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
i don't often have the opportunity to shoot on the east side of the state...i figure that there are plenty of incredibly talented and capable photographers in the greater detroit area that couples look to hire when planning their east side wedding. but this past weekend i headed east to join rachael and andrew for their wedding celebration, and it was awesome! my wife and i first officially met rachael while on a trip to israel last summer. although we attended the same church here in grand rapids, we hadn't been introduced. and i must say, experiencing israel in the way that our group did has a way of making everyone family. we depended upon one another and grew close as we spent two weeks in the summer heat of the holy land.
so when rachael got engaged and asked if i was available for her wedding, i was so excited to share in the next chapter of life for her and andrew. it was funny, because andrew even told me on the wedding day that initially he wasn't totally sure about me, haha...as that makes sense because often the first point of contact for my couples is with the bride. but it didn't take long for us to hit our stride as friends on saturday. it was beautiful to see these two interact, completely infatuated with each other but even more...a desire to pledge their very lives to one another.
a&r - thank you for the joy of sharing in your day. i know you two are currently enjoying the beauty of the hawaiian sun, but i hope this wedding preview allows you to enjoy and relive such a wonderful day!
blessings,
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
it was a whole lot of fun and laughter, thats for sure! whitley and adam love each other, and they do the perfect job of not taking themselves too seriously, all the while loving every moment of life and exuding an overwhelming happiness. who wouldn't want to be around that all the time? it was perfectly complimented by the stunning venue of the hidden vineyard wedding barn, a place i've been waiting to photograph for a while!
saturday was beautiful, and as always..a privilege to witness. thank you whitley and adam for inviting me along for your celebration. you guys trusted me and i hope it was worth it! i loved working through this preview and i hope it brings you right back to the magic of saturday*
blessings,
- npe
after last weekend's wedding..i am pretty sure its hard to beat colorado in september. what a privilege it was to land in the centennial state and make my way up into the mountains for jessica and dylan's wedding celebration. when your views look like they did for me, you have to tell yourself over and over to keep your eyes on the road...such a beautiful place!
i actually met dylan and jessica via Skype when our family was still living over in oxford for the year. it was so incredible to have a chance to get to know them and plan for the wedding day, while we were living nearly 5,000 miles away from each other! but everything came together, and oh how magical it was! from the detailed direction of our wedding planner juls, to the perfectly timed snow gracing the tops of the surrounding peaks..it was a perfect day!
thank you d&j for such a lovely weekend. it was a true pleasure meeting your friends and family, and an honor to document such a joyous occasion! say hi to those pups for me, and blessings to you as you start this new and beautiful chapter together!
all the best,
-npe
i realized it at the very start of my career, even if i didn't fully understand the weight of it....wedding photography is just as much about relationship as it is about art.
now, it goes without saying that the artistry of a photographer stands tall in a world of social media and visual overload, but the subtle threads of real relationship behind the photos are what bring those images to life in an honest and captivating way. the great honor of sharing in the wedding day of a couple is something that settles on my heart with a weight of gratitude.
and this past saturday was yet another wedding where the esteemed role i had been given was a gift all in itself. jordan and matt have quite the story, both individually and together as a couple...and to join them in this moment in time at their wedding was truly a privilege. quite moments and prayers among siblings, a ceremony rich in humble love and purposed vows, joyous celebration and beautiful details...it was a dream day, and i am pretty sure everyone who attended would agree.
thank you matt & jordan. i know the choice of photographer was a question heavy on your hearts, and i am so grateful to have walked beside you two on your wedding day. may God bless you and keep you...and remember, never stop dating. but you already knew that, didn't you? haha
much love,
- npe
this past weekend saw the third saturday in a row that it rained here in michigan. and it just didn't matter!
amanda and jeff handled the weather the same as my couples the two weeks before...with smiles, joy, and a relentless pursuit of embracing the beauty of their unique wedding day, downpour and all. and what a beautiful day it was. i actually don't get the privilege of shooting on the east side of the state that often, so a&j's wedding was a special treat. and even though the skies opened up in the middle of the day, things cleared to make way for a beautiful evening full of wedding celebrations!
jeff and amanda, thank you for letting me tag along on your wedding day. it was such a breath of fresh air in so many ways. blessings to you two as you start this new chapter of life together. i hope you love your wedding preview!
- 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
it takes a special couple to hire you when you are living on a different continent for pretty much the whole ten months leading up to their wedding. maria and paul are just that! we had hopes of meeting up in person prior to the wedding day but my travels never really made it possible until the week of the wedding. but even with all this said, maria and paul were the most laid back couple, working together with my experience to nail down details for the day and prepare for the possibility of rain meeting us for the whole wedding day.
well, last friday came and went, and it certainly was a wedding to remember - these two know how to laugh and see the humor in everything. even with the unpredictable forecast, maria did such an amazing job of taking the day for exactly what it was, a wedding worth a full heart of celebration! and wouldn't you know it..but we caught a window of clearing and were able to have the ceremony on the lakeshore, under the cool clouds of an august afternoon..and it was beautiful!
paul & maria, we now know each other at a whole other level, haha..thanks for letting me tag along and for trusting me throughout the day. i wish you two all the best in your lives together!
blessings,
-npe
it is always exciting when you get the chance to shoot at a new location, especially when it is for such an awesome couple like mallory and brian. even with a bit longer commute to this past saturday's wedding, it was so worth it to document these two and their beautiful wedding celebration.
and you could totally tell that this wedding..well, it was all brian and mal! from the unique and super cool antler woven into the bridal bouquet, to the stunning backdrop of the northern michigan wilderness..it was a wonderful day*
thank you so much m&b for inviting me to come along and share in the celebration. it felt like we had known each other for years, and that is such a gift to me as I strived to capture all the details and beauty of your wedding. blessing to you two!
much love,
-npe
