Ben Harrison Photography

NEW BLOG!!!

2007-05-14T23:17:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone, we just wanted to let you know that we have a
snazzy new blog! Please update your links to www.harrison-studio.com/blog ... we are super excited about the new blog (it will have a nice simple design and BIG images) and we will be updating it more frequently so check it often. Thanks so much!!!

Also check out our new site : Destination Wedding Photographer
And our portrait site : Grand Rapids Portrait Photographers

Ryan & Chelsee

2007-05-06T15:57:00.001-04:00

Upland, IN 05.05.07 | We headed back to ben's old stompin' grounds for the wedding of Ryan and Chelsee. We had a slight scare when it began to rain right when we were going out to do the bride and groom portraits ... but fortunately the rain stopped and made it possible for us to get some great shots in the old downtown area. Ryan and Chelsee were great to work with despite the somewhat wet conditions ... thanks for allowing us to be a part of your day & we wish you the best!

nashville wedding photographers

EGYPT TRIP!

2007-04-22T09:57:00.000-04:00

We just wanted to let everyone know that we are heading to Egypt today and will be gone for 2 weeks. While we are gone, we will have very LIMITED email & voicemail access so please know why we will be late in responding to all of your emails & voicemails. We hope to be able to check email a few times while we are gone, but we aren't really sure if it will happen. We will be back to GR on May 10th and will be fully in the office on May 14th. Thanks so much for your understanding and we will post some pictures when we get back!

image taken from www.americancheer.com

Kevin & Nicole

2007-04-22T09:45:00.000-04:00

Rockford, MI 4.21.07 | Yesterday, we had the wonderful opportunity to shoot Kevin & Nicole's wedding up in Rockford. We both knew Kevin from college so it was great to be a part of his wedding day. We were SO HAPPY to have an amazing day to do pictures outside ... the sun was out and the sky was beautiful! We were able to go across the street from the church and do the majority of the pictures at this AMAZING barn on this little old lady's property! This location was a photographers dream so you can image that we were going crazy! Here's a few pics!

Emily

2007-04-20T11:19:00.000-04:00

Grand Rapids, MI 4.19.07 | It has been a crazy week for us since we are preparing to leave for 2 weeks for Egypt! It worked out great because we were able to squeeze in a photo shoot this week. Emily will be a Senior this upcoming year at Forest Hills Central. Thanks for a great shoot ... we loved hanging out with you guys!! Enjoy a few of the pics!

Rod & Elizabeth

2007-04-17T10:16:00.000-04:00

Grand Rapids, MI 4.16.07 | Yesterday, we shot an engagement shoot downtown GR with Rod & Elizabeth. They are getting married this upcoming June and we are so excited to be working with them! Enjoy a few pics!

Kelly

2007-04-15T22:18:00.000-04:00

Grand Rapids, MI 4.15.07 | We had a great time photographing our cousin in downtown GR earlier today. The sky was blue and it was finally decent enough to be outside! Kelly is going to be a Senior this next year so we were lucky enough to do a few pics! Thanks for being such a great sport! We love you lots!

Steve & Beth

2007-04-15T22:09:00.000-04:00

Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 4.13.04 | On Friday, we headed to the East side of the state to shoot Beth & Steve's wedding. We were so thankful that the weather held out and it was nice enough to go outside for pictures! They had a beautiful reception at the Grosse Pointe War Museum which overlooks Lake St. Clair. We were so blessed to be a part of their wedding day!

Easter Weekend!

2007-04-09T18:39:00.000-04:00

Grand Rapids, MI 4.7.07 | It was so nice for us to have a weekend off from photography ... we took full advantage of our free weekend and had a house full of family! On Friday evening, my (Laura) brother and sister-in law and kids came to stay and then on Saturday & Sunday Ben's parents and brother were in town visiting. We loved having everyone at our home! Over the course of the weekend, we ate tons and tons of food - we didn't really know how to handle everything - and hung out with lots of family. We wanted to make sure we posted a few pictures from the weekend. We hope you all enjoyed your Easter weekend celebrating with friends & family our Risen Savior, Jesus Christ. (please note: all pictures were taken with our point & shoot camera)

(our 2 yr old niece took a beautiful close up of ben!)

(a few of my cousins!)

(courtney & caden)

(ben, britt & lauren!)

(grandma & erin)

(miles was a bit on the dirty side after lunch!)

(lauren & her amazing blue easter egg!)

Billy & Ann

2007-03-27T21:14:00.000-04:00

ATLANTA, GA 3.24.07 | We just got back from traveling down to Atlanta for a fantastic wedding. Ben has known Ann since they were little b/c they grew up across the street from one another ... so it was so much fun for Ben to be a part of her wedding day. Ann & Billy are such a wonderful couple and we were honored to be a part of their day. It was great seeing friends from college … made us both miss Taylor & the community we had there. We had such a blast being in warm Georgia weather (except the ridiculous amounts of pollen) … it made us so excited for the upcoming (WARM) wedding season. We hope you enjoy a few of the images from this weekend. Have a blast in Puerto Rico … you guys are great!!!

Dusty & Andrea

2007-03-19T13:32:00.000-04:00

Grand Rapids, MI 3.17.07 | We had such a great time shooting Dusty & Andrea's engagement pictures on Saturday! They were so comfortable in front of the camera as you can tell! We love you both and we can't wait for the wedding in June!!!! Enjoy a few of the pics!

Fun Weekend!

