Lydia & Michael // Northern Michigan Wedding Photographer
There’s lots of cool things about this day so let’s make a list! You know how I LOVE lists! Here are my top 4 favorite things 😊
Lydia may be one of the worlds most laid back brides. While having the whole wedding party run at us, her brother stepped on the back of her dress and brought her DOWN and nearly got trampled by all her best friends haha she took that with grace and laughed through it all! Bonus, there’s a gif of the whole thing in this post. 😂😂😂
I had posted a preview on facebook and Ryan says to me “I think there’s too much softening on her skin” to which I replied, there isn’t any at all. haha She is basically a perfect human and that seems insane. She’s either secretly some kind of Disney princess or an alien.
It was stormy and started raining right before the ceremony. Instead of moving all the guests to another location and the mess that would be, she just went with it and I think it was the best choice! It was beautiful, interesting, a great story and such a great example of going with the flow!
It’s also worth nothing how well the two mothers got along. They were so much fun to just watch and see how happy they were for their kids and to all be family now. I think they are the happiest two mothers on earth haha
Nick & Madhura // Kalamazoo Indian Wedding Photographer
Andrew & Cassie // St. Joseph Wedding Photographer // The Heritage Museum
What an incredible day filled with the most kind, incredible people. The weather was trying to be bad but Cassie is such a bright light in the world, I think it didn’t dare pour rain for her whole wedding day! St. Joe is such a lovely place to shoot with the beautiful Heritage Museum and then perfect weather for their beach ceremony.
It’s always fun at weddings to talk with their friends and to see how much they just adore them. The speeches were amazing and through the whole day it was just such a sense of joy among everyone but also this great sense of respect for them which I thought was really cool.
The flowers were so great so I wasn’t surprised to see one of our favorite florists, Park Place Design was doing them! She is the queen of giant bouquets! With the back of Cassie’s dress being so flowy and the long veil, a giant bouquet was the perfect fit!
Amy & Zander // Camp Blodgett Wedding Photographer
Amy and Zander had so many cool things at their wedding! A wooden bouquet, stickers and temporary tattoos of their faces, photo booth signs of their heads and this super cool seating chart showing how everyone was connected to them and to each other!
I think my favorite detail had to be the tattoos since everyone had the same idea of NECK TATTOO!! hahah It was so great! The photo booth signs were also hilarious and I kind of just want one of those in my life to confuse Grace with.
It was such a great party with so many people who were just so into dancing and just such a good overall vibe. There were so many funny images so it was hard to decide what should just stay in the story and what should be highlighted in the funnies so be sure to go at the way to the bottom to see those! :)
FUNNIES!
This is a fun example of the difference in lenses! Ryan shot the left one with a 35mm and I shot the right on with a 14mm!
Everyone kept coming up to Ryan and Zander saying how much they thought they looked alike! It must be the beard because Ryan could only dream of having those luscious curls!
First look on the beach…
It’s just a little sand hah
We were taking these really nice bridal portraits and Zander just came up and started poking her with a stick! hahaha
I don’t think we have shot a wedding where SO many people had such a serious love of moss!
Alli & Jon // Cheney Place Wedding Photographer // Grand Rapids Wedding Photographer
So many things were awesome at this wedding. The light was AMAZING, the weather was incredible, Alli and Jon were so relaxed and happy which made them a breeze to work with, their family and friends were the happiest, nicest people and we were ahead of schedule so much that Alli got to take a nap.
Talk about a dream day! Literally…since Alli was napping. :) Seriously, we have never photographed a bride who took a nap on her wedding day and I think it’s the most genius idea ever. Apparently she loves naps so it’s awesome there was time in there to just relax enough to take a little sleep.
Our favorite caterer, Kangaroo Kitchen was there and it was a taco bar so I was living my dream on that front.
There was also a herd of cows that showed up at the reception. It was both hilarious and terrifying.
We hope you all enjoy these as much as we do! We had such a great time shooting this day!
FUNNIES!
Alli is the cozy nap queen!
