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June 24, 2013 by Lizzie

Kim and Eric – Kalamazoo-Loft310-wedding-photographer

I’ve talked a lot lately about the friendships we have been developing with the clients we have this year. Eric and Kim are NO exception to this….in fact, I think we’ve spent more time developing the friendships than we ever did talking about the wedding. Even our engagement session (rained out) turned into a fabulous evening of conversation & connection.

Like my dear husband, Eric is a craft beer lover, so naturally, they talked a lot. And just a FEW games, heated games, of Words with Friends were played between the two of them. It was a beautiful bromance, born in a mutual love of beer. I love it. And I swear it isn’t shallow at all, but I bonded over Kim about shoes (and a few other personal things). I just adored her, and I couldn’t wait to share with her the beautiful woman everyone else sees every day.

So separately, we both liked Kim and Eric. But Kim and Eric together – tag team back again! These two compliment each other soooooo well, and are perfectly suited for each other. Their sense of humor, attitude towards life, and strong personalities make them a winning team. Our first time hanging out with them – my sides hurt from laughter. Over the next few months as we prepared for this wedding, our mutual friendships grew.

When it came to their wedding day – we were ready. Ready to celebrate with them, and we were not disappointed. Their beautiful ceremony was on the skydeck at Loft310 in Kalamazoo (yes, we were there the day before), surrounded by their family and friends. After a lovely cocktail reception, where everything was beautiful, with gorgeous pink arrangements from Modern Day Floral. Beautiful. Especially the music. Eric is a musician, and live music was on the agenda for the evening, including a set by his own band. It’s not often we see a groom performing on his wedding day, but it was awesome!

Kim and Eric, we loved your wedding day, we adore our friendship – and we are looking forward to seeing you again in just a few days. Until then….enjoy!

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June 19, 2013 by Lizzie

Alexa & Mark – Holland-and-Kalamazoo-wedding

This is one of those blogs where I will admittedly overuse a word…..and that word is sweet.

When I first met Mark & Alexa, I may have drooled a little. A beautiful Dimnent Chapel wedding at Hope College, and a gorgeous reception featuring Jeni’s Splendid Icecream Macaroons…..and some sweet swoon-worthy details. And her dress, oh her dress. Oh, her dress.

The sweetness of their wedding details didn’t stop there – it actually started with THEM. They are really two of the sweetest people you will meet. Even from our initial meeting I was impressed by their demeanor, attitude, and just well, sweetness. That spirit extended to their families, and their friends who joined on them at their June 7 wedding.

Our morning began by heading to Kalamazoo to catch a few shots of Alexa getting ready, then headed off to Holland (with her lovely dress in tow) to capture their lovely details. It wasn’t just their details that were sweet. It was so many special moments, tender/heartbreaking/tear-inducing/laughter-creating sweet moments. It’s hard to put them all in to words (which is why I’m glad I have pictures to tell the story).

After pledging forever to each other at Hope College’s amazing chapel, we toured around downtown Holland and captured some fun shots of the wedding party celebrating the day together. Then off to Kalamazoo to their RIOTOUS reception, with probably the most packed dance floor EVER!

There were so many things we loved about this day, but seeing the way Mark makes Alexa smile was probably the sweetest thing of all. Mark & Alexa, I hope your life together is blessed and full of countless sweet moments. Thank you for letting us be a part of this one.

Dan & Lynell

(And yes, I have used the word sweet WAY too much in this blogpost)

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June 12, 2013 by Lizzie

Kate & Ryan-City Flats Ballroom wedding

Oh, how I wish you all could have been there to witness this wedding. Think of the greatest (not cheesiest) love story movie you’ve seen, and you have just a little picture of what Kate & Ryan’s story is like.

The beautiful ceremony at City Flats Hotel in Grand Rapids was the stage for the joining of two lives….two people so obviously meant to be together. A girl, from Michigan. A boy, from Washington. Both living abroad (Morocco & Jordan), and meet in Rome. Their relationship was primarily long distance, but now….now there would be no more separation.

Their story is one of those stories that will make you cry joyful tears, will inspire you to dream big, dare bigger, and live out every gift you are given. Really, truly, it will.

I met Kate over a cup of tea & a skype conversation, but it wasn’t until the day of the wedding that I finally got to MEET her, and her beloved Ryan, and to celebrate with them.

First of all, we loved that their ceremony was at 11:30, on a Sunday, with a brunch following….not that we were married so long ago, but it definitely brought back some memories, as it’s exactly what we did!! There were so many similarities, yet Ryan & Kate’s…..oh, so sweet….so pretty, and entirely them.

