NEVER in my life have I seen a dress SO difficult to put on. SERIOUSLY!!??! I’m still mad at the dress manufacturer! It’s a tight slinky dress WITHOUT a zipper that you slide on over the top of your head and wiggle into. That’s hard enough when your hair and makeup weren’t just done to perfection. HOWEVER, it did make for some fantastically hilarious photos

I love me a wacky bride who wears non-white shoes!

While Laura was slinkying her way into a zipperless dress… Chad was doing this…

and this

They did a first sight where they exchanged gifts. Laura wrote something that I’m sure was perfect in every way while Chad gave Laura a necklace that she’s been coveting. She said, “I love that you pay attention to me and knew that I wanted this… it means the world” or something like that…

It was a VERY hot June day and we didn’t think it was a great idea to sweat all of the hair and makeup off. So, we stayed inside and shot a few portraits in her parents AWESOME home.

Laura, you have an awesome smile.

Love everything about this.

Laura’s mom is a part of a singing group called the “King’s Daughters”.  These women haven’t sang together in many many MANY years… but, for Laura and Chad’s wedding… they reunited. I get chills thinking about it. Their singing is incredible. I mean, INCREDIBLE! I felt like I was on the set of “O Brother Where Art Thou” listening to Allison Krauss singing “Down to the River to Pray” GOOOOSEBUMP CENTRAL!!!!

I love this guy. Don’t you want to be his friend and listen to his stories? I do.

Back in May a groomsman accused me of “not being creative” because all I do is “line people up at the altar and never do anything cool”. When I mentioned this on twitter/facebook someone sarcastically suggested that I try the “ring of flowers around the brides face” photo… as that’s the DEFINITION of creative! When I asked her to do it for the sake of my own amusement… THIS …was the face she made. How’s THIS for creative Mr. Groomsman?! Thanks for being such a great sport Laura…

Gorgeous smiles & bokeh… what more do I need?!

For me, this photo is perfection. Laura and Chad… canvas… above your bed… k? It’s my favorite

They did a fake out move with their first dance. When the song first started it was “The Growing Pains” theme song… they boogied. It then switched to something more expected… they danced and I took this  

The bouquet only made it 4 feet… as in… it didn’t reach the bridesmaids.  It was funny HOWEVER, when this little lady picked it up… here was her reaction. best.bouquet.reaction… EVER!

Mike’s favorite

 

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richmond, ind.

wedding planner | Bobbi Kuperwicz (Reception) Kimber Klingman (Ceremony)
hair | Marty Pence, Bride’s Aunt, Owner of Exceeding Limits in Leo, Indiana
makeup | Kiralee
florist | Flowers By Carla
church | First Presbyterian Church
reception  | The Stoller Home
cake | Cinnamon Spice Bakery
piano player | Tom Walker
dog trainer | Joetta Risner of JCDT (Joetta’s Compassionate Dog Training)
dress | “Yolanda” by Claire Pettibone
tuxes | Skeffington’s

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their songs:

processional: “So Are You To Me” –Eastmountainsouth
recessional: “Wonderful World” –Fisher
first dance: 1) “As Long as We’ve Got Each Other” (the themesong from Growing Pains) –Bobby Morganstein   2)  “We Are One” –Kelly Sweet

 

laura+chad:

What was the most memorable moment of your day?
laura: hardest question EVER. Acting like a kid on Christmas morning while waiting for Bobbi and Mike to arrive. Seeing the FJ in the driveway and running out to greet Bobbi.  Getting ready with my mom, aunt Marty, Kiralee and Bobbi.  Meeting Chad in the library. Chad’s gift to me (A Lisa Leonard necklace!!!) Kelley coming downstairs before the ceremony.  Artie being the ring bearer.  Seeing Chad at the end of the aisle.  Putting the band on Chad’s finger (I got him!). Getting fun pictures taken around my parent’s house. My dad handing out cool rags to the hot guests…such a wonderful example of his character.  Seeing all of the people who braved the heat to share our day with us.  My mom and dad’s speech.  My matron of honor’s speech. My matron of honor’s awesomeness.  My mom’s beauty.  My brothers.  My bridesmaids. My Chad.
chad: Going into the wedding, I knew that the experience of seeing Laura walk down the aisle would be powerful. But I was shocked by the authentic and overwhelming feelings that moved me to tears. I had to focus on holding myself together because I was overcome with such intense and surreal emotion.  The processional song was particularly moving as I heard it in the context of that moment and I felt like I was hearing it again for the first time.

What was your favorite detail?
Photo stamps from Zazzle.com for our invitations. The pearl pins in my hair. My shoes and purse dyed to match the flower in my dress. The guest favors that Chad and I made together. Bobbi and Mike engagement pictures scattered in frames throughout the reception.