Ryan said something about boobs I think and that is how this wonderful expression was created hahahaha!
PROTECT HER FROM THE COWS!!!!
Tiffany & Adam // The Brick Wedding Photographer // South Bend Wedding photographer
So many exciting things for me on this one! First off, I really love the brick. Their bathroom is awesome, the loft area with the cool spotlights is awesome, their sign is awesome, the garage door in there is amazing for bringing in great light and it’s all around super cool.
They didn’t want to see each other before the ceremony so ALL the bride and groom photos were done at night. It’s unusual but really exciting for us because night shooting can be a lot of fun if you are in the right place. I just get super jazzed about working with weird light and colored lights! It was SO COLD out and they were such good sports walking through the snow and choosing to be happy rather than realizing they were slowly freezing to death haha
Their rings were also super cool and unique which I love. She designed her ring as this flower and his has the forest on it which is a really cool. I used some trickery with my lights to make it look like the northern lights in the forest on his which I’m prreeettttyyyy happy about haha
Adam was actually a groomsmen at a wedding we did earlier this year where it was 1,000 degrees so this was a complete opposite experience! You can see that wedding here: http://www.gauperphoto.com/blog/rachel-jason-mill-creek-wedding-photographer
Some weird burning things happened in this wedding as well. If you scroll all the way to the bottom you’ll find the outtakes/funnies section where a bridesmaid had her curling iron explode on her and burn her arm and then when my hair almost caught on fire during the sparkler exit. There’s always something funny and dangerous happening at weddings and they make for great stories!
Oh also, doesn’t Tiffany look like Winnie Cooper from the wonder years? I couldn’t place how I knew her for like half the day then it just hit me and now I can’t stop seeing it.
Enjoy!
OUTTAKES / FUNNIES
There was this BIG pop and and sparks and the bridesmaid using the curling iron was burned by it! Once we realized she didn’t die from being electrocuted I think we all decided it was funny hahaha
Maybe it’s karma for laughing earlier because a guest practically set me on fire during the sparkler exit! Luckily another guest and Jason got it out of my hair before it caught me on fire. This has always been one of my fears and when I go out there I always yell at the guests and tell them NOT to set me on fire. There was so much going on because everyone was so cold that I don’t think I said it this time and SEE WHAT HAPPENS! hahaa
Courtney & Brian // Chicago Wedding Photographer
I love this wedding for the following reasons.
1. First, At the end of this long blog post are some “outtakes” but really I think I will start calling them just funnies because they are for sure not outtakes. They are hilarious and amazing. So if you don’t want to look through the whole blog, at least scroll to the bottom to see the funnies!
2. When we arrived, the bridesmaids had cleaned up and placed the dress in this beautiful spot. Usually we have to wander around and clean up rooms and move the dress and it’s a big ordeal. This was AMAZING. There were 17 bridesmaids and most have already been married so these girls knew the drill!
3. There’s so many dancing pictures in this post because I couldn’t possibly leave any more out than I already did. Ryan and I have been doing different lighting during dancing lately and I kinda love the variety of it. In this wedding, we have 3 lighting techniques being used! Regular bouncing, shutter drag and then with a colored backlight across the room.
4. Courtney is one of my favorites. She’s hilarious, laid back, super kind, beautiful and just a happy person in general. It’s no wonder she had 17 bridesmaids, I can’t imagine anyone that wouldn’t want to be her friend after meeting her.
5. Everyone was freezing so we took a break from photos and went to McDonalds where they bought 30 cheeseburgers. It is just my favorite that she went back behind the counter to grab them all and just ran. hahaha!
6. Outside of being super cold during portraits, it was such a fun and easy day. Their friends and family were so kind to us, super helpful and everyone was just there for them. It’s always the best part of weddings to see how much their circle of people care about them.
7. Also, I have learned my lesson this time. Next winter if we have a bald groom, I’m gonna bring along a fur lined hat for in between photos. Sorry Brian for making your brains freeze. It was worth it, right?!!!
OUTTAKES/FUNNIES
QUICK! Get him to the hospital, he’s about to deliver!
