I bet it won’t be long until Andrew’s feet will be as big as Rob’s.

Sometimes I tell a good joke. Emma obviously enjoyed this one.

Emma is REALLY strong. She credits track training and her wonderful coach, Miss Bedford.

Zink family, thanks so much for allowing me to document this little window in your family history. It was such a privilege.

Thank you to the following people who helped make Richard and Rachel’s day so special:

I believe Rachel’s three opal ring is a family heirloom. I LOVE opals and I think her ring is just gorgeous!!

Richard and Rachel did all of their photos before the wedding and Rachel was taken to the marsh near their home where they frequently walk their dog Tucker to meet Richard.

Richard seemed a little nervous before he saw Rachel, (he even told me he couldn’t wait for Monday) but once they were united his nerves seemed to melt away. I love when a couple calms each other so well.

Rachel you are SO beautiful! You looked so etherial and pretty on your wedding day!

The groomsmen were RIchard’s brother Nick and Rachel’s brother Clive. Both men were really funny, kind, and suffered in silence wearing three piece suits on a muggy day.

Rachel was really looking forward to having peonies at her wedding and these white bouquets with ivy accents were a vision!

Both Richard and Rachel have a little international flare in their families. Rachel’s parents are English, and Richard’s mom’s side of the family is Mexican. It was really beautiful to see the blending of different cultures and traditions.

Rachel added a veil for the ceremony.

St. John’s is absolutely beautiful!!

The combination of Rachel’s smile and the pipe organ as she walked down the aisle gave me goosebumps! The music for Richard and Rachel’s ceremony was outstanding!!

After the ceremony, the guests walked directly into the large open foyer/atrium in the church to enjoy hors d’oeuvres, wine, and desserts.

I assumed that jars of jam would be a nod to Rachel’s English heritage, because the English love their jellies, jams, and marmalades. BUT… these actually came from Richard’s family farm! I believe his mother made them. I thought it was a fantastic favor for the guests.

Do you remember these people? It was fun to run into Darin and Kirsten…

…and Dan and Rachel at the wedding. I LOVE catching up with couples I had the pleasure of working with in the past!!!

After a couple hours of mingling with guests, toasting to their new marriage, and cutting the cake, Richard and Rachel left the reception.

And, of course, they left in style.

Congratulations Richard and Rachel on your new marriage! I hope you, Tucker, and Runter have a peaceful and restful summer together. I wish you many happy returns.

He’s a bit of a nerd, she’s a girls girl. She likes to do things the fun way, he likes to do things the right way. She likes IU, he likes Purdue. You might not naturally try to match up these two people. However, when they met online, sparks flew. They met up for a movie and have been connected ever since. They do share the most important things. Faith, character, values, and love.
What I loved about Luke and Sadie’s wedding is that they were so intentional and deliberate about their planning. So many of their wedding details were symbolic reminders of aspects of their history or family. Keep an eye out for those fun details as you keep scrolling.

The day of the wedding was interrupted with intermittent rain. We all had to be flexible about photo time, and I just really appreciated how upbeat and flexible Luke and Sadie were for their photos. They were SO helpful to me as I did a little flying by the seat of my pants. For that, I’d like to say a HUGE thank you to them.

The following vendors and friends helped to make this day such a beautiful success.

Florist- Felke Florist- Plymouth
DJ- The Music Machine- South Bend
Cupcakes- Deihdre Alltop- Indianapolis
Caterer- The Wooden Nickel- North Judson
Hair- Today’s Headlines- Warsaw
Sadie’s Dress- Miss Pamela’s- Rochester
Bridesmaid Dresses- Lula Kate- Indianapolis
Wedding Planner- Sally Schwarz- Family Member

Sadie and her mom are both very expressive people. I love their little exchanges.

Luke and Sadie did all of their photos before the wedding, which was a HUGE blessing because the rain came later and we had time to beat a little of the rain and then were able to add some improvised shots into the schedule after the wedding once the sky cleared. If they hadn’t done a First Look, things would have been SO much harder for everyone involved.

Here’s Luke’s face when he saw his bride. Total surprise.

This fountain? It sounded exactly like… that…

Luke and his guys all wore white Chuck Taylors. Lining them up for a shoe shot was pretty funny.

We only shot about five photos of the girls outside before the rain came and we had to retreat to the inside of the church.

Do I even need to say it…. GORGEOUS!

This was Sadie’s something blue…

…her wedding date stitched on the hem of her dress.

