continued from the previous post…

This girl can sing.  Blast to the years of flapper dresses and speakeasies… I’m double checking her band’s name.  If you’re interested, follow me on Twitter at @Jen_Kroll and I’ll tweet it once I find out.

Joey and Chris’ swing instructor and friend from NYC.  She fits the role perfectly!

A quick portrait of the back of Joey’s dress while she was greeting guests in the receiving line…

A combination of things that reflected the couples’ hometowns – Saratoga water from upstate NY, Jacques Torres chocolates from NYC, and the champagne and cherries from the Traverse City area.

John Pottenger of Coastline Studios was contracted last minute to run the groom’s solo camera and manage to capture this incredible footage of their first dance!

Another fun thing was that Joey and Chris contracted us to do a photo booth in the corner of the room with onsite printing of 5×7 prints.  Each guest was able to take home a framed photo of themselves as their wedding favor!  Finallly, a favor that doesn’t end up in the garbage!  :)  Props complements of the bride!

And finally, the last dance of the evening…

Chris and Joey — thanks so much for allowing us to share in your celebrations!!

Chris’ parents met each other in a dance class 40+ years ago, so it was only fitting that Chris, too, should meet his future wife while taking swing dancing classes in NYC.  While working with Aletha of Pearls Events, Joey and Chris, along with Joey’s mother, Sheri, planned a beautiful celebration here in Grand Rapids at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel that perfectly reflected their personalities.  For me, it was a joy walking into the wedding day as I had already had the great opportunity to get to know Joey and Chris’ friends and family beforehand when they contracted me to document the bridal shower as well as the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner.  Typically, I can figure out who the VIPs are rather quickly, but for those same people to have a comfort level around me at the beginning of the wedding brings a fantastic advantage.  All in all, it was a wonderful day filled with happiness and lots and lots of dancing!

Special thanks goes to Ryan Prins for rocking the second camera!

Natalie with Stems Events did an absolutely stellar job on this bouquet

Julie Strating and Erin Brown of TreAvanti know how to make a woman feel and look beautiful EVERY time!

Meanwhile, the gentlemen were busy honing their dapper charm

A quick portrait before going downstairs to see Chris for the first time…

The Father of the Bride gets his first look too… Love this moment.  Gets me every time.

Sweet part of the ceremony where they took a moment to honor those family members who had passed away.

Ceremony continued…

Dominique’s daughter gave a beautiful toast in both French and English (bride’s family is all from Quebec).

Few words for this toast.  You had to be there.  I wept.

In our initial meeting, Tom asked me, “I know you know how to photograph people, but do you know how to photograph horses?”  Even though I grew up around horses at the summers I spent as a “staff kid” at Anchor Point Camp, I hadn’t been around them much with a camera.  Tom asked me to do my homework on what types of lenses are best for photographing horses, so as to not distort the body.  Even though Dominique didn’t ride down the aisle on horseback as originally planned, Ryan and I still did our best to photograph some of the horses in the pastures.

Can’t forget the cows.  :)

THIS wedding defines why my passion lies in this specialty of photography.  It was the perfect cocktail of all that is right with weddings.  The bride and groom had spent the previous two weeks at a horse show in southern Michigan with friends who came from all over the country to compete.  They opened up their home and driveway to many, many RVs and invited their friends to stay an extra two days for their wedding celebration… on a Tuesday.  [In case you missed the memo, Tuesdays are the next big wedding trend.  They haven't published it in a magazine, but rest assured, you'll see it.  Remember you read it here first.]  A small affair consisting of around 80 guests.  The details consisted of wild flower bouquets, cowboy boots, and belt buckles. [Ryan was terribly disappointed we didn't know the dress code beforehand, otherwise he would have broken out his Texas-sized buckle.  No, seriously.]  Horses galloped in the fields surrounding the ceremony and reception site and the cows, well, they mooed.  Honest hearts that were once broken and had been gloriously healed and were more vibrant as a result; laughter, tears, and overwhelming kindness surrounded this space.  I was a witness to the beauty of the soul.  Thank you, Tom and Dominique, for welcoming me and Ryan and for your kind words.  They mean so much.  Many blessings to you and your families.

Special thanks to Ryan Prins as my rockstar second photographer, Cheri Hall’s masterful hand with the event design and coordination (contact info available on request), and sweet Elizabeth Grzegorczyk with Posh Petals Floral.

Dominique’s Parents in the foreground

One of my favorite rings of all time… therefore, you get 3 photos of it.

Meanwhile, outside…

The gentlemen waited for the guests to begin arriving…

Tom, our handsome groom, was right there to greet each one and make them feel at home (he certainly did for me).

Pre-Ceremony adult beverages.  Another benefit of having a wedding on a Tuesday.  *Hint, hint.*

Dominique makes her grand entrance.

The horses in all the pastures were going nuts.  Hooves were beating in stereo.

Dominique’s son walked her down the aisle.

Yup, love Tom.

To be continued…