Jamaica Destination Wedding - Next Day Catamaran Cruise

After how amazing Sharon and Andrew’s Sandal’s Ochi Resort Jamaica Destination wedding was yesterday, I was so excited to get to photograph their next day catamaran cruise as well! This entire wedding group was so much fun to work with! I love that this sweet bride and groom thought to book a fun excursion for all of their guests and invited me to come along to photograph it for them.

Destination weddings are so much more than just the wedding day. It’s an entire vacation that the bride and groom get to spend with their closest friends and family celebrating their love. That’s why, in my destination wedding packages, I always offer a complimentary day before or next day session, or I offer to photograph a fun event or excursion that the couple has planned for their guests. It’s such a fun way for the couple to have more photos in their destination wedding location besides just their wedding photos. In Sharon and Andrew’s case, they were fortunate enough to have 60 friends and family members join them in Jamaica for their destination wedding, and most of them came on the catamaran cruise as well!

I’ve been on catamaran cruises before, but this one was super fun for multiple reasons. The crew really knew how to throw a dance party, and the guests loved learning some new Jamaican dance moves. Plus there was a fun surprise when we got to watch a dolphin show just off the coast of downtown Ocho Rios. None of the gusts had any idea that was going to happen! And just as the sun was setting, the crew opened up the water slide for everyone to jump in the water if they wanted to. It was so beautiful tp watch the sun set over the mountains as we cruised back to the resort.

Sharon and Andrew, you two were a blast to work with and photograph! I can’t wait to finish editing your full wedding and next-day gallery! In the mean time, enjoy these sneak peaks from your catamaran sunset cruise!

Destination Wedding at Sandals Ochi Jamaica

When Sharon and Andrew first got engaged over a year ago, they tried to start planning a local wedding close to where they live in Philly. But as Sharon started researching more and more, she discovered that destination weddings were a thing. And the more she and Andrew learned about destination weddings, they became convinced that a destination wedding was the perfect choice for them! They chose such a beautiful resort, the Sandals Ochi in Ocho Rios Jamaica. Let me tell you, Jamaica is such a beautiful place to get to photograph a wedding, How lucky am I that I get to be a destination wedding photographer? It’s the best job on the entire planet.

Sharon and Andrew decided against having a bridal party, which made their day so much less stressful. They got to spend so much time just the two of them, and they had a blast getting ready with and spending the day with their families. We had a few hiccups throughout the day (like a fire alarm separating the bride and groom for almost an hour!) but it still ending up being such a perfect, joy-filled day! I loved that these two just rolled with the punches and didn’t let anything bring them down on the most magical day of their lives. That’s the perfect attitude to have, especially as a destination wedding bride and groom.

Even though Sharon and Andrew’s wedding was all the way in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, they still had 60 wedding guests fly in to see them commit their lives to one another. When Andrew got up to give a speech at the reception, he commented how much it meant to them that he and Sharon had such strong bonds, friendships, and family ties, that 60 people would fly to the Caribbean for them. It was truly such a special night for the bride and groom, celebrating with the people closest to them.

Today, I get to photograph Sharon and Andrew and their wedding guests AGAIN as we set sail on a dinner cruise! I can’t wait!

Sharon and Andrew, you two are so incredible, and it was such an honor to be your wedding photographer! Enjoy these sneak peaks while I finish editing the rest of your wedding gallery!

Winter Engagement Session at Coxhall Gardens

My second engagement session of the day yesterday was with Annah and Troy at Coxhall Gardens during the golden hour and sunset time slot. Winter engagement sessions can be so magical. I know it’s still technically fall, but with how cold it is and the fact that the colorful leaves have fallen off the trees by now, I pretty much consider it winter. Plus, Coxhall Gardens was already all set up for Christmas and the holidays. The gorgeous mansion on the property was set up with green Christmas garland and green and red wreaths in all of the windows. And the black gate that leads to the mansion’s driveway had fun ornaments on it. It was so fun to essentially do a Christmas session in the middle of this winter engagement session.

I loved getting to finally meet Annah and Troy and get them in front of my camera! Poor Annah was super sick, and I felt so bad for her, but she didn’t want to postpone their session, so she powered through. She did such an amazing job looking like she was having a blast while feeling miserable, and I’m so proud of her! Regardless of the unfortunate sickness, these two were so much fun to get to photograph!

