Faye & Brian's Atheneum Detroit Wedding

If there were a prize for the most Detroit-themed wedding, Faye & Brian would definitely win!! Which is pretty interesting when you consider they're now living in Chicago, where we also did their engagement session. Being from Detroit myself, I have nothing but love for the "D".

I couldn't help but notice the awesome view from their hotel room at the Atheneum in the heart of Greektown, which made for a unique Detroit-themed dress shot!



Does the picture above scare anyone else as much as it scares me?! ACK! I'm such a wimp when it comes to sharp objects! I think Heather did a fabulous job with Faye's hair & makeup - she looked flawless!




Their ceremony was held at the beautiful and historic Saints Peter & Paul Jesuit Church, which is apparently Detroit's oldest building which has been in continuous use since 1848! They certainly knew how to create a beautiful building with plenty of gorgeous natural light. I wish all churches were lit so naturally well!!


I love the picture below- Brian looks like a man on a mission! The angle and composition of the other guys kinda makes it seem like something out of a Bond flim, and their expressions only add to the mystery and suspense of the action... OK, so maybe I put a little too much imagination into my images. ;-)



I think they had the biggest smiles I've ever seen coming down the aisle!! Just pure joy and happiness!


If you've ever lived in or near Detroit, than you've probably been through the underwater Tunnel to Windsor, Canada at least once. So, how appropriate that the wedding party would make a stop at the Tunnel Liquor Shoppe for some extra libations after the ceremony!!


I actually have a few pictures of this bridesmaid "misbehaving", so I'm glad someone finally put her in her place!! HA!! I'm totally kidding, because SHE'S the one who asked him to handcuff her!!! Poor innocent bicycle cop had no idea what he was getting into when he stopped to congratulate Faye & Brian. ;-)


I rarely show posed stuff on my blog, but here's your evidence that I actually do poses when requested and given extra time to get creative. Faye wanted to include as many Detroit landmarks as possible in the time we had between the ceremony & reception, so we headed to Hart Plaza on Detroit's riverfront for some fun shots...




The Spirit of Detroit statue is one of my favorite landmarks because the statue gets to wear his very own Detroit team jersey during playoffs. After all, Detroit does have the best sports teams and fans in the world... what can I say except... Deeeeeeeetroit!!! (Are you sick of me yet? Oh wait.. there's more!!)


It's so typical to see old cars cruising around Detroit in better-than-mint condition, so of course we had to include one in their wedding photos! Just another little something that makes the motor city so fabulous and full of character.




Faye & Brian even brought the SOUND of Motown to their wedding! Actually, I've noticed that Motown is making a huge comeback with a lot of live bands... now when will the DJs catch on?


Something very interesting happened THREE times on Faye & Brian's wedding day, and anytime something happens three times in three different places, I think it's worth mentioning because it's crossed the line from coincidence into just plain strange. The first time it happened was at the church, the sound system was acting up during the ceremony, cutting in and out and giving weird feedback. Then it happened while we were riding around in the limo bus- the radio kept cutting in and out on a station with a really good signal and speakers that seemed to be perfectly fine. The final kicker was during Faye & Brian's first dance. They had taken dance lessons and perfectly choreographed their first dance to Coldplay's "Yellow", but SEVERAL times during their first dance, the sound system completely cut out and because they were in the middle of their choreography, they had to stop and wait for it to start again!! If that's not just plain weird, well... I don't know what is. There must've been a lot of magnetic energy between these two to disrupt the sound system EVERYWHERE THEY WENT on their wedding day!!! In any case, they handled the interruptions of their first dance very well, and everyone gave them a HUGE round of applause when they finally made it to the end!!




In Detroit, every neighborhood has at least one or two Coney Islands that serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner all day long as well as delicious beefy chili coney dogs! When you've grown up on Detroit's coney, no other coney dog compares! What a special end of the night treat to bring the Coney dogs to the party for their late night guests!!

Brian planned a huge surprise for Faye which fit perfectly with their Detroit wedding! He arranged for Paws- the Detroit Tiger's mascot, to join the party near the end of the evening! Faye was ecstatic and the guests were thrilled to have a celebrity guest at the reception!! Paws must've had his picture taken with everyone there!


Faye & Brian - your wedding was soooo much fun, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who who thinks that!! I hope that every day of your life together just gets better and better and that you'll never stop having fun together!! Thank you for making me your wedding photographer!!