The crib went together and the stuffed animals put in place; the guest room transformation into nursery made it all seem very real. In a few short weeks, Mike and Nicole are going to be parents. Mike runs a successful photography business himself, and has become an excellent colleague and friend so I was honored they asked me to capture this special time in their lives. Special thanks to Moses the wonder dog for making a cameo appearance throughout our photo session.
The path was marked “Closed for Winter,” but that didn’t stop Jake. Lydia had no idea what he had planned, but she trusts Jake with her life; he’s that kind of guy. They hiked over a mile through the Michigan snow to the lookout at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. If you’ve ever been to that lookout, you know what an incredible site it is looking over Lake Michigan. Lydia took in the view and turned to Jake suddenly realizing he was on one knee. “Will You Marry Me,” he said? Winter will always be the most romantic time of the year for the two of them, the reason they planned their wedding for the following January. A Winter engagement session was a MUST! Within the week after we met to talk about their wedding photography an engagement session was booked and snow was coming. I had an idea the falling snow would play a role in making their session magical, but I had no idea it would be this good. I had a blast with Lydia and Jake, we became fast friends and had a lot of laughs capturing these images. I’m so excited for the year ahead for them.
The nerves were building all morning long. They didn’t plan to see each other before she walked down the aisle, but she offered to have him come into the room beforehand if he needed it. But, James kept it together the whole day until the moment each of the guys walked down the aisle toward him and spontaneously hugged him before they took their spot. That got him and tears poured from his eyes; he was surrounded by some special guys. He cleared his eyes just in time for the doors to open and Elyse and her father began down the aisle. Tears poured again; it was an incredible moment for everyone in the room. Elyse and James had a wonderful wedding day full of amazing love and special people from all areas of their lives. Everyone pulled together to help make their day possible. From make-up to music, pastors to performers, beer makers and bible readers; this was the best kind of community event that made the day incredibly special. The tears from the beginning of day were matched by giant smiles at the sparkler-filled send-off at the end of the night. Elyse and James are married!
Sometimes the perfect light hits the perfect couple at the perfect time and I’m there to capture it. Erika and Britton are photography friends of ours that we’ve gotten to spend some time with recently. They are so deeply devoted to each other and their passion for each other and the work they do is so inspiring. Their love for each other is about to expand; Erika is expecting a baby girl in February. We are so thrilled to celebrate this time in their life with a maternity photo session at Kankakee State Park, where Britton proposed to Erika just a couple of years ago. Check out all the awesomeness!
He first saw her at the other end of the pew in church one Sunday, she noticed him noticing her. Week after week they ended up sitting closer and closer to each other until a friendship blossomed and they couldn’t help but fall in love with each other. At least that’s the way Emily tells the story. A storybook love story needs a storybook wedding and a storybook wedding needs a storybook setting; Emily’s hometown, Cedarburg, Wisconsin was the perfect charming setting for their story to take shape. Here’s to happily ever after, Emily and John!