I’m already SO looking forward to Annah and Troy’s wedding next September! Their getting married during harvest season at Finley Creek Vineyards in Zionsville, which is one of my absolute FAVORITE wedding venues in the local Indianapolis area. It’s a wedding photographer’s dream with its stunning vineyard, which is perfect for portraits and its beautiful white walls in the reception space. Their wedding day is going to be so beautiful and amazing!

Annah and Troy, I LOVED getting to have you in front of my camera at your engagement session tonight! Enjoy these sneak peaks while I finish editing your full wedding gallery!

Winter Engagement Session at Newfields

When Anna and Ivan told me that Newfields is their favorite place in Indianapolis, so they wanted to use the beautiful art museum’s gardens for their engagement session, I was ecstatic! Newfields is also my favorite place in Indianapolis, and it’s absolutely my favorite place to photograph both engagement sessions and weddings. It was so much fun to be out in the gardens during the winter as I’ve never gotten to shoot at the Indiana Museum of Art in the winter since their annual winter lights festival takes up so many of their open hours. Although the lights for the Winter Lights exhibits weren’t on while we were taking photos around noon, we still got to see all of the pretty displays. I can’t wait to come back in December to experience the Winter Lights. It’s one of my favorite things to do here locally in Indianapolis during the Holiday Season.

When I first started shooting with Anna and Ivan, Anna told me that they weren’t photogenic. It’s so funny to me that I hear that from almost all of my couples, and they are always wrong! I LOVED getting to photograph these two, because they were so much fun and so full of laughs. I love how they just decided to have fun with their session. They are so photogenic in my opinion!

Anna and Ivan have one of the shortest engagement sessions of any of my couples ever, which I love! They are having a red and green Christmas themed wedding in just a little under a month - right before Christmas, and I absolutely can’t wait! December weddings are so magical, especially when it happens to snow!

Anna and Ivan, I LOVED getting to have you both in front of my camera today. I can’t wait for your wedding day in just a few weeks. Enjoy these sneak peaks from your engagement session today. Your full gallery will be on its way to your inbox super soon!

INDUSTRY Indianapolis Wedding Open House

It’s been 2 years now that I’ve had the opportunity to be an epic vendor (INDUSTRY’s version of a preferred vendor list) for the wedding venue, INDUSTRY in downtown Indianapolis. I loved having the opportunity to explore this venue way back when it was still under construction to be turned from a warehouse into a wedding venue. Since then, I’ve loved seeing the changes to the venue over time every time that I get to photograph a wedding, shoot, or event here. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten to shoot at this beautiful urban brick venue, so I was so happy when the staff asked me to photograph their fall wedding open house. 828 Venues such as INDUSTRY and BASH have such a unique way of running their open houses. Instead of being like a typical bridal show, each vendor who comes actual gets to provide their service at the open house for couples to experience. One of my favorite parts of the open houses is that the rentals and florist come together to create a stunning table scape and ceremony set up to inspire couples about ways that they can decorate the venue for their own event.

I loved getting to take photos of the stunning inspirational set ups that all of the vendors came up with and collaborated on during this fall wedding open house. The theme/mood board of the event was “Golden Hour,” which is such a fun and beautiful theme/color scheme, especially for fall! The colors of the florals and linens complimented the venue so well. I hope you enjoy a few of my favorite photos from the event!

Industry Fall Wedding Open House Vendors:

Indianapolis Wedding Photographer: Michelle Rakotomalala, Rakoteet Photography

Venue: Industry 828

Coordination: 828 venues coordination

Catering: A Cut Above Catering, Brozinni Pizzaria, and Sahm’s Catering

DJ: Complete Weddings and Events

Florist: Fleurish by Angela

Bar: Industry Beverage

Makeup Artist: Makeup by Summer

Rentals: A. Classic Party Rental and Nerdy Fox Rentals

Dessert: Sea Salt and Cinnamon

Biltwell Event Center Wedding

Last night was the perfect evening for Jake and Kaitlin’s Biltwell Event Center Wedding. Although it didn’t actually snow yesterday, there was still some beautiful snow on the ground from the last time that it snowed here in Indy. I knew that the glistening white snow on the terrace outside of the second floor of the Biltwell would be so pretty for bride and groom as well as bridal party portraits. When I asked Jake if he was okay with doing the first look outside on the terrace even though there was snow on the ground, he replied that that would actually be amazing since snow was his and Kaitlin’s “thing.” Ah! How cute is that? It’s so perfect how it worked out that there was this pretty snow outside for their first look photos as well as the bridal party photos outside. I also loved so much that Kaitlin also chose to do a first look with her six year old son. He had been so excited for his parents’ wedding day for so long, and he had such a sweet reaction to seeing his mom look absolutely stunning in her wedding dress for the first time. The entire day was so touching and emotional. It was such an honor to be a part of.