2007-03-19T13:11:00.000-04:00

Grand Rapids, MI 3.16-18.07 | What an amazing weekend we had! My best friend, Andrea, came to visit with her fiance, Dusty (they are getting married in June!!!). On Friday evening, we had dinner at our place with Andrea & Dusty and our other college friends Britton & Michelle. It was great to sit around the dinner table and laugh for hours ... there is nothing better! A few of these pictures below were taken late at night and we were a bit tired as you can see in our faces! On Saturday, we relaxed and then headed downtown to shoot some engagement pictures of Andrea & Dusty which will be in the next post. After that we had dinner and then went to see the River City Improv team at the Wealthy Street Theater. Overall, the weekend was so much fun and we had a great time being with close friends that mean so much to us. We love you all!

(we were so tired .. as you can tell!)

(britton & michelle)

(andrea & dusty)

(andrea & laura)

(our super cool cat also named dusty!)

Mike & Libby

2007-03-12T11:02:00.000-04:00

Grand Rapids, MI 3.10.07 | What a fantastic day we had on Saturday to shoot Mike & Libby. The sun was out and it was around 50 degrees which for MI is warm in March! Mike & Libby were the only, & probably will always be the only, bride & groom who we actually had a discussion regarding Pi (no this is not a spelling error, we are actually talking about - 3.14... Pi)! If you are wondering how that came up, Ben enjoys tech talk, and they are both graduate engineering students ... and we somehow got on the topic of savants (click here to find out more info, its very interesting stuff). This past December they were married in Jamaica so they wanted to have some more pictures taken as well as a reception for their family & friends back home. The reception took place at The B.O.B downtown, which made for some wonderful pictures! We had such a blast working with the two of you and we wish you all the best! Enjoy a few pics!

Arizona - Spring Break '07

2007-03-08T02:07:00.000-05:00

MESA, AZ 03.08.07 | Hey everyone, we are having a blast out here in AZ ... from relaxing by the pool, playing putt-putt, to hiking the Grand Canyon and Camelback. Unfortunately we went to race come go-carts tonight but we found out they are closed for winter ... wouldn't want to slip on the ice when its 90 degrees outside! Its always hilarious when the native "Arizonians" are wearing sweatshirts when us "Midwesters" are laying out in our bathing suits. Always be thankful for what you've got b/c everything is relative!

Here's some pics from our trip so far ... we will add more when we get home!

me (ben) & my brother justin

goin' on vacation!!!!

2007-03-01T19:20:00.000-05:00

Arizona 3.1.07 | We just wanted to let everyone know that we will be heading out of town for a little break from work & the craziness of life!! Our flight leaves tomorrow and we will be getting back on March 9th. If you need us for any reason please email - we will be able to check it regularly. We'll do our best at getting back to you quickly! While we our in Arizona we'll be posting some pics and crazy stories from our adventures! So make sure to check the blog out! Peace :)

here's some pics from our last trip to AZ!

JOSH GROBAN

2007-02-20T23:48:00.000-05:00

GRAND RAPIDS 02.20.07 | Tonight we went out to eat at Bar Divani (www.bar-divani.com) in downtown Grand Rapids ... which was excellent by the way ... and then we went to the Josh Groban concert. His voice is amazing and it appears so effortless ... and it drives the ladies wild. We included our own rendition below ... it might drive people wild, but not in a good way:) haha

sorry about the quality of the images above, they were taken on our point and shoot!

Kyle & Jasmine

2007-02-19T09:06:00.000-05:00

Grand Rapids, MI 2.16.07 | This weekend we shot Kyle & Jasmine’s wedding which took place downtown Grand Rapids at St. Mark’s church (which by the way is AMAZING inside) and the GR Art Museum. They wanted their celebration to last more than just one day so they had the ceremony and a small intimate dinner (Cherie Inn in Eastown) on Friday evening and then a large reception on Saturday evening at the Museum. Jasmine had the look of an old Hollywood actress, which we thought she pulled off beautifully. We had a wonderful time being a part of their celebration along with their wonderful family and friends! Enjoy a few of the pics!

Scott & Stephanie

2007-02-05T16:30:00.000-05:00

Lapeer, MI 2.3.07 | What a weekend we had with Scott & Stephanie! First off, western Michigan has gotten more snow the last week then is necessary! The snowdrifts are crazy high! We had the wonderful opportunity to shoot a reception for Scott & Stephanie … who were married last November in sunny Mexico. The weather was a bit different on Saturday than on their actual wedding day ... praise the Lord! Saturday was probably one of the coldest days that I can remember. We were a little apprehensive about doing any pictures outside, but we ended up getting some great shots in the -20 degree weather! You guys were great - thanks so much!

Boca Raton - Family Trip !!!

2007-01-29T12:27:00.000-05:00

Boca Raton, FL 1.22 – 1.25.07 | All I can say is what an amazing weekend we had in Florida with our extended family! First off, I absolutely LOVE my family so much and we have such a blast when we are all together. While we were in Boca Raton, we stayed at the beautiful Boca Raton Beach Resort (www.bocaresort.com). This resort had amazing Mediterranean architecture and style, which we found fascinating as we walked around the property. Ben could have spent the entire time taking pictures! I won’t go into great detail of all the activities, but one of the best parts of the trip was getting to see an amazing movie that has not yet been released to the public called “Amazing Grace” (http://www.amazinggracemovie.com/). The movie premiers in theaters across the country on Friday, February 23rd and everyone needs to see it! We also had a wonderful time being beach bums and swimming in the ocean with all of our crazy cousins! The last night we were there was spent on a beautiful boat cruising up the inter-coastal of Florida! It was such a great time to have all 50 of us together in one spot enjoying one another’s company! We have posted a few pictures from the trip – we hope you enjoy!

(the beautiful hotel we stayed at!)

(you would think being photographers, we would have pictures together, but we never take them! we did get one on the trip though!)

(my wonderful family! we are all finally together!)

