Leah and Greg

You really have to meet Leah and Greg to appreciate their fantastic sense of humor.  Their personalities made for another fun Michigan wedding!

We started the day at a wonderful bed and breakfast where Leah and her girls were getting ready:

Leah’s ring had me wishing I had more time to do a proper photo back at the studio, however I managed this quick shot in the gardens just before jumping into the car to go to the ceremony (yeah, that’s my reflection on the lower ring ;-))

An old fashioned trolley was their ride for the day:

A few quick takes of the gang sticking their heads out the windows as they pulled away:

While the guests enjoyed some appetizers inside, we took a few moments for some portraits in the garden, using more flattering light and angles to contrast the ones from the trolley:

Here’s Leah looking gorgeous, and her handsome husband:

Acting all grown up gets old soon, so we all went back to a more relaxed approach, letting individual personalities come out:

The summer heat was doing a number on everyone, so it was a mad rush to the AC indoors:

Leah and Greg cut their cake as soon as they entered the ballroom and proceded to the head table to enjoy the toasts:

I confess to being a big fan of first dances, and getting teary-eyed sometimes; their first dance as husband and wife was beautiful and romantic, adding an old-fashioned flair to the evening:

Dancing with their parents:

Greg had a lot of fun retrieving the garter from Leah’s leg and his antics had us all laughing:

Once the dancefloor was open to all the guests I had to work fast to keep up with all that was going on – it really was fun for everyone, and I am thankful no one pointed a camera at me when I did a couple of dance moves… could it be that they all thought I had tripped or something? Either way, I’m thankful there is no evidence of my dance skills!!

Even the little ones got into the action; check out this pint-sized rocker:

Leah did not mind the extra attention given by these two, hmm, dancers:

A couple more fun shots from the dancefloor:

A quieter mood in a corner of the ballroom; the ideal place for a few moody portraits as the night was winding down:

The close-up below is one of my favorite images from the whole day; it’s so intimate and warm. I can see it as a large format art print above a dresser or their bed:

We did a little self-portrait at the end of the evening, the first one turned out pretty good; the second one was supposed to be funny faces but somehow Greg just smiled and let Leah and me be the goofy ones!

Leah and Greg, you were so much fun to work with, and even when we were melting in the heat, your good spirits and great disposition made for a memorable day – Thank you so very much for being such a cool couple and allowing me to be part of the celebration. Your families and friends were loads of fun too. I hope all our paths cross again and again!!

Much love,

Joel.

Finally, if you received the password to the online gallery with all the photos from Leah and Greg’s wedding, clicking this LINK HERE will take you to the place where you can enjoy a lot more images.

Anne and Dan

This wedding is one of those that will remain close to my heart for years to come. It seems it was just a couple of years since I did Anne’s Senior Portraits – where has all that time gone! I was happy to learn that she has remained a sweet and noble person, and once I met Dan, it was clear to me that they made such a great couple. Dan is a great complement to Anne’s personality and the love they share is right there for all to see.

The wedding had a wonderful local flavor as Anne and Dan made every effort to secure the services of local companies to provide for their wedding. From the flowers to the catering and music, there was a great Michigan flavor to everything.

Let’s get to some of the photographs from the day:

Anne and her girls got ready at her parents’ home in Grosse Ile.

The guys arrived early at the beautiful Westcroft Gardens, the oldest farm in Michigan owned and operated since 1776 by the same family, now in its 7th generation. It was originally owned by the Pottawatomie Indians and at one time it produced hay to feed the Detroit trolley horses; the farm was also put into special service in World War II to raise turkeys for the armed services.

If you are ever in the area stop by and enjoy some of nature’s best as you walk the historic grounds.

After the ceremony Anne and Dan went for a stroll through the gardens while their friends and family enjoyed appetizers and some live jazz music.

In keeping with using all local talent and products, the table seating cards were tucked in a little planter with a succulent, one of their favorite plants – every one got to take one home.

Everybody cheered as they made their way to the head table and shared one of many kisses that evening:

The mood was joyful and full of warm feelings:

These love birds were dancing in a space away from the crowd, but not too far to be found by my long lens:

Fashionable feet:

Dan had some crazy stories from his younger (reckless?) years with friends on top of the mound:

It was a warm day and guests took turns cooling off in front of one of the many fans that were set all around the tent; it made for some fun portraits:

Did I mention that romance seemed to be in the air?

Anne with her mom and a few friends sharing a laugh on the dance floor:

Anne and her younger brother Ryan, whose senior portraits you’ll soon see in this blog:

What a bunch of shy people 😉

Towards the very end of the night, with many hours of dancing behind, the mood turned a little mellow as we enjoyed the warm glow from the torches and conversation with friends and family:

The last time I saw Anne that night, she was wrapped in the gentle warmth of a row of torches and looking quite beautiful:

Anne and Dan, it was an honor to document the joy, energy, fun and love that you and your family and friends share. The hours just flew by and I have many good memories of that evening – thank you for letting me be a part of this stop in your journey.

Much Love,

Joel.

Family and guests, if you were given the Event Key (password) to view all the images from the day click HERE.

Today, I woke up happy!

And the best part is that I have no specific reason.

I woke up before the alarm clock went off. I really wanted to sleep in a little bit but got up anyway. The morning shower felt somehow better than yesterday’s. I think I caught myself humming in there – I could not sing because my throat is a little sore. At 55 degrees it’s nice and warm outside but not sunny like yesterday. There were a few errands to run that took me longer than anticipated, and some drivers seem a little “off” which made things interesting on the road. I guess I found them amusing instead of annoying. I liked that. A lady on the phone was very nice and almost made me blush with compliments. It is great when somebody takes the time to let you know they appreciate your work. What else?  Lunch! It was a simple sandwich and some fruit. I really have no idea of why it was so good. Oh! And I’ve had a bit of a headache since yesterday. Still in a good mood. The day is far from over but I suspect the smile on my face will not fade away anytime soon…

I hope your day is going at least as smoothly as mine and I will be happy if tomorrow is half as nice as today. If not, I hope I am smart enough to keep humming in the shower, sore throat or not!!