Jake and Kaitlin, you two are amazing, and it was SUCH an honor to be your wedding photographer! Enjoy these first few sneak peaks while I finish editing your entire wedding gallery. I can’t wait to send the rest of your photos to you super soon!

Vendors:

Indianapolis Wedding Photographer: Michelle Rakotomalala, Rakoteet Photography

Venue: Biltwell Event Center

Cake and other desserts: Nothing Bundt Cakes

DJ: Derrick Hudson

Hair and Makeup: Colleen Massoth at The Salon and Spa in Muncie Indiana

Catering: Hoaglin

Bridal Gown: The Blue Bridal Boutique

Gown Designer: Essence of Australia

Wedding Rings: Shane Co

Men’s Attire: Jos A Bank

Stationary: Zola

Officiant: Steve Jones

Favors/Gifts: Promise Coffee

Archway: Brian Seward

Cancun Destination Wedding at the Secrets Playa Mujeres

Wow wow wow! That’s all I can say about Scott and Marianna’s STUNNING destination wedding in Cancun at the Secrets Playa Mujeres. From the weather, to the beautiful location, to the gorgeous flowers, to the amazing people, everything about Scott and Marianna’s wedding day was perfect. These two were so sweet, laid back and full of JOY to be getting married in front of 70 of their closest friends and family who had traveled all the way to Mexico to watch them commit their lives to each other.

Marianna and Scott opted for a first look, as most of my brides and grooms tend to do. Their reasoning for wanting a first look was a little different than most, though. These two love each other so much and were SO emotional and excited to get married to each other that they new they would both be a mess of tears if they waited to see each other until they walked down the aisle. They wanted to get as much of the crying out of the way before the ceremony as possible. I LOVED their sweet reactions and tears to seeing each other for the first time. They both mentioned that they were so glad they did a first look in order to calm their nerves before the ceremony. They got to have that intimate moment with just the two of them before standing up in front of all of their family and friends. But when Marianna walked down the aisle during the ceremony, they both still had such sweet reactions and teared up. These two were just the cutest and I love their love.

At their wedding reception, Scott and Marianna had their first dance to a song called Easy Love by Tom Misch. Before they danced, Scott got up and gave a speech about what the song meant to them. They found the song when they had been dating for about two years. They were in love but Scott hadn’t started thinking about marriage yet. He got a call one day that Marianna had been in a car accident. He rushed to the hospital, worried about her. She ended up being totally fine, but Scott said from that day on all he cared about was that Marianna was okay, physically, emotionally, and in every way. That’s when he knew she was the woman he was going to marry. I mean, have you ever heard a sweeter story?!

Marianna and Scott, you two are THE best! Your wedding day was as incredible and beautiful as you two are, and I cannot wait to finish editing your full wedding gallery. In the mean time, enjoy these sneak peaks while you wait!

A HUGE thank you to Scott and Marianna’s amazing vendor team:

Cancun Wedding Photographer: Michelle Rakotomalala, Rakoteet Photography

Wedding Planner: Jewell Event Design

Travel Agent: Roxanna with RNR Vacations

Bridal Gown: Pronovias

Officiant: Joe Copper - friend of the couple

Hair and Makeup: Tania Tagle Makeup & Hair

Venue: The Secrets Playa Mujeres

Florist: Secrets Playa Mujeres

Catering: Secrets Playa Mujeres

Cake: Secrets Playa Mujeres

Engagement Photos at Secrets Playa Mujeres

I was so glad that while I’m in Cancun, Mexico to photograph Marianna and Scoot’s beautiful destination wedding, I could also take engagement photos for Anne Marie and Brad. These two were so sweet and fun to photograph. I loved that they love having their photos taken, and they even told me how much fun they had during our session afterwards.