(my amazing grandparents)

(fountain inside the hotel)

(lobby inside the hotel)

(the cruise boat we took for dinner)

(a few of my cousins!)

(love this one - laughter is amazing!)

(miles paul is so cool - just look at him!)

(sweet lauren grace taking fun pics!)

(all of the guys in our family were obsessed with these cars - we weren't allowed to take pictures of them, but ben snapped one as we left the hotel - I guess there was a couple million dollars worth of cars sitting right outside of our hotel! we wish we could of had a test drive!!!)

Fun Weekend!

2007-01-22T15:28:00.000-05:00

Grand Rapids, MI 1.22.07 | We had a great relaxing weekend hanging out with friends, sleeping in, eating great food, and working on a small amount of photography work! On Sunday, we went around GR photographing some neat locations for Ben's upcoming art critiques as well as possible locations for wedding shots. I wanted to post a few since they are such cool pictures - at least I think so! As you can see – we have lots of snow in Michigan!

We will be around the office until Wednesday and then we will be heading down to sunny Florida for a few days to be with family so if you need anything let us know by Wednesday! Have a great week!

Adam & Katie

2007-01-14T15:09:00.000-05:00

Grand Rapids, MI 1.13.07 | We had a great engagement shoot yesterday with Adam and Katie in downtown Grand Rapids. Even though it was freezing outside ... we were able to get some great shots! Thanks guys for being such great sports, as we had you all over the place! Enjoy a few of the pics!

update on 2007 availability

2007-01-10T14:34:00.000-05:00

Just an update on our 2007 availability - we are getting close to our maximum amount of weddings for the 2007 season. We are taking around 30 weddings this year so please check below to see if your wedding date is available - space is very limited. We are also beginning to book for 2008 so please contact us.

Dates Booked for 2007:

February 3rd
February 16th-17th

March 10th
March 24th (no other dates available this weekend – wedding in Atlanta)

April 13th (no other dates available this weekend)
April 21st
April 22nd - May 2nd (family trip to Egypt - so excited!)

May 5th - May 7th (wedding in Indiana)
May 12th
May 19th
May 26th

June 1st (no other dates available this weekend)
June 9th
June 16th
June 23rd
June 24th – July 5th (vacation with family)

July 6th & 7th (no other dates available this weekend)
July 14th
July 21st
July 28th

August 4th
August 10th & 11th (no other dates available this weekend)
August 17th & 18th (no other dates available this weekend)
August 25th

September 1st
September 8th
September 15th
September 29th (no other dates available this weekend – wedding in Minneapolis)

October 6th
October 20th
October 27th

December 16th – 23rd (vacation in the Cayman Islands)

Anniversary Trip to Toronto!

2007-01-04T14:41:00.000-05:00

Toronto, Canada, 12.30.06 – 1.3.07 | What an amazing year this truly has been – we feel so blessed. We continue to learn so much about one another ... it truly has been an amazing journey. God truly has blessed our marriage, business and family this past year and I will forever be thankful to Him.
For our one year anniversary, Ben planned a wonderful trip to the city of Toronto! Neither of us had really been there before so it was an exciting few days. We had such a blast ... here’s a quick breakdown of what we did. We stayed at the beautiful Fairmont Royal York, which was in the heart of the city so we were only steps away from all the action. We packed our days with fun-filled activities such as Second City Comedy, The Blue Man Group, Niagara Falls, CN Tower, shopping and lots and lots of food!!!! Our New Years was spent out in the rain with thousands of other people at a park downtown Toronto. Even though the weather was awful, we had a great time ringing in the new year Canadian style! We hope everyone had a wonderful New Years and may the Lord bless you this upcoming year. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

(the Royal York hotel - it was beautiful!)

(we got a pic with one of the guys from the Blue Man Group!)

(CN Tower)

(for New Years we ate dinner at the top of the CN Tower - the restaurant rotates 360 degrees so you get a view of the entire city - it was amazing!)

(Ben got a fancy dessert - yummy!)

(HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!)

(Beautiful Niagara Falls)

Fun Family Pics!

2007-01-04T13:37:00.000-05:00

12.28.06 Chicago, IL | I wanted to post a few pictures from when my (Laura) whole family was together after Christmas! We haven't been together since our wedding which was a year ago ... we had a blast even though it was only for a night. I love you all so much!

(the whole family!)

(Laura's brother Ben & his wife Britt)

(Laura's brother Tim and his girlfriend Stephanie)

(all of the siblings)

(we are so weird ... I love it!)

Christmas!

2006-12-27T18:13:00.000-05:00

Fulton, IL Christmas 2006 | The last week has been extremely relaxing for us and we have loved every second of it! A year ago our lives were crazy because our wedding was only a few days away so it is nice to have a relaxing Christmas! It has been a great time with family and friends, lots of tasty food, wild and crazy board games, presents galore, and tons of laughter! We thought we would post a few of the pictures (from our point and shoot camera) so enjoy! We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and we wish you all a happy New Year!

(ben & laura on Christmas Day!)

(a few of laura's cousins at our family Christmas!)

(laura & allison - friend from high school and college)

(my cousins - who I love!!)

(long-time family friends)

(laura, her sister melissa, and mom)

(laura's mom & dad on Christmas day!)

(our little neice will be the next photographer in our family!!!)

(melissa, laura and britt)

(both ben's - tough air hockey players!)

(sweet lauren grace with grandma!)

Avery Elizabeth

2006-12-22T21:44:00.000-05:00

Fulton, IL 12.22.06 | Today we did a baby portrait session for Matt & Tara in Laura's hometown of Fulton. Their 8 month old daughter, Avery, was an absolute doll and did such a great job in the session (so did Matt & Tara but they don't need as much gratification:). We had a lot of fun meeting the Lewis fam and hanging out for the afternoon. Have a Merry Christmas and enjoy the pics!

