Before all the snow melts away I thought Iโd share one more snowy winter engagement session with you all! Bharti and Shiv live in the Chicago area and reached out to me awhile back to capture their engagement photos. I was so honored and grateful when they wanted to take the trip to Grand Rapids, to allow me capture them. We decided to go to The Highlands Preserve in West Michigan, which is a beautiful nature preserve with tons of trees, trails and such a large open space.
I often get asked by my wedding couples where are some of the best places to take their engagement photos or wedding portraits in Grand Rapids. Briana and Grayson chose to do their engagement photos at a parking garage in downtown GR and I love the spot they chose! I love this location because the neutral and simple background really allows the focus to be on the couple and their outfits.
Each coupleโs wedding day is different and I especially love when they have something unique incorporated into their big day. For Carly and Patrick, the unique and special part of their wedding, was that they got married on a theatrical stage in a historic theater in Muskegon, Michigan called the Frauenthal. The theater itself had so much character. The lighting had a romantic glow to it and the the red velvet carpet and chairs made the atmosphere even more romantic.
One of my absolute favorite things about capturing Indian weddings is being able to be apart of the various traditions leading up to the actual wedding day. In the Punjabi culture, the bride, groom and their families participate in a tradition, a few days prior to the wedding, called the Haldi or the Mayian ceremony. Friends and family gather around the bride and groom as they sit on small stools, and each person takes turns applying a yellow turmeric based paste on their feet, arms, face, hands and legs.