Give me my burgers, I aint got time for this! 😂😂😂
Nolan LOVES this guys suit!
I LOVE the people who are great laughers and have weird faces. Thus why Courtney is my favorite hahaha
Oopsies…. hahaha I just love how graceful she is
We brought along little heating pads to try and keep people warm. We never want to make you freeze…but…Mother Nature is a butt sometimes.
While editing this made me laugh for a bit hahaha It looks like Dad is just saying OK FINE TAKE HER!
Colleen & Brandon // Packard Proving Grounds Wedding Photographer
You know what, I think crazy weather just brings out insane sunsets. I’m convinced after the last few weddings we have shot. This was a cold one but then out of nowhere the sky exploded in this amazing sunset and we just RAN! There’s a great image at the end of this blog in the outtakes of them just running down this long parking lot to get to the perfect spot. At this point it was FREEZING out but they were such troopers!
The proving grounds were so cool with all the old cars and my goodness, we eat a LOT of wedding food but the food here was INSANE. It was family style and it was just so incredible. I want to remember how good it was forever!
Colleen and Brandon were such good sports with how cold it was and I feel so lucky to have had so many awesome clients this year that just bring a good attitude to everything. Colleens laugh is just the best and I just love the photos of her when laughing. It feels like you can almost here it because she just goes straight to 100% which I think is the best.
Winter weddings are so magical and I’ve got two more coming up next! Enjoy :)
OUTTAKES
It was just cold, dusk and then Colleen was like the sunset! From where we were I didn’t think we could get a good clear shot then Ryan was like the tree row! So we went around the corner and oh my word! We knew we would only have a couple minutes where it was most awesome so we just RAN! 😂
I like to do this wide shot where the guys charge at me when I have the right group for it and normally I don’t get injured or die. This was a close call though! I about had a heart attack! 🤣
Dave & Tiffany // St. Joseph Wedding Photographer // Shadowland Ballroom Wedding
Short Version:
- Gale force winds!
- Power outage all over town, oh no!
- Moved ceremony indoors, thank God because it POURED!
- Fire department came, kicked us all out for a while because of a gas leak
- DJ was awesome getting a generator in time (http://www.djjimmyrock.com)
- The planner was amazing and the glue that calmly held the day together. I remember as he was smiling telling us some bad news I said “sooo, are you dying inside yet? hahaha” (http://holdenmichaelevents.com)
- Tiffany and Dave were the best and didn't let any of this take them down.
- Their friends and family were also the best. Everyone was so nice and happy and those are the kind of people you really want in your life!
- Honestly, I love weddings like this. It shows who people are and it’s an honor to be a part of preserving their memories from a day with so many great stories!
- Oh let’s not forget that incredible Hayley Paige dress! 😍
Long Version:
This wedding is the ultimate example of why having a good attitude and a good team of vendors is SO important! You can dream, hope and pray all you want, but you never have control of the weather or other random things and that can change everything immediately. We’ve experienced a lot of things in our 10 years of business, plenty of rainy days, hurricanes, ect. but this day just had it all!
The weather on Friday was perfect. The weather on Saturday…well…the words “gale force winds” was very accurate. I’ve never experienced winds quite like this at a wedding before! It was so intense! The wind made it cold but we’ve been cold plenty of times. There were little tornados of leaves and trash flying around everywhere and don’t even get me started on what it does to hair! hahah I felt like I was going to blow away several times. The key to working in the wind is to work with it because if you do it right, it gives an amazing sense of movement which is my favorite thing!
But oh if it was only the wind, haha! That is really just the beginning. The power went out all over town, they had to move the ceremony to the reception venue since it was outside and it POURED rain during the ceremony. There was some sort of gas leak concern at the venue so the fire department had to come and kicked everyone out of the building until they could make sure everything was safe and then once all of those things happened I was like well what else could happen at this point?! hahah thats when the planner, Holden, told us we were on borrowed time. Honestly, he was so collected and calm I thought he was joking at first.