Ty & Gretchen

2006-12-20T14:58:00.000-05:00

Grand Rapids, MI 12.16.06 | What a great December day for a wedding ... it was high 40's mid 50's ... tad' bit' drafty but overall a great day! Ty & Gretchen were troopers and allowed us to drag them four different locations downtown (no literal dragging, we actually chauffeured them:). The wedding and reception were at the Grand Rapids Art Museum and Gretchen's Christmas theme made for a fun, festive day (and by the way, the sugar plum punch that Applause Catering provided was the best tasting punch we had ever experienced ... we're talking "Nectar of the Gods" good ... laura and I both had about five glasses each (its non-alcoholic, don't worry:)) Anyways, the day was beautiful and the bride and groom were great to work with ... have fun in "the Keys" and we hope you enjoy the pics!

Kayden Joy

2006-12-16T12:10:00.000-05:00

Grand Rapids, MI 12.14.06 | This post is a few days late, but we wanted to make sure we posted a few pictures from the photo shoot we did last week of Kayden Joy. She is almost 7 months and absolutely adorable as you will see in the pictures! Hope you enjoy them!

just had to post this pic, we found it hilarious!!!

Fun Weekend!

2006-12-11T20:31:00.000-05:00

Grand Rapids, MI | This weekend was awesome! On Friday night, we hung out with friends and went and saw ‘Apocalypto’ the new Mel Gibson movie. We really enjoyed the movie even though it was a wee bit graphic to say the least. On Saturday, we slept in which we rarely do so it felt so great! Ben was a sweet husband and made an awesome breakfast … huge omelets … yummy! We relaxed a bit and then made fantastic Christmas cookies from scratch! Oh yes, we got the ol’ roller out and lots of flour and covered ourselves in it! They turned out surprisingly good so that was exciting for us! We coated them in an amazing frosting and fun Holiday sprinkles! Later on in the day we headed downtown with some friends, Kris & Jessica, to check out a few art shops and galleries that have some new work. After that we headed home and then got ready for our night on the town! Haha! My family has an annual Christmas party for their employees and every year we get the wonderful opportunity to attend. We can’t pass up free food & amazing entertainment! Below are some fun pics that we took with our point and shoot camera! We have a crazy family – and I love it! We stayed out till 3am on Saturday night hanging out with all the cousins so it was a little bit of a late night for us … ok, a really late night for us! On Sunday, we had yet another relaxing day … we did some Christmas shopping and then went to church at Mars Hill at night (where we got to see Rob Bell’s new NOOMA video, you should check these films out if you haven’t, they are awesome). Overall, it was a much needed relaxing weekend! Enjoy a few of the crazy pics!

Josh & Nikki

2006-12-03T13:26:00.000-05:00

Grand Rapids, MI 12.02.06 | Yesterday was a beautiful day for a winter wedding in Michigan … the ground was covered in snow and the sky was bright blue with amazing clouds! However, it was a bit chilly which made going outside for some pictures a bit tough, but it worked out and we were able to catch a few! Josh & Nikki were so laid back throughout the entire day, which made everything run very smoothly. Thank you guys - we had a great time being a part of your special day! Have a great time skiing in Colorado!

Nate & Holly

2006-11-27T12:15:00.000-05:00

Ft. Wayne, IN 11.25.06 | We have been waiting for this wedding for quite some time! We were so blessed and honored to be a part of the day! Nate & Holly have been together for almost 10 years and they are now married! I have known Holly since our freshman year of college and we lived together at The Ritz with 4 other amazing women! I love all of you girls so much! Ben got to know Nate when he transferred to Taylor and they both were Art majors so they had a few classes together. Nate & Holly are amazing people individually and as a couple and we couldn’t be happier for the two of them. We truly feel blessed to have gotten to photograph their wedding day – we love you guys and will hopefully see you the next time we are in Arizona!

Najee - children portraits

2006-11-27T10:58:00.000-05:00

Upland, IN 11.23.06 | We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Ben’s family in Indiana … this was our first Thanksgiving being married so it was so much fun! It was great taking time to relax and enjoy having nothing to do, which is rare for us! We both loved sitting around watching football and movies! For Thanksgiving dinner it was our family and then we also had a couple from the Bahamas and their daughter, Najee. Ben couldn’t pass up the opportunity to take a few pictures of her because she was so beautiful! Enjoy the pictures and we hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Ryan & Abigail

2006-11-19T20:25:00.000-05:00

Seville, Ohio 11.18.06 | This weekend we drove down into Buckeye country for a wedding that took place at the exact same time as kick-off for probably the biggest football game of the year (Ohio State vs Michigan) … and the bride and groom happened to be from Ohio and Michigan, respectively, which made for interesting dynamics with the guests. We have never seen so many people check their cellphones even when they were on silent … I wonder what they were doing;) Even with the craziness of the game the wedding day was so much fun and we had a great time working with Abigail and Ryan! We shot the majority of the pictures at an old barn built in the 1800’s, which we were crazy about! Despite it being a bit chilly outside and the grass being extremely muddy (which we were so thrilled that Abigail was willing to walk around in her beautiful dress – thank the Lord for Shout Wipes!!) the pictures turned out fantastic! We hope you enjoy!

Chi-town got it goin' on!

