mindyleigh.com

As I sit down to write this post, I want to talk about the moment that stood out, or the reason this day was so incredible, and I am almost at a loss for words.  I had taken Katie and Chad’s engagement photos last fall, and since then have been looking forward to their wedding day.  Their family and friends were so wonderful, the spirit of the day was so blessed and joyful.  It was absolutely perfect, but not for all the lovely details and the beautiful summer day, but because Katie and Chad are perfect for each other.  They are a match.  They are soul mates, and you can see it when they look at each other, and how they hold each other every chance they get.  Nothing could tear them apart, and it’s a joy to see people so in love.  A couple times I remember Katie telling me she was taking a mental picture… and there were so many moments too precious to forget.  I did my best to capture them in photographs, I can only imagine their beautiful memories!

This bride has really become a friend of mine throughout this process – and I had such an amazing time being a part of their big day, so I am so excited to share some of my favorites on the blog!  My good friend Sandy from capturing subtleties photography came along to help me, and lots of her shots appear on this blog post!  Thank you Sandy, you rock!  To Katie and Chad, I’m so happy for you, and that you have each other to love, “para siempre”.  Congratulations!

Katie started her day off at Aviar salon in Hudsonville, having her hair done by her best friend Amy Jill.  She did an amazing job on Katie’s hair, as well as the mothers’ and some of the bridesmaids’ hair!

Katie had her makeup done at home and her florist dropped off the bouquets, hers had a locket attached to it with her and Chad’s baby photos.  So sweet!

Time to put on that beautiful dress… they were watching her hair carefully!  The ring on her pinky was her grandmother’s wedding band.

Time to meet the handsome groom.  Their first look was precious.  I snapped away from a distance, and I think the rest of the world disappeared around them.

That’s my shot on the left, and Sandy’s on the right.  I love the way she sees things.

So, after they had their private first look, and we started with some posed shots, the kids all caught on and came over – they cheered and clapped every time… it was actually pretty cute.  The best part, Katie and Chad did not mind at all that they had this audience of kids for a few minutes, they were so relaxed and so happy after seeing each other!

The rest of the bridal party joined us over near Rosa Parks Circle.  They were such a fun group!

We took a walk over to HopCat where Katie and Chad had their first date.  There was practically  nobody in there… so it was a perfect opportunity to get portraits at the bar.  I love these.  I’m so glad we decided to go there, even though it was really hot!  It was totally worth it.
Now back to the church, First Reformed in Grandville.
One last shot of Katie at the front of the church before the ceremony.  Shortly afterward, while the bridal party was “in hiding” downstairs, I found Chad and brought him over to this huge wall mural map in the basement of the church.  Their honeymoon destination was a total surprise for his bride.  His ring around the city: Cancun!
Another one of Sandy’s pictures!
Handbells rang like the Winchester chimes melody just before Katie made her big entrance with her dad.  It was so incredible, 6 slow rings at 6:00… that moment was just overwhelming.  You could have heard a pin drop.
Chad saw Katie a few hours before this, but look at that expression – so in love, and full of joy.
We took the limo back downtown, stopping for a few pictures before heading to the reception.
Almost to the University Club, at Calder Plaza!  I love these…
The  Cake!!!  This was made by my friend Leticia – a wonderfully talented baker.  It turned out perfeclty.

The dance floor was packed as soon as the DJ started the fast songs, and it was a crazy party the entire night! Almost all their guests spent the entire evening on the dance floor, and even though we left around 11 PM, they showed no sign of slowing down.  Sandy and I took too many pictures, because there were so many great dancers, so many hilarious moments to capture, so much fun!