Heather and Tyler, oh dearie me!  Where to even begin?  I sit here as I write this blog post and am thinking of how it’s possible to even express how amazing they both are, how amazing their entire wedding day was… and truly… words will not even describe.  Heather and I have been e-mailing for the past year over many little details of her wedding (she even sent me a photo of her dress while she was trying it on – just so I could see it!), and in that process, I feel like she’s become a true friend.  I was so excited to be a part of their wedding day – and it lived up to (actually, surpassed) my every expectation.

But beyond that?  These two – are the sweetest, kindest and most wonderful people you’ll ever meet.  And I’m not just saying that because they sent Mike and I brownies from Zingerman’s… really, I promise ;).   The way Tyler looks at Heather… or the way Heather laughs when Tyler says something silly… their love for each other made this day one of the happiest I’ve ever captured.

The wedding & ceremony were held at Waldenwoods… what a venue!  Wow!

And Heather’s flowers… and yes, floral crown (!!!!)… I may have been speechless for the first 30 minutes I saw each of them.  I’m not kidding.  You MUST see Susan’s work if you haven’t already – check her out at PassionFlower.  The amount of detail and work she put into every aspect was simply stunning.

Beautiful.

While I was with the ladies, Mike was over at the hotel with the guys grabbing just a few getting ready shots of Tyler.

And then we had their very first look for day… :)

LOVE.

I may be mildly obsessed with Heather’s floral crown, but really?  LOOK AT IT.  She looks SO INCREDIBLE!

Tyler – not so bad yourself ;)  Love the grey suit.

And of course, the socks.

Love this bridal party.  Look at how great they all look!

In heaven.  Siiiigh :)

They chose to get married overlooking the water in the brilliant sunshine.  It was gorgeous.

Handiwork of PassionFlower… these little glass jars made little ting ting noises in the gentle breeze… so cool.

Heather had the perfect view of her guests from her room upstairs!

The reception details, created by Heather (her design sense is so, so amazing – I’m even buying some of the lace tablecloths from her – ha!) and pulled together BEAUTIFULLY by Viva La Diva Events – I literally could NOT stop taking photos :)

After the speeches, the entire reception sang Heather’s mom a little happy birthday song ;)

And juuuuust a few more sunset photos… so thankful we had a few extra moments for this last set of portraits.  I adore them.

We came in as the sun went down and spent the rest of the night dancing and having SO much fun!

Treats… and more chocolate… oh my goodness yum.

While this preview may have seemed long (it was) – there is SO MUCH more I had to hold myself back from sharing.  Heather and Tyler, you two.  I wish my words could be more but for now… WE ADORE YOU BOTH!  SO MUCH :).  Sending all our love, hugs & congratulations!

Where to even begin on how much I adore these two?  This blog post may take the cake (pun intended) for the longest ever, but I cannot help myself!  Melissa and Joel’s wedding day was filled with so much happiness & love that I had a really hard time deciding which ones to use for their preview :)  These two were married in early April on a what-should-have-been beautiful Spring day… but the weather kept us guessing with rain, SNOW, clouds and a peek or two of sunshine.  But this literally did not phase Melissa or Joel – I never saw either one of them without a smile.

I also owe a huge thank you to the wonderful Heather from Infiniti Photography – she captured so many wonderful details of the day with her creative and amazing eye – and awesome lighting skills on the dance floor!

***STAY TUNED for the end of this blog post to see some pretty awesome blooper photos ;)

Melissa’s day started out at the salon they’ve been going to since she was little!

And the day also started out with… well… snow. ;)

But Spring and happiness continued inside!

The beautiful Sophi, Joel’s niece and their flowergirl!

We continued getting ready at Melissa’s parents… gorgeous house & amazing dress = perfection!

Yes, I found a kitty and of course had to take some photos :)

I love these three!  hugs hugs hugs

Melissa looked absolutely STUNNING.

The snow turned to light rain… but no worries, pure laughter!

While I was with the girls, Heather was hangin’ with the boys!

A little Euchre, anyone?

Joel’s awesome cufflinks.  I love these!

Next stop… getting married!

A final toast before Melissa and Joel became husband and wife!