2006-11-13T16:37:00.000-05:00

Chicago, IL 11.10.06 – 11.11.06 | While we were in Chicago for the engagement session, we decided to make the most of our trip and we got to meet up with a lot of friends. We stayed with Justin (Ben’s older brother) at his apartment, which is north of the city. Justin is a funny character with lots of crazy things on his mind so there is never a dull moment when we are around him!
On Friday, when we arrived, we headed over to see Justin’s roommate Blaine in the improvised Shakespeare comedy group at Improv Olympic … it was a hilarious show and we highly recommend it.
On Saturday, after the e-session, we were able to meet up with my best friend Andrea from Taylor and her fiancé Dusty (they are getting married on June 1, 2007!!) and went out for a fantastic meal at Gio’s in Evanston. After dinner, Dusty was determined to find one of his favorite restaurants in Chicago, which sells AMAZING wings. Yes, folks, after eating dinner went to find a wings place for dessert! After wandering for a mile or so Dusty got a tear in his eye and we knew we had found Buffalo Joe’s! The wings and cheese fries were truly mouth watering! We had so much fun that night!
On Sunday, we went to Church in Wrigleyville with one of our good friends Dave (who just returned from serving in Iraq) … it was so good to see him. After church we headed down to a sports bar for some food before we headed home. It was a packed weekend, but a fantastic time seeing friends and family. Below are a few pictures we took!

Justin & Tracey

2006-11-13T15:57:00.000-05:00

Chicago, IL 11.11.06 | This weekend we headed to Chicago to shoot some engagement pictures for Justin and Tracey, who are getting married next summer. The weather held off which we were so thankful for because on Friday night when we were driving into the city there was a "Typhoon" of sorts that decided to land right over Chicago!! Ya know, the classic Lake Michigan typhoons (wink)! It made us realize how much our Honda Element lacks in the area of aerodynamics! The pictures turned out great so make sure to check a few of them out.

Zane - baby portraits

2006-11-09T11:44:00.000-05:00

Norton Shores, MI 11.08.06 | We had such a wonderful time shooting Jamie and Courtney’s new son yesterday! Zane was born last Friday and he is absolutely adorable. We were all so surprised how well he did during the photo shoot – it was amazing! Enjoy a few of the pictures!

Unger/Metzger Family Portraits

2006-11-06T09:55:00.000-05:00

Elkhart, IN 11.5.06 | Yesterday, we headed down to Elkhart to shoot some family portraits for my (Laura) sister-in-laws family. It was a gorgeous day with beautiful sunlight, which made the shoot so great. We also did some pictures of Ben (my brother) & Britt’s kids - they are the cutest kids you have ever seen in your life! I love them! Despite a fall in the mud and many many snot bubbles … we were able to get some great shots!! Enjoy!

RJ & Erin

2006-10-29T11:54:00.000-05:00

Grand Rapids, MI 10.28.06 | We had such a great time shooting RJ and Erin’s wedding yesterday here in Grand Rapids. The nasty weather held off for a bit so we could get some great pictures outside - which we were so thankful for! Erin was a great bride to work with and had put such work into all the details of her day! Both of their families were so much fun to work with which made the day all the better! Thanks you guys for putting on a great celebration – we loved being a part of it!

Luca & Zita

2006-10-29T11:39:00.000-05:00

Livonia, MI 10.27.06 | On Friday, we drove to the east side of the state to Livonia (outside of Detroit) and shot an engagement party for Luca and Zita. We have the wonderful opportunity of shooting their wedding next May and instead of having us shoot engagement pictures they wanted us to shoot their engagement party. Zita is Hungarian and Luca is Romanian and in each of their cultures they have an engagement party celebrating the upcoming wedding. We have never shot and engagement party so it was fun to get to be a part of one! It was a great night and we were so happy to help them celebrate! And we loved the canoli!!!

2007 Availability

2006-10-26T09:27:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone,

Just an update on our 2007 availability - we have very few dates left for next spring/summer/fall. If your wedding date is a Friday or a Sunday of one of these weekends, we are still open for select weddings.

Dates Booked for 2007:

March 10
May 5
May 12
May 19
May 26
June 1 (no other dates available this weekend)
June 9
June 16
June 23
June 29 (destination wedding, no other dates available this weekend)
July 7
July 14
July 28
Aug 11
Aug 17 & 18 (no other dates available this weekend)
Aug 25
Sept 8
Oct 6
Oct 27

Zach & Deb

2006-10-25T10:44:00.000-04:00

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - 10.24.06 | What a fun engagement session we had yesterday with Deb & Zach! You guys were "troopers" ... despite the fact that it was a "tad bit" chilly. I guess we have to expect that at the end of October in Michigan! We are excited to be working with Deb & Zach and get to know them both more before their wedding next May. Thanks guys – it was great hanging out with you both!

Rob & Heather

2006-10-23T10:11:00.000-04:00

UPLAND, IN - 10.21.06 | This weekend we traveled to Ben’s “old stompin grounds” to shoot another great wedding! Ben has known the brides family since he was a wee little lad so it was fun for us to take part in this special day. We were so thankful that the weather held off since it looked like it was going to be a rainy day. Rob & Heather were a great couple to work with and the day went off without a hitch … we hope you both are enjoying the sunny beaches of Mexico!

Brian & Addi

2006-10-13T18:03:00.000-04:00

Muskegon, MI – 10.10.06 | Before Michigan decided it wanted to skip autumn and head right into winter ... we were able to get an engagement session in at the beach! Addi and Brian were so much fun to photograph and hang out with at Hoffmaster State Park (ps - great location for pictures)! We can’t wait to shoot their wedding next June! They drove up from northern Indiana for the shoot and to have a taste test at their reception location (Above & Beyond). The pictures turned out great and we are excited to post a few!