The interesting thing about taking photos in Cancun is that it’s on the east coast of Mexico. That means the sun rises over the beach and sets behind the resorts. Since we took these engagement photos during golden hour, the sun was pretty harsh on the beach, so we started with the resort as our backdrop to get that pretty backlighting, which I loved! The beach at the Secrets Playa Mujeres is very deep and has lots of greenery growing in it, so there are so many pretty spots to take photos besides the typical ocean backdrop. When the sun got a little lower in the sky, we moved to have the ocean as our backdrop.

The other interesting thing about taking photos at resorts is you never know who or what might end up in your background. I did a lot of maneuvering to avoid banana boats and families taking selfies in their swimsuits from being in the background of our photos. I did like a couple photos with a fishing boat in the ocean in the background, but for the most part I wanted to give the illusion that we were on a deserted beach.

This session tonight was SO much fun! This Indiana based wedding photographer always loves getting to photograph couples on the beach! That is just one of the reasons why I love being a destination wedding photographer so much. Cancun is quickly becoming one of my most booked destinations.

Ann Marie and Brad, you two were such a blast to photograph! Enjoy these sneak peaks while I finish editing your full engagement session gallery!

Fall Broad Ripple Engagement Session

I’ve been looking forward to James and Laken’s fall engagement session in Broad Ripple for what feels like SO LONG! I first met Laken when she was a bridesmaid in Alex and Amanda’s Puerto Vallarta destination wedding. Laken ended up getting engaged to James not too long after that, and I was so honored when she asked me right away to photograph her wedding. Since Laken and James LOVE the fall season, they’re having an October wedding next year. They’re actually getting married on Halloween. It’s super cool that Halloween is on a Saturday next year. They even thought of the cutest wedding hashtag: #AllensSayIBoo. How sweet is that?!

I love that Laken and James decided to taken their engagement session almost exactly one year before their wedding. We’re technically just under a year away now, and I already can’t wait! Their wedding day is going to be so beautiful. For their engagement session, they decided on the Broad Ripple area. We started at the Broad Ripple Arts Center, which I always LOVE getting to take photos at. It’s also close to a Monon entrance where we were able to take some beautiful photos on the trail in between all the bikers passing. Then we headed to downtown Broad Ripple to take photos on the love lock bridge, which always reminds me of Paris. I should have thought to bring a love lock for these two to put on the bridge! After we were done with photos on the bridge, we took a special request photo for James. He wanted photos of them drinking out of beer glasses with their union logos on it, which was such a unique idea that I loved! And we ended the evening on the HopCat rooftop. After typing all of this out, I can’t belive we were able to accomplish so much during out session tonight!

James and Laken, I LOVED getting to photograph you two tonight! I can’t wait to send you your full engagement session gallery. In the mean time, enjoy these sneak peaks. I’m already looking forward to your wedding next year!!

November Wedding at Balmoral House

It was such a beautiful day for my first wedding of November over at the Balmoral House in Fishers! Kyleigh and Demos’s wedding day could not have been more perfect! It made my heart so happy when I pulled up through the winding driveway of this beautiful venue and saw that they still had so many bright red trees and pretty leaves all over the ground. Kyleigh and Demo LOVE fall, so I knew they would be so happy about all of the fall colors in the background of their portraits.

The temperature was a little bit too chilly to hold the wedding ceremony outside, so Kyleigh and Demos decided to set up their ceremony arch inside the building, which is such as beautiful! I love the huge windows and high ceilings! Plus the white brick fireplace just makes it feel so homey and intimate.

My favorite thing about Demos and Kyleigh’s wedding was just how obvious it was that these two are incredibly in love. I’m not sure if I’ve ever met a couple as excited as them to be getting married - and that is saying a lot! Their personal vows to each other were so sweet and touching, and I love the way they just had fun together all night after the ceremony.

Kyleigh and Demos, you two are so fun and sweet! It was SUCH an honor to be your wedding photographer! I cannot wait to send you your full wedding gallery soon! In the mean time, enjoy these sneak peaks from throughout your wedding day!

A huge thank you to Demos and Kyleigh’s vendor team:

Fishers Wedding Photographer: Rakoteet Photography

Wedding Venue: Balmoral House

Desserts: Jack’s Donuts

DJ: DJ Rock My World

Catering: Jonathan Byrd's Catering

Bridal Gown: Lulus

Bridesmaid Dresses: David's Bridal

Rings: Shane Co.

