Kathleen & Rich's Wedding

I have been waiting for soooooooo long to share Kathleen & Rich's wedding photos with you!! I feel like I've climbed a million mountains just to get these images on this blog, and I'm so happy that I'm FINALLY able to share them with the world! As a bride, Kathleen reminds me so much of myself.... but WAY hotter!! She was so organized and had everything under control, and was able to delegate as much as possible so that she was calm and relaxed on the wedding day- for that alone, I give her huge kudos! I'm pretty sure she also has a big knottie following because I get a ton of hits from her community bio (hey D-town girls)! I'm too busy to be a lurker, but just from her bio traffic, I get the feeling that other girls love her ideas and value her opinion, which of course, makes me feel so lucky that she chose me to be her photographer! It's like I got to photograph a mini-celebrity! ;-)


The well-known Posh Brides by Kari hair & make-up artists were on-location to take care of the girls at the hotel. This next image cracks me up because it's looks like a doctor performing surgery with a bunch of interns worried as to whether she can pull it off or not! Veil placement is serious business! HA!!


When I started in wedding photography, I thought I was a "photojournalist" because I took candid pictures like the one below...

However, once I had a chance to study with some REAL photojournalists... like ones who worked for major newspapers and won pulitzer prizes, I learned that the above image is really fine art because of how much of the story it DOESN'T tell, and that for it to really tell a story, I had to include everything that was going on in the scene, not just the pretty parts. So now, I strive to create more images that can really tell a story with just one image, rather than with lots of isolated moments and details...


When Kathleen's father saw her for the first time in her wedding dress, his face lit up in a way that made him look like a little kid again!


This isn't something we normally have to deal with, but it's really difficult to go through a revolving door when the train of your dress is being held up by someone else! So- feel free to just ignore those bossy signs. ;-)


I love the abstract quality of this image and the fact that our eyes can't really focus on Kathleen or her dad without seeing the other...


Rich gave Kathleen this gift to help her find her way back to him, should she ever find herself wandering astray...


For some reason, I love those in-between moments when people are just waiting for something to happen. There's no strong action or emotion... just... waiting...


I love this quiet moment during the ceremony between the two of them, I think it gives us a real look into their relationship...


The ceremony was held at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Bloomfield Hills, MI. It's such a beautiful chapel for weddings with so much natural light beaming through the windows!


OK, I have a mini-rant spawned by the image above. Please, please, please light your unity candle in such a way that we can see what you're doing! K&R- don't feel bad, it's not your fault, no one told you. In fact, it's my fault for not saying something during the rehearsal- DOH! I've had so many weddings recently where all I get to take a picture of during the unity candle ceremony are the butts of the bride & groom because they put the candles at the back of the altar and no one tells them to turn to the side. Same goes for moms lighting the candles at the beginning of the ceremony, just stand to the side while you're lighting the candle and we won't stare at your backside while you're up there! If you're going to include the symbolism of joining two flames, two families, into one... please let us enjoy it with you! OK... mini-rant finished.

The Mr. & Mrs.!!


The guests... waiting... for their turn through the receiving line...


The bridal party, donned in their aqua dresses, pin-striped tuxes, and peach-pink flowers. (Thanks to Gary, I now know that I used "motivated lighting" for this shot)


Kathleen & Rich built in extra time for creative portraits around Cranbrook and downtown Birmingham..
I just love the lines in this one- which is so appropriate for Cranbrook, since Eliel Saarinen designed the entire campus on the foundation of leading lines and forced perspective...


The news headlines on their wedding day...


A favorite late night spot..


Kathleen put her graphic design skills to work and designed all of her own stationary and labels, and worked closely with Gourmet Invitations for her invites! I love crafty brides! She also had a candy buffet with white and blue candies, and her cardbox was decorated to look just like her cake! Her flowers were done by Nicole of Westborn Market in Berkley (the neighborhood where I started elementary school), and Paula was her cake baker/decorator from Cakes Our Specialty.


Their reception was held at Petruzzello's in Rochester Hills.


The paparazzi always crack me up. I'm glad that I could at least capture Rich's mom's reaction without a camera in her hand. ;-)



Kathleen told me that her dad had been talking about the two of them waltzing together since she was little. Awwww!! ;-)

The nine-piece band, Pursuasion, kept the dance floor full and the party going all night long!





I offered, but he was looking for the genuine "self-pic"...


Random Hello, Kitty sighting...


Kathleen does an AWESOME Robot! I totally can't do it justice with still images!


Kathleen & Rich, thank you, thank you, thank you for allowing me to photograph your amazing wedding! I'm so glad I got to know you!! If the time and thoughtfulness that you put into your wedding are any indication of how you pursue everything you love doing, I know amazing things are ahead for you!!


(not photoshopped)

If you loved the pictures, you should also check out John's (TriFoot Productions) video footage of their wedding! (and unfortunately some footage of me shooting- doh!)
Special thanks to Delia for joining me as a second shooter, and to Marianne of Bliss Weddings for coordinating!