Detroit wedding photography provided by Kellie Saunders and Dionne Haglund, two favorite Michigan wedding photographers. What a beautiful day and what a beautiful couple! Dan and Angelina are two souls that were meant to be together. I know I say that about all my couples. I like to think that every single one of my couples were born to be together, but with Dan and Angelina, I felt that they must have known each other in another place and time (if you believe that kind of stuff that is). Dan is a local radio personality and Angelina a Doctor. When I think of them as a couple, the words that come to mind are, kind, caring, loving, funny and boy are they funny! We laughed our way through their engagement session which you can see here: ENGAGEMENT SESSION and we laughed our way through their wedding photos as well. Their friends and family were just like them, fun and loving as well! Their wedding day went off without a hitch, even if we had a little bit of rain. They were married at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Bloomfield Hills. I really absolutely adore shooting at that church. It's not only gorgeous but the grounds are fantastic for wedding portraits after ceremonies. Their bridal room is classic and stately - see for yourself below. Simply stunning! After their nuptials the bridal party played a little football (yes the whole bridal party), and then we were off to Detroit for wedding portraits at the Detroit Institute of Arts and the Detroit Public Library. Dionne, my sidekick for the day and I rode in the party bus with the bridal party and that's when we discovered how much fun they are! Once we arrived at the Regency Manor for their reception we knew everyone was ready to rock and roll! And rock and roll they did. There are always little things you learn about a couple on their wedding day that you never knew before. One of those things was that Dan's parents were dance instructors - so Dan grew up knowing how to cut a rug! When he danced with Angelina, the room lit up. What a wonderful first dance! Congrats to Dan and Angelina! May you have all the happiness in the world!

Up North in Michigan wedding photography in Gaylord provided by Kellie Saunders and her gal pal Leah Moss, two fabulous MI wedding photographers. How do I even begin to describe Katie and Troy's wedding day? Katie and Troy wanted a beautiful fall wedding. They planned their wedding in October around the best time for leaves and colors in Michigan. They even booked a beautiful venue (Ostego Club and Resort) up north in Gaylord. How did their day go down??? Well, let's start with snow. Next comes wind. Then sun. Then snow again. Then rain. Then snow with sleet, followed by sun and add a little rain at the end of the night. Most brides would call this a disaster. But, these were the cards that were given to Katie and Troy on their wedding day. Let me try to tell this story. Let me start at the beginning. Katie is my first cousin's wive's sister. So she's kind of like my first cousin once removed or something like that. Katie's sister contacted me and told me that her sister was about to hire another wedding photographer and she felt super pressured. I won't go into details, but like I tell all of my clients (family or not), you should never feel pressured to book any vendor. If it doesn't feel right, it's because it's not a good fit. Hiring a wedding photographer shouldn't feel bad. You should feel fantastic after you find "the one". Anyway, Katie and Troy decided to hire me to photograph their wedding in Gaylord and I'm so glad they did! The day before the wedding I picked up my gal pal Leah Moss (who is a fantastic wedding photographer), and we pretended to be Thelma and Louise (minus the death scene at the end) and turned our car towards Gaylord. About an hour into our trip I woke Leah up who was snooring way too loud in the seat next to me and said, "What the hell is that???" She looked at me and said, "Oh my god... I think it's SNOW!" We couldn't believe it. It wasn't a little light fluffy dusting of snow we were seeing. We were seeing the beginning of a snow storm. We discussed what we would do. We knew Katie would be a little upset when we saw her that evening. We checked into the resort (which by the way - Hilltop is amazing - and I'm a hotel snob), and immediately went to see how Katie was holding up. Her and her friends were drinking wine and talking about how the next day would go. Katie was upset. She wanted a fall wedding and this was definitely not what she had ordered up. Leah and I sat down with her and pulled up some winter portfolio shots and showed her that we will be able to get lovely images for her no matter what the weather. I could tell she was scared. Leah and I, along with her sister assured her that it would be fine. And then we kept giving her more and more wine. The more she drank the better she would feel - right??? Okay I am kidding. We did not get her drunk. The morning of the wedding was alive and vibrant as it always is. We looked outside and with the four inches of snow on the ground knew we were having a winter wedding in the fall. It just was the way it was going to go down. Little did we know what mother nature had in store for us that day. Katie had come to terms with the fact that she wouldn't get all of the fall photos she had wanted so badly. The outdoor ceremony was moved inside but it was still just as gorgeous! The lodge is beautiful and the fireplace they were married in front of really made the wedding feel like it was in a private lodge. As Katie was walking down the aisle the most spectacular thing happened. The sun came out. Not only did the sun come out, but the sun came out in full force - like with summertime heat! Within the 30 minute ceremony, four inches of snow had melted. I looked at Leah during the vows and we gave each other a secret high five with our eyes. We knew this was good! So it started. We went outside right away to begin their wedding portraits. No sooner than when I hit the shutter release button on my camera the sky darkened and I heard thunder. Yes - it was a thunder snow storm. Katie and Troy looked at each other and agreed that we would just go with whatever we were given. So, we jumped on a couple of golf carts and off we went into the thunder snow storm. As our golf cart entered a part of the club that was known for gorgeous trees the sky opened up once more and the sun - with all it's heated glory dropped in for a visit. Leah and I worked fast. The sun stayed out long enough for us to create some beautiful pictures for Katie and Troy. They sky changed colors so many times in that hour - it was truly unlike anything I've ever experienced. Weddings are wonderful days full of the unexpected. Michigan is Michigan. Three seasons in one day is the norm. Sometimes the sky opens up and gives us a little bit of love. Michigan, you did not disappoint on this fall day. You were your old ornery self. But you were beautiful! Katie and Troy, I wish you all the happiness ever! You guys are really amazing!

Birmingham, MI engagement photos at Quarton Lake and Shain Park provided by Kellie Saunders, a top Detroit wedding and engagement photographer. I never get tired of fall engagement sessions in Birmingham. It's not my home town (I was born on the poorer side of town... lol), but I still love this city! The parks are lovely and clean and the people always friendly. Grace and Matt were so much fun to photograph and my favorite part of the session was TEDDY the dog! Tell me he is not to die for cute? His name is completely fitting for him too. I just can't get over his cuteness! Grace and Matt are getting married this year and I can't wait for their wedding! I think 2016 will be one of my best years yet - but only because I have such fantastic couples this year. I'm not sure if Teddy will be at the wedding or not - but I secretly hope so! That little guy won me over! Congrats Grace and Matt!

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.