crystal & mark...

four years ago when i was working as a resident director at calvin college a freshman named mark moved into the hall. he was the type of student who jumped into all of the hall activities right away, helped lead worship, developed some amazing friends. later he went on to serve as the hall president and helped create one of the best years for our community.

so jump ahead another year and i hear "through the grapevine/facebook" that he's dating a girl named crystal...and next thing i know they're engaged and asking me to be a part of their celebration! but i can't help but still remember lil' freshman mark! oh how time flies...

this was an AMAZING day! not only to celebrate mark and crystal, but it was a chance to reunite with old faces...this past spring i captured crystal's brother, kyle's wedding. and i just adored this family! plus connecting with some past calvin students. and the day ended at the beautiful frederick mejer gardens.

so here's just a few favorites...

how sweet is crystal's grandpa...homer performed the ceremony (and he's the grandpa i feel in love at kyle and joanna's wedding)

i won't tell what we had to do to get this picture...but it was worth "breakin the rules"

this wedding was full of laughs...the wedding party would rate the couple every time they kissed!

go grandpa homer! (can i adopt you???)

thanks friends for the honor of being a part of your day! your family and friends were so delightful...i wish you all the best as you look ahead to law school, new jobs, and the beginning of your life together!

rock the reception...

I LOVE to dance...as a little girl I dreamed of being on broadway. i was on a dance team in high school. and one of my favorite shows is "so you think you can dance".

so i was so so excited to hear about this new show "rock the reception" on TLC. the show is about professional choreographers teaching the bride and groom and sometimes wedding party a fun dance to perform during the reception...this new trend was started when some couples posted on youtube their amazing and fun "first" dances. if you haven't seen any of these here's one of the more infamous ones.

check out this new TLC show...and get your groove on!

kelley & stephen...

this is LONG overdue...but i had too many pictures to choose from.

kelley and steve's story started as a summer love and grew deeper as they traveled the globe to be with each other...steve is from australia and kelley is from oklahoma but they found each other at a little summer camp here in michigan. their relationship and faith is so inspiring, so i really felt honored to be a part of their day. i met them only a few days before their wedding but knew instantly that the day was going to be full of joy and laughter!

i love the brown suits...a fun alternative to a black tux

check out these urban ninjas!

steve has amazing friends...so many of them traveled from australia (a long and costly trip) to celebrate kelley and steve.

steve is a part of an amazing band wintersound...they just released their first cd (which you can find on itunes). i love their acoustic, rock sound...plus these guys are hilarious! let's just say one of them was sporting a way-too tight pair of goodwill pants...

i love this moment...kelley and steve decided to wait to see each other at the ceremony.

the girl was smiles the whole time...later she told us that steve kept cracking jokes throughout the ceremony!

we headed to the beach to capture some more pictures...but it was a short trip as there were dark rain clouds heading our way. we just made it back to our cars when it started to downpour...but i think we got some great shots!

my new favorite wedding favor is the candy bar...it's fun and playful and you get to choose your favorite sweet treat!

steve using his wild hair to entertain little finley (the cute blue-eyed girl below)...

the in-laws presenting steve with some michigan fan-fare

the aussie crew...i just feel in love with them! and steve's mom was so warm and caring...she'd give me a kiss on the cheek as a greeting! both kelley and steve felt so blessed by the presence of all their family and friends. and say the word, i'll hop a plane down under to shoot any event!

and the award for the most amazing reception dancers goes to...

i had an amazing experience and i could have stayed all night celebrating with kelley and steve...
i wish you much joy and blessings kelley and steve!

and the day was even better because my delightful friend mindy was my second shooter. she blesses and inspires me! thanks friend...

...and we're back!

the technical problems seem to be fixed...

so now i can get to posting a couple of amazing weddings and other fun stuff! happy weekend!

out of order...

so i came home tonight after shooting a wedding to discover that my web-site and e-mail are down...so if you sent me a message today please be patient while i await some technical support.

ah, the joys of living in a modern (i.e. we're dependent on all things electronic) world...

my daily highlight...

i love mail. i mean a real, authentic, hand-written letter. working from home i spend hours staring at my mac, editing images, "stalking" blogs. but i always take a break late afternoon when i hear the creak of my mailbox and the thump of our daily mail hitting the floor. sometimes it's a gentle thump but some days it's a loud plunk (which usually means my real simple magazine or catalog from anthroplogie).

i can't believe it's already july...a lot has happened this past year. we moved into our first home, became owners of two crazy cats, and i took the plunge to pursue photography full-time. and now after months of planning and anticipating with so many of my couples the wedding season is in full swing. and i know every photographer thinks they have the best couples...but i really do have the BEST couples!

i am almost completely booked for 2008...i have a couple of possible dates still open in November and December. as 2009 couples begin to make their wedding plans there will be some exciting changes in my wedding collections that will be coming this august.

i still have plenty of dates available for family portraits and senior sessions...

hope you have a festive fourth! check back soon for pics of my wedding featuring some mates from australia...