Luke and Sadie’s ceremony was full of sweet personal music and moments. I LOVE the last seconds between a dad and his daughter before he walks her down the aisle. These two were pretty jittery as they bounced a little waiting for the doors to open.

Luke and Sadie’s reception took place only a couple blocks away at Sadie’s aunt and uncles home in their yard. The tent fortunately was able to keep out the rain.

When the couple was announced, Luke ran a little behind Sadie giving out high-fives. So fun!

During dinner the clouds parted!! And we went out for a little of this…

Sadie wore her pink Steve Madden pumps for the ceremony, but switched to her Chucks for the reception. I LOVE these stitched shoes!!

This adorable couple won the Anniversary Dance by about ten years. So cute!

After all the formalities were out of the way, it was time for DANCING!!!

Luke and Sadie, congratulations on such a fun, festive, personalized, detailed wedding. Thanks so much for being flexible with the rain, and me, and taking it all in stride. It was a PERFECT wedding day! Rain and all.

I had the pleasure of shooting engagement photos for Will and Rachel at a place that is very dear to both of them. A place that they may have been at the same time in decades past, but not known each other or even met. Epworth Forest. Many Indiana Methodist teens have passed through the gates at Epworth and fallen in love with the place, the staff, the atmosphere, the memories. It’s picturesque and almost hallowed ground.

Take a look at Will and Rachel and their camp engagement shoot.

Will and Rachel decided to do something unusual and they BOTH have engagement rings and will both wear wedding bands after the wedding. Pretty cool, huh?

Will didn’t care much for the smiling, he just wanted to kiss…

Rachel has two daughters and wears their birthstones around her neck. I love the little stick-figure necklace.

I’ve always known this statue as “thumbless Jesus”. The legend is that his thumbs fell off from kids running by and giving him high fives so often, but according to Will and Rachel he had thumbs back when they attended camp.

Will and Rachel congratulations on your engagement and on your upcoming wedding. I’m so glad that you found each other again after all these years.

Bennett could not have been more agreeable to work with. He was happy and sweet and just about perfect. I had a lot of fun with this charming little guy. Take a look at the very handsome and very manly Bennett. What a hunk!

Bennett just eats up kisses from mommy and daddy. And with cheeks like that, who could resist passing out a couple smooches?

I love his face here. He was SO excited to sit on his bicycle.

Bennett LOVES when mommy and daddy toss him around a little bit. (This was done under the supervision of professionals, do not try this at home.)

I believe this rocking chair belonged to Stacey’s grandfather. Or maybe was made by him? (I’m a great listener, y’all) Anyway, this heirloom was the perfect little throne for Bennett. Such a dude! I love it.

I loooooooove Jason’s face here. So funny!

Jason and Stacey, I know you’ve loved this first year of Bennett’s life. I hope the three of you continue to keep making sweet memories together. It was a pleasure to spend time with your little family.

I’m a photographer. (duh!) I carry heavy bags over one shoulder all the time. Every wedding is just daring my neck to seek revenge on me for the terrible way I treat it. Photographers are known for having back and neck problems. It’s part of our reputation, along with being obsessed with light and irritatingly slowing down vacation groups with our constant photo taking.

Remember back in the dark ages when I was constantly having neck problems and visiting the chiropractor with absurd frequency? I actually kinda forgot about it. It just hit me the other day that I don’t do that any more. I’m pretty sure I haven’t seen the chiropractor in at least four months. Maybe six or seven. I also realized in a lightning bolt moment that I haven’t had a headache in a while. It wasn’t long ago that I just became used to daily headaches… like, for ten years straight. I think the headaches were a combination of tension issues in my neck and sugar-slash-hydration issues.

I’ve narrowed the solution down to two things:

1. Kettlebell Classes
2. Giving up Sugar

Today I want to endorse both of these things.

I started taking kettlebell classes with a reputable and qualified instructor, Scott Stewart, sometime right before Easter. It’s changed my life! Kettlebell is an exercise regimen that efficiently works your body and exposes areas of weakness and then helps you strengthen them. It’s a work out that can be done in about 20 minutes a 3-5 times a week. I’m actually working out MUCH LESS than I used to, but I’m stronger, I already weigh a little less, and I’m feeling a lot of relief with neck tension issues. I don’t quite have Madonna arms yet, but I’m really much closer than I was 15 weeks ago. It’s a slow process, but honestly I don’t care if I ever have washboard abs or Madonna arms as long as I keep feeling stronger and healthier. Even if nobody ever sees a difference, I feel it.

