Metro Detroit Michigan wedding photography at the Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac, MI provided by Kellie Saunders and her team of creative Michigan wedding photographers. Brittney and Phil! Love this couple! There are so many things to love about the two of them, but before I begin - let's talk about Brittney's engagement ring! I'm a sucker for a unique ring. Anything beyond the ordinary makes me go crazy. Her ring is a yellow diamond (take a look at it below) - but oh my goodness - do you not just love it as much as I do? This ring has an incredible story attached to it as well. Phil tells the story here. "The ring is something I’m very proud of. It was something that was built from scratch. Brittney mentioned about a year earlier that she loved the look of a yellow diamond, because it was so unique. So after a few designs here and there, I had the help of a family friend who was a jeweler make up a “rough draft”. After looking at the first form, we decided it needed to be redone, and once that was finished, the stone was next. The diamond was the hard part. He managed to find a true yellow diamond in New York City and it was the only one available. The finished product was perfect, and it looks even better on Brittney’s finger." Now come on ladies, tell me Phil isn't a keeper? I asked Brittney to tell me a little more about their story and I think it's the cutest story. "We first met when I went to one of Phil's cottage parties with a mutual friend (Phil claims that we met before that but I don't remember). The whole night he kept calling me 'Meghan' and insisting that we knew each other. So needless to say right off the bat I was not impressed. Shortly after we started talking on Facebook and eventually he asked for my number. From there on we were talking almost everyday. At the time I was going to school in Saginaw and Phil was living in Royal oak. I decided to transfer to a college closer to home to be with him, so naturally Phil took a job in Chicago. After a year he moved back home from Chicago and we moved into together. 6 years, 1 apartment, and 2 houses later we got married!" I love that they kept leapfrogging around each other until finally - it just had to be! Their wedding day was just as lovely as these two are. They chose the Crofoot Ballroom, which I love, and it was really fitting for the two of them. They are a unique cool couple - easy going and chill. This venue is not your everyday wedding venue - it's unique and lively just like the two of them. Take a look at some of my favorite images from their wedding day. One of my faves was their first dance on the stage. Congrats Brittney and Phil! I wish you a long life of happiness and love!

Wedding photography at the Michigan Science Center in Detroit was provided by Kellie Saunders and Leah Moss, leading wedding photographers in Southeast Michigan. They are available for local and destination weddings and events. This is part 2 of a 3 part series. To see Part 1 click here: PART I My story with Stacy and Mikey continues with a second blog post highlighting their ceremony day at the Michigan Science Center Planetarium. I started with my first blog post showcasing their private first look in a mansion in Historic Indian Village. Their first look day was a romantic and emotional day, but this day, the day they would exchange their vows was even better. Even I was in tears during the ceremony. It was beautiful. Stacy and Mikey met me and my sidekick Leah Moss of Leah Moss Photography a bit early so we could run across the street for a few bridal portraits on the backside of the Detroit Institute of Arts. Stacy and Mikey's have a unique sense of style so they can pull off so many different looks. Stacy's blush dress (I'm not sure if it's quite pink but it was a light blush color) was one of the most gorgeous dresses I've had the pleasure of photographing. She rocked this look like a bombshell! Mikey's suit was red carpet worthy too. Loved his jacket! Check out his boutonniere closely - they used feathers. I love the look! So, let's talk about this Michigan Science Center Planetarium wedding. It deserves a paragraph of it's own. Like I said in the first blog post when I first met Stacy and Mikey I was jumping in the air and doing cartwheels over the opportunity to photograph this wedding. This wedding was one of the most challenging weddings I've shot and I LOVE a challenge. Leah Moss and I work together often and we knew this wedding was not going to give us any shots for free. We would have to work for every single image. And work we did. Slow shutters, focusing in the dark, pushing our camera's ISO - everything would be pushed. For those pixel peepers, Leah and I both shoot pro level Nikons. This wedding was photographed using two Nikon D3s's and one D810. Because it was so dark we had to pick our locations carefully. We coud not move at all. Once we had a spot we stayed there. I used two camearas down below by the bride and groom - one with a a 35 1.4 prime lens and my other camera had a 14-24 2.8 zoom. Leah shot wide from up high using a 14-24 2.8 zoom and just pushed the ISO. This wedding was in the dark so there was plenty of manual focusing happening. I think we pulled it off. I hope we did. I think we made some good science center pictures that day. Thank you to Stacy and Mikey for giving me one of the most challenging weddings of my career thus far. You let me prove to myself that I could pull anything off - even shoot in complete darkness. Stay tuned for Part III of this series. We will take a journey and visit Stacy and Mike two weeks after their wedding ceremony when they celebrated their nuptials with a swanky masquerade ball at the Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac.