Starting with her dress, which she DESIGNED AND MADE HERSELF. I mean, really? It was BEAUTIFUL. Vintagey, flowy, pretty, and 100% perfect. From there, you can’t get much better, right? Wrong. Simple & stunning flowers, guys with suspenders, and perfect weather for photographing an early morning wedding.

The ceremony was essentially their story – told by Ryan’s father, who married them surrounded by loving friends & family.

Following the ceremony, a tasty brunch began, followed by some very spirited dancing. This was a crowd that loved to be on their feet, tapping their toes, and celebrating. And celebrate they did….and us with them.

We were so touched by them, their sweet spirits, and we look forward to watching their life grow, as they journey through time and place together!

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June 11, 2013 by Lizzie

Kim & Alban – Bay Harbor wedding

I think one of the most exciting parts about having taken this path in life is that it occasionally leads back to where I started…my roots…my childhood, and old friendships.

This is one of those stories.

Kim & I have known each other since we were young girls – growing up in the same small town, you knew everyone, and you were fortunate enough to have pretty much everyone you knew be a friend. In our adult life, we also crossed paths occasionally, though not nearly as often as I would have liked. Fortunately, it crossed enough that I could be a part of her incredibly special day.

I met Alban, the other half, at Kim’s brother’s wedding (which I photographed almost 5 years ago!). I knew then that this guy was special – and I’d always known Kim was special.

Seeing her at Vogue Salon, which her cousin, Marcia owns, the morning of the wedding set my heart fluttering. Kimmy was getting MARRIED! And not only was this a wedding celebration, it was a mini-reunion for me, with so many old home/high school friends as part of her day.

From Vogue we went back to the incredible Bay Harbor, for Kim to “slip” into her amazing dress and meet her groom. We then piled the family (all of them) and wedding party into a trolley and went down to the Petoskey waterfront for family pictures, and some delicious shots of the bride & groom in the misty/foggy air. I couldn’t believe the weather we had that day – very strange, and utterly perfect.

Their dockside ceremony & reception were at the Bay Harbor Yacht Club…..swoon. What an amazing location!

Surrounded by family & friends, they pledged their vows, and began what is sure to be a lifetime of celebration. I can honestly say one of the most interesting parts of this wedding was the intertwining of their celebration with traditional Albanian wedding elements. We were introduced to a few, surprised by some, and enjoyed every one of them!

While we can’t join them for their Albanian celebration, we will continue to celebrate with you as we watch your lives together unfold.

Kim – I love you dearly – thank you for letting me be a part of your day.

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May 22, 2013 by Lizzie

Beth & Ernie Married – Michigan wedding photographer

What seems like just a few weeks ago I posted a little blog about Beth and Ernie. This past weekend, May 18th, marked their beautiful southern Michigan wedding – full of laughter, friends, fun, and tricks on how to make your chin look beter in photos. 🙂

First of all, I have to say I’ve adored Beth since I met her, and meeting her friends only solidified my belief that she is just the sweetest person. Her friends love her truly & deeply, and well, Ernie adores her. As Izzy said (Ernie’s daughter) when she saw Beth for the first time, “My dad is going to LOVE YOU.” She’s right. He is.

From a surprise tuxedo, to constantly being concerned that she was having the best day EVER, it was clear he wanted to show Beth he was not just marrying her, he wanted to lavish her with love. Oh, I love love love seeing that stuff.

Dan and I rolled up late morning to the most AMAZEBALLS location – her sister Cari’s house – a beautiful old farm house, huge landscaped yard, and gasp, a POND IN THE BACK!!! Oh, and did I mention it was full of lovely little antiques? It was a photographer’s paradise. Well, this photographer’s idea of a paradise.

Because of a few minor delays, and just wanting to enjoy where we were, we changed a lot of plans to make the day go smoothly, and to do the first look on this beautiful property. After a few sweet moments together, our bride & groom met up with their wedding party to begin their celebrations.

From there we headed down to their wedding ceremony, at the First Presbyterian church of Three Rivers, a beautiful site for a beautiful ceremony.

AFter a lot of smiles, some tears, we packed up and headed back to the beautiful property where a lovely outdoor reception was set up. Between the pond, the sweet wildflowers in hand-decorated vases all over the tables, and glittery eggs (Yay, glitter!) that announced when your table went to eat, and oh oh oh, the cupcakes. Oh, were those tasty. And gluten-free, so it was ok to eat more than one, right???