Men’s Attire: Macy's

Save the Dates and Invitations: Shutterfly

Favors and Gifts: Oriental Trading Co. for the bags & Jack's Donuts for the donut holes

Engagement Photos with Horses in Muncie, Indiana

Ivan and Natalie’s engagement session was a unique one! You’ve all probably heard me say it a million times before, but I LOVE when couples aren’t afraid to do something a little different from the norm and break away from tradition. That’s exactly what Natalie and Ivan are doing with both their engagement photos and their wedding, with the help of their amazing wedding planners, Magical Moments Event Planning (one of my all-time favorite wedding planners to work with). We took Natalie and Ivan’s engagement photos on their 9 acre farm in Muncie, Indiana with their two horses and their dog.

It’s been awhile since I’ve gotten to photograph horses, and I was so glad I had the opportunity to photograph these two love birds with their two horses! The animals were all SO well behaved for the camera! Natalie and Ivan were adorable too, of course! I also loved that we got some really cool clouds during the session! When the horses were ready to be done with photos, Natalie and Ivan took some with their dog, Holly as well, before we transitioned to photos of just the two of them. It was so cool that they had this beautiful farm with all of this land for us to take photos on!

I usually use these blog posts as a way to provide a “sneak peak” to my couples of their photos, but since Natalie and Ivan needed their photos back right away for Save The Date’s, I went ahead and edited the full gallery to send to them the next day. I still wanted to show off how cute these two were though! I absolutely cannot wait for their wedding at the Indiana State Museum in June!! Get ready to see these two cuties on the blog again in June, but until then, enjoy a few of my favorites from their engagement session.

Holcomb Gardens Engagement Session

Cassie and Patrick are the latest 2020 couple to book with me, and I’m already SO excited about their downtown Indianapolis Wedding at the Sanctuary on Penn next October! I’m so glad that we were able to squeeze in an engagement session for these two this year RIGHT as the weather was PERFECT for fall engagement photos. I loved that they wanted to do their session at Holcomb Gardens since they met and fell in love at Butler University. It’s always so special when couples choose a super significant place to them for their engagement photos. Their wedding date is significant as well. BOTH of their parents have October anniversaries. How sweet is that?! It’s just another sign that these two were meant to be. And of course, it also means that they were destined to get married in October as well.

We are actually super close to being exactly one year away from Cassie and Patrick’s wedding day. So it was fun to explore some fun spots in Indianapolis and think that in just a little under one year, these two will be husband and wife! The weather could not have been more perfect for our engagement session. The leaves on the trees were at peak color. We can only hope and pray that this time next year, we have exactly the same weather!

As a photographer, I’m alway searching for the “good light” to put my couples in. And tonight, I didn’t have to look far. Literally all of the light during our session was “good light.” And they probably thought I was crazy when I kept yelling at them about how perfect and beautiful they and the scenery looked! Cassie and Patrick’s engagement session at Holcomb Gardens and Holiday Park tonight seriously made my heart SO happy, and I’m already counting down the days until their wedding!!

Cassie and Patrick, you two are such an incredible couple, and tonight was just a confirmation that we were just MEANT to work together! I hope you enjoy these sneak peaks while I finish editing your full engagement session gallery!

Anderson, Indiana Barn Wedding

Ashlie and Josh were married at a beautiful barn property in Anderson, Indiana on the most popular wedding date of 2019! October is always such a popular time of year to get married, especially here in Indiana where the autumn weather is so perfect and the leaves on the trees turn such beautiful colors. I love that Ashlie and Josh totally understood that in order to plan the perfect October wedding in Indiana, they needed to start super far in advance. So they actually booked their wedding and all of their vendors TWO YEARS in advance. They were my first wedding booked for 2019, and we took their engagement photos over one and a half years ago. It was so crazy to look back on their engagement photos as I was preparing for their wedding day photography.

It always means so much to me when fellow photographers trust me enough to hire me for their own wedding days. Lately more and more photographers and fellow wedding vendors have been booking me for their own weddings, and to me, that is one of the hugest honors and compliments!

