The majority of my blog posts start with words of happiness and joy….this one is going to be a little more somber to start. We would like to offer our sincere condolences to Dan’s family on the loss of his step-mother, Tonya Reagan, who passed away unexpectedly the day after the wedding. Our hearts hurt with yours, and we pray for healing, understanding, and peace for all of you in this difficult time.

I hope these images bring you some joy in the meantime, for Dan & Audrey’s wedding was one filled with joy & laughter – for it was a true celebration of love. I didn’t get to meet Audrey until two days before the wedding, and Dan on the wedding day, as they live in Denver, Colorado. I adored her immediately, and spending time getting to know her and her mother, Deb, was a treat. They are an Air Force family (near and dear to my own heart!), and I understand full well what it’s like to live far away from your loved ones. This was not only a wedding, but a reunion for them.

Saturday morning started with a last minute bridal shower for Audrey, then she and I met at the salon while she relaxed and got all gussied up for her big day. Off to her hotel room to capture some beautiful details, and a little mini-shoot just for Dan (no sneak peaks here folks!). As Audrey’s bridesmaids finished getting ready, we took the short trek from the Amway Grand hotel (during Art Prize no less) over to Fountain Street Church, where Audrey & Dan would speak their vows.

After a very touching ceremony, a couple of horse-drawn carriages took the wedding party around the block for a quick trip. We (in the second carriage) would all like to thank our horse for the lovely “send off” he gave us….it was memorable, that’s for sure.

Some family photos….some group photos…and some lovely moments with just Dan & Audrey (and me and Dan). It was hard to stop taking photos of these two…I mean COME ON. Does it get much more beautiful? And a uniform? Sgt Swoon in the house!

One of the things I loved about this wedding & reception were all the goofy & fun moments shared between Audrey and Dan. I tried to get some sweet/standard/classic photos of the cake cutting, but was blocked by Audrey’s apparent love of cake. And she REALLY loved that cake. There were so many times for laughter, mustaches, and even a little flash mob-dance that Audrey’s family orchestrated!

So while the weeks following this beautiful wedding have brought many tears, I hope that the joy shared by Audrey & Dan will be remembered by the family friends as they view these images.

Audrey & Dan – thank you for being so fun to work with (even though I kept calling you Andrew all afternoon!). We had a blast…and who knows, maybe a trip to Denver IS in order some day!

– Lynell & Dan

Wedding Venue: Fountain Street Church

Reception: Amway Grand Plaza Hotel, Gerald R. Ford Room

Ask any librarian where to find a good love story, and they will point you in the right direction. Ask THIS librarian (Tracie) where to find a good love story, and chances are she’ll be able to tell you a great one over a cup of coffee.

Which is where their love story began…over a cup of coffee…..a conversation, an interest, and some time later, a celebration of love.

When Tracie and Steve first contacted me, it was via email, and we didn’t have the chance to meet in person. Through the interwebs, I got to know Tracie a bit better over the past year, but Steve was still somewhat of a mystery (that’s in a different section of the library).

What I learned about Steve during the course of their day was that this man is the type of character you hope to read about in a book – kind, loyal, loving, and an easy person to get to like.

Tracie is someone I’d love to sit and talk with over cup after cup of coffee…..to talk about books, life, learning and loving.

To put it lightly – I really liked these two. There’s a sweetness in them that is so beautifully reflected in each other, and was in their wedding day.

Their friends and family joined them in the park where they walked on their first date….and where Steve proposed, and where they said their “I dos.” Then because Tracie had a book to return…just kidding…because she’s a librarian, we went to the local library – Arlington Heights Memorial Library – for some fun photos “in the stacks.” I kept saying “in the stacks” because I wanted to sound cool. I hope it worked. What WAS cool was the fun way Steve & Tracie looked at each other, and the obvious love they have for each other. Oh, and Susie from the library had this adorable table with the yummiest cupcakes for them!

Steve then graciously agreed to get in the Alpha Romeo they had rented, to visit the coffee shop from their first date, then a lovely park I ran in a year ago and knew would be gorgeous…and was.

Again, Steve agreed to drive the car to their intimate family-style reception at Francesca’s, a tasty little Italian restaurant. While Steve and Tracie wowed us all with their first dance, the band wowed us as they belted out some fabulous tunes!

We thoroughly enjoyed our day with you, and wish you a love story that goes on for volumes and volumes…

Grab a beverage, some popcorn, or at least a snack, this is going to be a long one. When I first met Lauren & Kyle last year, I instantly like them, and I swear it had nothing to do with the “lives in New York City designs purses for a living” bride. I swear.

