Brandon and Allie | Ciccone Vineyard

Brandon and Allie's wedding day began with dark clouds and a heavy thunderstorm but ended with the most magnificent sunset.

We packed our umbrellas with all of our gear and made our way to meet them at their prep location. They decided to do their first look underneath a covered porch to keep themselves as dry as possible. After that, the rain let up enough to do bridal party portraits outside.

However, when we arrived at Ciccone Vineyard for their ceremony set up, the clouds let loose to an extreme downpour. We took cover inside the barn where Brandon and Allie along with their wedding planner, made the decision to move their ceremony under a tent. Despite the rain, Ciccone was the perfect venue.

Just after the ceremony, the clouds parted to sunshine and Brandon and Allie snuck out to their original ceremony site for their ten-minute rule. We stayed back with our cameras to allow them some privacy while we documented them from afar as they soaked in their first few minutes as newlyweds.

After a while of busting some wicked moves on the dance floor, Brandon and Allie were ready for a break and breath of fresh air outside.

We love scheduling in a little window of time to sneak out for portraits during the reception. It allows us to capture some of the more intimate, romantic portraits beyond the the typical smiling at the camera ones earlier in the day. Bonus points when Northern Michigan gives us a night like this one with cotton candy clouds and the sun setting over the vineyard.

Take a look for yourself to see Brandon and Allie's magical golden hour portraits.

Venue | Ciccone Vineyard and Winery

Coordinator | Sincerely Ginger - Rachel Moger

Caterer | Cook's House

Dessert | Detroit Cookie Co.

Music | DJ Ricky T

Stationary | Kelsey Malie Calligraphy

Decorations | Event Theory

Jewelry | Greis Jewelers

Earrings | Olive and Piper

Hair and Makeup | Northern Waves - Emily Henning

Wedding Dress | The Wedding Shoppe

Bridesmaid Dresses | Azazie

Suits | Joseph A. Bank

Florist | Field of Flowers North - Christina Pfeufer

Hanson Family | Arcadia

We were invited out to Arcadia to document the beautiful Hanson family last summer. With their permission, we brought our daughter Edith (a few months old at the time) and carried her in the baby carrier while we photographed. It ended up being a true joy as the girls were just ecstatic to look at the camera and say 'Hi, Edith!'. We ended up with some of the sweetest, authentic smiles and giggles and at the end, I crouched down so the girls could say a proper hello to Edith. Their oldest was just a gem as she walked over and so gently held Edith's hands and quietly whispered hello.

We chose to document the Hanson family with a few traditional group smiling photos but beyond that, we opted to document them interact organically. On a beach in Northern Michigan, that meant the kids tossing stones into the water, trying to outrun each other, and lots and lots of twirling in pretty dresses all with a stunning sunset backdrop. I think it's our favorite type of portrait session to document, ones that feel like real life and truly reflect our subjects personalities. It's one of things we love the most about photography, when we can actually tell stories through our cameras.

Trevor and Sarah | Northern Lavender Farm

There is something extra special about photographing a wedding where we know both the bride and the groom. Trevor and Sarah reached out to us with their tentative wedding plans and we were entirely on board. Especially when we found out they would be getting married in Mesick at our friend's farm, Northern Lavender. The McCaherty family poured a lot of work into their farm to make it not only a sweet spot for picking lavender, but also a beautiful wedding venue complete with a pretty pond, gorgeous flora, and alpacas! We had been at the farm about six months prior to stand in my brother's wedding in October. It was fun seeing how different the scenery looked for an early summer wedding.

We had some rain off and on the entire day so Trevor and Sarah made the call to move their ceremony underneath the shelter of the tent. Here they made vows before God and their witness as they pledged themselves to one another to become man and wife.

As the rain subsided, we were able to be outside for bridal party, family, and bride and groom portraits while guest mingled during cocktail hour. They had a food truck for dinner and their reception began with the most epic cake smash for both Trevor and Sarah. Some cake even managed to get launched onto the ceiling of the tent! After the first dances, we slipped out with the two of them to snag a few more portraits to end the night.

Thanks for choosing us to celebrate with you!

Venue, Coordinator, and Florist | Northern Lavender - Andrea McCaherty

Caterer | Dimon Edge Catering

Cake | Potter's Bakery Artist - Andrea Potter

Hair Stylist | Salon Beau Monde - Tricia Ayala

Marques and Kelly | Ciccone Vineyard Wedding

Like many other couples faced with tough decisions in 2020, Marques and Kelly made the call to postpone their wedding by a year. When June 19th, 2021 rolled around, we were so excited the wait was over and we would finally be celebrating with them and their guests on their wedding day.