Ashlie and Josh are such a sweet couple and were so fun to photograph and work with. It’s always extra special when I get to photograph weddings that are as emotional as Ashlie and Josh’s wedding day was. I love that they both teared up as Ashlie was walking down the aisle towards her groom with both of her parents by her side. It even made me a little teary eyed.

Ashlie and Josh, it was SUCH an honor to be your wedding photographer! Enjoy these first few sneak peaks while I finish editing your full wedding gallery!

Ashlie and Josh’s Wedding Vendor Team:

Anderson, Indiana Wedding Photographer: Michelle Rakotomalala, Rakoteet Photography

Location: Anderson, Indiana

Wedding Florist: George Thomas Florals

Cake and other desserts: Laura Blackford

DJ: IndyRoxEntertainment

Hair and Makeup: Moriah Justin Artistry

Catering: Sahms Catering

Bridal Gown: David's Bridal

Men’s Attire: Men's Warehouse

Stationary: Shutterfly

Mavris Arts Center Indianapolis Wedding

Megan and Kyle’s Mavris Arts and Events Center Wedding on Friday was an absolute dream! It was such a perfect day! Their wedding ran so smoothly and was so much fun AND the weather could not have been better. These past few weeks have been so perfect in terms of the temperature. Plus the beautiful leaves turning colors on the trees has been a perfect photo backdrop for this wedding photographer!

One of my favorite parts of any wedding day is the speeches. No matter how much I get to know my couples before their wedding day, I always seem to learn the most fun things about them while their friends and family and the people closest to them get up to speak about them during the reception. I especially loved hearing what Megan’s best friend had to say about the way Megan and Kyle met and how they got to know each other. They moved in together randomly after college. I bet neither of them thought they would meet their future spouse that way! They got to know each other first as friends, becoming best friends before they started dating. Everyone loved to say that they are marrying their best friend, but I feel like for these two it’s a little extra true!

Megan and Kyle, you two are so great! It was SUCH an honor to be your wedding photographer! Enjoy these sneak peaks while I finish editing your full wedding gallery!

A huge thank you to Megan and Kyle’s amazing vendor team:

Indianapolis Wedding Photographer: Michelle Rakotomalala, Rakoteet Photography

Wedding Venue: Mavris Arts and Events Center

Florist: Violets are Blue

Cake and other Desserts: Heavenly Sweets

DJ: Circle City Sound

Hair: Sarah Smith

Makeup: Hello Gorgeous

Catering: Mavris Art and Events Center

Bridal Gown: The Wedding Studio

Bridesmaid Dresses: Revelry

Bride’s Shoes: Von Maurer

Jewerly/Rings: Shane Co

Men’s Attire: Jos A Banks

Transportation/Limo: Antique Limos

Stationary: Minted

Favors/Gifts: Carmel Apples from Tuttle Orchards

1899 Wedding Photos Indianapolis

If you follow my blog or any of my my social media accounts, then you know that ceremony and reception details, especially the beautiful flowers, are one of my absolute favorite parts of photographing a wedding day. So when Denese from over at Blooms Custom Floral Design asked me to come photograph her stunning floral work for a wedding she designed for at 1899 Wedding Venue in Indianapolis, I was super excited! Getting to just photograph the beautiful venue and gorgeous flowers? How cool! Of course, I’d always rather photograph an entire wedding day, but I was so happy that I was able to squeeze photographing these wedding details into my full day of shooting on Sunday including a sunrise engagement session and a sunset engagement session.

Denese’s floral work through her wedding floral business, Blooms Custom Floral Design always amazes me. I absolutely LOVE following her. I photographed her wedding work in the spring as well at the beautiful Black Iris Estate. And I love getting to see how brides and grooms react to her stunning floral arrangements and set ups. Her clients are always amazed that the flowers match their vision for their wedding day perfectly.

This wedding at 1899 was amazing. First of all, I love all of the natural light in the venue. It makes photographing the reception details a wedding photographer’s dream. All of the unique floral centerpieces were so cool! The white and greenery theme was classic and timeless. And the moon gate floral backdrop for the ceremony was so stunning it left me speechless. Denese is amazing at what she does, and I can’t wait to work with her for many more weddings in the future!

