A huge thank you to all the couples and families who I have worked with since I began this photography business in 2004. It has been wonderful working with all of you and making so many friends through my work.

- This blog is filled with sneak peeks and slideshows from all of my weddings and photo sessions.
- To get a little glimpse into my family life and see some of my personal pictures and what I'm up to lately, visit bykrista.com.

NOTE: I am no longer booking new weddings at this time. I am still booking family photo sessions on a limited basis.
Contact me for more information.

rena & bob • slideshow

August 1, 2006 – 10:11 pm

Click on the image to see the slideshow from Bob & Rena’s intimate sunset ceremony.

please note: slideshow is best viewed with a high speed DSL internet connection

By kristajean | Posted in slideshows, weddings | no comments         |

rena & bob • 7.28.06 | sandy pines resort wedding photographer

August 1, 2006 – 10:07 pm

This was such a sweet, intimate ceremony. I met the couple for the first time that night and they were so nice and made us feel right at home among their family and friends. 🙂

A few pictures from the evening:

[ cute shoes ]

[ they gave each other cards before the ceremony and I caught them smiling at each other. so sweet. ]

[ beautiful flowers from the very talented girls at Kwiaty Floral in Holland ]

[ blending of the sand. blending of a very sweet family. ]

Congratulations, you guys! So happy to meet you all!

People, Places & Things:
Ceremony: Sandy Pines Resort, Outdoor Chapel, Hopkins MI
Flowers: Kwiaty Floral, Holland MI

By kristajean | Posted in weddings | Tagged , , | 2 comments         |

brandi & drew • slideshow

July 27, 2006 – 7:52 pm

A little slideshow of images from Brandi & Drew’s July 15th wedding! Click on the image to see the show.

Bishop07

note: best viewed with a high speed DSL internet connection!

By kristajean | Posted in slideshows, weddings | 1 comments         |

brandi & drew • 7.15.06 | grand rapids wedding photographer

July 20, 2006 – 1:09 am

Last Saturday’s wedding was SO wonderful. Brandi and Drew hired me without even meeting me. They planned their wedding long distance from where they live in Maryland. It was so great to finally meet them all these months later and spend the day with them and their loved ones.

Besides being really sweet people, they chose an amazing venue for their wedding – the Grand Rapids Art Museum. My first time shooting there and I absolutely loved it. The gorgeous pillars, high ceilings, and the art, of course. The ceremony took place in a long hallway with beautiful light pouring through the windows. And the featured artist this month was Ansel Adams. We took a few minutes to browse the gallery and were just in awe of his work.

I also want to share about my moment of clarity during the ceremony, one of those instances when you are aware of where you are and what you are doing. I was kneeling down in the middle of the aisle whiile the pastor spoke about Brandi & Drew and God’s amazing love. I was suddenly overcome with emotion as I listened to him and my eyes welled up a bit. I felt really blessed at that moment. To be able to share in so many peoples’ weddings, people I don’t really know, who have trusted me to capture their day for them. There I was in the middle of this beautiful, special wedding. I was totally filled up. I truly believe that each and every person that has ever chosen me to photograph their wedding has been hand picked by God. I’ve met so many wonderful families through this business and I’m blessed beyond words! I sometimes get so busy in the middle of wedding season that I lose focus on why I love this job. So I was really happy to get that reminder. I needed it!

OK, enough rambling … here are some pictures from Brandi & Drew’s big day!

[ Brandi – beautiful bride ]

[ the flowers ]

[ the cake – simple and elegant ]

[ Brandi – ready to round the corner and see Drew and her Dad for the first time ]

[ exchanging the rings ]

[ such a sweet moment – right after they walked down the aisle as husband and wife, they kissed and just looked at each other with that “we did it” look and then kissed again, of course ]

[ outside the museum – only for a few minutes in the scorching 90+ degree heat ]

By kristajean | Posted in weddings | Tagged , | 3 comments         |

shelli & kurt • 7.8.06 | kalamazoo wedding photographer

July 12, 2006 – 11:39 pm

Another unique wedding this past Saturday. Their reception was held in an airplane hangar, owned by his aunt. Here are a few pictures from the day:

[ Shelli getting her makeup done. Beautiful girl. ]

[ The salon had a whole spread set up for Shelli and all her girls. A cool place. ]

[ Just waiting for the ceremony to begin. ]

[ The first dance ]

[ A sweet moment – beautiful evening light ]

CLICK HERE for a SNEAK PEEK SLIDESHOW of their big day!

