I’ve always been aware of the brevity of life. It was one of the reasons why I pursued photography. The stories that family albums tell is incomparable to anything else, and I happily spend my weekends with couples who appreciate this truth as well. In December, I lost someone incredibly important to me — every video, every picture I have of her is irreplaceable. I give 100% because I personally understand that you will only walk away from your wedding day with the memories in your head and the pictures on my camera. Like the photos I carry close to my heart of those I have lost, your photos too are exceptional. They should be taken and trusted to a professional (as my best friend Ryan Inman would say) who gives a damn.

I met Coty and Audrey for the first time at their engagement session over drinks at Ferris Coffee downtown Holland. We could’ve stopped their session after the first 10 minutes and been happy with the amount of pictures we took because they are both so much in love and this joy translated so well into pictures. Luckily for me, I was able to still spend another hour with them. And, let me tell you, it got better by the minute.

2018 was a year of balance for BG Photography Studios. My favorite thing apart from memes & communicating solely through GIFs are the moments when I witness my clients relax and be present — whether that is alongside their Love or standing confidently alone. I am always incredibly humbled by the people that invest in photography & understand the value this service holds for their future. THANK YOU to my exceptional clients who don’t care if their outfits get dirty, who laugh at my dad jokes, trust my vision (even if it seems crazy in the moment), let me dance with kids and hug grandparents, invite me to be part of their memories, and my favorite: give me an all-access pass to their dessert bar.

…At that point, I knew. BUT – OH MY GOSH – then we spent the engagement session together and the butterflies and the laughter and the huge SIGHS when they were in each other’s arms. We spent the evening on the family pumpkin patch, looking at ceremony locations and talking about all that is good and perfect about what is to come. They never stopped smiling, and I felt so doggone lucky to be even just a small part of their love story. I could scroll through their images all day long and I probably will, but you definitely should too because LOVE IS LOVE and not to be redundant, but I love theirs.

Molly’s love for Christopher was strong & sudden, unlike Christopher who had loved her from the moment he saw her. She was with someone else at their time of meeting, but life is always full of strange and wonderful surprises~ and just like it was fate, she was his and he was hers … all felt right. If you saw them together, you’d see their love tangibly. Her palm on his chest, his arm around her waist. They move and sway in sync, completely in tune to each other. We spent the (freezing cold) afternoon getting coffee at 205 Coffee Bar in Holland, Michigan & then a walk among the fall foliage by the West Michigan coast this past November. It was 10/10 how I’d want to spend my day!

2017 was BG Photography Studios busiest year yet! To say that I love what I do is an understatement. I’ve been allowed into the soul of matrimony where the lifelong commitment begins. And I’m truly grateful for the couples that invite me. THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU to my extraordinary clients who (apart from giving me the above honor) laugh at my jokes, let me fix their hair and get cuddly with them while posing, give me an all-access pass to the donut spread, and don’t mind if I dance with my camera at the reception.

Allison & Matt chose a venue new to the wedding scene to tie the knot: Old Stonegate Farms in Nunica. If you're looking for a barn venue with a historic home to get ready in and lots of land for pictures, then look no further. Allison & Matt were featured in one of my all-time favorite engagement sessions, so I was looking forward to their wedding for months! It rained all morning & changed the plan of their day, but still~ their First Look was magic, their attitudes perfect, and the sun still came out to shower them in golden sunbeams throughout their entire ceremony.

Earlier this month, I set out to the Windy City to photograph Brian & Claudia in the city where they fell in love. And what do you know? I FELL IN LOVE. 
With them, with the city, with this session. We spent their Milton Lee Olive Park engagement session overlooking the Chicago skyline & had a fantastic time being silly together. I appreciate their willingness to dance, snuggle, and be vulnerable in front of the camera. I'm incredibly pleased with this session, and I am already looking forward to their wedding at Camp Blodgett next June!

After our quick stop at their house, Anne and Alex took me to Holliday Park in Indianapolis for the rest of their engagement session. I felt like we escaped into our own little paradise~ the ruins were the foundation of our evening & the perfect stage for Alex & Anne's love to come alive. Nothing can bring more joy to life than beautifully fulfilling relationships.

2016 was a fantastic year for BG Photography Studios! I started the year with many bridal consultations, maternity sessions, and a destination wedding to St. Petersburg, Florida. Once wedding season was in full swing, I spent the majority of my time in West Michigan photographing the best people celebrating love at my favorite barns & beaches! I sprinkled in a few second-shooting jobs and mini-sessions as well, and wrapped up this November after a busy Fall.

Allison & Matt's Holland Michigan country engagement session was one of my favorite sessions ever that started out amazing and progressively got better and better until it culminated at sunset, just lying together in the back of his truck bed. YES YES YES. We met on a warm September at Allison's country home; we walked trails, laughed (a lot), talked about love and the wedding and just everyday sorta things that make my clients friends.

Engagement sessions are my favorite for a few reasons. We get to focus solely on the couple. Unlike wedding days, we can devote a fantastic amount of time to capturing you two -- just you two: in love, happy, relaxed. And we both know that these feelings? They produce the best images. Relaxing with these Haley and Jordon was a breeze. I mean, its extra easy to be silly and in love when you're with such good friends.

This perfect pair were wed in the beautiful West Michigan at Bar Divani in Grand Rapids, Michigan. We spent the morning getting ready at the chic JW Marriott (where they shared a First Look -- perfection!), and then walked around downtown to the Grand Rapids Art Museum and the Amway Grand Hotel to capture everything that makes them ... them.  After joining up with their fabulous wedding party, we finished at Bar Divani in time for their intimate ceremony and reception of perfection. Really. Honestly. PERFECTION (and worthy of the rhyme).