Vendor Credits:

Indianapolis Wedding Photographer: Rakoteet Photography

Indianapolis Wedding Venue: 1899

Florist: Blooms! Custom Floral Design

Wedding Planner: Magical Moments Event Planning

Newfields Family Photos

I don’t photograph family sessions very often anymore, but man did this sweet session make me want to do more of them. When Karin reached out to me on Instagram and told me that she wanted to do a fun fall session at my favorite location, Newfields, how could I say no?! Karin, Dustin, and Easton were just the picture perfect family and so sweet to work with. Karin kept saying having a one year old is chaos, but Easton was probably one of the calmest one year olds I’ve had the pleasure of interacting with. Although, the session was right after his nap time, so he was still super sleepy during our shoot since he had just woken up. I loved his adorable grumpy frown. Even though you can see his cute grumpy face is a lot of the photos, we were able to capture a few fun smiles as well!

We walked around Newfields and were able to capture so many of the beautiful backdrops that the gardens offer. The archways are of course one of my favorite spots as well as the walking trails through the woods, the columns under the Lily House, and the overlook into the White River that had so many beautiful fall colors since the leaves were just beginning to change. My favorite spot that we used was probably the apple orchard. Since it was a pretty overcast day, the lighting worked out perfectly for some beautiful portraits there.

I was able to deliver 198 beautiful family photos to the VanVleets less than 24 hours after after our session. Here are just a few of my favorites!

Karin, Dustin, and Easton, you three were SO much fun to photograph and are such an adorable family. It was such an honor to capture these precious memories for you. Happy birthday to Dustin and Easton!

DePauw University Engagement Session

I’ve been looking forward to Julia and Joe’s engagement session for so long! I knew as soon as Julia emailed me that we would be a PERFECT fit to work together, and meeting these two in person at their engagement session yesterday morning and finally getting to photograph them just confirmed that even more. Julia and Joe met during their undergrad years at DePauw University. I thought it was so sweet that they wanted to take their engagement photos at the place that they met and where they spent years of sweet moments while they were dating.

I think it’s so cool that SO many of my brides have been doctors this year! It’s always so cool to get to photograph such intelligent and accomplished people. Julia is currently in med school, which I am just super impressed by! Because of that, we needed to work around her med school schedule in order to be able to take their engagement photos with the pretty October colors like she wanted. That’s why we decided on a sunrise session. Sunrise sessions are an awesome way to get great lighting, less crowded locations, and work around busy schedules.

I cannot even begin to explain how excited I am for Julia and Joe’s wedding next May! They are getting married at the Indiana State Museum, which is a venue I have been DYING to work at for so long! It’s one of most beautiful venues in downtown Indianapolis, with the most stunning view of the Indy canal walk. Their wedding day is going to be so amazing!

Julia and Joe, you two are so adorable, and I loved photographing your engagement session! I cannot wait to get you both in front of my camera again in the spring. Enjoy these sneak peaks of your engagement photos while I work on getting your full gallery to you as soon as possible!

Eagle Creek Engagement Photos

Hannah and Zach’s Eagle Creek Park engagement photos were SO much fun and so special for me, because I’ve been friends with these two for years. Hannah and I didn’t know each other when we randomly moved in together with mutual friends in college. We became good friends super fast, and even when she moved out (and moved to the house right across the street) the next year, we still essentially lived together. Hannah and I have been through so much together. She even took me on my first ever hiking trip to Zion National Park and Bryce Canyon, that officially kicked off my obsession with national parks. And it was on that very trip, that I first learned how serious Hannah was about the guy she was talking to, Zach. Now that they are engaged, 4 years later, it meant so much to me when they asked me to be their wedding photographer! What an incredible honor to be such an important part of telling your friends’ love story!

Zach and Hannah are so sweet and adorable together during their session. I mean, you can see in all of the photos below just how cute they are. This engagement session was ideal in so many ways. First of all, we could not have possibly had better weather. It was the PERFECT fall day. The leaves has just begun to change and the temperature was cool without being too cold. And the lighting was amazing. It was a super sunny day, which made for the most beautiful golden hour and sunset. We even took photos of their last outfit AFTER sunset, and I’m pretty impressed with how those photos turned out considering how dark it was at that point. This may have been my favorite engagement session of all time.

Hannah and Zach, I LOVED taking your engagement photos, and I’m sure I will love taking your wedding photos even more! Enjoy these sneak peaks while I finish editing your full gallery! I already can’t wait until your wedding day!

