Elizabeth Walker Photography

When it came time to shoot Gary and Elisabeth’s engagement photos, they opted to bundle up and venture out in the snow. Sure, shooting outside in the winter can be a bit chilly. However, by choosing a winter engagement shoot, you can take advantage of the rich textures of winter outerwear and the gorgeous landscape of freshly fallen snow. So, for all of you who just got engaged over the holidays, consider doing your engagement photos now instead of waiting until the spring for something a little unexpected. You can always do a second shoot in the spring or summer if you’d like!

We’re celebrating engagement season by featuring engagement sessions! First up, Jenni and Calvin.

Several months back, I traveled to Hillsdale for Calvin and Jenni’s engagement photo session. Jenni contacted us after seeing us on the Cascades Manor House preferred vendors list. She was planning a June wedding with a fairy tale theme and the Manor House, with its Tudor Revival style architecture was the perfect setting! Jenni and Calvin are one of the sweetest couples ever and were a joy to work with. We were so honored to be at their wedding to document the beautiful day they planned. Enjoy the photos below!

I first photographed these cuties exploring their grandmother’s garden and  fishing at the lake in the summer of 2008. Just a few weeks ago, we met up again and this time we headed to Sparks Park for some fun on the playground.  Here are some of my favorites from the session.

A year ago today, my youngest sister Kim married her husband Bradley. The wedding was in her adopted home of Gulfport, MS with the ceremony at Handsboro Presbyterian Church and the reception at the Great Southern Club. I was honored to be a bridesmaid so for most of the day, I was without a camera in my hands. However, I did snap these of Kim getting ready for the big day at the Beau Rivage Resort and Casino. Congratulations Kim and Brad on your first year of marriage! Here’s to many, many more happy years to come. 

The preparations began with makeup by the Spa at Beau Rivage.

Kim's makeup is applied.

Flower girl Lauren is impressed by the wide array of lipstick choices.

Looking more and more like a bride.

Kim's gorgeous dress and monogrammed veil.

I love this of little Lauren surrounded by the big girls' dresses.

Kim carefully slips into her gown.

The girls zip her in.

Kim searched high and low for the perfect earrings and finally bought them just a couple of days before the wedding.

Dressed, happy and ready to be married!

Beautiful ladies.

Lauren took her job as flower girl very seriously, fixing Kim's dress all day and night.

Saturday we headed off through the fog to photograph Mark and Sarah’s morning wedding at the University Club in Lansing.  I love the University Club because it has such a warm atmosphere. With its rich textures and comfy furniture, it feels like home and is especially cozy in the fall when the fireplaces are lit.

We started photographing the details at the University Club around 9:00 and by 10:00 we were in Sarah’s room at the Candlewood Suites to photograph her getting ready. Sarah’s mom made her veil and her gorgeous dress was made with lace from the gown her grandmother wore to her own wedding 60 years ago!

To signify the beginning of the ceremony, which was held in the Shibui room, Sarah’s brother, John untied a ribbon at the entrance of the center aisle. A string quartet provided the music and Sarah’s cousin performed the ceremony. After the ceremony, guests headed to a cocktail hour in the Fireplace Lounge. John served as emcee for the event, announcing the couple’s entrance and introducing the toasts. Most often the DJ plays that role but I always love seeing family members take it on. It really adds a personal touch.

When it was time for lunch, everyone headed into the Dining Room where the tables were decorated with stunning centerpieces from Petal and Forrest. After a delicious meal, Mark and Sarah cut their cake, another gorgeous creation by A Piece O’ Cake which was adorned with “lace” modeled after the lace on Sarah’s gown.

Thanks Mark and Sarah for choosing us to photograph your wedding. Enjoy your sneak peek below!

The morning fog hadn't quite lifted when we arrived at the University Club.

The finishing touch before heading to the ceremony.

Mark's darling nieces and nephew were the flower girls and ring bearer.

A ribbon kept guests from using the center aisle. Sarah's brother untied the ribbon just before the ceremony began.

Sarah arrives at the end of the aisle with her father.

The entire wedding party.

