Recently, a lot of people have seen this photo which has been going around facebook. I’m not sure who created this but I think it’s genius. It made me laugh a lot and made me think about our own family.

The perception is what we hope will ultimately stick around in our long term memory banks. It’s perfect and full of love and bliss.
This past week, we took our three boys to the Great Wolf Lodge in Sandusky to have a few days of waterpark fun.
I brought our underwater camera to shoot some fun pics and video. There was lots of laughing, squealing, splashing, and sliding (watersliding that is.)

When watching the video, it is a perfect reminder of the amazing few days that we had.

This is of course is just the perception. It feels like most of the time was spent chasing after our three small children. We were constantly having to remind them to not run, to not scream in the hallways, to not run, to not scream in the hallways, to not run, to not scream in the hallways, to get out of the water after you come down the slides because the lifeguards don’t want you to be in the way when the next person comes down, to lay on your back when you come down the slide so the lifeguards don’t get mad, to wait in line and not just cut in front of other people, to not just run away because you want to go down a slide without telling anyone where you’re going, to not jump when getting on the water slide, to not run, to not scream in the hallways, to not be yelling in the restaurant, to quit whining when your brother touches your arm, and the list goes on and on and on. Listening to the non-stop chatter of three small children can be mind-numbing when they say the same thing over and over and over. The days felt long and exhausting.

BUT… then there’s the other side of it. Getting to see their beautiful smiles, to hear their squeals of glee, and to get big tight squeezy hugs at the end of a long day is just awesome. These videos show the fun and excitement they had. This is what they will remember and after watching the videos only a few times…this is what WE will remember in the long run as well.
We pray for many more little vacations that are filled with joy and laughter and all the frustration that comes along with it.

Cranbrook is a national historic landmark and is one of the most magical places to celebrate your wedding day. The gardens, fountains and immaculate architecture around campus will surely take your breath away.

A wedding at Cranbrook House is a truly unique and memorable event. Imagine your guests entering through the courtyard to be greeted in the great hall before assembling on the terrace overlooking the lake, or gathering in elegantly paneled rooms filled with magnificent tapestries, elegant antique furniture, works of art, and stained glass. After dinner the setting offers a place for a stroll and an unlimited number of backdrops for photos of you and your guests. – Cranbrook

The next few photos show you different areas around the Cranbrook house and gardens that you can have your outdoor Michigan wedding ceremony. All ceremony locations are private and have spectacular views of fountains or rolling landscape.

A large tent overlooking the wading pool is the perfect spot for your outdoor Michigan wedding reception.

Delicious gourmet food is served; take a look at some of the mouth watering meals that could be yours on your big day!

The Cranbrook house and gardens are absolutely stunning and offer infinite places for your outdoor Michigan wedding photography. Everywhere you turn there’s something new and gorgeous to use for your wedding pictures.

Cranbrook Art Museum is the largest museum in Southeast Michigan devoted exclusively to modern and contemporary art, architecture and design. – Cranbrook

Cocktail hour can be served on the steps outside of the Art Museum, known as the parastyle. Your guests can mingle while taking in the gorgeous scenery that surrounds them.

The tent for your outdoor Michigan wedding reception will be put up by the reflecting pool, just outside the art museum.

As a Detroit wedding photographer, Cranbrook is easily one of the most beautiful and breath-taking locations. Your outdoor Michigan wedding photography will be creative and original because there are photo opportunities in every nook and cranny of this fabulous campus.

For more information on Detroit wedding photographers, please go here arisingweddings.com.
For more information on Cranbrook weddings, please go here http://housegardens.cranbrook.edu/.

LaSala is a banquet and event hall that is a part of Papa Joe’s in Rochester, Michigan.

If you’re looking for a unique approach to making a stellar first impression for your guests, then look no further! La Sala Banquet and Event Center’s minimalistic, loft style atmosphere, highlighted by sleek décor, creates an unparalleled mixture of elegance, comfort and style.- LaSala

Gorgeous lighting is customized for the bride and groom at their indoor Michigan wedding reception.

LaSala can cater to any type of needs with a wide variety of culinary expertise, our menu selections are second to none!- LaSala

Below is a picture of the champagne glass water fountain, that greets your guests as soon as they walk in the door.

Modern decor in LaSala make for some fun indoor Michigan wedding photography.