Metro Detroit Michigan wedding photography at the elegant Planterra provided by Kellie Saunders and her team of creative Detroit, MI wedding photographers. Planterra, Planterra, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways... I love, love, love this venue! Planterra is perfect for every season and every bride. Almost every couple of mine asks me what they should do if it rains on their wedding day. Well, as much as I hate to say this, I really don't know. I don't meant that in a bad way, but the thing is, unless you've rented a venue that has an indoor shooting option, you really have limited options in the event of bad weather. It's just the way it is and the gamble we take. Working with a venue like Planterra, I know there is ALWAYS a plan B. Well, let's be honest, Planterra is pretty swanky so it's definitely not second place to plan B - it can hold it's own on the A plan too. But for the bride who is worried about weather and doesn't want to take the risk - this is definitely the place for you! On the other hand, even if you don't care about the weather, this place is gorgeous and I love working there.  I didn't know a lot about Amanda and Seth before their wedding day. Amanda hired me long before the wedding and since they live out of town I wasn't able to do an engagement session, so going into the wedding day I didn't know what to expect working with the two of them. In fact I just met Seth for the first time right before the first look. Oh my gosh - I was not disappointed to say the least. They were both so full of love and emotion that I couldn't help but love this wedding to the moon and back. Amanda and Seth cried, their parents cried, their siblings cried, the kids cried - everything and everyone overflowed with emotions. As a photographer it made my heart smile. These people, the love the felt for each other and their family - it's the stuff that real life is made of. It's the stuff that keeps us going. It's the stuff we hope to find in a partner to spend the rest of our lives with. That's good stuff!  Let's talk about Amanda's dress for a second, can we? My mouth hit the floor with this unique asyemmetrical bridal gown. If I had the body I would wear this gown everywhere, whether it was my wedding day or not. I'd wear it out to dinner, to pick up the dry cleaning, grocery shopping - everywhere people! Her gown coupled with the gorgeous veil was stunning. Now Seth was handsome as could be himself, but you know how it is when you compare the guys to the girls - girls usually win this race since they spend thousands on their dress, hair and makeup. (Sorry guys... it's just the way it is). Anyway, take a look at this gown - do you not just love it?  Planterra's decor was fabulous as always. The color scheme was jewel tones. The tables were elegantly decorated and finished with chargers garnished with rosmary sprigs. Amanda and Seth's wedding cake was really a win too, I love that the base looked like a tree with their initials carved into it. The use of succulents lightly spread around the venue was a nice touch. Bravo! The room was a total hands down win! Amanda and Seth - congrats to you and thank you so much for trusting me with your wedding day photography! Amada and Seth's wedding was published in the 2015 Winter issue of Metro Detroit Bride - an Hour Detroit publication. 

Southeast Michigan wedding photography at Wellers in the Ann Arbor / Saline area provided by Kellie Saunders, a favorite Detroit wedding and engagement photographer. View Kaitlyn and Justin's engagement pictures here: E-Session Kaitlyn + Justin = chemistry. This couple was just such a pleasure to photograph. They not only made my job easy, but they made it FUN. Kaitlyn and Justin have the kind of connection that just rocks when put in front of the camera. Their emotions, their love, their expressions - they never held anything back. I love this because when my couples feel free to express their love and emotions for each other magic can happen. See for yourself below. Kaitlyn and Justin decided to have a first look at Wellers before their ceremony. I always talk about first looks with my couples at our consults because sometimes it's just necessary if they want a certain type of portrait. There are pro's and con's to having a first look but ultimately it's a very personal and intimate decision my couples make and one that I always respect. The thing for Kaitlyn and Justin was that they wanted to be free to enjoy themselves and party the night away after their ceremony. They wanted to have time with their guests and time to just have fun. Plus, they wanted time to make beautiful wedding pictures without extending their cocktail hour. I'm very happy that they made this decision. Some couples worry that seeing each other before the ceremony will take away from the emotion and anticipation that happens naturally as a bride enters the ceremony site and see's her groom for the first time. From all of my years experience with first looks, I can tell you I've never had a couple tell me they were unhappy that they had a first look. I want to say that 90 percent of my couples still cry when they see each other for the first time walking down the aisle, regardless if they had a first look. So clearly, some emotions are still at play. It's a very personal decision, but if you are considering a first look take a look at how Kaitlyn and Justin's day went. It did not in any way take away from the emotion of their day. I think it added to it, and also helped make sure we captured some rocking portraits. Join me in congratulating Kaitlyn and Justin and wishing them the most happiness and love in the world! 

Wedding photography for this ultra gorgeous wedding at Planterra was provided by Kellie Saunders and Dionne Haglund, one of the best wedding photography teams in Michigan. You can view Dionne's work on her website in the vendor link below. A special thank you to Dionne who worked so hard and is such a talented photographer and great person. Some of my favorite shots of the day were taken by Dionne. I just love her and if you are reading this and looking for a wedding photographer, check her out - you will love her too.  I always tell my couples that I want them to have fun on their wedding day. My motto is, go with the flow and let my team capture the moments and memories. My couples should have no worries, just enjoy their day. Well, I didn't have to tell this twice to Danielle and Colin. Let me tell you internet people of the world - when I think of FUN couples and FUN bridal parties - I will ALWAYS be thinking of Danielle, Colin and their friends. Now, truth be told, if I were to get married again (which no - that will never happen in real life), but if I did - I would want Danielle and her girls as my bridesmaids. Hands down these girls can hang. There are things I can't write about in this blog post and even a couple of photos I can't share, but let's just say this, ladies - you really rocked!  What I loved the most about this wedding (other than everyone's personalities) was that it was IRISH!!! I've been to Ireland a couple of times, so anytime there's a little green at a wedding I get all giddy and excited. You can see with their details below the little splashes of Ireland that they included in their day. Planterra was beautiful as ever and their staff attentive and helpful like they always are. The flowers were stunning and Danielle's bouquet - to die for. I don't know what those little hanging things are (sorry flower lovers - you can email me with the name), but they were perfect. It was snowing on their wedding day, so Planterra was the most perfect venue because we were able to get lovely portraits regardless of the weather.  After the ceremony friends and family danced and danced and had the best time. I loved photographing on the dance floor. Great, great crowd! I wish I could share every single photo from this wedding, but I'm limited on a blog. Here are some of my faves - so enjoy! Please join me in congratulating Danielle and Colin and wishing them all the very BEST!