Funniest memory from your wedding day?
The immediate obedience of Artie when Joetta was handling him.  The pathetic bouquet toss that traveled about four feet. Rachel crying down the aisle.  The awkwardness of the cake cutting, which we had completely forgotten to plan for.  The physical awkwardness during our first dance – how can you really dance to a TV theme song?  Rachel screaming at the guests waiting outside the church that “NOTHING IS HAPPENING HERE!”

Any advice for future brides/grooms?
laura: Stay organized. Hire a wedding coordinator. Marry someone like Chad. Don’t underestimate the power of Spanx. Say “thank you” a million times to all of the people who put so much time, effort and money into your event. Don’t obsess about small things – it’s not about the program font, it’s about the marriage. (Unless it’s Comic Sans, in which case you need to reconsider) Stay in the moment as much as possible. Hire Bobbi and Mike. Don’t obsess about how your wedding day  “should be.” Let it be what it is, and accept anything that happens as the experience you were meant to have.  If it rains, buy a cute umbrella. If you break your arm, make a cute picture on the cast. See the humor in the unexpected.
chad: If you’re getting married in the Midwest, plan for an early spring or fall wedding when the weather is cooler. Frequently contact vendors to make sure they are still in business. (Our first florist closed two weeks before the wedding without telling us!)

If you could do it all over, would you change anything?
Plan for more time with guests at the reception!

What was your favorite wedding purchase?
laura: Bobbi and Mike, Kiralee and my dress- God bless Claire Pettibone, I love that dress with everything in me.
chad: The bridal party gifts- personalized M&M’s with their faces on them.

Where did you go on your honeymoon?
We stayed at the Stonecliffe Inn on Mackinac Island. It was AMAZING. Highly recommended.

What was your favorite thing about bobbi+mike? (for the record, they added this question, not me!)
Bobbi and Mike were integral to the enjoyment and experience of the whole day.  We felt totally comfortable with them, we knew that they had everything under control, and they organized people with amazing skill.  They aren’t just capturing the day through photography, they are part of the day with their energy, love, and general awesomeness. Wow Laura… I don’t even know what to say now. I’m blown away by this. thank you thank you thank you.

 

 

bobbi+mike:

our favorites: 1) when Laura came running at us at FULL SPEED through the driveway carrying the above canvas over her head when we first arrived. 2) seeing Kiralee. Oh how I adore her. I said to her… “I think it’s time for “Operation Grow Back Eyebrows” to come to a conclusion” to which she responded, “Uhm… yeah… it’s time…” Maybe you had to be there, it was hilarious to me. 3) Seeing Laura’s excitement for all things wedding. 4) Laura slinkying her way into her dress… messing up her hair, makeup… and all while laughing at herself.  Not to worry… team bride to the rescue 5) Their first site. 6) The King’s Daughters singing during the ceremony. 7) the receiving line (usually it’s my least favorite part of the day to photograph… but Laura and Chad’s guests were just so animated and cute… I was having a blast!) The shuttle drive from the  church to the Stoller home… these bridesmads make me laugh. 9) The first dance was ridiculously sweet… and seeing the bridesmaids watch with tears in their eyes. 10) the bouquet toss was HILARIOUS! 11) the emotion contest with Laura. (more on that soon) 12) reading the answers to the blog questionnaire (above) and finally 13) playing “bobbi trivia” with Angie who said she was the biggest fan ever. I’ll go ahead and confirm… she is Angie made me feel like a million buckarooobies.  I named her the president of the bb+mk fan club. I mean… if there were one. There she is… on the right

MUCH love friends… MUUUUCHHH LOVE!!!!!

~bobbi+mike

Sometimes while I’m taking photos… I pose too. It’s weird.

OH HOW DAPPER!

pay no mind to the photographer in the corner… she’s blending….

HA!Maybe some of you remember the “emotion contest” I had in May at Ellen and Brian’s wedding. WELLLL… I knew that Laura would be goooood competition for me. SO, I challenged her. Here’s how it went down. 1) angry. 2) overly joyed. 3) sad. 4) constipated. Now, when I look at these… I think I won. HOWEVER, the bridesmaids said that she won. I think it was just because she was the bride. Bride schmide… a contest is a contest!!!! SO… tell us blog readers, WHO WON?! 

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Remember Jess and Brad? of COURSE you remember them… You know… the engagement session taken in a strip mall parking lot in pouring rain with tornado sirens going off in the background?! SEEE! Told you you’d remember them!

Amanda, one of Jess’s best friends is an INCREDIBLE makeup artist.

