9.18.11 | lori + juan

...as if our blog isn't full of enough beauty...


lori contacted us at the beginning of her planning process to help secure her venue, creative team, and to assist with the planning process.  like many of our clients, lori lives out of state and couldn't return as often as she would have liked to.


through the planning process lori became a great friend.  we shared some really great times and some very hard times together.  it made my heart happy that lori + juan had the most PERFECT september day for their wedding at misty farms.


lori is so detailed and organized, she really hit it out of the park with all her thoughtfulness.  her fiance juan is from el salvador so lori incorporated some really amazing details for juan; she had their vows spoken in both english and spanish, ordered a sign that said "reciencasado" which means "just married" in spanish, and had pupusa's (a traditional salvadorian dish) served as a late night snack.


first of all, i apologize in advance for the length of this post...melissa from a girl in love captured the day perfectly...without further ado....

if you have never been to misty farms or if you are a bride planning your 2012 wedding at misty farms...the first half dozen photos of the property are pure eye candy...

 

my girls...zoe, georgia + ella...if you read this, you have captured my heart in a way that no other children have before...thank you

all the flowers + bouquets + boutonniere's were designed by susan from passionflower (they were GORGEOUS!)

lori asked each of her guests to write a note on a quilting square in lieu of a guest book...it was such a unique idea and turned out wonderfully!

the highlight of day was when all 100 guests chanted "courtney, courtney" in an effort to get me to join in on the group picture...and there i am front and center hanging out with my three gals :)

an amazingly awesome kids table!!!!

lori + juan met boxing and of course lori incorporated that unique and personal detail into their wedding...below are their r.s.v.p. cards + favors (boxing glove key chains)

this picture warms by heart...as a mother of two girls i can appreciate the love that is shown between the daughter + her parents

 

the s'mores bar was a hit!

this crowd knew how to have a GREAT time!

venue - misty farms
photographer - a girl in love
planning + coordination - petals planning
caterer - katherine's catering
dj - lufru
floral design - passionflower
bartending - petals planning

Green & Eco-Friendly Wedding Venues

Ann Arbor is so blessed with some amazing barns and outdoor locations full of beautiful landscaping, flowers, and overall aesthetics.  Sometimes the impact statement of your wedding already exists - you just have to find it. 

All of these places also have an indoor component, and they allow you to bring in your own vendors so you can choose what tables, linens, flowers, food, etc. is chosen for your green and eco-friendly weddding.  I think these pictures really speak for themselves, and I must say...the photographers who took these pictures are without a doubt at the top of my list of not only amazing photographers, but amazing people...Amy Carroll, Abby Rose & A Girl In Love (Melissa Squires).

Misty Farms

Photo Credit

Cobblestone Farms



Photo Credit

Matthei Botanical Gardens

Photo Credit

courtney@petalsplanningco.com

http://www.petalsplanningco.com/

A Girl In Love Photography - Melissa Squires

In my previous blog post I mentioned how amazing the wedding industry is in Ann Arbor, and how lucky we are to be surrounded by such talent.  One of my new found friends and favorites (although it feels like she has been a friend forever) is Melissa Squires of A Girl in Love Photography.  Melissa is not only an amazing artist, but she is so down-to-earth, real, and I just love, love, love her to pieces!  It is so important in the wedding industry to continue to be inspired and keep the passion, and Melissa is one of those people who continuously inspires me and keeps me passionate about designing, planning and coordinating weddings!  We have our first (hopefully of many) weddings together in May of 2012 and I can't wait!  Instead of her answering the typical questions you see in many blog posts, I asked Melissa to send me a few of her favorite images and explain what went on behind the camera and why they are her favorites...I think it says a lot about an artist and photographer when you know what they were thinking as they snapped a shot.  Take a look - I know you will fall in <3 like I have :)

Sara and Dan - this was at the Detroit Yacht club and we wanted to do a few night images (I try to do one with the cool dramatic light each wedding if possible) and I kept wanting to use the display they have in the middle of the lobby even though I thought it was a bit crazy...so Sara and Dan just kinda hung out on the other side and we lit it from behind.. I told them to just enjoy themselves...they were kissing and it came out magical!

Lexi and Brendan - the wedding ceremony was over, we had done portraits and they were ready to just take a few moments alone before the reception...I was peeking in and saw them by the window and they were there together talking and enjoying each other, maybe talking about the day so far and I thought, this is what getting married is about, I love that they didn't even realize I took the photo.

Jenay and Michael... I think that we all want to be beautiful and glamorous.  I think it's most important to photograph women as their own beautiful selves and not try to make them into someone else's image...I love that when I asked if she minded getting down in the grass in her dress she cried "of course not" and she just turned on her amazing smile.  I wanted to capture her and her natural beauty and I think we did just that :) 

Rhona and Justin were married downtown Detroit, this picture was taken while we were getting ready. It's my favorite formal shot ever because, well, look at it, how awesome the family is!  I love that the dad's getting the little one ready and I love that while Justin is talking to one of his groomsmen Rhona is looking right at the camera, still, calm, peaceful, totally in the moment and enjoying the fact that she was just married to the one she loves more than anything. My second shooter and also amazing husband shot this, I love that while I'm doing something he can be capturing something and go totally unnoticed because everyone is focused on what I'm doing!

Sharon and Gerald - this image was in the most recent Brides Michigan magazine and I love that they ran it big! I think that if there is dancing at the reception then I want to get images that show the energy and the party and this image is one of those. I love that she is just letting loose and enjoying herself and the music and I love that I caught it.

Thank you Melissa for sharing your thoughts so openly and candidly with us!  Melissa's wedding packages start at $3,200 for six hours of coverage and includes an engagement session, wedding dvd with high resolution negatives and copywright, a portrait booth at reception, a second shooter, and same day 4 image film folio.

You can visit Melissa's blog here - trust me, it is addicting!

courtney@petalsplanningco.com
http://petalsplanningco.blogspot.com/