These might be two of my favorite photos… Joel’s happiness seeing Melissa for the first time… and Melissa’s dad’s happiness seeing his daughter so happy.  :)

Melissa’s brother sang – loved that part.

MARRIED!!!

We hiked out to a nature center in the freezing cold weather.  This entire bridal party & Melissa and Joel were so gracious and kind to me as I made them climb through the freezing cold weather for photos.  I am SO glad that we did.  Totally worth it.

The wind helped (and as you will see in the blooper section, hurt) us get some dramatic veil shots.  Melissa, you truly are so amazingly beautiful.

Just… wow.

Joel looked awesome!

I was glad that the rain turned back into snow… I think it’s just gorgeous :)

The reception was held at the Village Club.  I love it here!

They criss crossed these ribbons for every table!

Handmade “poppers” – the guests each pull a side and candy pops out!  This holds a special memory because it’s exactly how Joel proposed :)

Couldn’t resist a few more shots around the Village Club…

And let the party begin… best way to start?  Eat some cake!

Melissa’s parents…

Joel’s brother and Melissa’s sister :)

And Joel’s dad saying grace…

I love food, so I tend to talk about it a lot, but seriously… this was AMAZEBALLS.  So, so good…

Sweet flower girl Sophi TORE up the dance floor!

For the last photo of the night… can anybody guess this song? :)

Melissa & Joel (and family) – I can’t thank you enough for having me as a part of your gorgeous wedding day.  Sending all my love – I can’t wait to share ALL the photos with you!

So, as promised… a few funnies ;)

Joel’s dad and Melissa’s dad were pretty amazing cheerleaders…

Melissa’s response to “I’m just testing the lighting, don’t worry” before our family photos inside the church :)  For some reason this makes me laugh every time I see it!

Lauren, Melissa’s sister, was given the responsibility of keeping her dress and veil situated during the wind/cold/snowstorm photo session.  It was a hard job!

And the muddy field I made everyone with 4 inch heels walk through…

So, it was really, really windy…

I found this when I returned after a mini Joel/Melissa session.  The girls were a tad cold… :)

Lauren’s boyfriend got the lucky task of holding all the umbrellas AND scarves.  Poor guy :)

Melissa’s veil had a mind of it’s own :)

And for the last (and in my opinion, best)… a JOEL PHOTOBOMB!!! ;)

xoxoxo

A few weeks ago, Monica and Neil were married in a quiet & beautiful ceremony surrounded by their loved ones… it was truly an amazing day to be a part of.  They were married at the Matthaei Botanical Gardens in Ann Arbor which could NOT have been more perfect for this time of year.  Warm, tropical and full of blooms!  This, of course, did NOT keep us from tromping through the snow for some beautiful winter portraits as well :)  Monica & Neil – you two are so wonderful.  We feel so lucky that we got the chance to meet you both, especially on such a gorgeous & fun day!

We started out the day with their first look :)

This place is magical.

After our tropical photo shoot… we totally changed gears, pulled on the boots (most of us) and tromped around.  These two deserve an award for how sweet and wonderful they were with my crazy “let’s run through this snowy field in the freezing weather” ideas :)

Seriously, could they be any more adorable?  You two made me smile the ENTIRE time I was editing these :)

Monica looked absolutely stunning.  Her + winter wonderland + that sweet little bolero jacket = perfection.

That sun.  Winter light is my favorite.

If there were ever a sun bathed heaven, this would be it.  I was all over this sun!

It’s time to get married :)  Everyone’s getting ready!

What a place to get married.  And even better, being surrounded by their family members only – made this ceremony so touching & warm.  It was absolutely perfect.

Both families together :)

And of course, with it getting dark earlier… we decided it was the perfect opportunity to have some freezing cold winter fun!  Once again, these two deserve a medal for being so patient (when it comes to some of these shots, patience is TRULY a virtue).   We had so much fun & left with frozen fingers – but warm, warm hearts :)

Mike told me this last shot was cheesy, but hey, man.  It’s love.  That’s not cheesy :)  Monica & Neil – although I’ve said it a million times throughout this blog post, I can’t tell you enough how wonderful it was to be a part of your day.  Sending so many hugs & congratulations your way!!!