I’ve now been to A LOT of weddings, most as a vendor and not as a guest. Each is different, even if it’s just slightly. But I think what always makes me happiest is when there is just an energy of excitement in the air. This was true for Shannon and Jimmy’s wedding at St. Anselm Catholic Church and Meeting House Grand Ballroom.

You may remember this awesome Corktown Detroit engagement session with these two, which is actually really exciting because it was RIGHT before Ford announced it was buying Michigan Central Station. We got some of the last images in front of it!

But back to why we’re here: they’re married! There was just an energy I could feel in each room at their wedding, that their large families were just SO excited for this moment. Shannon had warned me about this ahead of time, but I couldn’t help but feel so EXCITED myself! Let me just give a quick example. The grand entrance was just the bride and groom (usually it involves the bridal party). Shannon and Jimmy entered to the Space Jam theme song, and literally everyone was on their feet giving them high-fives as they made their way to the head table. Also, my favorite image from 2018 is of them entering…and usually I don’t like photographing grand entrances at all. But that moment, it just brings me back to the energy in the room and how pumped everyone was to be there celebrating this marriage. The Meeting House Grand Ballroom was a gorgeous spot to work and just the right amount of historical elegance for this wedding!

Not only did Shannon look like an absolutely classic, timeless bride (she’s gorgeous isn’t she? Also hello so much rose gold — which is just like my wedding and engagement rings), but she is also one of the kindest brides I’ve ever worked with…always asking my opinion and for advice. She was THE most organized and I kind of knew we’d get along really well from the first moment we met (isn’t that just the best feeling?). Jimmy is a goof ball, but he brings out the joy in Shannon…you can tell they have a ton of fun together. I just really like them, okay?

One of the most challenging parts of this wedding was to shoot the entire portrait session in the dark! Yes, that’s right, it was November and these two wanted to go traditional so there was no first look. It was DARK when we shot all the bridals and bridal party photos (the ones of them all together). It was also cold and had snowed (this didn’t happen for my December weddings haha!), so it was a winter wedding to me! I think it’s important to make sure that your photographer can handle something like this. When I told Shannon and Jimmy that we probably wouldn’t be able to get AS many shots as I usually get because it’s hard to set up lights at night and in the middle of a downtown, they didn’t worry. I think it was most important to get more candids of the day for them, so I tried to do that. I was nervous for the darkness, but more and more I fear it less and embrace what is given to me as a photographer. I think their portraits were pretty magical!

From the bride: “Madalyn has been a joy to work with in all aspects of wedding planning. Her willingness to answer emails (there have been a few from this nervous bride) and ability to make all the planning seem easy has been so reassuring. Working with her on our engagement pictures was awesome and we are so happy with all the choices and variety of shots. Her client portal and gallery are super easy to use and she promptly updates all information, such as invoices. We are so excited for her to shoot our November wedding and will update after the date. However, 10/10 would recommend her!!”

Vendors:

dj: Falcon Film Studios | HMU: Kyle Ann Design | Gown: The Wedding Shoppe | Rings: Kramer Jewelry