Because of logistics, we weren’t able to do an engagement session, but I did attend their planning session with Dee Mitchell at Elements of Elegance, who did their gorgeous floral and day-of-coordinating. When Lauren started talking about some of the details, I got a little glassy eyed. Not from boredom – they were tears of joy. This was going to be detailicious. It’s a word, trust me.

Not long after, Lauren emailed to share some of her details, saying “I spent my day crafting.” What she meant to say is “I’m totally amazeballs when it comes to design, and hold on tight, because I’m about to blow your mind over these details.” Just a slight difference in wording, but I got what she was saying.

She then mailed me her fabric swatches. Yes, her swatches. I still have them, I adore them. It’s actually helped me with a 2013 bride, taking that idea and actually gathering up fabric samples to help coordinate colors. It’s fun, plus I get a trip to the fabric store.

Fast forward to September 8, the day of their wedding.

Dan & I arrived around noon, and Dan took off to drop our very sick little pup at “puppy grandma’s” house for the day, and I got busy swooning, I mean shooting details. NOTHING was left untouched by Lauren’s amazing talent. Then combining HER talent with that of the Elements of Elegance team, and you had a recipe for spectacular. The best part of it all was the simplicity of things – nothing was over the top, but it was all beautiful. Her table cards – individual townhouses, to look like row homes in New York City, where the couple lives. There were even miniature Empire State Building & Statue of Liberty to round it all out.

The table flowers were sweet vibrant pops of color. The bouquets were stunning – with succulents and dahlias and a lot of other amazing flowers I don’t know the names of. The bride even made each dinner napkin for the reception of a classic yellow chevron print with “Love” hand stamped on to each one. Every ribbon, every card, every inch of ricrac was carefully chosen, and came together better than I could have ever imagined.

Now I can get to the bride & her lovely maids. I arrived just as Patti from Spirit Custom Makeup & Makeup Artistry was putting the finishing touches on Lauren’s BRIGHT pink lips. Yes, please. Bright pink lips? And glittery Kate Spade shoes & purse you say? Le Sigh.

Before the girls got dressed, they got their gifts from the bride. Remember when I said she was a purse designer? Yep, she gave them all purses, designed by her….for Sak. These lovely ladies helped Lauren slip into her amazing dress, so she could go greet her groom in a first look down by the lakeshore at Camp Blodgett.

After some private time and photos of just the bride and groom, we had the wedding party join us on the beach. Before the bridal party was completely blown away, (not by our skillz, but by the wind), we trekked back up the beach to start their lovely ceremony. In Lauren’s attention to details, she even included in the program the timeline of her and Kyle’s relationship. What I didn’t know, and what was so sweet – is they were best friends in college, and it wasn’t until years later, even after having been roommates, they realized their friendship was more than just friendship. It was a creative way to entertain their guests while they waited for the ceremony to start.

As they exited to a shower of confetti (hand-cut by the bride), we quick got some family pictures, a few more of the bride & groom (and the wedding party), and let them get to the business of enjoying their dinner by The Gilmore Collection, and celebrating with their friends and family. Plenty of photo-boothing ensued, followed by a lot of dancing, and much laughter & happiness!

Lauren & Kyle – thank you for giving us such a colorful day to celebrate with you – I hope you are enjoying the last few days of your honeymoon! Caio!

– Lynell & Dan

Venue: Camp Blodgett, West Olive, Michigan

Well this is sure going to be a special blog post (aka long)….because it’s not just that I got to photograph a beautiful bride in a gorgeous location….it’s because it’s my sister’s wedding!

It’s hard to know where to start on this one, because it was a day (or days) full of so many wonderful emotions, and lots and lots of happy tears. Some of us are criers anyway, this was just a reason to cry even more.

This very intimate wedding was planned at a private residence just outside of Las Vegas proper, so we got the Las Vegas weather & experience without being on the “Strip” the whole time. Most of us stayed in this house (19 of us!), and while not everyone slept there, it’s where we stayed and played for the three days we were all together. It was so relaxing, having a pool all to ourselves, and plenty of adults to keep an eye on all the young ones running around – and by running around, I mean playing in the pool the entire time!

The day before the wedding a little surprise happened…well, a big one. A lot of planning (down to the last minute when Dan was making up excuses to talk to Mindy about decorations) brought us to the moment when our four Aunties arrived to surprise Mindy – Ramsey was on the organizing side of this, so he wasn’t all that surprised. In fact, Mindy was the only one who was…but that didn’t stop pretty much everyone from having to wipe away a tear or two as she was greeted by her loving Aunts – Chris, Trix, Ruth & Lil. The ladies settled into a night of dinner and conversation, while the boys went out for the bachelor party (we had our turn the night before).