For more information on Michigan wedding photographers, please go here arisingweddings.com.
For more information on weddings at LaSala please go here, http://www.lasalabanquet.com/.

Lovett Hall is located in Dearborn, Michigan and is a part of Henry Ford. You can have your wedding at the beautiful and elegant hall that was used by Henry Ford to host some of the most elaborate parties with some of the greatest names in history.

The Lovett Lobby is a gorgeous location for your indoor Michigan wedding ceremony, with marble floors and 14 foot ceilings with crown molding. This elegant and beautiful room is also fantastic for photo opportunities.

The elegance and glamour of the Lovett Hall ballroom can now be yours. From the moment your guests enter this remarkable 1930s gem, they are surrounded by unsurpassed refinement. – Lovett Hall

As Michigan wedding photographers, we love to shoot at Lovett Hall because there is so much detail and character everywhere you look. This allows for some great indoor Michigan wedding photography.

As an active member of our local food community here in Southeastern, Michigan, we source a large percentage of our products from family farms and local producers. Through our procurement of locally raised products, we feel that we offer a better tasting, healthier product for our guests as well as helping to sustain and promote our local food community of producers and local family farms.- Executive Banquet Chef David McGregor

Lovett Hall has a great dance floor, with lots of room for your dancing guests. Gorgeous crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling, casting a warm and romantic glow on your reception.

For more information on Detroit wedding photographers, please go here arisingweddings.com.
For more information on weddings at Lovett Hall, please go here.

The Dearborn Inn is a historic hotel located in Dearborn, Michigan that specializes in tradition.

The perfect wedding location to say “I do” and begin a tradition of your own, our 23 acres offers an idyllic Michigan setting for an outdoor wedding ceremony and elegantly appointed Dearborn wedding reception sites. – Dearborn Inn

Arrival of the groom, also known as the Bharat ceremony.

Ornate decor make for a beautiful indoor Michigan wedding ceremony.

Your guests will enjoy an outdoor Michigan cocktail hour at the picturesque Dearborn Inn.

The Alexandria Ballroom, a Dearborn event venue features ornate chandeliers and contoured ceilings. – Dearborn Inn

The Dearborn Inn’s ballroom dance floor is spacious and great for your wedding guests to get down!

Your outdoor Michigan wedding photography will be breathtaking with great architectural spots around the hotel, immaculate gardens and beautiful open skies.

For more information about Detroit wedding photographers, please go here arisingweddings.com.
For more information about weddings at the Dearborn Inn, please go here .

Royal Park is a luxurious hotel with state of the art decor and architecture. Your wedding will be a spectacular event if held at the Royal Park Grande ballroom or Conservatory.

The Royal Park Hotel is a lodging oasis located 30 minutes north of Detroit, Michigan. The four-star, four-diamond hotel, just a few short walking minutes outside of the bustling city of Rochester, is truly a luxury hotel with a comfortable feeling. – Royal Park

The next few pictures show different Michigan wedding ceremonies held in the conservatory.

Our magnificent two-story Belgian glass conservatory or “Crystal Palace” opens to the stars and offers an alfresco atmosphere year round. A beautiful Murano glass chandelier adorns the center. Private gardens and flowing fountain create your remarkable event. – Royal Park

The conservatory can also host your indoor Michigan wedding reception, with beautiful lighting and wonderful opportunities for great wedding photography.

The Royal Park can accommodate outdoor Michigan wedding ceremonies as well. With an elegant and beautiful tent above your head, and fans in the ceiling to circulate cooler air.

Another option for an indoor Michigan wedding reception, is the Royal Park’s ballroom. The next set of pictures show off how the Royal Park can transform the ballroom into the wedding of your dreams.

Royal Grand Ballroom with fifteen foot high ceilings, hand crafted Murano chandeliers, Italian marble gallery, and wonderfully warm color schemes create an idyllic setting for a truly remarkable wedding. – Royal Park

The Royal Park is known for their award winning, four star catering.

2010 – NACE Tabletop Award
2010 – NACE – Best Catered Event Award

The photo opportunities are endless for your Michigan wedding photography at Royal Park.

Outdoor Michigan wedding photography comes easy at Royal Park because there are so many architectural treasures to use as backdrops.