People, places & things:
Salon: Portfolio, Kalamazoo MI
Ceremony: Westwood United Methodist, Kalamazoo MI

By kristajean | Posted in slideshows, weddings | no comments         |

becky & nick • slideshow

July 12, 2006 – 11:11 pm

Click on the image to see the sneak peek slideshow!

By kristajean | Posted in slideshows, weddings | no comments         |

becky & nick • 6.24.06 | grand rapids wedding photographer

July 10, 2006 – 2:30 pm

A couple weekends ago, I shot a fun and unique wedding. Becky and Nick were such a nice, laid back couple. They had a tropical theme for their wedding and it was so fun. Here are a few pictures from the day:

[ lovely flowers ]

[ the girls were so funny checking out the arriving guests. they were banging on the window to get people’s attention and having a great time. such a fun group. ]

[ this little girl was so cute standing in the aisle during the ceremony just watching becky and nick – probably wanting to get all dressed up in a pretty dress like becky ]

[ so excited to be married! ]

[ the awesome cake – so unique – fit perfectly with the tropical decorations ]

[ the girls hoola hoopin’ ]

[ the first dance ]

Had such a great time at the wedding! Slideshow coming soon! 🙂

People, places & things:
Hair: Angles, Grand Rapids MI
Makeup: Design 1, Grand Rapids MI
Ceremony: Ada Bible Church, Ada MI
Reception: Barry Expo Center, Hastings MI – (269) 945-2487
DJ: Brad Eley, DJ’s To Go – (616) 243-5300

By kristajean | Posted in weddings | Tagged , , , , , , | no comments         |

slideshows

June 28, 2006 – 5:57 pm

Back to back weddings this past weekend. I normally shoot only one a weekend so I can focus my attention on one couple and have plenty of energy for the day! But Friday was the wedding of our good friends, Bob and Amber. I agreed to shoot their wedding quite a while ago and was then contacted by Becky and Nick, who asked me to do their wedding the following day. I was hesitant because of my experiences in the past shooting two in a weekend, but I did it and I’m so glad. Becky and Nick are so nice and it was a fun time. More details, a few pics and slideshow coming for their wedding. Here are a couple slideshows to take a peek at. One from Kelli and Dan’s wedding last weekend and the other from Friday.

Click on the images to see the shows for
Kelli and Dan

Bob and Amber

Enjoy!

By kristajean | Posted in slideshows, weddings | no comments         |

vendor • butterfly whispers

June 22, 2006 – 1:17 pm

Butterfly Whispers is a custom jewelry company owned by my friend and previous APW bride, Amanda Crump. Amanda designs beautiful pieces using Swarovski pearls and crystals and she will also customize jewelry as well. Visit her blog to see some of her work!

By kristajean | Posted in vendors | no comments         |

dan & kelli • 6.17.06 | yarrow golf and conference center wedding photographer

June 19, 2006 – 1:29 am

Kelli and Dan’s wedding was so beautiful. I love shooting weddings for people that I’ve met with and feel like I already know. Last fall, I took engagement photos for them and they were so fun and relaxed and in love. I have been looking forward to their wedding for a while now. Despite the hot and extremely humid weather, everything went perfectly! Here are a few … well, more than a few. Lots of great moments and beautiful details.

[ loved the detail on Kelli’s dress ]

[ love this one. the wind picked up and her veil went with it. ]

[ the colors were so pretty ]

[ a moment during the ceremony. the late afternoon sunlight was so beautiful. ]

[ kelli and dan are so sweet with each other. very affectionate. such a perfect couple. loved shooting all the moments like this throughout the day. ]

[ i love cakes ]

[ i adore this shot. i love capturing looks like this between the bride and groom. she is so much in love with her new husband and you can see it in her eyes. ]

[ during the reception, Kelli was seated on a chair in the middle of the dance floor for the groom to take off her garter. his entrance was definitely unique. the theme song from “Mission Impossible” began to play and the bride’s brother tossed a rope over the edge of the deck where the groom was waiting at the bottom. he “climbed” up the side of the deck then proceeded to hunt under her dress for the garter. instead he pulled out some cobwebs, a banana, a beer. it was quite entertaining. ]

[ he did eventually find the garter. 🙂 ]

[ i will end with one from the first dance. love love love the gorgeous light. ]

Congratulations, you two! Have fun on your honeymoon. 🙂

People, places & Things:
Ceremony/Reception: Yarrow Golf & Conference Center, Augusta, MI
Videography: Video D’Amour, Portage, MI and Lockwood Video, Waterford, MI

By kristajean | Posted in weddings | Tagged , , , | 1 comments         |