I will not tell a lie… this salon and spa was unlike any other experience ever. Annnnd… by that I don’t mean it was amazing. When I walked in they told me that I was not able to take any photos in the main salon as I would make the other guests uncomfortable.  There was ONE area (about a 20′ x 15′ small room where they applied makeup… in shiz light, mind you) I was allowed to shoot. And after snapping just 2 photos… the makeup artist weirded out and said that I made her nervous and that I couldn’t take photos. So… I had to sit in a tiny room with my camera and two flower girls who were also not allowed out because they were a “disturbance.” They weren’t even allowed to go to the BATHROOM there… they had to go down the elevator to the hotel lobby if they needed to go. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! Let me say… these flower girls are like 7 years old and VERY well behaved.  So, Jess, who is THE most laid back bride EVER really didn’t let any of this bother her. Me, I would have been flipping my poopy. She’d say, “I have no control over it… so, it is what it is.” She  kept referring to me as “my photographer… who is in timeout”. HA! I’m telling you… UNLIKE ANY other experience. This salon is not on my referral list K? k. Now that I’ve said my peace…. MOVING ON!

However, when it was time for Jess’ hair… we made it happen. Don’t mess with us!

Meanwhile…

WOW to this adorableness!!!!!

Jess had lost a serious amount of weight between buying the dress and her final fitting… and at that point, the weight was still dropping fast.  They told her that “the dress will NOT fit you if you don’t quit losing weight.” WHEN DOES THAT EVER HAPPEN?! High fives Jess… HIGH FIVES! She said she’d been eating ice cream all week so that her dress would fit!  Yeah, that’s a first! HEALTHY TRAIN CHOOOO CHOOOOOOO!

are you KIDDING me with the amazingness that are these shoes?! Though they’re BEAUTIFUL I guess they weren’t the most comfortable. Jess called them “the Choos that didn’t love me back” I won’t lie…. REALLY proud of these photos

That’s a WHOLELOTTA BLINNNNG!

love this. it’s Mikey’s favorite

PERFECT capture Mike! Such a great story telling image. You win.

Marriage is the coolest.

While I’m on full disclosure mode here… Here’s a little story We were supposed to do the bridesmaids/groomsmen photos ahead of time… but because the florist wouldn’t drop off the flowers until an hour before the ceremony started we were way limited (gotta get the bride inside before the guests arrive… and you KNOW they like to be WAY early!) Well, things ran behind and we had to do all of the photos afterward. No biggie. THEN… the bus driver was supposed to head back to the hotel to shuttle the groom/groomsmen to the church… well, SOMEHOW… he didn’t get the memo and the bus was just SITTING out in front of the church after dropping off the bride/ bridesmaids. When someone noticed that WE WERE MISSING THE GROOM the bus driver got in gear and get in gear QUICKLY! So, the ceremony started/ended laaaaaate.

What does that mean? That means that we were now in HIGH SPEED MODE. As in… I had twenty minutes to get ALLLLL of the photos taken (bridesmaids, groomsmen, full wedding party AND bride & groom). We were originally planning on going to downtown Valparaiso for some fun photos. HOWEVER, given the time line… we were now going to work this shiz out in a parking lot. Now, I happen to know from a past parking lot experience (their aforementioned engagement session) that these two are the DEFINITION of laid back. And again, Jess looked at me and said, “I trust you… let’s do this!”  So, just like last time in the rain… I put on my confidence hat and we MADE MAGIC HAPPEN! (okay, that was a bit dramatic… ignore me…).

My favorite SO much joy…

All of the below photos were taken within an 8 minute span… another reason why an engagement session is SO ridiculously valuable. What IF something does delay your wedding portrait time? It happens… and happens way too often. These two knew how I worked, I knew how they worked and together we WORKED IT OUT!

LOOOK AT THOSE EYES!!!! Jess, you’re seriously stunning!

There were no dresses harmed in the making of this photo.

YESSSSSS!!!!!! LOOOOOOOOVE IT!!!!!!!

Now… it’s reception time baaaaaabies!!!!!

DON’T STOP BELIEVINNNNNN’….

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valparaiso, ind.

makeup | Amanda Batista, Freelance Makeup Artist/Bridesmaid Extraordinaire
florist | The Flower Cart
church | Valparaiso University Chapel of the Resurrection
reception hall/cake | Strongbow Inn
DJ | Catalyst Productions
dress | Custom Augusta Jones gown by Couture Bride
bridesmaid dresses | Watters & Watters
tuxes | Men’s Wearhouse

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their songs:

Introductions:
Parents: “All You Need is Love” – The Beatles
Bridal Party: “Good Life” – Kanye West
Bride&Groom: “Lions” – The Features
Cake cutting: “Eat it” – Weird Al
First dance: “You & I” – Michael Buble
Father/Daughter: “You are so Beautiful” – Joe Cocker
Mother/Son: “You’ve Got a Friend” – James Taylor

 

jess+brad:

What was the most memorable moment of your day?
jess: #1. The entire aisle experience. From those last moments spent with Marissa, my Maid of Honor, to the whispered exchange of words with my father as we walked down the aisle, to the moment I could finally see Brad’s face (it was a really, really long aisle!), to when I finally took Brad’s hand in mine and proceeded up the steps to the altar. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the beauty and emotion felt during every single second of that experience.  #2. When two of out best friends, Amanda and Dave, got engaged at our reception! Made the day just so perfect!
brad: Watching Jess while she was walking down the aisle. When she and her dad finally reached me, her dad kissed her and then he and I were supposed to shake hands, but I was frozen, staring at Jess. Her dad stood there hitting his hand against mine until I finally snapped out of it and shook his hand.