The happy newlyweds.

The tables were named after places the couple has visited together. There were flags for each location along a short description of their time there.

A Piece O' Cake created this beauty which featured replicas of the lace from Sarah's dress.

The reception room.

Mark and Sarah sit down to lunch.

Cutting the cake.

Mark's boutonniere from Petal and Forrest.

Sarah's gorgeous bouquet.

A laugh between the bride and groom.

A kiss.

Last night, Lidija and I travelled to Waldenwoods Resort and Conference Center to attend The Knot Wedding Network Industry Networking Event. What a fabulous party! Waldenwoods is gorgeous! If you’re looking for a venue for your event, it’s definitely worth looking into. The setting on the lake is beautiful and the food was delicious!  If you do choose the venue for your wedding, please call us to photograph it! We haven’t shot there yet and would love the opportunity! :)

The party was planned by Eco-Posh Events and was both indoors and underneath a tent outdoors. Fortunately, the tent was heated as it was a chilly night. We started with drinks and hors d’oeuvres and some mingling. We were one of the first to have our photos taken in the ShutterBooth photo booth. It’s always so much fun to step inside, pull the curtain and pose for the camera. I love that the strips look just like the ones old booths would make except the quality is so much better! Also, the digital files are posted online for everyone to view later! Elizabeth’s Head to Toe was there doing chair massage and Lid had one and said it was amazing!

After awhile, it was time for the presentation by Bernadette Baillie who is the Vice President of Relationship Marketing and TKI Events. During the presentation, she showed a slide featuring The Knot’s Local Weddings websites and on the Ann Arbor page’s banner I spotted three of my photographs! So exciting! I’m so honored that they chose to use my images. If you haven’t seen the local pages yet, check them out. They have all of the resources available on theknot.com but each city has its own page. There’s one for Lansing, Detroit, Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids.

After the presentation, it was time for more great food including goodies from a dessert table by Trifles and time for networking. I feel like we made some great connections last night and hopefully started some friendships as well! Thanks to all of the businesses that donated items for the gift bags too! I haven’t gotten to everything yet but I ate my Black Magic Brownie from Zingerman’s Bakehouse while writing this blog and it was fantastic! Can’t wait to try everything else!

I’m sorry I don’t have pictures of the party to post, but it was nice to be at an event without cameras in our hands for a change! Posted below you’ll find a screen shot of the Ann Arbor local weddings page with my photographs on the banner!

A screen shot of the Ann Arbor local weddings page with my photos at the top! The 1st, 2nd and 4th images are mine! So exciting!

I love all the detail work it takes to put old, damaged photos back together. Preserving family memories and maintaining historical records through photo restoration is one of my favorite aspects of photography.

Everyone has an old photo in an attic or a shoebox somewhere that could use a little TLC. If you’re interested in having yours restored, let me know. I will take a look at your photo, give you an estimate and then if you’d like to go ahead, I’ll take the photo, scan it, return it to you and then go about correcting the tears and fading. When I’m done, you’ll receive the original image and the restored image on disc. If you’d like, you can order prints as well. The holiday season is just around the corner. Restored family photos make the perfect gift, especially for the person who has everything. Gift certificates are available. A few of my photo restoration projects are below. Enjoy!

A client asked me to restore this photograph of his parents on their wedding day. He ordered prints for his siblings as well.

The Ella Sharp Museum of Art and History commissioned me to restore this photo of Ella.

A client commissioned me to restore her mother's student ID. She also requested that the stamp be removed from the bottom right hand corner.

Commissioned as a Christmas gift, prints were made for all of the siblings.

Here are some of my favorite images from my pet session with Buck. We posed Buck with wooden numbers so the photos could be used as table numbers at Angela and Justin’s wedding. It took a lot of patience and a lot of doggy treats but we were happy with the results. It was a great way to include Buck on the big day without having to worry about paw prints on Angela’s wedding gown!

