10 • 29 • 15

Katie & Tim|Lake Orion, MI Wedding

Oh where to start when telling this story. I won’t tell you how sick I was and how I panicked because of the intense head cold that dropped on me like a bomb in the 24 hrs preceding this wedding. I won’t tell you about how 25 min into shooting the day, I snagged my tights on the velcro of the makeup artist’s bag ripping a gaping hole near my shin. {Pretty noticeable and trashy looking.} I won’t tell you about the monsoon that entered the scene just shortly after the first look and just as we were starting the bride & groom portraits. I won’t tell you about how we had to move the 160+ guest wedding ceremony from the backyard {which was decorated perfectly} to inside the tent. And I won’t tell you how my heart broke for my friend, Katie. All of her careful planning, hard work, and high hopes for her perfect wedding day. I can still hear her voice trying to convince herself, “It’s not going to rain!!” I wince a little recalling that moment. I won’t tell you how sad I was for her that her vision of her day had to be completely changed.

Instead, I’m going to tell you about how amazing and positive the bride and groom were, how it all worked out perfectly and that in the middle of the chaos I saw enough LOVE and kindness to warm up even the coldest rainiest day! I’ll start with my sweet hubby dropping what he was doing, loading up the kids and driving a new pair of tights to me. Then I’d like to tell you about two of the most selfless hardworking parents I’ve ever met. I watched Katie’s mom and dad hustle all day long. I mean all. day. long. Pounding signs into the ground, hanging flower filled milk bottles from the pergola, hauling chairs, loading up the bar, then taking the bar apart and moving it inside. Moving the ceremony backdrop inside. Basically moving everything inside. I just wanted to hug them both. Good people. So many times during the day and night I saw acts of kindness and the many helping hands of friends and family. Everyone pitching in together to make this day special.

This was my first experience with a backyard outdoor wedding. It was quite incredible to watch this event come together. The decorators from Serradella Vintage and the florist, Ruby Slipper Design, were beyond phenomenal. They completely transformed Katie and Tim’s backyard into a charming vintage garden-like atmosphere in a matter of hours. The attention to detail was impressive to say the least. The ceremony was perfect. Katie’s sister, accompanied by Jason Milan on the guitar, sang a beautiful song for the couple. It was in that moment when I finally took a few deep breaths and realized that this was what this whole day was about. Sharing the gifts God has given us, making a lifelong commitment, promising to love without conditions, and celebrating together. The weather didn’t matter. The lost portraits of the day that I had dreamed of capturing…didn’t matter. None of it mattered. What mattered was what was happening under the tent at this moment. The rest of the night is a blur to me! It was a blur of amazing home-cooked food, a “Beastie Boys” family rap/toast, crazy dance moves, good beer, laughing with friends, and did I mention amazing food?! Seriously. The food was good.

So much love surrounds Katie & Tim. I know their marriage will bring many blessings. It was an honor to capture their love story.