The Royal Park Hotel is located in downtown Rochester, which is right by the Rochester Municipal Park. Both are great places to photograph your outdoor wedding pictures because these locations offer urban and rustic backgrounds that enhance your Michigan wedding photography.

For more information on Michigan wedding photography, please go here arisingweddings.com
For more information on Michigan wedding

This winter we will be having a few photography classes in the southeastern, Michigan area.
Photo 101 will be held at the Royal Park Hotel in Rochester, MI on 2/26.
It is a large group lecture format where I will be teaching everything you need to know about your camera and the different settings and how/when to use them. We will also cover some basics of Photoshop enhancing. The details can be found here:
http://arisingimages.com/learn/starter_class

Photo 102 will be held at our studio in Rochester Hills, on 3/11.
This class is a very small group class for people that want to spend time using their equipment in a hands-on environment to learn and practice how the different camera settings will affect the resulting images.

More detail can be found here:
http://arisingimages.com/learn/basic_class/index.html

The Henry Ford Museum has to be one of the coolest places to have your Michigan wedding ceremony and reception. It’s automobile industrialist, Henry Ford’s personal collection of cars, planes and trains and other antique machinery.

The Henry Ford is filled with cool places. And handsome places. And elegant places. And playful places. All of them memorable beyond belief. -Henry Ford Museum

A beautiful setting for an outdoor Michigan wedding ceremony, held at the Henry Ford Museum located in Dearborn, Michigan.

The plaza is the focal point of most Museum events. You’re surrounded by the highlights of our collection. An ideal setting for wedding receptions. -Henry Ford Museum

Delicious hors d’oeurves, main course meals and wonderful desserts are served at your indoor Michigan wedding reception at the Henry Ford Museum.

An open dance floor will get your guests on their feet at your indoor Michigan wedding reception at the Henry Ford Museum.

Your indoor Michigan wedding photography will be something unique and grand, with beautiful decor and an arsenal of historic trains, cars and airplanes as your backdrops.

The architecture and the landscaping around the Henry Ford Museum provides a lovely and elegant backdrop for your outdoor Michigan wedding photography.

As Michigan wedding photographers, we love to take the couples over to Greenfield Village for more outdoor Michigan wedding photography, so the couples get an even more diverse collection of photos for their wedding album and their personal files.

For more information on Detroit wedding photographers, please go here arisingweddings.com.
For more information on wedding at the Henry Ford Museum, please go here.

The Henry Hotel located in Dearborn, Michigan is a great place to have your wedding. Their ballrooms can accommodate receptions large or small, and the service is wonderful… you will not be disappointed!

Host a metro Detroit wedding in 26,000 square feet of elegant event space and two Grand Ballrooms. -The Henry

Beautiful indoor Michigan wedding ceremony held at The Henry Hotel.

Gorgeous crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling at The Henry, making your Michigan wedding ceremony photography even more spectacular.

Award-winning cuisine and impeccable service are provided for all Detroit area events. -The Henry

Your guests will love the spacious dance floor at your indoor Michigan wedding reception at The Henry Hotel.

Beautiful and exotic lighting at The Henry Hotel will make your reception feel like you’ve traveled to a magical kingdom.

As Detroit wedding photographers, we love photographing the bride and groom against the amazing backdrops of The Henry Hotel.

For more information on Michigan wedding photographers, please go here arisingweddings.com
For more information on weddings at The Henry hotel, please go here.

Pine Knob Mansion and Carriage house are both great locations to have your wedding ceremony and reception.

The Mansion is uniquely located on a hill overlooking a championship 27 hole public golf course. The Carriage House, with its beautiful windows that reach from the ceiling to the floor, allows for a picturesque view of the 1st hole.

Outdoor Michigan wedding ceremony at the garden gazebo outside the Pine Knob mansion.

The Great Hall has ornate decor that adds character and depth to the wedding receptions held there and large windows let natural light into the room, which is great for indoor Michigan wedding reception photography.

Delicious food is served at your wedding reception at Pine Knob mansion.

You and your guests will enjoy a large dance floor at your indoor Michigan wedding reception.

Your indoor Michigan wedding photography will be intimate and elegant with the traditional decor of Pine Knob mansion.