My sister Angela married Justin over the weekend!  We woke up to sunshine on Saturday and started off with hair and makeup appointments at Headquarters Salon in Jackson. The staff there did an amazing job of making us all look our best. They even let us bring food in so we got to enjoy seconds of the fabulous food prepared by The Chocolate Moose for the bridesmaids breakfast which we had the day before. By 2:00 we were at the Ella Sharp Museum of Art and History to get dressed and had a chance to take a sneak peek at the Grand Community room which looked absolutely amazing. Meghan Munro of Sweet Pea Fleur did a phenomenal job on the centerpieces which included hydrangeas, tree branches, votives and crystals. Also on the tables were sparkly table runners, specially folded napkins, favors from Gilbert Chocolates and table numbers featuring Angela and Justin’s dog, Buck. After getting dressed and some time for formal photos, we were off to the ceremony.

The ceremony, customized by Ang and Justin, was performed by Pamela Klusack. Jake Reichbart provided beautiful music on the guitar. After the ceremony, guests enjoyed hors d’oeuvres by Kate’s Catering in the Granary Restaurant. They also had an opportunity to browse the galleries. At the reception, West Texas Barbeque Co. served a delicious dinner and we all enjoyed looking at and eating the stunning cake from A Piece O’ Cake in Lansing. They say their cakes are art you can eat and they don’t lie. The cake was truly a work of art!  Chris Gorton of Fancy Schmancy Events went above and beyond and kept everything running smoothly the entire day. 

I really wanted to relax and enjoy the day so I put my camera down once the photographers my sister hired arrived. Enjoy the “behind the scenes” pics of Ang getting ready and detail pics from the Community Room below. Ang, I’m so happy for you! Welcome to the family, Justin!

Event Coordinator - Chris Gorton Fancy Schmancy Events, Rehearsal Dinner - The BBQ Joint at West Texas Barbeque Co., Hair and Makeup - Headquarters Salon, Wedding rentals -  Kutcha’s Rentals, Officiant - Pamela Klusack, Photographer - Muse Photography, Videography - RPS Films, Guitarist - Jake Reichbart, Bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres - Karmay’s Flowers and Gifts, Centerpieces - Sweet Pea Fleur, Cake - A Piece O’ Cake, Hors d’oeuvres - Kate’s Catering, DJ - Brad Allen of Jump Start DJs, Catering - West Texas Barbeque Co., Invitations - Allison Thompson Design, Table Number Photos - Elizabeth Walker Photography,  Favors - Gilbert Chocolates.

Melinda styles Angela's hair for the big day.

Ang studies the finished product while sister Kim looks on.

The flower girl prepares to be doused with hair spray.

The beautiful rose and dahlia bouquet from Karmay's.

The girls help Ang get dressed.

Just about ready to be zipped up.

A sapphire and diamond necklace is the finishing touch.

Ang chose Navy shoes to wear with her ivory dress so Kim and I wore the ivory shoes we wore to our own weddings. Flower girl Lauren had to get in on the fun too! Thanks to Kim for snapping this one!

The Grand Community Room ready for guests to arrive.

The hydrangea, branch and crystal centerpieces by Meghan Munro.

The couple's dog, Buck, posed with wooden numbers while I photographed him for the tables. Here he is with number 8.

The gorgeous wedding invitations by Allison Thompson Design featured ribbon corners and Swarovski Crystal accents.

The amazing shimmering and ruffled cake by A Piece O' Cake.

I’ve fallen off the blogging bandwagon lately and am glad to be jumping back on after a couple of weeks away. I was busy trying to finish up a variety of projects so I could enjoy time off for my sister’s wedding this past weekend!  Some of those projects included finishing up cover images and portraits for the annual report for my day job as a biomedical photographer for the Department of Pathology at the University of Michigan. I was also busy working on photos for a new MLabs brochure to be released at the New Frontiers in Pathology Conference at U of M next month. Aside from my day job, my freelance projects included portraits and some reproduction work for the new Jackson African American History exhibit at the Ella Sharp Museum of Art and History. The exhibit just opened over the weekend and with the wedding I haven’t had a chance to check it out yet but hope to soon. You won’t want to miss it either! Make plans to visit it before it closes January 2nd.