Detroit Masonic Temple Wedding - Laurah & Jeff

I'm so crazy in love with Laurah & Jeff and their wedding. What's not to love?! They are so in love with each other, so appreciative of their friends and family, and they chose one of the most amazing locations ever. Laughter, tears, hugs, kisses, getting crazy on the dance floor... seriously, they had it all.


Even though it was rainy outside, it was still beaming sunshine and smiles inside...


The Beatles t-shirt and jeans loving "flowergirl" gets a lesson in lipgloss application.


Tequila shots.... can't you just feel the bitterness of the lemon in this? HA!

The Masonic Temple in Detroit, MI is THE largest Masonic Temple in the entire world. No expense was spared on the detail and thought that went into the architecture of this over 80,000 sq. ft. building built in the 1920s. The only way to photograph the massive facade was from across the street with a fisheye lens...


The guys got ready in the Red Cross room, which has an amazing gold fresco on the wall. I think the grand chairs made the guys look pretty important too... Jeff, of course, in the middle...


This is probably one of my favorite dress shots ever... reflected in the mirror...


I don't know why things in place of faces makes me chuckle, it just does...


Laurah cracks me up!! She was trying to figure out how she was going to get her crinoline into her dress if she was going to step into the dress... thankfully she realized that she could just put it on over her head! ;-)


Oh the things that bridesmaids do for the bride....


I think I have a thing for clocks...



Check out their burgundy and orange details- like a vibrant tiger lily...


Would you believe they call this room an Asylum?? Simply gorgeous...



Immediately after the ceremony, the bride & groom took the elevator down to see the Crystal Ballroom set up before any of the guests got in the room. They had an amazing first dance alone together and they had me in tears the entire time!!




After a few portraits around the building, they were ready to get their groove on!!


This is what I love about these families... one moment is completely ridiculous and the next is raw emotion...



Abandoned shoes on the dance floor.... I have a thing about abandoned shoes too...


These guys crack me up!!! You may recognize the gentleman with the umm... "money maker" from Kelly & Brian's Wedding, where he pulled an interesting stunt as the best man, and I'm happy to say that you'll get to see more of him in the near future when I blog his wedding. ;-)


Cigar time...



I love it when a groom can tear up the dance floor!! Go Jeff, go jeff, go, go, go Jeff...


(did you see Delia in the background?? She came along as a second shooter. ;-)

I love both of these images so much, and once again... they happened only seconds apart... pure romance, and pure joy... what an amazing way to end an amazing evening...


Laurah & Jeff, I already said it, but I love you to pieces and I'm so so so honored that you chose me as your wedding photographer!! Thank you so much for your graciousness- you really helped give me strength when I needed it!! I can only hope I did justice to the beautiful moments of your wedding day!!

Jeannette & Jason's Wedding

If I could name a queen of Do-It-Yourself weddings, it would have to be Jeannette! There were soooooo many handmade personal details that I can't possibly cover them all here, but I do think she had quite a bit of help from Jason, which is above and beyond for most grooms! Here he is making sure the off-road truck cake topper really does look like it's been through a trip in the "dirt"...



... and check out the ring bearer's "ring" box! (I guess a pillow wasn't manly enough for him!)



One of the ways that they really personalized their wedding was with tons of framed pictures of family members. I think all of the guests had a fun time looking at the pictures and seeing some great memories. Some people enjoyed them so much that they ended up taking their favorites home with them!




Their ceremony and reception were held at the historic Lafayette Grande in Pontiac, MI. The crystal ballroom has a perfect set up for watching the action on the dance floor.





One of the things that they felt was really important to include in their wedding was a way to remember important family members that had passed on. This can be tricky because you want to have the memory of those special people with you on your wedding day, but you don't want to turn your wedding into a memorial service. Jeanette & Jason were subtle with visual rememberances in picture frames on a mantle in the back of the chapel and a special pendant with Jeannette's mother's ashes on a memorial pillow. It's amazing how something so small can hold so much meaning.



Congratulations Jeannette & Jason!! I hope every day together is just as meaningful as your first day as man & wife! Click on any image to see more pictures from their wedding day.