The day of the wedding was a flurry of activity as Canna Lily Catering, hair & makeup – Makeup in the 702 – arrived to get our show on the road. Soon 4 pm approached, and we were all ready to go!

As my brother walked my sister down the aisle, I realized that here it goes, my baby sister is going to be forever united with her love. Honestly, if I had the ability to create from scratch the perfect man for my sister, I would create Ramsey. He loves her truly, he supports her strongly, he understands her completely, and is everything a big sister wants for her sister & best friend. And his family – well, they are such an amazing crew, and we not only gained some extended family – we gained some new friends.

Being both a maid of honor and a photographer is a bit of a challenge, so I decided (wisely) to hand the reins over to Dan for the ceremony, and simply hold the beautiful bouquet my sister made for me, and be the witness and supporter of this beautiful ceremony. The officiant, Wanda, was such a special part of the ceremony, and really provided a beautiful touch to the event. If you are planning a Vegas wedding – contact Wanda! You won’t be disappointed in how special she makes the day.

So back to the crying, I mean, the ceremony. If you know my sister, you know she’s not a crier…and this day was no exception, as she was radiant and smiling the entire time. I’ve never seen her so happy, and I pray that smile lasts forever. The whole day was like that – full of laughter and happy tears. If you know me, you know I’ve got a wealth of tears at my disposal, and I clearly remember thinking “Hold it together, Shooks, or you’ll have ugly face in all the photos.”

Immediately after the ceremony we all gathered for a quick champagne (and sparkling juice) toast, and then Mindy, Ramsey, Dan and I took off for Red Rock Canyon for their formal photos, which I must say are a little more of a challenge in a bridesmaids dress & shoes. We were so blessed that day to have 85 degree weather, and overcast sky. The day after – 100+ and sunny…..phew! It was the perfect day for a wedding!

After a quick trip to the desert, we joined the rest of the family & friends who had been enjoying cocktails and appetizers for a tasty dinner in the back yard. And it wasn’t just a back yard reception – Mindy had a vision for what she wanted, and I had a great time planning out the details. Although they weren’t there, I want to thank Dee Mitchell of Elements of Elegance for help in finding the linens, and Abbey @ 62.5 Paper studio for her help with the dinner menus. They turned out perfect!

After dinner, there was a little dancing (long story), and a lot of fun time with family.

I think the perfect end to the night was when Mindy & Ramsey led the charge by jumping into the pool, fully dressed. They were quickly followed by all of us still there. Ending the day with laughter was the perfect way to sum up this wedding – one filled with love & laughter, and a lot of splashing in the pool.

Today marks their two week anniversary – and yes, I’ll probably call and congratulate her and giggle and say “you’re MARRIED.”

I am fortunate to be a part of so many beautiful celebrations – and apologies to all my other brides, but this one has to be my favorite. Mindy, I love you. You are so much more than my sister….you are my best friend.

Finally, I want to give a shout out to Dan, who did a GREAT job on the ceremony, and again, just assisting me in general. Thanks, babe!

Mindy & Ramsey – CONGRATS – we love you both!

– Lynell & Dan

On the banks of the Red Cedar,
There’s a school that’s known to all;
Its specialty is winning,
And those Spartans play good ball;
Spartan teams are never beaten,
All through the game they fight;
Fight for the only colors:
Green and White.

So, I think if Dana could have walked in to her ceremony to this song, I think she would have. The girl bleeds green (I know, I saw it). Pretty much the entire wedding party will yell “Go white” if someone happens to walk by and say “Go green.”

Green dresses, green jewelry (including her wedding band), and people green with jealousy at how awesome her wedding was!! Once again Dan & I were back in Clarkston at Oakhurst – this day for Dana & Jason’s wedding day. It was fitting that from their snowy engagement pics to this day….things had turned a little more green!

The bride and her fellow Spartans got ready in Oakhurt’s beautiful women’s locker rooms – yes, the locker rooms, whereas the guys came ready to go! I gasped a little (or a lot) at the beautiful-yet-not-sturdy Jimmy Choo shoes, and even more at her cage veil.

We had a lovely relaxed schedule which allowed us to take our time with pics and let this wedding party do what is most important – celebrate Dana & Jason’s wedding without a ton of pressure to be in front of the camera (melting) the entire time.

Their beautiful ceremony was full of laughter and love, and as soon as it ended, we stole away for some beautiful late evening sun before they joined their family & friends in celebration.