If you’re interested in kettlebell instruction, let me know and I’ll hook you up with my trainer. I’d strongly caution you to go to a certified kettlebell teacher. I only know of two in the area, Scott Stewart and Jill Freeman. There are a lot of personal trainers who have added a bit of kettlebell to their regimen, but they are not specifically trained by an accredited kettlebell organization… and their clients therefore have hernias. For real! Be careful. Hire someone GOOD! And don’t try it at home without help from a professional. Maybe demand to see a few certificates before handing over your hard-earned cash.

So, why did I give up sugar? I gave up sugar for lent this year and was amazed by how much better I felt. I added it back to my diet with renewed intensity after Easter and I felt. like. garbage. Almost instantly. That caused me to curiously do a bit of research. The more I read and learn, the more I’ve seen that sugar is as addictive as heroin. Period. That scared me. I also found out lovely things like… It causes cancer, obesity, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and it causes inflammation, bloating, and joint pain. For the most part, it’s added to food as a cheap filler. It’s largely unnecessary. I was eating too much of it, so I decided to just cut it out for a while. I’ve been feeling SO much better. It’s not easy to turn down ice cream, but I have to say that it’s worth it. My one indulgence has been an occasional cocktail or glass of hard cider. But in comparison to a dessert, shake, or soda, that’s barely any sugar at all. I’m not saying I’ll NEVER have ice cream again, but I’d like to save it for vacations, holidays, and birthdays… instead of every time I had a bad hair day. And let’s be honest, I was usually looking for excuses to eat sugar as much as possible. One weird side effect of giving up the sugar is that my appetite seems to have subsided significantly. I feel fuller faster and I’m not feeling cravings all the time.

I share these things with you, just because I want others to feel the same relief and change that I have felt. If you’d like more info on either of my “miracle cures”, let me know! I’d love to share more of my story with you.

I’m editing a wedding today… but, I’m distracted.

I’m working to get caught up before the next wedding comes along, but as I work I have Cambodia on the brain. I thought this video could really say all that I have to say. I recognize these places. I remember the smells and the heat that goes with them. I’ve spoken to some of these people. I’ve listened to their hearts, I’ve prayed with them and for them. I love them deeply.

It’s been seven months since my trip to Cambodia and Thailand, but in some ways the experience is fresher than ever. The longer I am away from Asia, the more my heart beats to stop child sex trafficking.

Sometimes sitting and editing a wedding is hard because I’m very aware that at 10am here, it’s 9pm there… and girls are about to go out for the night. They’ll be once again put up for market. Once again sold to strangers. Strangers who will be stronger than they. Strangers that will smell unfamiliar. Strangers who may not even speak the same language. Those men will rape them repeatedly and treat them like less than animals, like property, for their own amusement. They’ll abuse them in soulless, humiliating, evil ways. They’ll do things to valuable beautiful children that should never be. Never. By the time I wake up to work on another day of wedding editing tomorrow, they’ll be headed back to another night of repeated abuse.

I’m editing a wedding today… but, I’m distracted.

destinyrescue.org

Karl and Jamie’s wedding day was a whirlwind of activity. Even for me, it seemed to fly by. So many beautiful and meaningful things happened that I could barely take it all in… and I’m used to this kind of thing. I can’t even imagine how overwhelmed the couple was with emotion and sentiment. It’d be easiest so show you than to tell you, so keep scrolling to see this stunning wedding in full glory.

Before we dive into pictures, I want to thank a few people who helped make my job easy. I would happily recommend all of these vendors to anyone. They did a fantastic job!!

Venue, Coordination, & Catering: The Pavilion at Sandy Pines Golf Course, DeMotte Indiana
Hair & Makeup: The Purple Door Salon and Spa, DeMotte Indiana
Flowers: Elizabeth’s Garden, Culver Indiana
Cake: Mammaw’s Sweet Shoppe, Lafayette Indiana
DJ: Chad Wynn Music Entertainment, Lake Village Indiana

Jamie and her girls got ready in a model Condo on the Golf Course property. The vacant home was a beautiful spacious place for the girls to get prepped.

All of the bridesmaids had tanks that said, “It’s all about the Bennetts” They were super cute.

I love all of the commotion of the prep time. The excitement is contagious.

Karl and Jamie didn’t want their guests to wait between the ceremony and the reception and they wanted to participate in cocktail hour, so they did all of their photos in advance. Here’s their First Look.

I overheard heard the same question SEVERAL times on the day of the wedding. Did Jamie pick the colors before or after she found these dresses? Were the dresses custom made? The answer is that Jamie picked the color scheme and then found these dresses that perfectly matched what she wanted. It was kismet.