The fire department said that once all the emergency exit signs went out, we all had to leave the building. So we were like GET ALL THE THINGS DONE! When we lost the first sign, I felt a sense of doom haha
The carousel obviously didn’t work without power so we did some shutter drag images to try and give it a sense of movement. You can either be bummed about no power or make your own movement one way or another!
But here’s the thing. This wedding was AMAZING. I love these photos, I love my memories, I love this couple and I couldn’t be more proud of how this day went.
Life is not perfect. Just when you think you’ve been hit with plenty of things going wrong, 10 more things happen. There’s no escaping it sometimes. The only thing you can do is stay calm, be a problem solver and move forward. Having a good sense of humor I also find to be helpful :)
The DJ arrived early enough that he had time to quickly jump into problem solving mode and was able to find and go get a generator so he could run his stuff all night. Without that quick thinking, I can’t even imagine what a bummer that reception would have been! Instead it was awesome and we got so many great dancing shots and everyone had a blast!
Not all our weddings have planners but I am so thankful Tiffany hired Holden! He was so on top of things, so calm, had a great sense of humor about it all and was just wonderful to work with. I can’t recommend him enough!
I don’t recall being stressed at this wedding. Because of a good team, good attitudes and a couple that handled each piece of crazy news like champs, it was such a peaceful day oddly enough. A good attitude goes A LONG WAY!
When Ryan and I got engaged all our plans got messed up (If you have never heard that story, you can read about it here: http://www.mudeyes.com/i-engaged-her/) even though he had great plans, what it came down to was pulling off the road into a car dealership and this happened “I didn’t really want to propose to you in a car but this is what we have been dealt. I am going to love you even when things aren’t perfect and things don’t work out as planned. And I asked her to marry me. And she said, “I would marry you if we were covered in mud” =)”
Tiffany and Dave, I think you guys are mud people too. I’m so glad we were able to be a part of this day and give you these images to help remember all the things! Nothing can stop you guys from having a great time together!
You guys - if you need a planner or DJ - HIRE THESE PEOPLE.
http://holdenmichaelevents.com
http://www.djjimmyrock.com
Mary & Steven // St. Joesph Wedding Photographer // Shadowland Ballroom
Ryan has known the Mulder family for a long time since he used to work construction with them in Kalamazoo. We even shot Mary’s senior pictures back in the day and her sisters wedding a few years back. So when we heard Mary was engaged I was like ohhhhh yeeessss!
When we met Steve through a FaceTime call, we thought he was a cool guy but as we got to know him better on the wedding day, we really got to see how much he adores her and thats my favorite kind of dude. I like Mary so much because she speaks her mind and has such a great laugh. The laughers are always the best!
It was such an awesome day with great families, awesome people, beautiful weather and incredible diamonds. You can’t forget the diamonds! hahah I literally gasped when I saw her ring and started imagining what I would end up doing with it and boy oh boy do I love my ring shots in this one!
Matt & Julie // Ann Arbor Wedding Photographer
Occasionally on off dates, Ryan will do smaller weddings solo and this is one of them. It’s cool for me to edit this work since I didn’t shoot it and I tend to praise Ryan to death which I’m sure he enjoys. But seriously, this wedding is so great! It’s simple, laid back, beautiful even light, awesome reception venue and most importantly of all, awesome people.
You see, I wasn’t there but just from looking at the images, you get a feel for who they are. Out in the rain, having fun, being playful and happy. It’s just the best! Little things like rain should never bring you down on your wedding! One way or another, there’s always a way to solve it. The best one in my opinion is if it’s not pouring, is to go out in it!
There’s one in here where I literally GASPED when I first saw it and yelled at Ryan “MARY POPPINS!” haha I just love when people have ideas of their own. It’s such a cute picture and a contender for new portfolio work this winter.
So everyone pat Ryan on the back for being awesome without me. Well, shooting at least. Lord knows I’m not going to let him edit pictures hahahaa :)
Dress: The Bride's Project It is a non-profit staffed by volunteers and ALL the money raised from sales of bridal gowns supports families touched by cancer through the Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor.
