Brandon met Kelly through an online dating service. They both were ready to end their memberships to the dating website, but decided to give it one more try. Their first date was an outing to the Joe Louis Arena for a Detroit Redwings game with another couple that was friends with Brandon. That date went well and Brandon and Kelly continued getting to know one another. With their different work schedules and Brandon’s school schedule, it was not easy to coordinate their time together, but somehow they managed to find ways to make dates happen. Soon they began falling in love and two years after that first date, Brandon popped the question.
I’ve known Brandon for many years. At one point in time, he was even my roommate so when he asked me to photograph his wedding with Kelly, I was truly honored. I have never seen him happier than he has been since Kelly came into his life. On October 22, 2011 in a beautiful outdoor ceremony at Tamaron Country Club, Brandon and Kelly were married. Brandon’s Grandfather performed the ceremony.
When I arrived at Tamaron, I began taking photographs of the Main Dining Room where the groom and the males in the family and bridal party were gathered.
Then I went upstairs to the Bridal Suite to say hello to Kelly and take a few photos of the girls getting ready. When Kelly was in High School, her family hosted an exchange student from Japan who flew in for the wedding. She also helped the girls get ready.
After a few photographs, I headed downstairs to see what guys were doing and grab a few more shots.
Then it was back upstairs to check on the bride’s progress.
Once everyone was finally ready, we headed outside for some pre-wedding photographs of the wedding party, starting with the bride.
Then it was time to hide the bride away and bring out the groom for more pictures.
Before we knew it, the guests began to arrive and the guitarist, Tim Oehlers, began to play.
The groom was anxiously awaiting his bride.
The moment everyone was waiting for arrived and the ceremony began.
After going through the receiving line, the wedding guests went inside the country club for cocktail hour, while the bridal party and their families headed to the front nine for formal photos.
After all of the group shots were taken, the bridal party went back to their hidden hang out while the newlyweds and I took a walk to capture some more romantic images.
It quickly became time for the happy newlywed’s grand entrance into the reception.
When the bridal party got settled into their seats, Chad from Premiere Karaoke got the party started with the toasts to the happy couple from the Maid of Honor and the Best Man, followed by a prayer from Rev. Shearman before dinner was served.
During dinner, Kelly’s 14 year old cousin performed a beautiful song for the couple.
While the guests were finishing their dinners, I was able to capture a few candid shots before the rest of the festivities began.
After dinner, it was time to cut the cake.
It was now time for dancing, beginning with the bride and groom, then Father-Daughter Dance followed by the Mother-Son dance and then the Anniversary Dance.
After the formal dances were out of the way, Kelly had a bit of a surprise for Brandon and the wedding guests…a belly dancer from the dance group she is in. The crowd went wild!
Then the guys had to show the crowd their dancing skills, which quickly led to the dollar dance.
Everybody dance!
Ok, not everyone wanted to dance, but they found ways to entertain themselves.
Of course the bride and groom tossed the bouquet and garter.
After all the formalities were out of the way, the bride and groom were finally able to enjoy their wedding reception.
As the night was winding down, I took the opportunity to take a few final photos before saying goodbye to Kelly and Brandon as they were leaving for their hotel room in Detroit.
Congratulations Brandon and Kelly! May you have many more special occasions to celebrate together!
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