Mark & Dannielle

2006-10-09T14:42:00.000-04:00

Mark & Dannielle – 10.07.06 | This past Saturday was such a beautiful day for a Fall wedding! We were so happy when we saw the sun shining and no clouds in sight! Mark and Dannielle were so much fun to work with and we were so happy to work with the two of them. We headed to Ada park to do their pictures which turned out great so make sure to check out a few of them below. Both the ceremony and reception were held at Fredrick Mejier Gardens here in Grand Rapids, which was a great location with exceptional service. Thanks so much you both for allowing us to be a part of your day – we hope you are finally relaxing in sunny Jamaica!

Jeremy & Tiffany

2006-10-09T14:33:00.000-04:00

Holland, MI - 10.05.06 | We had so much fun doing engagement pictures for a Jeremy and Tiffany - who also have hired us to shoot their wedding next August! We headed out to the beach and then went downtown Holland for a few more pictures. We began to run out of sunlight so we had to wrap up the shoot, but we had such a great time. They are a fun couple and we are so excited to be working with them! Once again, thanks you guys – we had a blast!

Elisha Ryan

2006-10-08T23:40:00.000-04:00

Elisha Ryan – 10.04.06 | Last week we had the wonderful opportunity to do an infant shoot for some of our friends from church. Ryan and Rebecca had a baby boy about 2 weeks ago and he is absolutely adorable. We have been working on getting more baby portraits done and we were so happy with how the pictures turned out! Below are a few of the pictures from the shoot – enjoy!

Ryan & Leslie

2006-09-27T10:47:00.000-04:00

Indianapolis, IN - 09.24.06 | This past weekend we headed to downtown Indianapolis, IN to shoot Leslie & Ryan’s wedding at the Omni Severin Hotel. The historic hotel was absolutely beautiful (and the staff there was exceptionally polite) and we were so happy to be a part of their day. We had a blast taking their pictures outside and there happened to be a Colts game 1 block from the hotel! It was hilarious seeing the bride and groom in a sea of the blue shirted crazy Colts fans that were heading to the football game straight through our photo shoot. Despite all the encounters with fans who may have been “under the influence,” the pictures turned out great. Thanks so much you guys for letting us be with you – we hope you enjoy a few relaxing weeks at home and then have a great time in Hawaii!

Brandon & Ashley

2006-09-12T10:45:00.000-04:00

Ada, MI - 09.10.06 | On Sunday morning, we woke up early and got ready to shoot another wedding. We headed to Egypt Valley Country Club to shoot Brandon and Ashley’s wedding. The weather was a bit cold so that made it a bit uncomfortable when we did the pictures outside, but everyone was willing to work with us, which was great. One of my favorite parts of the day was seeing Ashley in her white Nike tennis shoes - she was the most comfortable bride I'd ever seen! It reminded me of the movie 'Father of the Bride' and the shoes Steve Martin bought for his daughter. It was so cute! Anyway, it was a beautiful wedding and we were so thankful to have the opportunity to be a part of it. Have a great time in Naples you two!

Matt & Kimi

2006-09-12T10:13:00.000-04:00

Grand Rapids, MI - 09.09.06 | We had a packed weekend … we shot a wedding on Saturday in downtown Grand Rapids and then had another one on Sunday in Ada, MI. It was a great weekend though despite the unusual chilly September weather. On Saturday, we shot Matt and Kimi’s wedding at the Grand Rapids Art Museum downtown. Even though there were a few festivals and tons of people around the Museum that didn’t stop us from heading out and getting some great shots. We were a bit nervous about the weather because it almost rained, but praise the Lord, the weather held off and we were able to head over to an old fire station house and do some pictures. Matt and Kimi were so much fun to work with and such troopers because we wanted to do so many shots with them! We have had a blast getting to know both of them the last few months and it was so wonderful to shoot their wedding. Thank you for letting us be a part of your day – hope you are having a great time in Italy!!! Can't wait to hear about it when you get back!

Corry & Heather

2006-09-05T11:16:00.000-04:00

UPLAND, IN - 09.03.06 | We had a great time shooting Corry and Heather's wedding this past Sunday in Upland, IN. Ben grew up with Corry and Heather in Upland so it was so much fun for him to be a part of the day and hang out with old friends. Corry and Heather had a gorgeous day and a fantastic wedding. The sky was amazing as you will see in a few of the pictures below. Heather wanted to have her wedding at a beach in Florida, but since it was in Indiana she ended up having a beach theme wedding, which was so cute and colorful! Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your day! We had a blast!

New Website!!!

2006-08-29T08:54:00.000-04:00

08.29.06 | We wanted to let everyone know that we are in the process of creating a new website! We hope to have it completed within the next few days (if everything goes according to plan). It will have some great new features that we are very excited about. Don't be alarmed when you check out the site and you see a new look. We can't wait for you all to see it! We are pumped!! Have a great day!

WEEKEND OFF!!!

2006-08-21T17:18:00.000-04:00

DETROIT, MI 08.18.06 - 08.21.06 | As much as we LOVE weddings it is nice to have a weekend off for good times with fam & friends ... where to start ... well, on Saturday my good friend Brendan (this is Ben speaking), my wife and I headed over to "Detroit Rock City" to meet a group of our friends from our church for a Tigers game. One of the guys in our group, Brian, bought tickets for the whole group just out of the kindness of his heart (he's single by the way, for all you single ladies reading the blog ;) We first had a BBQ at one of our friends' childhood home where we had amazing food and even live accordian music, yes you heard right folks, accordian music (her dad played) ... It was "polka-tastic", oh man, so cheesy. After that we went to the Tigers-Rangers game ... the Tigers lost but it was still a good time and they had sweet fireworks at the end (you can see how excited my wife was about the fireworks in the pics below ... its all about the appreciating the little things in life folks:) Post game we went to a chicago style pizza place in greektown and had amazing deep-dish pizza, well it would probably have been more amazing had we not eaten it at 12:30 a.m. (acid reflux anyone?) The next day, Brendan, Laura and I headed out at the crack of dawn to meet our family at Michigan International Speedway for the Gordon Food Service 400 (a nascar race) ... It was definitely what you might call a “cross cultural” experience but it was so much fun. We ended up leaving early because we decided we didn’t want to compete with 250,000 people trying to get out of the “boondocks” … but the race was awesome to see and definitely an adrenaline rush! Well this post is getting really long but after that we headed back to Gull Lake for some boating and fun with the fam … and yada yada yada … we’re home!