Car: Detroit Classic Car Rentals
Church/Officiant: University Lutheran Chapel / Gabe Kasper
Makeup: Imagine Three Beauty Studio
Venue: Vinology
OUTTAKES
Let’s be honest these “outtakes” are certainly keepers but it’s fun to shine a light on wonderful personalities! These two are so fun!
Mike & Amanda // Grand Rapids Public Museum Wedding
Ryan convinced me to get new cameras right before this wedding. I was freaking out since I don’t like change but oh my goodness, it was all basically amazing so I stand corrected. Our new cameras have wifi so I was able to get them a decent sized preview I edited on my phone on the drive home which is nuts!
Amanda is so organized but also laid back enough to be a normal person which is such a hard balance to have. Days like this are just so easy because everyone is where they are supposed to be, all the things run on time, nobody is running around stressed and we have lots of time to do REALLY COOL THINGS. It’s basically a dream for me.
The twirling of her dress had me going nuts. It was big enough but also light enough to catch the wind in the most amazing way so I was just bouncing around screaming like a dumb dumb as usual hahaha
I can’t wait to get a few of these images into our main portfolio which is always a place of honor as the best of the best!
Bridgette & Sam // Kalamazoo Wedding Photographer
We met Bridgette & Sam when we shot their entire family (you can see that post here). Right away, we knew these people were a special bunch. They were so fun and joyful and just the kind of family you dream to be a part of.
Bridgette and Sam weren’t engaged at the time but when we left the session that day, Ryan and I both were like WE GOTTA SHOOT THEIR WEDDING! I am so glad we were able to be a part of this day because it was amazing. They have such a good energy together.
Sam is just so kind and has an excellent sense of humor and Bridgette is just a light in the world. She is one of those special people that could brighten anyones day. She reminds me a lot of Maisha from our last blog. Being able to be around people like this, even just for the day, impacts our life in so many ways. These images are not just memories for our clients, they are for us as well and being able to be a part of so many awesome events for so many incredible people is for sure the greatest perk of what we do.
Maisha + Nick // Goshen Indiana Wedding Photographer
WHERE DO I EVEN START.
This wedding was special. Like…we were both choking back tears in the ceremony. We attend so many ceremonies but we are both mushy on the inside and will never be immune to the incredible, big deal that getting married is.
Maisha and Nick weren’t even going to hire a photographer at first. They were doing a really low key wedding in a backyard with food trucks, very DIY and just nice and easy. She didn’t even having a wedding dress when we first talked to them. They are just super laid back and were just going to be happy with whatever. We got to meet with them both and in the end, thankfully, they decided to have us and honestly, my life will be different because of that choice.
I get caught up. I get worried. I get overwhelmed. I care about the details of EVERYTHING. I overthink. I am so many of the things I think are dumb but I can’t stop being them. But this wedding just took me by surprise. It wasn’t just about Maisha and Nick. It was about EVERYBODY. It was about their village of people. It was about their families coming together.
In a culture where we are so independent and we all pride ourselves on how awesome we are all on our own, this felt like everyone there was better because of everyone else. The energy in this place was magical. I have what I describe as “vibes” which is just a feeling about people and, I don’t know, it’s always just been a feeling. Often I think my “vibes” are how God speaks to me and I was so overwhelmed by them at this wedding. Butterflies were born that morning and kept thinking everyone there was their mother and climbing all over them. I mean, for crying out loud, doesn’t that seem like some kind of a sign?! It was so incredible!
During the ceremony, one of their friends read this book, I like you. We have never heard it before and it’s what really brought us close to tears. It’s so simple and cute but shouldn’t life be more simple? Shouldn’t it be this easy to choose to love each other? Unfortunately life is complicated and we don’t always do the right things and adulthood can sometimes change us in ways we never expected or wanted…but thats the real beauty of marriage, it keeps you together in the hard times because you choose to keep choosing each other.
