We spent the weekend in Muskegon, Michigan to capture Jillian and Gabriel’s wedding. And it was all kinds of awesome. Sometimes love isn’t said, it’s felt. Jillian and Gabriel get one another. Their love is that contagious, gleeful, head-over-heels-in-love-with-my-best-friend kind of love. It was an honor to witness and capture.

Gabriel is from Brazil and much of his family made the trip up to Michigan for the wedding (we even learned a little Portuguese!). Jillian is from Michigan and planned a gorgeous wedding in her hometown. What a beautiful place! They had one of the largest (and fun) wedding parties I have ever seen. From the party bus to the dance floor, this close group of friends really knew how to have a great time.

Congrats Jillian and Gabriel! We wish you every happiness. And a big thanks to Eric and Nelle for the wonderful time. To use Eric’s favorite word: It was EPIC.

Aren’t they beautiful people?! Inside and out. Doug is so easy going and relaxed. There is such an ease between the two of them – They are just comfortable with one another. And sooo excited to be parents. This is such a special time for them and I’m so happy we are able to capture these moments. I cannot WAIT to meet their baby girl!

Vivi is independent – She knows what she wants. Some would call her stubborn, but I like to think she’s strong. She’s not intimidated by older children (ie, her sister) and will put her foot down. She is insistent on doing things herself, whether it be getting in her car seat, brushing her teeth, going up the stairs, or swimming in the pool.

She loves music – We sing together each night. Her favorite princess is Sleeping Beauty – She calls her “I know yooo” from the song in the movie. She will cover her mouth when she laughs or when she’s excited. I love when she says “Oh, no!” It’s amazing how she already loves dresses and looking pretty. Her crazy dance moves are too funny. She lights up when she sees any character from Toy Story and will say Wee-how (yee-haw) when she sees a horse. She insists on wearing those stretchy headbands around her head like a crown. When she runs, she swings just one arm. The funniest thing she does is show us her “muscles.”

She’s making her way in the world, so look out world!

Georgie is so much like her Dada: Silly to the core, but sweet and nurturing. She has an innate understanding of feelings and emotions and is super intuitive. She loves life and is forever positive. She often tells me: “It’s okay, Mama.” Her favorite color is pink (she will only dive for the pink rings in swim class). She loves being the big sister and is a very good teacher. She knows that Jesus loves her…and Mama and Dada and Vivi and Ollie. Her memory amazes us. She will sees/hear things not mention them until days later. She wants to play soccer for the “soccer socks, t-shirt with my name on the back and the pretty shoes with the pokey things on the bottom. She likes going anywhere and is along for the adventure. It might be in her genes, but she’s very visual and really good at puzzles. She cannot go to bed without ‘big hugs’ and a song sung from the Disney princess collection. Not shy, she is always the first to volunteer.

We have so much fun together and I cherish each moment.

When we’re not talking about books, it’s music. Specifically bands. Jessica and her husband, Kevin, are huge Dave Matthews Band fans. It’s a major part of their relationship and played a very large role in how they met. You can read about it on Jessica’s blog here. So, I was processing these images and listening to Pandora like I usually do. When I clicked on the image of Jessica and Kevin holding Jenna, a Dave Matthews Band song played. Needless to say, I got a little teary-eyed. This little baby is so special to them. I love seeing a new family, a new beginning. And Jenna is beautiful—I mean, seriously, look at those lips!

He adores snuggling with Mama and playing with his Dada (and LOVES to jump on their bed!). Their joy is contagious and I can’t help but smile when I see these photos. So much love and so much laughter—such a great gift.

And we can’t forget another important member of the family, their Bull Mastiff, Harrigan. Andrew simply adores him – They are soooo cute together.

They were so camera ready. I would only have to hold up the camera and their smiles would be ON. Jessica’s laugh made me laugh with her. And our faces hurt from laughing so much. We are very excited for their baby girl! She is going to be sooo loved.

Their engagement session was a great day of hanging out with fun new friends. (And, no, I’m not just saying that because we have a mutual adoration of all things Ricky Bobby!)

When Ritchie isn’t traveling around the world for work (he was stuck in Europe for 5 extra days due to the volcano ash – yikes!), he loves to play golf. And he and Heather love to play golf together. It’s their thing. So, it makes perfect sense that Ritchie proposed to Heather at a golf course. He put her ball on the tee and when she looked down, there he was, kneeling with the (incredibly gorgeous) ring. Such a surprise! And oh, so clever! When thinking of locations to shoot their engagement session, we knew we simply HAD to go to a golf course.

Ohio had some crazy weather this past weekend—the winds were blowing 30-40 mph. And it was COLD. Seriously, Ohio. It’s MAY!  I knew they had to be freezing, but they were such troopers! Even when we crazily asked them to lay on the ground. Ritchie joked that it helped block them from the wind. See why we love them?!

Heather and Ritchie are just the kind of people we feel blessed to come across in our work: kind, funny, and they adore each other. Jonah and I can’t wait for their big day and are so thankful we will be there to capture it. Here are some of our favorites :

Baby Ella was a rockstar model—Even when we stripped her of her clothing. In fact, she was so comfortable, she decided to let loose on Dada’s shirt. Hilarious. Dada was such a good sport. What a wonderful morning with little Ella Faith and family. She is a DARLING and Jonah and I had such a fun time!

It evolved. Cooking chicken parmegiana in his tiny kitchen. Eating Easter candy on the front stoop. Our first bible study. Forever running errands together, living life together. Realizing that summer we would and could go anywhere with one another by our side. April 21, 2000 was the start of it all. What we termed “Jen & Jonah Day.” And I am forever grateful.

I love you J.