This many gorgeous faces in one photo… I can’t even handle it. Lovely ladies, inside and out.

And Jamie… you are such a beautiful person. You’re not only STUNNING, but so kind, generous, and funny. You were and are a picture perfect bride.

This train, oh. my. goodness.

I Loooooooove this one…

I just love photos of brides carrying their great big dresses, and adding Karl with his jacket over his shoulder is just awesome.

Emily shot the photo on the left, while I was shooting the photo on the right. Having a second shooter is such a huge help.

The flower girl and ring bearer were just about as cute as can be. I love this set of photos. He points at her, she growls at him, she flicks a flower in his direction… and then goes in for the kill.

The ceremony location at The Pavilion at Sandy Pines is a garden and it was in FULL BLOOM for the wedding. It made an incredible backdrop for the wedding.

I can’t get enough of Jamie’s face as she spots Karl waiting for her at the alter. Beautiful!

Karl’s dad and brother are standing to his left (your right) in this photo and I love seeing their faces in addition to his. 

As a pale Irish lass… I really love that the Pavilion provides umbrellas for guests. While the umbrellas did provide shade, they really weren’t needed for relief from heat. The weather was PERFECT! Not too hot, not too cool, but juuuuuust right. It was as if Goldilocks had ordered the weather.

Karl and Jamie definitely had paparazzi at their wedding. Cameras everywhere! I love that. The guests did not want to forget this day!

I love the first kiss during the ceremony, but I almost love the happy squeeze afterward even more.

You might remember from their engagement session that Karl and Jamie really love their Ray-Bans. Karl had them tucked in his jacket during the ceremony and they put them on to walk back down the aisle as man and wife. I loved that personal touch!

The guests literally walked directly into cocktail hour from the ceremony. The open concept pavilion is adjacent to the ceremony site.

Even the linens perfectly matched the wedding colors.

This cake from Mammaw’s was just absolutely perfect. It was a cool combination of chic and simple, but still had delicate detailed work.

During cocktail hour we did sneak away for about ten minutes for a couple more photos.

Toms have made an appearance at several weddings this year. I love that brides are rocking comfort and supporting such an awesome and noble cause at the same time. Jamie’s yellow Toms perfectly matched her colors.

The necklaces worn by the bridesmaids were made by the Maid of Honor, Caitlin.

This wedding had a LOT of kids and there was a candy bar… I bet you can guess where the kids liked to be.

Karl and Jamie were introduced and went right into a secretly planned choreographed dance. It was SO CUTE.

Possibly even cuter than the dance itself was the reaction to the dance…

Jamie didn’t have a PRAYER of making it through her dad’s speech without crying. It was so sweet.

But Karl’s dad went a different route with his speech and opted for shock and awe. You might wonder what he could have done that would cause this reaction from Karl…

He did this… with a little plotting with Karl’s mom they produced some nude portraiture from Karl’s past.

But he got pretty sentimental in the end.

Then after the dad’s made speeches there were a couple toasts as well.

After dinner, Karl and Jamie kicked off party time with their first dance.

Jamie sang along to almost every word of the song.

Jamie probably got her love of singing from her dad, who COMPLETELY surprised her with a recording of himself singing to her for their first dance. Her reaction was priceless!

Karl and his mom took their turn on the dance floor. They were a little more smiley than the teary two that preceded them.

After tosses the dance floor was OPEN!!!

Karl and Jamie, congratulations on such a wonderful day. It was fun, filled with great memories, and seriously… could not have been on a day with better weather. Thanks so much for letting me be part of such an amazing day!!

Tessa…

Mariah…

Noah…

Erika…

Nick…

Jo…

and Michael…

Congratulations to all of you on your accomplishments and best of luck as you head off to new adventures next year!

Secondly, I wanted to mention that if you’re interested in being a Senior Rep for Marah Grant Photography for the class of 2014, don’t hesitate to contact me now! I’ll take one senior from each of the following schools as a rep: Warsaw, Lakeland, Whitko, Wawasee, and Valley. If you’re interested in a Four Seasons set for 2014, you’ll definitely want to schedule soon to get a summer shoot done before or around when school begins.

Thirdly, I have songs stuck in my head that just feel like great graduation songs. I’m really digging the new Paramore album, and I don’t care who knows it. When I first came across Paramore, I think I wrote them off as teen punk and didn’t think they’d amount to much. (My apologies to them for that) BUT… I have to say that the new album is something I can’t seem to get away from. I keep listening to more and more of it! There are a lot of songs on the album about moving on and growing up that I think would be PERFECT Senior year jams. So… maybe check it out!