The Carriage House built in 1927, offers a unique contemporary banquet facility with crystal chandeliers and picturesque floor to ceiling windows. While overlooking the golf course it also provides an outside pavilion for a one of a kind ceremony. -Pine Knob

A beautiful indoor Michigan wedding reception with light walls and large windows letting natural light in that gives the reception a lovely elegant glow.

The grounds of Pine Knob offer many choices and backgrounds for outdoor Michigan wedding photography.

For more information on Detroit wedding photographers, please go here arisingweddings.com
For more information on weddings at Pine Knob, please go here http://pineknobmansion.com/

The Hyatt Regency Dearborn is a wonderful place to have your wedding. You can choose from several ballrooms or banquet halls to hold your wedding ceremony and/or reception. The Hyatt Dearborn also provides a complimentary suite with champagne for the bride and groom on their wedding night.

Whether you wish for an intimate gathering with just a few close family and friends, or a grand banquet for hundreds at your Detroit wedding reception, the professional team at our hotel will help you create the magical day you’ve imagined. -Hyatt Regency Dearborn

The Dearborn Hyatt is great for indoor Michigan wedding receptions, with open floor space, and unique lighting.

Hyatt Regency Dearborn goes to great lengths to ensure that our cuisine astounds the palate and exceeds expectations. – Hyatt Dearborn

An incredible staff, performing flawlessly from start to finish, matches this level of excellence. Work with our catering department to design the menu that best reflects your event, preferences and budget. -Hyatt Dearborn

The Hyatt Dearborn offers great dramatic lighting, perfect for indoor Michigan wedding photography.

As Michigan wedding photographers, we love to photograph the bride and groom in these futuristic elevators because we get fun and unique pictures.

For more information on Detroit wedding photographers, please go here arisingweddings.com
For more information on weddings at the Dearborn Hyatt, please go here http://dearborn.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp?null

Meadow Brook is truly a magical place to get married at. Whether you have an indoor or outdoor Michigan wedding ceremony or an indoor or outdoor wedding reception, Meadow Brook has different options for all of them, and each are as beautiful as the next.

We’ve impressed presidents, princes, movie stars and moguls. YOU AND YOUR WEDDING will get the same attention. – Meadow Brook

The next few photos were taken at an outdoor Michigan wedding ceremony in the Pegasus Garden, given because of the fountain statue of Pegasus.

Traditionally known as the Breakfast Garden because of its location off the Breakfast Room, this formal garden is enclosed with brick walls and is one of our most popular spots for a wedding ceremony. – Meadow Brook

Another lovely spot for your outdoor Michigan wedding ceremony is the Rock Garden.

The Rock Garden, a magnificent combination of open space, floral gardens, and old-world charm.- Meadow Brook

For larger wedding receptions, the Garden Tent is available from mid May through mid October. Positioned on the expanse of lawn south of the Pegasus Garden, the majestic white tent has become Meadow Brook Hall’s symbol of summer wedding magic.

Take a look at some examples of beautiful outdoor Michigan wedding receptions in the garden tent at Meadow Brook hall.

The garden tent is perfect for large wedding receptions, that includes a roomy dance floor for all your guests to cut loose and get down!

With an indoor wedding, the dining experience takes place in the breathtaking Christopher Wren Dining Room. Giuseppe Corrado Parducci, the renowned Detroit sculptor, designed and articulated the elaborate plaster ceiling after 18th century designs by Christopher Wren, the champion of the Neo-Classical period. Though styled after the work of this architect, the final result is completely unique.

The Ballroom at Meadow Brook Hall is the perfect location for smaller, intimate indoor ceremonies and is used as the rain back-up site for outdoor wedding ceremonies. It seats 125 facing the fireplace or 170 facing the beautiful second story stained glass windows. The smaller wedding events (under 100) use the Ballroom for dancing after dinner in the Christopher Wren Dining Room.

You and your guests will enjoy food from a four star cuisine catering team at Meadow Brook Hall.

Your indoor Michigan wedding photography will be unique and artistic, with great ornate and intricate detailed architecture as your backdrop that is displayed throughout the mansion.

The Dodge Mansion and all the grounds of Meadow Brook provide many beautiful and unique locations that work perfectly for your outdoor Michigan wedding photography.

For more information on Detroit wedding photographers, please go here arisingweddings.com.
For more information on wedding at Meadow Brook, please go here http://www.meadowbrookhall.org/plan/weddings/aboutourservices.