here it is...my final wedding of 2016. and what an awesome couple to spend it with! drew and rebecca were married on saturday in grand rapids surrounded by friends and family, and it was beautiful!
when i have the chance to sit down with couples and chat about their wedding day, we often talk about scheduling and how they envision their wedding day playing out. usually the topic of a first look comes up and i really make a point of trying not to influence a couple's thoughts prior to them making a decision one way or the other. there are certainly good reasons for both a first look or waiting to see each other until the moment the bride walks down the aisle.. i say all of this, because for these two...a first look was absolutely perfect. when both the bride and groom cry seeing each other for the first time, you know it was a special and powerful moment, made even more special because of the intimate privacy they were able to share.
and the wedding day was truly full of those moments! from the early morning stylings in the salon to the late night sky lanterns being lit, it was a stunning day* thank you d&r for helping me to finish out my shooting season on a high note! may God bless you you two in your marriage - it was a gift to be a witness for your wedding!
much love,
- npe
The day finally arrived for these two...i can remember vividly, sitting in my living room in oxford, skyping with alexis and rob and talking about this past weekend as a future moment of celebration we were going to be sharing. and now, the day has come and gone...what a day it was. you would have thought we were in late september with the absolutely perfect weather. so many singular moments in time to hold onto from saturday, so many memories to be treasured.
take just one look at a photo of either of these two and you wouldn't be surprised if you were told they worked professionally in some modeling agency...and i guess in some ways i was told that wouldn't be too far from reality! so much beauty, elegance, class, and happiness! these two just complimented each other so beautifully..and their families were a great gift to be around all day.
thank you a&r, for inviting me to sharing in your wedding day - i hope you enjoy this little window in the story of your celebration. it was lovely in so many ways, and i wish you both the very, very best in your marriage*
much love,
- npe
a question i often ask couples who get in touch with me is where they found my name in the search for a wedding photographer. and no matter how many times i hear it, i am still grateful and honored to hear that they were recommended to me by past clients. there is an inherent accountability in the work that i do..no matter how many weddings i shoot, each and every one has to be respected as the only one that matters in that moment. to have past couples encourage their friends to invest in me for their wedding day is so humbling and gives me great joy every time i get the chance.
for megan and eric, their wedding on saturday was that very scenario. one of eric's groomsmen derek, was a groom from one of my weddings last year. and so, not only is it a great honor, but it feels like a growing family as i see past couples, friends and families at these weddings and remind myself that as much as people see the images..this work is so much more than just photographs. its about people, relationships, and the celebration of love in so many honest, intimate, and beautiful ways.
i am pretty sure that the west michigan autumn day on saturday was just trying to keep up with megan on her wedding day. she looked absolutely stunning, and her husband eric embodied the hashtag that megan coined for him...#frustratinglyphotogenic haha! thank you both for the privilege of joining this past weekend. i hope you love your wedding day preview as much as i loved editing it. blessings to you two in the many years to come!
all the best,
-npe
so i'll tell you right away..i am pretty sure i broke every rule for the reasonable number of portraits for a bride and groom in one blog post. but hopefully once you scroll down, you will understand why! when a couple is this easy to photograph, and the light is this wonderful all day, you just can't help yourself!
i met whitney a few years ago as a guest at another wedding i was shooting and had the wonderful privilege of photographing her mother's wedding in 2014. when couples ask you to capture their wedding day after witnessing your work, especially for family members, it is probably the highest compliment i can receive. and the day was so much fun, seriously. ben and i could totally pass off as long time friends i am pretty sure, with the fact that we couldn't stop laughing at the awesome awkwardness that photos can sometimes be!
thank you b&w, for the gift of celebrating beside you two and your beautiful families. leland will always hold a special place in my heart, and the fact that your wedding was there makes it all the more magical! lets relive this past weekend, what do you say? i loved working through these images...pretty sure i cried while editing your vow photos. love you guys!
- npe
i am so excited to share this wedding! i am pretty sure cassie, tom, and their families single handedly helped me fall in love with charlevoix. i have had the privilege of shooting weddings all over the state and yet i hadn't shot in this stunning little costal town yet...i have been missing out! from the engagement session along the water, to their wedding among the spires of castle farms, i was blown away by the beauty of it all*
with the very best of vendors helping make this wedding all of what it was, cassie and tom celebrated alongside friends and family from all over. speeches that make you cry, details that make you swoon, and a couple who lived in the moment...every minute of the day!
thank you c&t - i hope i was able to capture the beauty of the day that was all around me. you two and your families have been so very gracious to me, and i count it a true blessing to have shared in your wedding celebration with you. congratulations again - here's to a life of joy, journeying together!
all the best,
-npe
as autumn begins to settle in for west michigan, the air cools and the colors begin to change...one of my favorite seasons in the mitten state. weddings in the fall are especially beautiful and this past saturday was no exception! when we were living in oxford last year, i enjoyed the privilege of meeting lin and sara in boston for their engagement session. these two graciously showed me around the city they had come to love and i knew that when their wedding day arrived, it would be a special one!