We are so honored to have been a part of such an incredible day. It’s honestly one that will always stick out in our my minds. Oh, and we purchased this book on the drive home and it will be our #1 book we read to Grace a million times over. :)
“I Like You” by Sandol Stoddard Warburg
I like you and I know why
I like you because you are a good person to like
I like you because when I tell you something special, you know it’s special
And you remember it a long, long time
You say, “Remember when you told me something special?”
And both of us remember
When I think something is important
You think it’s important too
We have good ideas
When I say something funny, you laugh
I think I’m funny and you think I’m funny too
You know how to be silly
That’s why I like you
If I am getting ready to pop a paper bag,
then you are getting ready to jump
I like you because when I am feeling sad
You don’t always cheer me up right away
Sometimes it is better to be sad
You want to think about things
It takes time
I like you because if I am mad at you
Then you are mad at me too
It’s awful when the other person isn’t
I can’t remember when I didn’t like you
It must have been lonesome then
Even if it was the 999th of July
Even if it was August
Even if it was way down at the bottom of November
I would go on choosing you
And you would go on choosing me
Over and over again
And that’s how it would happen every time
Sara + Will // Grand Rapids Wedding Photographer
What an incredible day! Everyone got ready at the J.W. Marriott in Downtown Grand Rapids which is such a beautiful hotel on the river that is surrounded by all the best things downtown has just in general but also for photos. This was such a laid back day filled with so much happiness and peace which is just the best.
We are at such an advantage that we attend so many weddings as they all impact us in one way or another. I recall our wedding a lot of the time and always try to remember when we were first married and the excitement that holds. In good times and bad, having a partner for life is just one of the most incredible things to experience.
Although we just met Sara and Will, it’s so obvious how good they are for each other and we are so happy for them. As Ryan and I always say to each other, “Buddies for LIFFFFEEE” and we hope that for them as well :)
Keely + Jake // Kalamazoo Country Club Wedding Photographer
This wedding was one of those super laid back kind of days. Nobody was running around like crazy, It was easy to stick to the schedule, it was amazing! We even got lucky with the weather and it was the most perfect day with beautiful golden light at the end of it!
The girls got ready at our favorite hotel, the Radisson in downtown Kalamazoo and then the reception was at another favorite place of ours, the Kalamazoo Country Club. Keely and Jake are just such genuine and kind people and were so easy to work with. They weren’t too inside their own heads, overthinking everything, they just…simply enjoyed each other and the day and it was a beautiful thing to be a part of.
Matt + Lisa // Baker Lofts Wedding Photographer
Mother nature was really throwing a fit this particular weekend. Like…100% chance she was just gonna LOSE IT. So, that wasn’t promising. We made rain backup plans, Lisa bought umbrellas, we all wrapped our minds around cool rain shots and to make the best of it.
Then it just didn’t rain the whole time we planned for photos outside. It was nuts! Once we got to the reception, the sky just opened up and it POURED. It felt like it was just holding it all in until we were inside and then just let loose.
We love shooting at baker lofts so that was lucky if we needed an indoor space and their church was so beautiful! I literally have 5 minutes to get them upstairs, take the shot and back down for family photos and let me tell you 5 MINUTES is sometimes enough time to create magic. I was sweating buckets running around but it was totally worth it!
It was such an incredible day and we are super happy we were able to be a part of it! Enjoy!
Kara & Matt // White Barn Venue Wedding Photographer
YOU GUYS! Fun dancing, cool braids, donut wall made of bunt cake pans, a McDonalds lunch date for tiny children, super laid back couple with awesome friends and a ton of fun at the White Barn Venue in Claire Michigan. So many great things all in one day!
Claire & Justin // Sundance Studios Wedding Photographer
Justin and Claire are so awesome! I mean, they chose the coolest venue, had sweetwater donuts to feast upon, the coolest bow ties and dress but most importantly are just awesome people. They are so laid back and just such normal, real people. I love when people are comfortable enough to just be themselves. I think it makes life so much easier. I love how much they are best buddies. I know in my marriage, that is the single greatest part of our life, always having a buddy.
Enjoy all these beautiful things with all the best people!