(Here’s a video that has the ENTIRE album on it.)

My absolute favorite song is “Ain’t it Fun” which has a pretty awesome gospel choir break down at the end. It’s inspirational….

Don’t worry, grads! It really IS FUN living in the real world. No matter what the song says, you’re NOT on your own and… you’re allowed to go cry to your momma a couple times as you transition. It’s cool. But the song is a good pick-me-up anyway.

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

My sister is a piano teacher. I am a wedding photographer. You might think that we don’t have a lot in common professionally, but last night I went on a walk with her, my husband, and our dog Lucy,  and through our conversation realized we have several things in common.

First of all we were both raised by a mother who was willing to pay top dollar for Land’s End sheets and towels. She loves the quality. She knew that if she paid more up front that those items would last her much longer. She thought about the long-run. She considered the costs and the benefits.

Secondly, We’re both professionals.

I am a professional wedding photographer. I’m not an amateur. I’m not like your Uncle Joe who bought a fancy camera and experiments with it. Sometimes with good results, sometimes completely failing. I like to think that the biggest sign of my professionalism is consistency. I will consistently get a good image every time I use my camera. I have almost seven years of experience, I have shot over 100 weddings, I have backup equipment and subcontracted employees, and files, and taxes, and financial records, and meetings, and a track record. I shoot manually. And probably the best credibility I can offer, I have very happy customers. I know my craft. I understand light and exposure. I understand posing and helping a person relax in front of a camera. I’m not bragging, I’m just trying to paint a picture. When you hire me to shoot your wedding, you get knowledge and experience.

My sister? She has a degree in piano. She has fifteen or so years of teaching experience with both school music and private piano lessons. She’s accredited. She’s part of a teaching guild. She pays fees and dues to the teachers group. She attends classes to continue her education. Her students get results. She uses a method called Simply Music. A wonderful combination of traditional and playing based programs. My sister teaches my niece Cara and Cara was playing real songs within only months of beginning her lessons. Not kiddie silly stuff. Songs. You might think that it’d be harder to teach a relative than a stranger, and it is. But that’s how good she is! With all those glowing titles, and achievements you might think that people would be beating down her door to sign up their children for lessons. But, they aren’t. Why? Because they shop around for the best price. Instead of hiring a woman who has played piano for 30 years, a woman with a degree in music, a woman who is a member of a prestigious teaching community… they’d rather hire a twelve year old homeschooler to teach their eight year old child to play chopsticks. Literally. This has actually happened.

What they might not see is that the twelve year old down the street doesn’t have any training in pedagogy. She doesn’t pay dues to a larger organization that keeps her accountable for the quality of her teaching. She doesn’t have a “method”. The twelve year old down the street doesn’t tune her piano regularly. The girl down the street doesn’t purchase a curriculum, and teaching aids, and receipt books, and metronomes, and staff paper, and… I think you get the picture.

Shopping around for the best price. It seems like such a noble thing, doesn’t it? It’s what conventional wisdom would encourage. But at some point, the best price can actually be the worst use of your money. The best price isn’t always frugal or wise. Sometimes the best price is allowing someone to undercut the industry. Sometimes the best price hurts the people who are charging a fair rate. Sometimes the best price is a shady contractor who will take your deposit and skip town.

When I pay full-price for a high quality item, I like to know that my money is being used well to further the business of a professional that I believe in. Like buying a Sari Bari blanket or a Destiny Rescue piece of jewelry. Best price? Heck no. But a company I believe in? You better believe it!!

In my career as a wedding photographer, there have been several times that I have been challenged by couples who didn’t like my pricing. (In actuality, my prices are pretty low. Much lower than national averages.) On a few occasions because of conversations about price, I’ve openly admitted to a couple, “I don’t think I’m the right wedding photographer for you.” Rather than barter, it was better for me to decline the business. I like to establish relationships with couples that turn into friendships, and that starts off on the wrong foot if the couple immediately distrusts me because they think I’m ripping them off. I know I’m not the best price that they’ll find, but as my mother always said as she purchased Land’s End towels and linens… You get what you pay for.

So… that’s what’s been on my mind grapes today.
Tell me about your pricing experiences. Are there places in your life where you’re willing to pay top dollar? I’d love to know where!
The hairdresser? Car shopping? Organic Food?
Where are the places in your life that you really want to know that you’re getting what you paid for?