McCormick's Creek State Park and Abram Farms Wedding

Emily had always dreamed of an outdoor fall wedding. And she and Vivian got the PERFECT fall day for their wedding at Abram Farms in Spencer, Indiana and their wedding photos at McCormick’s Creek State Park. It was the perfect amount of chilly and the leaves had just begun to change. It was everything Emily wanted her wedding to be.

I love that Vivian and Emily’s wedding day was about more than just the blending of two lives and two families, it was also the blending of two cultures as well. Emily is from here in Indiana, and Vivian is from Jamaica. When I first received an email from Emily when she started planning her wedding, I knew I wanted to work with her because her story reminded me so much of me and my own husband, who is from Madagascar. I have such a special place in my heart for inter-cultural couples like us. I love that these two really tried to include both cultures in their celebration. One of my favorite ways that they included Vivian’s Jamaican culture was through the FOOD! I went to Jamaica years ago and became obsessed with Caribbean food while I was there, so I loved that Emily and Vivian decided to include a full Jamaican meal at their wedding.

Emily and Vivian are one of the most awesome couples I’ve ever had for one big reason. They wanted to go over to McCormick’s Creek State Park after the ceremony for photos of the two of them. They included over an hour of bride and groom photos in their wedding day timeline so we had plenty of time to do this. They hiked down to a waterfall and hopped across rocks in the creek in their full wedding attire to get some amazing photos with the creek and waterfall in the background! I love how fun and adventurous these two are. They were up for anything!

Emily and Vivian, it was SUCH an honor to be your wedding photographer! Enjoy these sneak peaks while I finish editing your full wedding gallery!

Emily and Vivian’s wedding vendors:

Southern Indiana Wedding Photographer: Rakoteet Photography

Venue: Abram Farms

Florist: Silk Scapes

Cake: Bake Me a Cake

DJ: Frank Smith III

Catering: Jamaican Regae Grill

Bridal Gown: Stella York from the Wedding Studio

Bridesmaid Dresses: Tulle & Chantilly

Shoes: Steve Madden

Men’s Attire: Men’s Warehouse

Downtown Carmel, Indiana Engagement Photos

Jessica and Manuel’s downtown Carmel, Indiana engagement photos were extra special to me, because I’ve been friends with these two for years now! I met them each separately, through swing dancing. Then, years later we had all moved to Indianapolis, and we would all hang out together at dances and dance events, we would go hiking together, and we would go rock climbing together. We all hung out together as a group way before Jessica and Manuel ever started dating.

Then, my husband and I were hanging out one night when he got a FaceTime call from Jessica. She was hanging out with Manuel and kissed him while on FaceTime. My husband, Andry started freaking out! We had known these two as friends for years and had no idea they were interested in each other, let alone that they had started dating! But they made so much sense together. Andry and I had multiple conversations while they were just friends about how Jessica and Manuel would be perfect together.

Around a year later, my husband got another FaceTime call while we were touring a house during our house hunting process. It was Jessica and Manuel calling to tell him they were engaged! This time, we were not nearly as surprised. I love that they have now started a tradition of FaceTiming Andry with important life updates. I can’t wait to hear what the next big FaceTime call is about.

After being friends for so long, I was SO honored with Jessica and Manuel asked me to be their wedding photographer!! I think what I love most about these two as they’ve been wedding planning is that they aren’t afraid to do things their own way. They want their wedding day to be entirely THEM and not bound by traditions that don’t speak to them and who they are as a couple. They wanted to display that in their engagement session too, so they decided do rollerblading photos! I love that they wanted to do something different and incorporate something they love doing together into their engagement photos. We started at the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel and then headed to the City Hall building. By that time, it had started raining, but I always love cute rain photos with my clear umbrellas. They also wanted to make sure we got some nature and greenery backdrops, so we ended our session at Coxhall Gardens after an outfit change. I wish we had gotten a pretty sunset last night, but even though the weather was working against us, we still ended up with some beautiful photos.

I usually end my blog posts by letting the couple know that I’m working on editing their full gallery, but in this case, I went ahead and fully edited and delivered all of Jessica and Manuel’s photos already! So to everyone reading, I hope you enjoy these few highlights from a super fun session I got to do with friends! I can’t wait for their Indiana State House wedding in the spring!