What was your favorite detail?
jess: My something old. It was a handkerchief that belonged to an elderly woman named Neva whom I was very close to when I was young. She passed away many years ago, but Erica, my cousin and Matron of Honor, was able to obtain the handkerchief from Neva’s daughter-in-law right before my bridal shower, and gave it to me as a gift at my shower. Yes, tears were shed. I will treasure it always.
brad: The stained glass windows at the Chapel.

Funniest memory from your wedding day?
jess: I have two. #1. My Ring Bearer, Andrew, got dressed into his little tux, looked into the mirror, and pleased with his appearance, exclaimed, “I look just like Barack Obama!” #2. During our first dance, I asked Brad if he’d like me to sing the song to him. His response: “No, I’d like to enjoy this.” People probably wondered why were were dying laughing during our romantic first dance. Well, that’s why. . .
brad: During my brother’s best man speech, when he, very sincerely, said he was proud of how “sexful” I’d become. He meant to say successful and thought no one noticed his slip of the tongue… but he was wrong.

Any advice for future brides/grooms?
brad: Don’t get stressed, even if a tornado takes out your rehearsal dinner, you’re still going to have a good time. We know this for a fact.
jess: Remember that it’s about the marriage, not about the wedding. Don’t be fussy, enjoy every minute of it with the people you love.

If you could do it all over, would you change anything?
jess: More time for photos and a longer reception!
brad: Longer reception, I didn’t get to visit with half of our guests!

What was your favorite wedding purchase?
Other than Bobbi + Mike? Our Bachelor/Bachelorette party in Vegas! About 20 of our best friends & family + 5 days of insanity = a really fun wedding weekend because everyone had already met and were excited to party together again! We’re already planning another wedding party/guest reunion in October!

Where did you go on your honeymoon?
Sandals Emerald Bay, Great Exuma, Bahamas

This isn’t an answer to a question, but I just have to say that we had an amazing wedding party. We are so lucky to have such ridiculously great friends. The day would not have been the same without them and we love them all very much!

 

SNUGGGGGLE FAAAAAACE!!!!!!

bobbi+mike

our favorites: 1) the time out chair at the salon. Though it kinda sucked… it was actually quite comical. 2) the wedding party goes in the top 10 of best wedding parties in the history of bobbi+mike. 3) photographing the shoes. AYKM?! 4) the flower girl during the ceremony was HILARIOUS! She was so bored/hot… in the midst of the ceremony she sat down right on a ledge,  rubbed her belly, yawned and laid down. 5) Dave chasing down the bus during photos. 6) Jess and Brad being AWESOME and trusting us entirely during speedy photo time. 7) the families. the speeches… perfect combo of sweet and fun. 9) when Jess announced that Amanda (makeup artist and best friend) and Dave had JUST become engaged! The idea was suggested to Dave by Jess…. and he went with it. Jess announced, “I love that we’ll share this anniversary!” Yeah, Jess REALLY is one in a million!!!! 10) the unboxed booth and all of the hilarity that happened… ESPECIALLY at the end when Jess and her best friend recreated their best poses from childhood… except this time… there was alcohol involved. Maybe you had to be there… it was highly inappropriate and ridiculously funny. (I know I know… I NEEEED to show you some of the newest unboxed stuff. I’ll get on it, I promise!)

MUUUUUUCH love friends… MUCH LOVE!

~bobbi+mike

 

I had to take my shoes off during the ceremony because they were loud…

Mike, you are so damn handsome. Seriously. HOT HOT HOT!

That’s a face only a Mike Belschner could love… WHAT THE HELL AM I SAYING?!  I was showing Jess her next pose. Luckily for her, she didn’t make the same face. WOW TO ME!

As previously stated on the last wedding blog entry… I CANNOT resist me some Britney Spears. Don’t judge us.

SOOOO… the WHOLE reason Jess and Brad even knew team bb+mk existed? Because Amanda suggested us. You see, she was in Erin and Lucky’s wedding (and also did the makeup)… and has been following our work since (that was 3 years ago). SOOO… yes yes yes…  as you’ve already read… she got engaged THAT night and couldn’t wait to share. These photos make me so happy Thanks Brad for taking them!  PS. guess who JUST booked us? BOOOOOYAH!!!! MAY 2011 HERE WE COME!!!!!

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