there was plenty of emotion to capture..from sara's father seeing her for the first time in her dress, to the incredible speech lin's mother gave at the reception. and the way these two attended to one another throughout the day..you could tell that this day was being appreciated for all that it was, two best friends overjoyed to begin their married lives together!
thank you sara & lin - it seems like just yesterday we were in boston on a beautiful early summer day..and now you are married!!! it was an honor to share in the day with you*
all the best,
-npe
it was another one of those wedding weekends where everyone is watching the radar. trust me, i was watching too...the addition of severe weather and soaking downpours certainly can add a whole new level of needed creativity and spontaneous reorganization to a photographer's task. but saturday i saw play out the reality that i have come to know when it rains on a wedding day...the way the bride and groom go, the day goes.
the temperament and response of a couple to the unpredictable uniqueness that becomes their wedding day will always set the tone for the day.
and it must be said, that michelle and nick responded to the weather with clear eyes and full hearts, and the day was perfect. no amount of rain could dampen the spirits of these two, with friends and family surrounding them as they pledged their lives to one another. the venue was stunning. detailed beauty everywhere you looked. and to top it all off, these two even received a personal congratulatory video message from their favorite red wing, nicklas lidström...talk about awesome!
it was an honor to share the day with you, nick & michelle. thank you for your trust in light of the weather woes we worked through. you two and your joyous spirits were an inspiration to those around you and i am grateful to have witnessed your beautiful day!
all the best,
-npe
where to start with these two? giovanna and daniel were some of our first friends in oxford..introducing us to a true sunday pub experience, welcoming us into the community of our little church in the city, and befriending our children. daniel had grown up near san francisco, not far from where my parents currently live..and we immediately realized that we had a lot in common surrounding photography, sound engineering, and all the geeky details in between. granted, daniel is a biochemist with a phd working with dna sequencing in oxford...so there is quite a large gap on the intelligence spectrum between us, but that didn't seem to hinder the friendship, ha!
when d&g got engaged in paris, they talked about a wedding in italy and i was so very honored to be welcomed into that conversation with the possible privilege of documenting the day. with plans in place for the wedding to be back near giovanna's hometown, we worked to nail down details for the few days i would be in country..which we realized was no small task! giovanna took on a great deal of trust in me, having to rely on her own knowledge of traditional weddings in italy, with the perspective i was bringing along with daniel's vision for uniting two cultures on such a special day.
in the end, it was an incredible day - through and through! all the hard work and attention to detail, timelines, logistics, and possible roadblocks...daniel and giovanna truly settled in and lived in the moment, a hope and prayer i have for each of my clients. they bridged the cultural gap between america and italy with grace and it was such a delight to watch these two families become one. and i have to say, italian weddings are amazing! to watch giovanna's friends and family welcome daniel in with plenty of kisses and even language barriers in great abundance..it was incredible.
thank you giovanna & daniel...i know you put a great deal of trust in a person who was so far from the planning and details of the day, and i don't take that lightly. i was able to watch your wedding unfold in all the honesty and beauty that it was, recognizing that at the center of it all was your mutual and passionate love for Jesus, and His design of what marriage was made for. jana and i hope and pray to come visit you sooner rather than later, but in the meantime...all grace and peace to you two as you begin your married lives together. we love you dearly!
blessings,
-npe
its not every day that you have a couple hire you two years out. i know i may not have been as excited as these two for this past saturday, but i can say that two years certainly does build up the anticipation...and their beautiful day did not disappoint!
i could sense their authenticity and kindness right away when we first met over coffee. its the type of meeting i leave, truly hoping that the couple hires me, simply and selfishly because i want to be their friends and see first-hand the impact they have on those around them. yes, they are that cool, haha! and what do you know, i was given that incredible gift!
katie & zach's wedding was about as perfect a michigan summer day as you could get. and it was wrapped up in love and affection, with a wedding party that adored these two, and family and friends that knew how to shower a bride and groom with love. from the incredible details that katie and her mom worked tirelessly on, to the tears zach shed as his bride walked down the aisle to him..it was moment after moment of beauty.
zach & katie, thank you for the honor of joining you on your wedding. thank you for your testimonies and for beginning your marriage on the foundation of the gospel. you two are an inspiration and encouragement to everyone around you. much love you two!
blessings,
-npe
where to begin...amy and eric were the perfect way to cap off a weekend of shooting in michigan. i've had the privilege of calling eric a friend for a while now - we met at our church in grand rapids and have kept in touch since he moved out of the state. i met amy vicariously through her blog that eric told me about...which by the way, is super impressive. not only is she the sweetest, but she is a food stylist and recipe extraordinaire! meeting her in person was even better as everyone can see in an instant that these two are so perfect for one another.
from the stunning details of the ever impressive cheney place, to the honest and sincere letters these two wrote to one another...everything about last sunday was a joy. thank you e&a for inviting me in! it truly was my privilege to spend the day with you and yours, pray with you, document such jubilance, and cut a rung together under those disco balls. much love you two!
blessings,
- npe
