothers Brent and Matt (who served as my “best men”—or, as they’d like to call themselves, “Hand of the Bride”)
• The decor: I’m definitely more into fancy, traditional, ornate things—so things like decorative chairs, special charger plates and fancy invites. Kyle is more rustic and has an extensive background in biology—so we incorporated wood accents, lots of flowers.
• Our vows: We wrote our own vows
• Our wedding music: It was important to my mom that “The Lord’s Prayer” be sung, as it was sung at my parents’ wedding. Kyle’s grandfather, Phil Knapp, is an avid singer. It matched perfectly! A song that is important to my family, and singing that is important to Kyle’s family. It was a lovely blend of the two. (My mom’s best friend, Tama, played the piano to accompany Phil.)
• Spending time with just our wedding party after the ceremony and before the reception started: These people are our besties—and we knew the day would be busy. Setting aside a small amount of time to hang out with JUST them was important to us.
• Obviously family is important to us, so we made an effort to make sure each person had a role that day. Our brothers served as groomsmen. My dad walked me down the aisle. Our moms served as hostesses. Kyle’s dad gave the blessing.

Wedding Vendors:

• Ceremony: MSU Alumni Chapel, East Lansing, Michigan
• Reception: Kellogg Center, East Lansing, Michigan
• Hair and Makeup: Kenneth Brandt Salon
• Flowers: Petal and Forrest
• Chairs: Chair Happy
• Cake: A Piece O’ Cake
• Invitations: Wedding Paper Divas
• DJ: Jump Start DJs

Check back next Tuesday for a brand new blog post.

I’ve been obsessed with Southern Exposure Herb Farm near Battle Creek ever since I photographed Courtney and Mike’s wedding there in 2015. Brittany and Mike loved all of the gorgeous gardens they have there, so when it didn’t work out for them to host their wedding there, they asked if it was okay to shoot their engagement photos there. The whole team at Southern Exposure is so giving—they were completely up for the idea (by the way, check out their themed dinners if you ever want to plan a date night or a night out with friends that will blow you away).

Brittany and Mike’s two bulldogs added so much personality to their session. If you’re thinking about brining your dog along for your engagement sessions, absolutely do it! Just be sure to bring a friend along to help out when it comes time to get a few photos of just the two of you together.

Check back next Tuesday for a brand new blog post.

Learn more about wedding photography

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.