Photography services for the wedding ceremony at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club was provided by Metro Detroit wedding photographer Kellie Saunders and her team. Ashley and Tom, I don't even know where to start. A couple of times a year I am blessed with clients who are just the most easy going, selfless and loving people. Now don't get me wrong, almost everyone who works with me is easy going and loving, but Ashley and Tom are exceptional. Meeting people like them is a blessing to me. They inspire me to be a better person. They inspire me to give a little more of myself than I thought I could give. They inspire me to just relax and spend more time with my own family. This is how I describe Ashley and Tom. I realize I was "just" their wedding photographer" and I don't really know them as intimately as their family and friends do. With that said, I can say without any reservation that most likely everyone who knows them - even those who just met them - can feel their genuine spirt and loving souls! Ashley and Tom are both doctors, and I've found that people who work in medicine tend to be very practical and down to earth. They understand human nature a little differently than most. They understand the delicate nature of life and how quickly it's taken from us. I don't know why, maybe it's because they deal with life and death on a daily basis, but the doctors and medical professionals I've had the pleasure of working with are just made from different stuff. Ashley and Tom wanted a beautiful wedding, but the wedding wasn't what they wanted the most. They just wanted to be married - to each other. They wanted to start their lives and get on with the show. Their wedding day wasn't about the party, to them it was about being together and celebrating their life and the love they have for their families and friends. They value relationships over things and wanted to showcase their relationships with others throughout their wedding day. They told me they wanted to just experience their wedding and enjoy it for what it is. They wanted to live in the moment of the day. It was truly special because of this. The ceremony and reception were both held at the Grosse Pointe Yacht Club, where Tom's dad is an active member. Ashley, her sister in law, and a couple of doctor friends actually put the floral arrangements together themselves on the wedding day. It was so much fun to watch them working together before getting ready for the day. Ashley and Tom decided to have a first look at the club and wanted to see each other for the first time on the drawbridge. I wasn't sure how that would work out photographically speaking, because at the time I had never worked at the club, but oh my goodness it was lovely! It was a beautiful moment for the two of them. We quickly went to a local park for a few portraits and then high tailed it back to the club so Ashley and Tom could get married and start their lives together! What an amazing day and what a lovely couple!!!!

Wedding day photography at the Detroit Institute of Arts (known to locals as the DIA) provided by Kellie Saunders and her team of Michigan wedding photographers. I'd like to introduce one of my all time favorite couples and one of my all time favorite wedding venues! Jenny and Erich have been nothing short of enjoyable and such a pleasure to work with and taking wedding pictures at the Detroit Institute of Arts or DIA was amazing! If I had to pick one word that describes Jenny and Erich best as a couple, the word is genuine! When I first meet my couples to learn about them and their wedding day, I try to ask the hard questions. I want to know what makes them unique. What drew them to each other. Why, out of all the people in the world did these two meet and fall in love? I have heartfelt discussions with most of my couples at the initial meeting and this was no different with Jenny and Erich. But at the end of our meeting, Erich looked a bit uncomfortable. I couldn't help but wonder what was on his mind. I could tell he noticed I felt the energy change in the room. Then he leaned in towards me and said, "Look Kellie, I'm pretty sure we are going to hire you. But I need to make one thing clear. I want to have fun on my wedding day. My motto is more party, less Bull$h!t. Are you going to be able to roll with that?" I couldn't contain my laughter. I immediately fell in love with Jenny and Erich and I knew their wedding day would be outstanding. Jenny and Erich met in Ann Arbor in the fall of 2013. Both were new in town, Erich moving back from his time in the Navy and Jenny arriving for a job after finishing her psychology training. Wanting to make new friends, they joined a young professionals meet-up group. Well, one meet-up was all it took for their love story to begin. Erich tried his best to go deep undercover and ask for Jenny’s number under the guise of joining her trivia team. (It’s only fair to note that he has yet to go to trivia with her). They started dating and soon knew they were headed towards a life together. In May 2015, Jenny and Erich traveled to what I consider one of the most beautiful cities in the world, Florence, Italy. During an adventure-packed road trip into the Italian countryside Erich planned a stay at a historic castle overlooking a valley, where they could see the city of Perugia in the distance. As the sun slowly set, Erich asked Jenny to walk with her to the rose garden, where he then proposed. Their wedding day was just as Erich said it should be, “more party, less Bull$h!t.”