We began the day at The Martin House for prep photos. We were swooning over the gorgeous interior and all the natural light for photos. Marques and Kelly got ready peacefully with a few friends and family members while we captured their candid moments before heading to the ceremony site.

Ciccone Vineyard is set in Suttons Bay, Michigan. The large vineyard is set on a hill overlooking the bay with a unique ceremony set up underneath a beautiful grand tree. Between laughter and tears, Marques and Kelly made their vows in front of their friends and family. Their amazing coordinator Meaghan from Fox + Fern Events was waiting with their favorite drinks after they came back down the aisle so they could sneak away for a few minutes alone to let it all soak in.

After their grand entrance and first dance, Kelly slipped away to make an outfit change into her second dress of the night. She surprised Marques with an absolutely radiant sequined gown before the two cut their cake. Thanks to Brian from 2Bays DJs, the dance floor was PACKED as everyone partied the night away.

Happy one year anniversary Marques + Kelly! We are so honored you chose us to document your day.

Venue | Ciccone Vineyard

Coordinator | Fox + Fern Events - Meaghan

Caterer | Catering by Kelly's

Cake | Cakes by Aunt B

DJ | 2Bays DJs

Invitations | Minted

Decorations | 307 Events

Hair and Makeup | K. Noelle Artistry

Mens Suits | The Black Tux

Florist | Forget Me Not Florist

Jewelry | David Yurman

Frenkli and Emily | Brengman Brothers Winery

We celebrated Frenkli and Emily on a gorgeous June day at Brengman Brothers Winery. The entire team of vendors did an incredible job setting up and making everything so beautiful. From the decorated tent, to the blue sky and crawling vines at the winery itself, we were practically speechless when we arrived and saw the stunning setting.

At the top of the hill, Frenkli waited eagerly for his bride. They opted out of a first look and instead chose to see each other for the first time at the aisle. As Emily made her way through the vineyard toward her groom, everyone collectively held their breath. A radiant sight, she glided down the aisle to say her vows. There was laughter and tears of happiness throughout and just look at the pure joy captured on their faces as they ran back down the aisle after saying 'I do'. After a few portraits, Emily changed into her second wedding dress to surprise Frenkli and he had the sweetest reaction. Aren't they just the cutest?

Frenkli and Emily were surrounded by some of the closest family and friends that day who were so excited to cheer on and celebrate the couple. Everyone stood and whooped and hollered as they made their way into the reception for the cake cutting and first dance. After dinner, they transitioned into a surprise traditional Albanian dance for all of the Albanian guests on Frenkli's side of the family. There was so much energy in the tent as everyone danced, even we couldn't resist dancing a bit while capturing all the fun.

Frenkli and Emily, it was an absolute blast celebrating your wedding day with you. May you never stop having fun together!

Venue | Brengman Brothers Winery

Coordinator & Decorations | Special Occasions - Jamie Carnes

Caterer | Uptown Catering

Cake | Top Tier Cakery

DJ | Detroit DJ Entertainment

Paper Goods | Dreaming in Paper

Hair Stylist | Salon Moxie

Wedding Dress | Enzoani

Bridesmaid Dresses | Sorella Vita and Natalie Rolt

Men's Suits | Nordstrom and Macys

Florist | Posh Petals Grand Rapids

Mackinac Island Proposal | Michael + Caitlin

We were so excited to learn that Michael's surprise Mackinac Island proposal would almost perfectly coordinate with our trip to Mackinaw City for a wedding a few days prior. After we finalized some details with Michael, we decided to plan on staying a few extra days after the wedding so we could be there for Michael and Caitlin's special moment. It was the most perfect day and lovely ferry ride to the island. We had blue sky and lilacs blooming all around the island. We arrived quite a bit early in order to soak in the beauty of the island ourselves, and to scout out the ideal position for the actual proposal. We sneakily texted with Michael all throughout the day and sent him some photos and videos on how to access the spot. And then.. we waited. Lots of people passed through the small garden that afternoon, but thankfully Michael had sent us a couple photos of him and Caitlin so we knew exactly who to look for. When they finally came around the corner of the garden, Miles and I walked around and posed as a normal couple enjoying the garden. We secretly kept a close eye on Michael and Caitlin as they chatted and when he finally dropped to one knee, we immediately started photographing them from a distance. We let them enjoy that moment and soak it all in until Michael finally pointed us out to Caitlin and introduced us. From there we made our way around the island for a mini engagement shoot and wrapped up just before their planned dinner at the Grand Hotel.

It was such an honor to be entrusted with capturing such a special moment. Congratulations to Michael and Caitlin once again! We wish them all the best!