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What a better night to post this this beautiful girls senior session, than the night of her Graduation Party! I am literally in the car driving (well, I’m not driving, duhhh) to Canton to celebrate my little cousin’s graduating from High School. But you guys, not only did she get her high school diploma at her graduation, she also got to walk across the stage a second time, and accepted her associates degree from Washtenaw community college! What a little smarty pants!
Noel, I am so incredibly impressed by you and all you have accomplished. You are so bright, you are extremely talented, you are super spunky and you have such a big heart! I can’t wait to see how God uses all these wonderful qualities in your future. Looking forward to celebrating with you tonight! 

Love you!

 

A little over a year ago, I photographed this adorable couple in a beautiful sunken garden in Indiana, where they got engaged! And I am so excited because this week is their wedding week!

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Karen & Joel, I am really looking forward to celebrating the two of you, and your commitment to each other and to God this whole week! It is going to be amazing and incredibly beautiful! Love you both!

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The other night, I spent a beautiful spring evening with my favorite little family. The Jones’ have this amazing Magnolia tree in their yard, and we took advantage of it while it was in full bloom.
But of course, this little one year old has a mind of her own and doesn’t like to sit still for long. So join us as we take a stroll (or a waddle) down the street with little lady Linden and her beautiful mommy & daddy.  Now stop and smell the flowers… or the grass…

 

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Austin and Sophie got married this past Saturday, and what a better way to celebrate their big day then by sharing their engagement session with you all! These two are absolutely adorable together. They were as sweet as can be, roaming around downtown Williamston, where Austin (and I grew up), and snuggling up in the gorgeous golden fields of a local park. They brought along their spunky pup, Parker, who tried to steal the show. I mean, how can you deny those big eyes! So of course, he successfully stole the spot light, but only for a moment. 
We took their engagement photos back in February on one of those weird (but amazing) warm days. In Michigan, the weather is so unpredictable, but Austin and Sophie have the best luck! Their wedding day was absolutely one of those beautiful April days, not a rain cloud in sight, flowers blooming, warm sunshine, and a gentle breeze. If you keep on scrolling, below are some wedding sneak peeks! 

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Congratulations on your beautiful wedding, Mr. & Mrs. Donohoe! 

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Ellie & Michael are absolutely adorable together. I am so honored to have chosen me to capture their engagement session, and in 11 days, their wedding! Yesterday Ellie and I met up at Red Dot Coffee and discussed the final details of her big day. We then went over to The Inn at St. John’s for a tour. If you have not seen the Inn at St. Johns, just you wait! It is such a grand building with a cathedral that literally takes your breath away. I am already looking forward to editing and blogging their wedding so you can see what I mean! So, while you wait, here is their engagement session and their proposal story in Ellie’s own words:
“His family joined my family at our cottage in Canada for the weekend (suspicious but not convincing). We had an awesome time all day Saturday on the beach doing all normal “weekend at the cottage” type things! Saturday evening dinner comes around and, as usual, we have a BBQ and big ol’ dinner with everyone around– his family, my family, my grandma, her two sisters, etc. Dinner was delish and I was ready to get down to the beach to catch my favorite part of the day: the sunset. Weeeeelll, I was forced on a walk with my mom and his mom and his sister. When we came back, we were making our way down the hill/pathway to the beach when I see everyone lined up along the way down to the beach! Everyone had a rose and a card in their hand, on which was printed “I love you because ….” (Ps they were the same cards that my mom used to fill out and put in our lunch box/stocking/bathroom/pillowcase) So as I go down the hill, I receive a rose and a card from each person about how they love me because… I finally reach Michael who is on the beach with a rose and a card and we jump onto this large boulder where our first picture was taken and he says “well, I love you because etc etc etc”. Soon he was on one knee, I said yes, and the party continued! Unknown to us, my brother and his wife coordinated an awesome celebration afterwards with champagne and music and fun with everyone involved!! It was the best night ever.”

 

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Social media makes the world incredibly small. About a year ago, I reached out to Brooke through Instagram. I love photography, but she is living my dream job. So being the bold person I am, I bombarded her with questions about it. Brooke works for the happiest place on earth… in Asia. And I bet you can’t guess what she does!
A couple weeks ago, she posted a photo of her visiting Grand Haven with her dad. Naturally, I reached out to her about shooting, and she amazingly agreed! I grabbed some dresses and made her freeze her bootie off on the shores of Lake Michigan. But wow, was it worth it! She is absolutely beautiful and has the sweetest personality! Thanks for being bold with me, Brooke! 

“So I do, I always do. I am yours and you are mine and we are His.”
– Alivia Skogheim

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I am not kidding you, I think I went through a box of tissues during this wedding. This wedding gave us ALL THE FEELS (I think it’s the silliest saying but it’s so fitting). Jakob and Alivia’s day was truly a day no one would forget. 

Sometimes I wonder why I even try to come up with words to describe what you are about to see. These images truly speak for themselves! So, for now, scroll through, and enjoy their beautiful wedding day. (Of course, there are explanations under certain pictures, because I couldn’t help myself and you should know all the amazing details!)

I love my job. I get to capture your moments and emotions and preserve them. Forever. 

I met Jakob a couple years ago at a stylized shoot, held by a mutual photographer friend, Rob Woodcox. Since that shoot, Jakob and I partnered up and shot many weddings side by side. So, when Jakob’s role changed to Groom, and he asked me to photograph it, I was completely honored. And wonderfully, Rob was there to second shoot this wedding with me! 

-Enjoy!

To start off the beautiful and emotional day, Alivia gets ready in her wedding dress, which has been worn for three generations. Her grandma wore the original dress, which was passed down to her mom and then she passed it down to Alivia, each of them slightly altering the dress to make it uniquely their own. How amazing is that! Jakob and Alivia didn’t have a first look, but they got to hold hands and pray with each other before the ceremony, behind a door. Talk about self control and not peeking! Isn’t that dress beautiful?
That look!
Their church had incredibly high cathedral ceilings. It was quite breathtaking to walk in to.   A bridal party made up of siblings. There is nothing better! These are the people who will be standing by your side for the rest of your life, no matter what! What an amazing blessing! 

The Gandy Dancer is the most adorable 1886 restored train depot turned restaurant! Absolutely perfect for an intimate summer reception! Alivia’s Dad bought a bottle of wine for each of his children when they were born, so that they could open it, and drink it together on their wedding day! Now that’s a man who plans ahead!  

Again, this man is incredible and planned so far ahead! Alivia didn’t know exactly what to expect for her father daughter dance, but she knew it was going to be meaningful and memorable. Her dad took a song and inserted recordings of her voice from different part of her childhood, saying things like “I love you daddy”. I’m surprised I got any pictures of this moment, because I couldn’t see a dang thing, my eyes were flooding! Alivia was not feeling well, but she pushed through and performed her heart out, singing a song she wrote to Jakob. Some of her touching lyrics were quoted above. I wonder what happened on that dance floor… we may never know!