. We started the day at the historic Book Cadillac where they prepared for the day with their friends and family. They opted to have a first look, but shortly after they saw each other it began to storm. Jenny and Erich are realists and did not stress over a little thunder and lightening. As luck would have it, they had the most spectacular venue to go to, so we had absolutely no worries. We headed over to the DIA a little earlier than expected and was able to create some beautiful wedding pictures in the museum and had fun while doing it. The Detroit Institute of Arts is an absolutely beautiful wedding venue! They don’t allow wedding day photos inside of the museum unless couples have their wedding there, so being able to work with Jenny and Erich was a special treat for me. The wedding ceremony was held in the Diego Rivera Court at the DIA. Painted between 1932 and 1933; the court contains a series of twenty-seven fresco panels painted by the famous Mexican artist Diego Rivera. These frescos are considered Rivera’s most successful work. Jenny and Erich’s wedding reception was held in the Walter B. Ford Great Hall. It was lovely to photograph such an animated and lively crowd! Their friends and family certainly did not disappoint this wedding photographer! Before the night ended and since it rained so much earlier in the day, Jenny and Erich finished off their time with me by taking a few portraits outside at night. Those are some of my favorite and most authentic images from their wedding day. Jenny and Erich headed out to the Wild West for a honeymoon adventure at a dude ranch in Jackson Hole! They are currently enjoying their time in Ann Arbor as Erich finishes his MBA. Congratulations to Jenny and Erich! May your life be filled with happiness and smiles!

Wedding photographs at the Westin Book Cadillac in Detroit were provided by Kellie Saunders and her team of the best Metro-Detroit wedding photographers. Amy and Ian really knew how to throw a party, and they couldn't have picked a better venue for their wedding than the Westin Book Cadillac in Detroit. I absolutely love taking wedding photos at the Book Cadillac because it's just so darn easy to do! When you start with the most classically timeless architecture and pair it with great food, excellent staff and modern decor - you get nothing short of fantastic! Amy and Ian held their traditional Jewish wedding ceremony in the Crystal Ballroom which makes a breathtaking backdrop for a wedding ceremony. Blossoms of Birmingham created a lovely Chuppah which adorned the already beautiful room. After they signed their ketubah, said their vows and made things official in front of friends and family they partied the night away with their reception in the Venetian Ballroom which is just about the most beautiful ballroom in Detroit. I like to talk about each of my couples in my blog posts, and this one will be no exception. Amy and Ian have been so wonderful to work with and I was incredibly honored that they picked me as their photographer. When I work with my couples I often get to see them in ways that others do not. After all they pay me to be observant. So I have to watch. And while I'm watching them I observe personality traits and I often get to see the good, the bad and the ugly. I can hands down one hundred percent say there was absolutely no bad and no ugly with this couple! They were so loving and genuine with not only each other, but their friend and their family. Amy touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes as I watched her hold her zaide's hand while he spoke to her. (Zaide is the word for grandfather in yiddish). She may not even realize that I was watching her, but she stepped away from her party and all her friends to go sit with her grandfather in a quiet corner during the height of her wedding reception. She held his hand softly, and as they sat there together, the room slowly faded away. At that moment it was just Amy and her grandpa. I could feel their love and it was so special to witness. Later than night as I was packing up my gear and getting ready to leave for the night I saw Amy and Ian dancing together, and Amy looked at Ian the same very way she looked at her grandfather. That kind of love isn't surface love. It's deeper than that. It holds you tight at your core. I can say with utmost certainty that with each other they have truly found their beshert. Congratulations Amy and Ian! I wish you a long life of happiness, love and of course laughter!  

