I honestly can not believe that today is my 12 year Anniversary! My husband and I started dating right out of high school although we met in 8th grade. I felt bad for him our Senior Year of HS and drove him to school as his parents took away his car because of his grades! His father is a minister…does that sum things up?? haha

Today I am reflecting on how far we have grown in our marriage! I photograph so many brides and grooms and I want to secretly tell them that this experience will be the Best and The Most Trying! Marriage is Hard Work! It is about love and grace and selflessness. About putting your partners needs above your own at times and loving unconditionally. I never knew on this day 12 years ago what is was really going to mean when I spoke my vows of For Better or For Worse. I was in love. I had a vision of what our life would look like. I had no idea how many struggles we would encounter. I also had no idea that getting THROUGH those struggles would make me love my husband more. I can honestly say that I am so proud of where we are today. We have been through the darkest valley’s together. But, that light on the other side sure is sweet. The feeling of accomplishment is overwhelming.

I know in my heart that the only reason our marriage survived was because of God. When we were struggling…I clung to God and his promise of a better tomorrow if I trusted Him. Although I had no idea what the other side of the mountain looked like…I knew that God had big plans for me.

If you read my pricing guide…there is a bit in there about my 7 year prayer to become a photographer. That is no joke! I knew what I wanted to do with my life and at times I was frustrated with where I was at. I saw many of my friends start their careers and I longed for something more than the stay-at-home title. Funny thing is…that title was the most important job that I could have been doing at the time! Why is it that we are not content with where we are at? Why do we not see the happiness in what we have at the moment? Looking back..it is so obvious! I was able to raise my boys and stay at home with them for 8 years! Wow! Isn’t that awesome? But, for some reason…I didn’t think that was good enough. Throughout my time at home with my boys I started praying. Praying for contentment and guidance. I believed in God, but I truly did not have a strong relationship with Him. Thankfullly, He showed me patience…and if you know what that looks like..it is not easy!  Once I came to trust Him and his plan for my life…things started to unfold in ways I had never dreamed.

Today I own and operate my very own photography business. It is a ton of work, but I could not ask for a better job. To wake up and truly love what you do(wait..I do not like the tax stuff) but, other than that…I get to wake up every day and be creative. I am able to build relationships with my clients that have forever changed me. Some of my very best friendships were formed within this business. God knew what my family needed at just the perfect time. I knew it was going to be great, but I had no idea it was going to be Amazing!

My marriage and my business are only possible because of God. Did I do the hard work?  You bet! But, His love and guidance sustained me when nothing else could. He gave me opportunities that I could not have dreamed up on my own. He gave me all of the tools I needed and for that…I am forever thankful.

So..on this day…February 19th 2012…I am happy. I am content. I am loved. I am blessed. I am thankful!

I am starting a little journal of all of my blessings. How fun to look back and remember? And on the days are aren’t so bright…what a faithful reminder! My friend, Amy encouraged me to do this as her mama has recorded her family blessings for many many years! I would love for my boys to have an opportunity to read these blessings:)

Have an Amazing day!

blessings,

kellyb.

Photo taken by my friend and photog, Lisa Kae.

I have been SO excited to share this post! Mark and Nicole were married in December. We all know the lighting is pretty much pitch black out by 5pm! So…they asked me to hold a “day after” session in their wedding attire and I happily obliged! Now..you know I had many more ideas than just their wedding dress and suit! They are a young couple who are madly in love and full of life! How perfect for us to do something fun! They were completely on board for my ideas and I love that about my clients!  I have said this before, but it is SO true…when you trust me…that is when the Magic happens! I have to say that I am IN LOVE with this session!  We started out with a few shots of what they wore on their wedding day…it was Super windy and did I mention, FREEZING?!  Then we switched into a soft pale pink scarf and Nicole discovered she could tie her hair back in it…perfect! We ended with some super fun shots and were blessed with that golden light that I love:) Mark and Nicole were Amazing! We held the session at my family propery as I knew we would need to take breaks and warm up by the fireplace:) It was the perfect setting!!

I also love that this shoot is exactly how I approach all of my sessions and weddings. I Adore Style…I love to showcase REAL emotion, and I  Love to offer some unique and artistic perspectives! It just makes my heart happy!

Nicole and Mark…thank you, again, for sharing not only your wedding day with me, but this super fun and fabulous snowy afternoon!  With this crazy MI weather..we surely were blessed with the look you wanted: SNOW:) YAY!  I couldn’t be happier with your images…ENJOY:))

blessings,

kellyb

More to come….

how cute are they?

Nicole...you are gorgeous!

I LOVED how it turned out! Hillary is truly the real deal! She is completely adorable,genuine, and has a heart of gold! Kevin is a bit more quiet, but you can tell he is head over heels in love with hillary and I love to see that kind of love!! They were Easy to shoot as they have Great Chemistry! You will be able to tell from the images that they laugh and love easily! A photographers dream to photograph:) I always say…The more you just roll with the session and laugh…the better the outcome! I have been on the other end of the camera recently and it truly was a great reminder for me! I know it is not always easy to loosen up, but I promise…it will be worth it! Besides…it’s my job to make you look beautiful all the while having a great time! I think I did my job quite well on this shoot

BIG THANKS  To Jamie Kirby from Hey Day! Gosh..I just adore that sweetheart of a gal! She was completely sick with the flu and still showed up to help out! I am smitten with her design work and You MUST check out her site to see what she has been up to! She is the bees knees and I love her work so much that I made her come along for my own family shoot! ha  She is just so darn talented!  Thanks, Jamie! muah!

