Another Published Wedding

Hannah and Brandon's beautiful wedding has been published!  We are thrilled!  Please go to Mywedding.com and check it out!

Wedding Published

We are so excited that Aleah and Nick from Valley and Co have chosen to publish Zach and Mary's gorgeous wedding!  Please visit their blog and check it out!

Published

I was so excited to find Becky and Devins' July wedding featured in this year's issue of the Kalamazoo Bride Magazine. This isn't their first blog appearance, you may recognize them from their sexy and chic engagement session downtown last fall. Becky and Devin had a beautiful wedding, they exchanged vows overlooking Gull Lake on a beautiful July day and wrapped up the evening with a gorgeous tented reception at the Kellogg Manor, which is an incredibly gorgeous venue for those brides out there looking for an elegant and sophisticated venue.

I've said this before, but only because I really truly mean it, Kalamazoo Bride Magazine is a wonderful resource for brides looking for local venues and vendors in southwest Michigan, seriously I found this magazine a HUGE help when I was planning my wedding...which is starting to fee like eons ago :) I give them to all my Kalamazoo area brides and they've all told me it was a huge help. You can find them in any local Barnes and Noble, Bed Bath and Beyond, their website, and of course me ;)

Congrats Becky and Devin!

Inframe Bride Magazine is featuring my recent trash the dress session in their January contest! If you comment on Inframe Bride's blog post about the trash the dress session and post the link to your facebook, you'll entered to win a gift certificate to Bliss Accessories.

How cute are these? so wish I knew about these when I got married!

Check out the Inframe Bride blog to get more details on the contest and how you could win one of these gorgeous hair pieces or other accessories from Bliss Accessories!

Published on the cover!!!

Here's the stunning Meg on the cover of the Lansing Bride Magazine, below is also her wedding featured in the Grand Rapids Bride Magazine. If you are a bride, definitely get a copy at any local Barnes and Nobles, Schulers, or here on their website. It is a plethora of wedding information and local vendors.

I'm really not good at writing or sharing much on a personal level, the truth is that I'm kinda shy and a little nervous about sharing. I don't even know if most people actually read photography blogs...we all know you come for the pictures right? ...but I have felt directed into sharing a little about my story and journey as a wedding photographer especially with some of the new exciting things that have happened. Yes, it is exciting to share news such as getting featured on a cover, but I really feel it's important to give credit where due and share where I've come from to understand why this is such a special accomplishment. This really has been such a incredible journey, sometimes I have to pinch myself just to check and make sure it's all real. I believe that my experiences these last few years are such a strong testimony of God's personal love. In the beginning of this whole journey I struggled with trusting and following God, but I kept my faith in him, I prayed a lot, and confessed my struggles. In return he blessed me far beyond anything I could have imagined for myself. It wasn't long ago that I was working at Home Depot, stressing through college, living on macaroni and cheese, and just hoping and praying that someday I would finally graduate with my photography degree and find a job, any job, just not Home Depot. No offense Home Depot, you were good to me, you paid my tuition and kept a roof over my head, but through those long seven years I had dreams and hopes of doing something more, something I loved, something I have worked so hard and so long for....photography. Sometimes when you are in that moment of just wanting something else, or wanting to be somewhere else, wanting to do something else, it is so hard to see God working. I didn't trust him, I didn't think he heard my prayers, or that he even cared about my ambitions or career dreams. After I graduated I felt like all of my peers moved on so quickly to new and excited careers, successful, happy, doing what they loved... and here I was still at Home Depot....honestly I felt like a college graduate loser. I can't deny it, that horrible soul rotting emotion of envy consumed me. I couldn't see God working and frankly I didn't want to, I was so consumed with disappointment and jealousy in my own situation that I didn't try to see what God was doing. At that moment I was a college graduate, still working at Home Depot, hating my job, wanting and wishing to have something else, jealous of my successful working photographer friends, and just plain unhappy. "Why not me, God, why not me, why can't I be doing what I love, why can't I feel successful, why did I go to school just to end up at Home Depot forever". Looking back all I can do is just shake my head at myself. I had just graduated, I was newly engaged, planning my own wedding, and starting my business. God had amazing things planned for me but I was too consumed by everything and everyone else that I just couldn't see his plan and what he was doing in my life. Thankfully I had my husband (fiance at the time) to bring me back to earth, "Phrene" he said, "be thankful for where you are what you are doing right now. You need to enjoy your OWN wedding and be grateful that you have a job. God didn't bring you all the way to Kendall and through school, just to abandon you and leave you at Home Depot forever." As hard as it was to hear that, he was right. I just needed to be content with me, and where I was, and what God was doing and TRUST him. So I continued working the job I hated, and began my business with big hopes and few dreams, but expecting to be disappointed because, me, the worrier and pessimist, just knew years later I would still be at Home Depot and struggling to be a successful wedding photographer, my dreams and ambitions dashed to pieces.