our friends from church ^

gotta love "big league chew"!

laura absolutely enthralled with the fireworks^

dale jarret & matt kenseth (the winner of the race)

SPLURGE DAY, 2006

2006-08-15T11:44:00.000-04:00

CHICAGO, IL – 08.13.06 - 08.14.06 | Welp, we decided that since we were braving the Chi-town traffic for a wedding we might as well spend a couple of "fun-filled" days in the city. On Sunday we hauled our sore bodies out of bed, packed up our small amount of equipment (NOT!), and headed into the city. We first went to the M.C.A. (a chicago must) to see the current exhibits (wolfgang tillman & catherine opie among others) and after that we walked down the "magnificent mile" for some people watching & shopping. After making our purchases at tiffany & saks fifth ave (haha, just kidding) we decided to hit up navy pier and see Superman on the IMAX ... where we got to wear these sweet shades (see pic below). Even though only 20 minutes of the movie was IMAX we enjoyed it thoroughly ... and we also enjoyed watching the people next to us who came in after they gave us directions of when to take off your glasses (and kept the ridiculous glasses on the whole time!). Is it a requirement for manufacturers of 3-D glasses to make them look ridiculous? I guess they kind of fit in with the "big & buggy" sunglass trend ... anyways, after that we rode the ferris wheel and got some amazing views of the city ... and after a little more wandering aimlessly we went to bed. The next day Laura was feeling "under the weather" so we decided to go to Shedd Aquarium (where we could be inside & not have to walk too much) and that ended up being a lot of fun. You can definitely see God's creativity as well as sense of humor through marine life ... from fish that emit light to fish that can camouflage themselves to their surroundings ... we were like kids in a candy store! After we got our fill of fish and fowl ... we decided to head back to good ole G.R., thus concluding our mini-vacation. Enjoy the pics!

Britton & Michelle

2006-08-15T10:41:00.000-04:00

Naperville, IL 08.12.06 | We had such a great time shooting Britton and Michelle's wedding in Chicago on Saturday! Everything about the day was beautiful from the locations down to the tiniest details. Michelle was so laid-back and easy going the entire day and Britton was hilarious (as usual)! We went to a beautiful park named Cantigny and the bride & groom were troopers despite our extensive photo shoot (there were just too many great locations!) It is so fun shooting friends weddings from college because we get to see all of friends and it becomes a giant reunion! It was soo much fun catching up with all our college homies:) Overall, the day was awesome and we couldn’t have asked for a better couple to work with! We can’t wait to work more on their pictures!!! Hope you both are enjoying your honeymoon in Mexico!!!

Reid & Lindsay

2006-08-08T23:23:00.000-04:00

CHELSEA, MI – 08.05.06 | This past weekend we traveled to Chelsea, MI (just outside Ann Arbor) to shoot an outdoor wedding. We couldn't have asked for a better day, a little hazy with a breeze, yes, you heard right, a breeze! It was fabulous ... especially having done a lot of outdoor shots in the hot, stagnant, "wet" summer air that we all love. Reid & Lindsay were great to work with ... calm, cool & collected throughout the whole day. The wedding took place at their house, which had a huge yard and an amazing garden. We're not talking about the usual garden here, we're talking botanical (you can see some of it in the pics). How they have the time to take care of it we don't know but it made for great pictures! They also had a pond (with frogs) that literally kept the children that were at the weddding entertained for the WHOLE DAY! Whether it was planned or not, it was probably the best daycare we've experienced at a wedding (note - if you need to keep kids entertained while at your wedding, give them live frogs:). Anyways, the day was beautiful and Reid & Lindsay were great to work with ... enjoy the pics!

Brad & Kristi

2006-07-31T00:15:00.000-04:00

ST. LOUIS, MI – 07.29.06 | On Saturday, we traveled from Indianapolis up to St. Louis, Michigan, which is north of Grand Rapids. We had the wonderful opportunity of shooting Brad & Kristi’s wedding! It was a perfect sunny day ... just a bit hot at 95 degrees! We made it through the heat and all turned out great! Brad & Kristi were so great to work with and we are so excited for you both to see the pictures! Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your day! Enjoy your honeymoon out on the East coast!

Brett & Shelby

2006-07-30T23:54:00.000-04:00

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – 07.28.06 | Shelby and Brett had an absolutely perfect wedding! The bride was beautiful and soo relaxed the entire day, which made the day go so smoothly! Everyone involved in the wedding was great to work with! We were able to go to a small town close by to where the wedding was taking place and get pictures of Shelby and Brett in an old alleyway. Across the street was an old Courthouse, which is where we shot the wedding party and a few other bride & groom pictures. The location was so great and we had a blast working with them both! Hope you are enjoying a great honeymoon!

Baby Portraits - Lauren & Miles

2006-07-30T23:34:00.000-04:00

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - 07.27.06 | This past week we got to do some baby portraits of our niece and nephew down in Indy. We had so much fun spending a few days with them since we don’t get to see them very often! They truly are the cutest kids I have ever seen! Lauren has just turned 2 years old and Miles is 6 months old and they already love the camera! We were so thankful to spend a few days with them and I can't wait to see them again in a few weeks! We love you both so very much!

