Happy November-! We’re back this Weekly Wednesday with one of our amazing wedding couples Mercedes & Randy. These two just came in from Mishawaka, Indiana with their 2 sweet dogs for us to capture their Engagement Session in Southwest Michigan!
Some backstory: We started chatting with these two initially over 7 months ago in late March 2022 and met with them in person right after that here in South Bend in the first days of April. We talked with them in person about their relationship, their jobs, their dogs, and of course their upcoming autumn 2023 wedding at an estate in Southwest Michigan! We had a blast chatting with them over coffee in those first days of Spring 2022 and immediately got excited about they and the details of their wedding (already chatting about ideas for their Engagement Session back then over a half year ago too)! As with most of our couples they hired us as their wedding photographers a year & a half prior to their wedding, so by the time we finally got to late October less than a couple weeks ago we were so ready to photograph they and their sweet dogs for a colorful Autumn Engagement Session (at their autumn 2023 wedding venue)-!
These two are such a calm, fun couple to talk with and be around and their dogs Po & Beo are very adorable and well-mannered. As we mentioned last week with an Autumn Engagement Session we absolutely love when folks include their pets in their Engagement Sessions, weddings, and Family Portrait Sessions-! We have 2 dogs and an elderly cat of our own, so our lives outside of Professional Photography are basically our pets and plants. Getting to photograph fur babies with our couples is just so fun (haha even if it really confuses most of our couples’ dogs, cats, & horses).
Back to these two, though! Though the week had started off rainy, the better weather really came through for these two and their doggos! The weather was dry and the sun was even shining this wonderful autumn day.
Mercedes did an absolutely outstanding job styling both of them in their two outfits each and even matched their 2 dogs’ bandanas to their first set of outfits (-!) Mercedes works in a visual industry so we figured she’d bring her A game, but she knocked it out of the park. If there’s anything as good as having pets with their pet parents for us to photograph, it’s fantastic styling-! (Mercedes even had her nail polish colors perfectly match their outfits- including her ring finger nail with the perfect orange autumn plaid-!) We always tell folks that a massive portion of professional photography is getting the perfect setting/ lighting/ angles coupled with great layered clothing that’s flattering for each specific person and 10/10 these two nailed it!
Getting to photograph these two in the past week was such a treat. We hadn’t seen them in 7 months and it was so great to be back with them to get a feel for their dynamic in front of the camera (knowing that we’ll be back there at that exact spot in Southwest Michigan in 11 months to photograph their wedding day-!) Getting to photograph these two where their wedding will be in 11 months was so special & an innate serene calm.
These two put up with our shenanigans so well too. We had them walk their dogs in multiple spots, gave them scenarios to act out, and we had them running (well, walking) all around a couple ponds & river for some portraits that we think were well worth the outfit changes & many locations.
After photographing these two all over at their wedding venue we’re now even more excited to photograph their wedding next fall in 11 months (late Sept 2023)! We love photographing our couples’ weddings here as it’s such a perfect fall venue & these two seem to have chosen the perfect spot for them. Their wedding itself will be in the chapel on the property and their reception will also be right there at the venue (under the massive pavillion canopy). If you’ve followed along here on the blog over the past 7 years or in our professional wedding photography over the past 13.5 years you’ve most likely seen the gorgeous chapel & reception spot there on the property, but if not you’ll have more to look forward to next year-! It’s always so nice to be able to have your whole wedding day right at one venue (for the sake of you, your bridal party, and your guests) and we’re so excited to get to capture these two there again- but on their Big Day-!
Thank you so much to Mercedes & Randy for having us photograph you two (and your adorable dogs)-! We had a blast and can’t wait to deliver your gorgeous large printed photographs that you chose (that were included with your Session)! Only 2 months until your wedding year-!
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Unrelated: Though we were less consistent with our Weekly Wednesday blog posts throughout summer because we’ve been photographing Adoptable Child Portrait Sessions multiple times a week for an Indianapolis non-profit all over Northern Indiana in the past year+ (which we haven’t been able to share any of here on our blog), we hope to be back next Weekly Wednesday with beautiful wedding album products and more that we’ve been making for all of our couples and clients throughout the year-! That blog post has continued to be pushed back because we’ve been adding more & more to it, but hopefully we’ll be back next week with these beautiful client products-! **Check back next Weekly Wednesday to see if we’ve finally gotten that blog together for ya-! In the meantime, we hope you have a wonderful weekend!