Without further ado:  Meet Kevin and Hillary…having fun, smooching, and cutting down their very own tree:)

blessings,

kellyb.

don't you just love hill's jcrew glitter nail polish?!

I LOVE Hillary's laugh! It's infectious! My clients always say that I am smiling behind my camera while snapping away! This is why;)

how adorable is hillary? I want red hair too!

you are gorgeous, hill!

awe...I loved the entire session!

Dan is really funny and Jessica is the sweetest thing you will ever meet! They compliment each other well:) Their wedding day was FREEZING, but we snuck in some fun shots around the city and I LOVE what I capurted for them!  Who doesn’t love a bride who will go out on the ice for an amazing shot? Rosa Parks Circle was perfect!

Eastern Floral always does such a beautiful job on the floral designs and I LOVE the band Nine Mile Smile! Thanks everyone!

Jessica and Dan…thank you for allowing Karyn and I to share in your joy! Your friends and family are Amazing and I had the.Best.time with everyone again! I hope Belize was Beyond Perfect! After all of your hard work..you deserved it:)

blessings,

kellyb.

LOVE her custom clutch from etsy!

the adorable, jessica!

meet dan. excited to see his bride!

I LOVE the city in the background on these next few! Aren't they adorable together?!

another favorite.

LOVE!

Jessica...you are Beautiful!

I LOVe these ones too!

I've always adored Black and Whites! They have such a timeless feel!

the wedding party! thinking of warmer temps! it was just a wee bit cold!

aren't these mittens adorable!

a favorite of jessica!

AHHH!!!! LOVE!!!!

these girls were a bit warmer inside

MARRIED!!

Love it!

Gorgeous!

How cool is this venue! That is a whale skeleton!

Jessica's favors were silver ornaments

Mr. and Mrs. Lemon!

This Is Dan! So fun!

We took advantage of the museum!

Of course a spin on the carousel!! Congratulations!

Meet Johnny and Kristin! I just adore winter wonderland weddings and this one will not disappoint!  This wedding was full of family, tradition, heritage, joy and love!!  Ukranian and Greek heritages were merged together to create an authentic and unique wedding day! I loved hearing all about their religion and heritages!  It was one of the most important parts of the day for many!  You will see from the images I captured that this wedding was Amazing!  There were so many little details that went into making this wedding stand out.  From the decor(simply breathtaking!) to the beautiful ceremony, the girls hand made scarves and sparkly accents, to the reindeer greeting guests as they arrived! Yes..I said REINDEER! How fun is that?  Kristin’s vision truly came to life and I felt honored to be able to document their story!

Johnny and Kristin..I hope you have a fabulous time on your honeymoon! Karyn and I had such a great time at your wedding and I loved being a part of your amazing celebration!!!! I LOVE what I capurted for you! You two are such sweethearts and I can’t wait to photograph your little ones in the future!!

blessings,

kellyb.

So…with that…I wish EACH AND EVERY ONE  of my blog readers, friends, clients (& clients who have turned into friends and new readers a Very Merry Christmas!!!!!!!  I want to also add that although I do not often share my personal thoughts on the blog…I have to give ALL of my thanks to God. Without Him I would not have been blessed with this talent He has given me.

Oh, and one last thing …we welcomed a new addition to our family last week…we call him our Christmas Baby:  Meet Sullivan Braman…aka..SullyB.  We are completely smitten with him!!

SullyB.

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I met with Sarah and her mom, Janel, a couple of weeks prior to the wedding to go over all of the details surrounding the day. Sarah mentioned that her and Brian Loved Mad Men(such a great series!) I came up with a few ideas to tie that in with photography and it was fun to incorporate that feel into their day. Sarah also mentioned Old Hollywood! I think she pulled it off and I LOVE what I captured for them! Sarah was a beautiful bride and simply the sweetest! Brian is a man of faith and I honestly think that was my favorite part of their wedding! The love they have for each other and their committment to God. The ceremony was touching and I loved hearing their story! What a beautiful day!

Brian and Sarah! Thank you for allowing me to document your love. You were surrounded by your closest friends and family and you truly could feel the love in the room! Congratulations and much love!

blessings,
kellyb.

Thanks to my dear friend, Kmay for braving the temps with me! I always LOVE shooting with her!!

Grand Rapids...view from JW Marriott

LOVE Sarah's Kate Spade shoes! Sparkly and fabulous!

This dress fit Sarah perfectly! I love this shot!

let's celebrate:)

loving on Gram!

Sweet Anna.

I love this mother/daughter moment!

Adorable!

love this!

Sarah...you are stunning!

I love the modern feel of this one!

A favorite, for sure! They are so adorable together!

I could have photographed Sarah ALL day! And the light at the JW Marriott was perfect!

We headed outside for some photos! Sarah's coat helped in the freezing temps!

One of my favorite shots of the day!

I adore the little frothy details @ Madcap Coffee House.

Our Mad Men Inspired Image! I Love it! (ps. Sarah is looking into a butter knife:)

Ludemas Always does such a great job on the floral! I love the winter berries! And of course, Anna is beautiful!

We snuck out for just a couple more shots:)

So adorable!

Another favorite!

Eve at the Bob.

Grandpa's prayer.

Uncle's toast!

sisters.

awe...father/daughter dance!

mother/son dances get me every time! So sweet!

the guys!

A fun shot to end the post! Congratulations, Brian and Sarah! Muah!

Vendors:

Ludemas Floral               JW Marriott

Eve at the Bob

Madcap Coffee House

Kate Spade NY (shoes)