Birmingham Michigan wedding photography at the Reserve provided by Kellie Saunders and her team. We had an amazing time working with Paige and Christopher on their wedding day at the Reserve in Birmingham. I won't lie, it rained buckets on their wedding day and I was very lucky to have ten minutes of rain free weather to take portraits, but this didn't dampen anyone's spirits. Paige and Christopher took it like champs and rocked on with the rest of the day without missing a beat. My favorite part of the day was when Christopher's sister gave a toast. I don't think there was a dry eye in the place, including my own eyes! There is definitely no shortage of love in both of their families. What loving, kind and compassionate souls! Paige tells her story best, so let me just open up the blog floor so you can read her very own words. I couldn't have said it any better if I wrote it myself. "Once upon a time, there were two high school teenagers from Michigan. Christopher was a seventeen year old "rock star" in a band, and Paige was a sixteen year old girl who loved going to shows and hanging out with friends. Christopher and Paige went to different high schools, and though it seemed unlikely that they would ever meet, fate brought their friends together. Christopher and Paige met like typical high schoolers: at a high school party through high school friends. This party started what would be a friendship amongst their groups of friends, where they always seemed to be hanging out at the same places and with the same people. Paige started going to Christopher's band shows and one day got the courage to put her number in his phone. The very next day Christopher called her, and they have talked every single day since. Seven years later, on their anniversary, Christopher and Paige went on a date to a Parisian bistro in Chicago. After dinner, Christopher took Paige to Montrose Pier with a view of the city skyline. Under the stars and city lights, Christopher asked Paige if she would spend the rest of her life with him, and she said YES (maybe even before he finished asking...oops!) Currently, Christopher and Paige live together in Chicago. They plan on moving back to Michigan in the future where Paige wants to further her nursing career and train as a flight nurse, and Christopher wants to continue growing as a software engineer. Most importantly, they are excited for a house with a yard, to get a dog, and to someday have their own family!" I don't know where the road will take Paige and Christopher, but I hope they enjoyed their wedding photos as much as I loved taking them! I also hope they get that house, dog and tons of kids!

Metro Detroit Michigan wedding photography at the beautiful Marriott Baronette Renaissance Detroit provided by Kellie Saunders and her team of the best Detroit, MI wedding photographers. What an incredible honor it was to photograph Alaina and Mike's wedding! Alaina is the niece of one of my best friends and fellow wedding photographer buddy. Alaina had a huge pool of talent to pick from as I'm sure my friend gave her great referrals. My friend as sweet as she is specifically told Alaina and Mike that she would not interfere with their process as they decided who to hire to photograph their wedding. She gave them a list of names of people she recommended and let Alaina and Mike take it from there. I'm incredibly honored that they picked me and it was such a special and fun day for everyone, me included! While Alaina and Mike both grew up in Milford, for them at least, finding one another wasn't as easy as coming from the same home town. As Mike says, "it took a campus of 50,000 people for us to meet". Mike said that right from the start he knew Alaina was special. He had a feeling she was the one and she felt the same way about him. When he finally mustered the courage to ask her on a date, he wanted to impress her, so he picked the fanciest restaurant a college kid could afford. Only, when they arrived at The Olive Garden for their first date, Mike started feeling ill. He tried his best to make it through their date without Alaina noticing his quickly failing health, but he couldn't mask his illness for long. He had to stop the date and take her home, hoping she knew that he really did like her and he wasn't making this illness up. He simply had to leave. A few hours later and one appendix less, Mike called Alaina to let her know it wasn't her, he had appendicitis, and she soon made her way to the hospital with a smoothie for him. It only took one smoothie to win his heart and she's had his heart ever since that day. Okay now for the wedding day. I started off with Alaina and the girls at her parents home in Milford. Her smile was infectious and she swore she would wear the smile all day and not shed one tear. I secretly knew that wouldn't last, but I didn't tell her that. I just waited for the moment it would happen, and it happened as soon as her dad saw her for the first time in her wedding gown. We headed over to Mike's family church where the two made it official. Alaina and Mike wanted to go to the city for some wedding portraits, so we hopped on the party bus and headed to the DIA. I love it when I'm actually able to ride the party bus with clients. I watched the group laugh and tell funny stories all the way to the city. We rocked it out at the DIA, but time was tight as it usually is, so we had to rush back to the Barronette for the reception. The Baronette is one of my favorite places to photograph a wedding. The staff is so friendly and attentive and they have a polished and well appointed lobby that works well for portraits. The food is also delish! Alaina and Mike had the best time with their friends and family and danced until the late hours of the night. What a beautiful and amazing day for them! I'm so happy to have had the honor and I wish them all the fun and love they can handle. Oh and cats - more cats for Alaina!!! It's a little late as this happened last summer, but I want to congratulate Alaina officially on not only passing the bar exam, but being top of her class at Northwestern! What an amazing achievement. Mike is also quite accomplished himself and the two of them are living happily ever after in Chicago right now. (Maybe one day they will come back to the Mitten???)