Mandee and Mike met in college and the first time they went out together, it was at Steak and Shake. While the two of us certainly have no beef with Steak and Shake, Mandee and Mike have come a long way, from Mike’s romantic proposal and custom-designed engagement ring to the beautiful wedding day they planned at the Amway Grand Plaza in downtown Grand Rapids. We were honored to photograph it–all the beautiful details and places, the two of them, and the rockin’ party to end the day made it an easy task!

Mandee’s shoes. It was easy to see that she was looking forward to wearing these so much. If you look closely, you can see both of our reflections in the doorknob. I’m taking pictures of Mandee’s dress behind Leandra (who is obviously photographing the shoes…).

Mandee got ready in one of the Amway’s beautiful suites–in addition to being a wonderful place for her and her bridesmaids to spend the night before, it was perfect that morning because of the big windows and generous amount of space–two things that make great getting ready pictures!

Love the color in these two…

Two pairs of adorable ring bearers and flowergirls. We love the way the first flowergirl flung the flowers over her shoulder.

Dad, handing Mandee off.

The ceremony was held in the Presidential Ballroom.

And, the reception, in the spacious and grand Pantlind Ballroom.

Mike and his mom, and Dad watching on.

The two of them took private dance lessons, and looked great during their choreographed first dance (to one of our favorite songs– “Make You Feel My Love”)!

My view of the final dip. Leandra’s was in the Sneak Peek.

Oh, and the band? It was amazing. They kept the dance floor full all night, didn’t resort to any cheesy gimmicks, and sounded great. Check ‘em out here.

Mike and Mandee seemed to fit together so well. They danced–together–for almost the entire reception and genuinely enjoyed the other’s company through the day. Here’s the impromptu dance-off that happened halfway through. First, Mike throws off the jacket.

… and Mandee, without missing a beat, throws down the veil.

The crowd loved it, to say the least!

Mandee and Mike: it sounds like you honeymoon through Asia will be an amazing trip! We were so glad to photograph you two, your families, and your wedding day.

Clara and Kyle were married in a big, red barn at Ciccone Vineyards outside Traverse City and had a beautiful reception downtown at the Opera House. We felt so inspired by all the beautiful details, the wonderful locations, and the way Clara and Kyle enjoyed every bit of it. We’ll have many more to share soon!

In all of our email correspondence prior to the wedding, Lindsay signed her emails with her maiden name, but always with the caveat “soon-to-be” followed by Aaron’s name. We could tell just in her email signature how excited she was to be marrying Aaron. When we arrived in Kalamazoo on the wedding day, the excitement we could see in her emails was everywhere. From the t-shirts they had made for the bridal party mimicking the old Las Vegas sign to the wine they made themselves and had bottled with custom logos (with their engagement pictures on the label!)… it was so easy to see that this was something they were both ready for, excited for, and looking forward to for quite some time. They were both so invested in the day–they wanted to enjoy every little bit of it as much as possible, and it sure seems like they did.

Lindsay booked her hair and makeup at the Alano salon in Kalamazoo.

Meanwhile…

Aaron (third from the left) bought his groomsmen plaid shorts to wear with their fabulous t-shirts.

Lindsay and Aaron are training their beautiful dog, Winnie, to be a Paws With a Cause dog, so she got to join them at the church…

…which was the beautiful First United Methodist in downtown Kalamazoo.

While we were taking photos of Lindsay and her bridesmaids, her grandpa came outside to see his beautiful granddaughter. It was so touching (really!) to watch their interaction throughout the day. It was clear that her grandpa had a big heart that was so full of love (a great bit of which he gave to Lindsay).

Leandra captured this moment just before the ceremony of Lindsay just waiting and, oh, looking stunning.

Lindsay and Aaron danced down the aisle. The laughed, spun, ran a bit, spun again… all the way out the front doors.

Aaron, even with everything going on and everything to do on the big day, was more interested in Lindsay than anything or anyone else. Exactly the way it should be.

The homemade wine and custom labels!

Lindsay’s mom, watching Lindsay and her grandpa dance.

Kalamazoo College had a beautiful campus for a few night-time portraits:

Lindsay + Aaron: we’re so glad you had all the fun it looked like you did while on your cruise, and so glad we could share your beautiful wedding day with you!

When we were dating, US 12 was the way from Northern Indiana to Ann Arbor. It was the road one of us would drive on the weekends, full of excitement and relief to see the other; it was the road I drove through the night between my last class and my first class the next day, just to see her; it was the road that brought Leandra to Ann Arbor for what both of us agree was the Best Weekend Ever, when we both realized that this was “it”–for good. So when we needed to drive from Northern Indiana to Farmington for Kate and Tim’s wedding, we skipped the interstate and drove through a dozen little towns boasting everything from antiques to roasted nuts to gravity-defying hills and giant fiberglass dinosaurs, all along our favorite two-lane road.

We found Kate to be the same thoughtful, easy-going person she was and Tim to be the same kind, occasionally goofy, and ever-affectionate person he was at their engagement session over a year ago (long enough ago to be on the old blog!). Through their wedding day, Kate and Tim laughed with each other more than they did anywhere else, with anyone else. And we really like that. Our favorites from the day:

Leandra loved working with the mirrors at the salon (and Kate’s hair and makeup were beautiful, to boot!)

Tim and his brother…

Kate received a “delivery” from Tim when she arrived at the church–a letter and a blue box!

Who says you can’t have a first hug, too?

The beautiful (and delicious!) cupcakes.

The beautiful reception was held at Glen Oaks in Farmington. It was a joy to photograph there–big windows, high ceilings, and great atmosphere!

We took Kate upstairs for some bridal portraits…

Beautiful light and a beautiful bride.

And, following the reception, stole the two of them for a few photos at a beautiful little park in downtown Farmington.

My view:

Leandra’s:

My two favorites:

Kate and Tim–all the best to you in the coming years! Thank you two for welcoming us into your lives–it was an honor to photograph you two and your day.