These images were made under the Broadway bridge, between the Gandy Dancer and the Amtrak station. I was standing in the middle of the train tracks to get some of the shots – fortunately, I had a couple of spotters.

I have no idea what Jen is saying to Jeff here – but it seems to be working!

In order to enjoy a more natural setting, we took a trip down to the Arboretum. For those not familiar with Ann Arbor, the Arb is a gigantic park/nature reserve with grassy fields and trails. The Huron River even meanders along the northern border. This is one of the best spots in Ann Arbor for a morning walk or an afternoon picnic! Since everything snow-and-ice related had just thawed, the ground was kind of squishy, but the sunlight was just beautiful.

Jen and Jeff are sitting at one of my favorite places in the whole Arb – on this particular day, we could see tons of St. Patrick’s Day revelers far down on the fields below this hill.

So beautiful!

I love how Jen opted for a classic bouquet with a St. Patrick’s twist. Bells of Ireland are such an unusual plant – they make a really whimsical green filler for arrangements.

Congratulations, you two! It was a pleasure sharing your wedding day.

I have a thing for the BACKS of buildings, I guess. While plenty of Belle Isle is neatly manicured, this ivy is overgrown and turns chartreuse before it explodes in a riot of fall color.  This shoot had three distinct phases, and this is the pretty phase (it’s all pretty, but this is the clean/pretty part!).Beth was NOT tentative about the dress-trashing. She told me that as long as we didn’t spray paint it or set it on fire, we should go wild. Rolling on the ground seemed like a good starting place…I love how her eyes match the gray of the concrete here, and the green of the ivy above.
I love how these images in front of the greenhouses turned out, but I was SO into shooting that I walked straight into a thistle bush (you can see it in the foreground of the image top left) and spent a few minutes tugging burrs out of my sweater. Anything for the shot!And then it was time to jump in! Beth gave me one last are-you-ready-for-this (YES) glance and waded in! Fortunately, it was a warm-ish evening. Beth was smart and left the cowboy boots on (as any good cowboy would, in this particular situation!). So, this is where the shoot got a little dirty/pretty. I am kind of impressed how river silt accentuates the gorgeous applique…At the end of the shoot, we barricaded ourselves in a restroom on the island in order to rescue Beth from her dress. It was HEAVY!  Before we did, though, we took a few images in the restroom stall (the shoot is officially dirty/dirty!).

Once the dress was off, we contained it in a mesh laundry bag and heaved it into the trunk of Beth’s car. I’m happy to report that Beth sent her gorgeous dress (in the giant mesh bag) through the washing machine on the gentle cycle, and it came out looking great! So much for trashing it. Ladies, if you want to make friends again with your wedding dress, it can be done without completely obliterating it!

So beautiful.

a powerful and moving ceremony,

Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Roseville, MI

a secret first dance

at one of their favorite hideouts,

a trip back to the place it all began,

outside Old Main on Wayne State's campus, Detroit, MI

another first dance in the library of a historic mansion,

…and then maybe a kick line to some Frank Sinatra.

But this was only a taste of what is coming.  I hope you enjoyed the sneak peek!

Peeking into the dining room in the Grosse Pointe War Memorial

30x30 canvas collage-bowen_2 black frame oval paper frame pink frame scallop white frame deco