The whole day was just so filled with love. Their friendships are strong (and their friends are GREAT), their families are adorable (Beth’s dad….well, if you were there, you know).

All in all, it was an amazing way to kick of 2013’s official wedding season. I can only hope the rest are nearly as good as this one was!

Beth, Ernie & Izzy – we loved being a part of your day, and wish you a lifetime of love & magic (and rainbows, and glitter, and unicorn and princesses….)

I know you want to have another wedding & reception today, Beth, so maybe this will do for you (click the image or the link below for a whole lot of fun!).

To view more of their images check out their preview gallery here: http://lizziephoto.pass.us/previewbethernieblog/

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May 18, 2013 by Lizzie

invited to the party – michigan wedding photographer

Part of the fun of being wedding photographers is getting invitations from couples. A few of them we request so we can have them on hand to photograph the day of the wedding, and some are just sent to us as surprises. Regardless of how we receive them, it’s so fun to see the many different styles – and to see our clients’ personalities come out in their invitations & save the dates. (Plus it’s also neat to see Mr. and Mrs. Dan & Lynell Miller on them now – bonus!). If we don’t have yours yet, we’d love to see it. I have saved one very special one for later – Valerie & Donte’s – it’s very unique & beautiful, but they haven’t gone out yet, so I don’t want any guests to see it from me first!

As we kick off our official season this morning with Beth & Ernie’s wedding, here’s a peek at our lineup and some of the pretty invites we’ve received so far:

Beth & Ernie – May 18

Brittany & Alan – May 25

Kim & Alban – June 1

Kate & Ryan – June 2

Alexa & Mark – June 7

Kim & Eric – June 8

Lisa & David – June 22

Nancy & Robert – June 29

Amanda & Aron – July 6

Nicole & Riley – July 27

Marissa & Phil – August 2

Dana & Dave – August 3

Valerie & Donte – August 10

Gwen & Chris – August 17

Katherine & Zach – August 24

Deb & Kenneth – August 30

Lexi & Jeff – September 1 (Yay! My former assistant is getting married!!!)

Sim & Steve – September 9

Ashley & Brad – September 14

Brittany & Andrew – September 21

Shawntel & Rob – September 28

Katie & Joe – October 5

Harper & Philip – October 19

Paulita & Chris – October 26

Marlee & John – November 1

I’ll also be assisting the lovely Amy Carroll a few times this summer, which means a few more of my weekends will be busy, but filled with fun! Dan will get a little break and will make Zeus (our dog) feel like he’s not totally alone in this world!

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May 17, 2013 by Lizzie

craft photography-craft life

So, you may have noticed this phrase “craft photography. craft life.” popping up in either my instagram feed or on my watermark – or maybe you didn’t notice it at all (really, it’s ok if you didn’t). As Dan and I have merged our lives together, and have thought about/talked about/dreamed about what we want our lives to look like, obviously photography is a big part of it for both of us. What kind of life will we be crafting…together? What does together look like for us?

Being a little more selfish and taking a little longer to get used to this “sharing everything” part of marriage, this has been perhaps a bumpier road for me. I’m so grateful I have such a lovely, kind, understanding and supportive partner (who is right now cleaning out my messy car for our kickoff to the official wedding season) who is gracefully and graciously walking with me through the transition.

I struggled with how to maintain my “lizzie” identity, but also to incorporate this lovely person who has become such an integral part of it.

I want us to be a team, but I want to maintain our own uniqueness, and I really want Dan & his photography to flourish, not just be “the other part of lizzie photo.”

As he transitioned out of insurance sales and developed his own “thing,” The Beer Truck, his blog, his photography, and obviously something he is very passionate about, the tag line “craft beer, craft photography, craft life” came about. I loved it. It summed up so much for us, and I realized I could use it to incorporate my insatiable love for crafting. I’ve really explored that “side” of me in the last year, and my glue gun regularly begs for mercy, and I go through spray paint like it’s water some days. And lace. And burlap. I love creating props myself, developing a theme & styling a shoot for my clients. Love it!

Because my mark/logo is a part of my brand, I didn’t want to lose it, but screaming hot pink isn’t exactly HIS color. I don’t need to drag you into all the details, but this was a process – making/creating two distinct logos that had something that tied them together, yet kept them unique. And fun. And crafty.

So together we crafted new logos, his ideas, my design time, and incorporated his tagline into both of our brands.

As we move forward, together, hopefully you will see the crafting of a life that seeks to be loving, welcoming, encouraging, celebrating and inviting to all.