Michael & Whitney

2006-07-24T11:32:00.000-04:00

ST. CHARLES, IL - 07.22.06 | This weekend we shot a wedding in St. Charles, IL (suburb outside of Chicago) for two friends of ours from Taylor. Michael & Whitney are two amazing people who are truly in love and have a genuine care for those around them. The wedding took place in downtown St. Charles and every detail of the wedding was gorgeous. The weather was beautiful and the storm that rolled in waited for the 'send-off' to be complete! You can see the storm rolling in as they enter the vintage Ford that they drove off in :) We had so much fun catching up with our friends and being a part of this beautiful day! Enjoy a few of the pics!

Mark

2006-07-21T10:52:00.000-04:00

ADA - MI 07.20.06 | Yesterday, we shot some Senior pictures of Mark, a soon to be senior at Forest Hills Eastern in Ada. The shoot took place at their beautiful home in Ada. The Macaulay's were a great family to work with and lots of fun! Enjoy the pics!

Tyler & Erin

2006-07-12T10:09:00.000-04:00

UPLAND - IN 07.08.06 | We had so much fun shooting Tyler & Erin's wedding because they were good friends from TU! The wedding was amazing and all the details that Erin had thought of were great! I truly believe that Erin was one of the happiest brides in the entire world ... even with her lack of sleep prior to the wedding! The entire day she had the biggest smile, which I think you will see in the pictures! Overall, the day was awesome and we were so blessed to have gotten to share in this amazing wedding! Hope you both are enjoying your wonderful honeymoon!

Caden Paul

2006-07-05T22:33:00.000-04:00

GULL LAKE, MI - 07.05.06 | Caden is six weeks old and just had his first photo shoot take place! He was so calm and collected during the entire shoot ... it was hilarious! My cousin, Erin and her husband, live in Memphis, TN and are up visiting family so we had the wonderful opportunity of taking baby Caden's first pictures! They turned out great...he's sooo cute!!! We hope you enjoy the images!

Jeremy & Kate

2006-07-05T22:09:00.000-04:00

GRAND HAVEN, MI - 07.01.06 | Jeremy and Kate had a beautiful wedding in Grand Haven. The rain held off ... which made us all so very happy! Kate has to be one of the best brides we have ever worked with ... her personality and laugh made us smile the whole day! She truly is such a sweet person. The love the two of these people have for one another is truly amazing and we had such a great time shooting their wedding.

Donny & Rachel

2006-06-26T22:55:00.000-04:00

ADRIAN, MI - 06/24/06 | This past weekend we shot a wedding in SE Michigan for a couple that met at Taylor. They were such an easy couple to work with which made the day run so smoothly. The church was located in downtown and this weekend there was a huge festival right in the middle of where the church was! So while we were having an intimate ceremony inside ... there were hundreds of kids directly in front of the church playing in giant blow up toys! It was hilarious! We were hoping to get a few pics of the b&g inside the toys, but we ran out of time! Overall, the day was perfect and we got some great pictures! Hope you both are enjoying your honeymoon in sunny Florida!

Photo Shoot

2006-06-26T22:48:00.001-04:00

UPLAND, IN - 06/21/06 | Last week we headed down to Indiana to do some photography work … we met with a few brides about their upcoming weddings that we are shooting and we had an awesome photo shoot! One of Ben's childhood friends, Loralee, is pursing a vocal performance career and we got to do some head shots of her and let me tell you they turned out incredible! There were many great “diva” shots, but we only have space to put a few so here are some of the best ones!

Weekend Trip Up North!

2006-06-26T22:36:00.000-04:00

PETOSKEY, MI - 06/17/06 | This post is a bit late since we haven't had much time to update the blog lately. Two weekends ago, we got to go up north to Petoskey, MI with Ben's family. His older brother, Justin, works up there during the summer so we were visiting him and seeing what his summer life in Petoskey is like! We had such a great time getting away from life here in GR (especially all the work we have to do) and enjoy some relaxing time touring the sites. If you haven't ever been up north in Michigan you must take a weekend trip. It is beautiful! Below are a few pictures from the trip!

Jason & Kristina

2006-06-15T11:02:00.001-04:00

ADA, MI - 06/10/06 | We had yet another beautiful day for an outdoor wedding! Jason and Kristina were great to work with and everything went smoothly. Their fun, laid back personalities made shooting their wedding great. The location and all of the details of the wedding and reception were beautiful and I am so glad I was able to capture their special day! Thank you for allowing me to be a part of it!

posted in Michigan Wedding Photographer

Dave & Sara

2006-06-13T22:42:00.000-04:00

ANN ARBOR, MI - 06.09.06 | We had so much fun shooting Dave and Sara's wedding! They are good friends of ours from Taylor University and it was so great seeing them get married. We were so blessed to have great weather which allowed for an awesome shoot outside. The bride was so cute and they both had such great personalities to work with which made the day such a blast. Their ceremony had a great focus and it was the first time we had heard the phrase "beer goggles" used by a pastor :) We loved it!

Pat & Leslie

2006-06-13T17:08:00.002-04:00

QUINCY, IL - 06.03.06 | This post is a little delayed due to our hectic schedules ... so sorry! We drove 8 short hours to Quincy from Grand Rapids and enjoyed the beautiful rolling flat lands of southern Illinois:) Though the drive was long the wedding was well worth trip! Pat & Leslie were amazing to work with ... they were extremely laid back and you could tell they were truly in love. The weather was gorgeous, making for great outdoor pictures as well as a hoppin' outdoor reception! Have fun looking at a few of their pics!

posted in Destination Wedding Photographer

2006-06-03T00:56:00.000-04:00