At the time my biggest dream was just to get a website up, find brides who loved my work (which when you are a nobody is not easy), and maybe, just maybe get an image or two featured somewhere amongst the pages of any bridal magazine. I figured those dreams would be challenge enough, so I worked hard and prayed a lot. I asked God to direct me, give me wisdom in running a business, help me see where he was taking me, and most of all stop worrying and trust him.

Fast forward just a year to March 2009, for some reason God blessed me (times a thousand) with 30 weddings on the calendar... then I got the incredible news. "Congrats" the email said, "we have chosen one of your images to be featured on our cover of the Lansing Bride magazine 2009 issue". What! You are kidding me, I didn't believe it. I thought I'd get a phone call at any minute saying, "sorry we made a mistake it wasn't actually your image after all."

At that moment I knew it in my heart, God was telling me it was time to quit Home Depot and make the leap into being a full time photographer. "But what if I don't stay busy enough, what if I don't make enough money to pay the bills, what if, what if, what if."

I could hear God, he said it simply and clearly, "trust me Phrené". I remember that even now, I have to repeat it to myself when I start worrying or stressing about life, business, work, anything...."Phrené, trust me".

Today, I am so honored to say that I have received 3 covers just in this last year, my work has been featured and used for a variety of events and promotions, I have a full featured wedding spread in the GR Magazine, and an amazing array of brides who put their trust in me with the incredible honor of capturing their special day... all of this in one year. That feels amazing, but what is really amazing is where God has brought me. Two years ago this was not my world, the idea of a cover was one of those laughable dreams where you think, yeah that would be awesome but it will never happen to me. Despite my doubts, my worry, my struggles, God has showed his grace and love. He has provided and blessed me more then I could have ever imagined. I can't thank him enough, or thank my amazing clients. I feel that any and all accomplishments really must go to you...family, friends, fans, clients, blog readers that love and share my work...you have all been an answer to prayer and my dreams come true, thank you. I can only hope that God has more amazing things in store and that he continues to help me grow as a photographer, a business owner, a wife, a woman.

Published Again!!!

Soooo excited to share the news!!! I recently received my box of Kalamazoo Bride magazines, opened the box, and giggled like a little girl to find one of my recent brides on the COVER! Dionna was such a beautiful bride, there's no doubt in my mind why they chose her for their cover. I give her all the credit, all I had to do was push the button, she did all the rest. The beautiful bouquet was done by the equally awesome Sebesta Designs. Corrine is fabulous and her designs reflect the exquisite quality and creativity that is Sebesta. I'd highly recommend her for the creative and discerning bride.

This is my second bridal magazine cover within the year, to be honest it feels a little surreal. I am incredibly flattered that my work was chosen, thank you again to Jake and Kelly at GRB Ventures Publication. These magazines are such a great resource for brides, in fact I found them so useful when I was planning my own wedding a few years back. Get your copy here, you'll see another of my beautiful brides, Julie, on their home page.

For all you brides out there planning a wedding in southwest Michigan, this weekend the Kalamazoo Wedding Affair is the bridal show to attend. Below is a coupon to get you future brides into the show. I'm thrilled that they chose to use another of my images to promote their show.