With the new brand came new cards, and new websites for both of us. Mine is going to take a while to update all my old blog posts/pictures, so hold tight please while that is all re-imported. Dan’s is up and running, and we both have lots of lovely images for you to check out!

To keep updated on what we’re doing, stay tuned to the blog here, visit Dan’s website & blog The Beer Truck, or follow us both on Facebook or here.

Here’s a little peek at our new cards (you have to see the websites to check out the logos, some fun parts of our office (including magazines we’re both featured in!!), and what it looks like, for us, when two become one.

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May 1, 2013 by Lizzie

beth-ernie-michigan-engagement-photography

Each couple that becomes part of the lizzie photo story is special. Each and every one. There are so many stories, lives, backgrounds, and so many different expressions of love. When I met Beth & Ernie earlier this year, I saw a very real expression of their love: respect.

Wedding planning is hard. Marriage is fun (but fun/hard). I’m learning this each and every day….sometimes by trial….sometimes by error. But one thing I learned in the short time I had with Beth and Ernie as they are planning their own wedding is that respect was a big part of their love for each other.

I was floored when Ernie excused himself from the package negotiations because he wanted Beth to have exactly what she wanted without any influence from him. He respected her decision – whatever that was going to be. And she respected him enough to not go “ok, now that he’s gone, let’s really talk.” It was a mutual respect. Maybe they don’t see it, but I did. I’ve told the story several times now because it really touched me.

As we headed out for their engagement pictures last weekend, on what ended up being a snowy Sunday morning (snow? in APRIL??), I saw it again. The communication, the interaction, and the love. While our session was cut short because giant puffballs of snow were attacking us from every direction, it was beautiful. It was fun. It was cold, but it was fun.

Beth & Ernie – we’re excited to share May 18 with you – and to capture the memories you will make. And Izzie….well, you are going to be SO MUCH FUN!!

With love & RESPECT – Dan & Lynell

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April 17, 2013 by Lizzie

Waiting & Anticipating – Kathy & Mark – West Michigan Wedding Photographer

Kathy and I first met years ago at Mars Hill. We learned each other’s stories over time, and together we have shared in some very joyous and very heartbreaking memories. We have shared in f new love, and cried over lost love. Though I’m no longer at Mars Hill, I cherish the days when Kathy and I (and Tina, her Matron of Honor) served together in the counseling ministries. It was a time of challenge and growth, and it formed deep bonds. But that’s not hard with Kathy. She is so utterly loveable.

Through all changes & challenges life brought there has always remained something steadfast in Kathy. She is a child of God. She is loved. And He has great plans for her. Maybe somedays weren’t as easy as others to remember that, but thankfully Kathy has friends who remind her to continue to believe, and encourage her along the way. That’s where Mark comes into the picture. Mark is here because a good friend (and the other Matron of Honor) reminded Kathy to believe. 😉

Mark is gentle. He is loving. He is full of faith, and He was prepared for Kathy, for this day.

I know I don’t need to tell the world how amazing she is….but she’s amazing. Even the morning of HER wedding she took time to pray over ME, to counsel me, and to be a loving friend. That’s just how she is. It was a joy and honor to be part of preparing her for someone who lavishes her with the love so so greatly deserves.

Seeing her as she waited was not unlike waiting with any bride…she was eager…she was both peaceful and excited. But sharing those moments with her, with someone so special to me, I will treasure forever.

Kathy & Mark, be blessed. Thank you for allowing us to share in your celebration of love.

Dan & Lynell

Reception Venue: Bay Pointe Inn, Gun Lake

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March 21, 2013 by Lizzie

Julie & Troy – Grand Rapids wedding photographer

Anyone who knows Julie & Troy well loves them well. It’s really not that difficult. They are genuine, loving, loyal and a lot of fun.

I’ve known Julie for quite a few years now, through some ups, through some downs, a journey of self discovery and a lot of blood sweat and tears. She is by far one of the most amazing women I know. Right after their wedding I posted a picture of her and asked people to use words to describe her. The responses couldn’t come back fast enough and were all fitting. You can find it here on our facebook page.

Their wedding was simple, beautiful, and emotional. Surrounded (literally) by their friends and families, they made their promise to love each other throughout life & time, through trials & joys, and to be a source of mutual love and respect for each other. There weren’t many dry eyes in the room!

And then we danced. We all danced. We celebrated, and we raised a joyful noise to honor them. It was a riot.

Troy and Julie, you are beautiful people. Your beauty is internal and eternal. Thank you for sharing it with us.