meant to be … in petoskey

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I just logged into Facebook and happened to see a photo of one of my favorite couple’s first Christmas tree. It beautifully celebrates their new home and their new marriage; just under three months in.

I was beyond ridiculously honored when Carly asked me to be a part of her day; the day in which she would become the wife of Mr. Ryan Davis. I don’t know Ryan as well as I know Carly but to know her is to love them.

I met Carly in an interview, strangely, at Biggs a few years back. As soon as she was hired, we started working together and I count my lucky stars I had the opportunity to get to know her then because now she’s all Mrs.-Popular-Pants and if I happen to see her I wave quickly and run away so as not to be run over by her fan club. I’m kidding. Sort of.

Anyway, Carly started dating Ryan not long after we met and I remember her playing it down. Big time. ‘We’re just friends,’ she would say for the first year (and a half?). But I could tell he made her happy. And I figured that eventually she would come to realize that he thought she was pretty much the next best thing to well, his dog Noah.

Fast forward to the fall of 2012 and one morning Carly came back to work after a lovely weekend in Mackinac and I heard squealing. And, oh.my.word when you hear squealing at work someone is either a.) engaged, b.) with child or c.) literally with child, like in the office. When I saw Carly, I knew she must have gotten engaged and as she told the story, I found myself in tears in her office. No really, I was crying, and it wasn’t the pretty kind.

If it isn’t obvious, I could talk about Carly all day. I love her. Well, not as much as Ryan does, but it’s a lot.

Ryan and Carly chose the beautiful Stafford’s Perry Hotel in Petoskey for their September wedding. I’ve never been to Petoskey and after a couple of days there, I know I’m going back. The hotel was the perfect venue with a beautiful view of Lake Michigan below. The weather was absolutely perfect and the bride and groom didn’t disappoint either. Their bridal party was ridiculously fun and flexible and Nikki and I had an amazing time following them around. And, I may even have danced a little after I was off the clock.

I feel so blessed to have been a part of Ryan and Carly’s perfect Petoskey day. Here’s to many more firsts, Mr. and Mrs. Davis.

 

amazingly beautiful

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My sister and I were honored to shoot a wedding today in one of the most beautiful venues I’ve ever step foot in. Today wasn’t the first time I’ve been in Hope College’s Dimnent Chapel, but I’ve never been lucky enough to have my camera in hand.

I have to say that today, though, someone overshadowed the church. Continue reading

moments

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Did you know that if you live what’s considered an “average” lifetime, you will breathe for roughly 36,816,480 minutes? I didn’t either until just now. Thanks, Google.

How many of those minutes will you remember, though? How many of those minutes will become moments? To me, moments differ from minutes. Moments are important; they are significant; they will not be forgotten.

I’ve had several moments in my (shorter in comparison) life thus far. I was fortunate enough to have another one this past weekend. I celebrated with my cousin, Tiffany, as she married her best friend, Andrew. The moment came just before Tiffany walked down the aisle. She stood arm in arm with her brother, Nick, who would walk with her and ultimately, bear the responsibility of giving her away.

My inability to capture what happened next was a result of another moment in the past … watching them become inseparable while their dad was fighting cancer. Nick proudly escorted Tiffany and the tears flowed freely from my eyes; camera shaking along with my emotion.

I guess “capturing” in this moment was two-fold. I was attempting to capture Tiffany and Andrew’s wedding with my camera (and so was my amazing sister), but I was able to capture the emotion that everyone in the chapel felt … for them, and with them.

At the end, I hugged Nick tightly as he walked back and told him I was proud of him. I heard my mom say, “You were born to do this.” Her words could not have been more true. Uncle Steve would be so proud.

Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away. – Hilary Cooper