I say it a lot, but I do love a wedding that is different. That’s nothing against traditional weddings. I photograph those and love them too. But I think anytime you can make your wedding your own and do things your way, that’s always the right thing to do. This was the case with Alisha and Joshua and their Belle Isle Fountain wedding.

When I first met Alisha back in the fall of 2017, nearly a year before her wedding, I knew we would get along well. We had a great conversation about bucking traditions, feminism, etc. I walked away knowing I really wanted to be a part of their wedding. When you come home from a meeting like that, you just cross your fingers that you’ll get an email saying, let’s do this! And I did.

This past May, Alisha and Josh welcomed a baby girl, Lydia. I was lucky enough to capture their newborn photos.

For their wedding, when I arrived, everyone was setting up chairs at the Belle Isle Fountain. Organically, it all came together and Alisha rode in on a Harley Davison with Josh’s father, meeting her father at the steps to walk down the aisle. After a ceremony and vows, the pair rode off on the Harley together, all the way to the Redford Marquee.

When I was getting married, I scoured the Metro Detroit area for wedding venues of all sorts. Anything that wasn’t your typical banquet hall was considered. I’d never heard of the Redford Marquee until Alisha had told me about it. It’s used as a farmer’s market, but also for events. It was quite lovely for a summer wedding!

The place was decorated beautifully by their families. Look at the lettering on the signs…Alisha’s sister did that! So good! After a pig roast dinner, there was dancing and fun, and even a thunderstorm to complete the day.

From the bride: “Madalyn was our newborn photographer and wedding photographer, and I appreciated her down to earth personality and artistic style. For our newborn photos, she helped me clear the space to take pictures and gave me a ton of slack since I was recovering from a really bad C section infection. She was never rushed, was so sweet and personable with my daughter, and didn’t fuss at the mess! 🙂 The photos came out beautiful, not pretentious, looking exactly as we do. Her personality comes through her pictures- a genuine, artistic grace and familiarity, like she was a family friend. This ease transferred to our wedding as well. Ill be honest, I didn’t notice her very much! She snuck around and took all of the best shots somehow, though. 🙂 As far as her professionalism and ease of service, her website, forms and contract, and photo gallery were all easy to navigate and use. She was transparent as well as affordable. We will definitely be using her in the future!”