Anika & Andrew | Studio D2D Grand Rapids Wedding

Two days after Christmas I had the honor of photography Anika & Andrew’s wedding. I started off the day photographing the bridal details. Anika put so much thought into every little detail. I love how these shots turned out. She had even set aside some lace from her dress for me to style with, and the original wood floors at Studio D2D were just perfect!

We were really hoping for a snow covered backdrop for the bride and groom portraits. That didn’t work out for us, but we found a gorgeous evergreen lined path for Anika & Andrew’s first look, and used several other locations at Blandford Nature Center for some perfect bride and groom portraits. I’m so excited about how the photos turned out! Maybe I’m biased, but I think they’re gorgeous! Even though we didn’t have snow, it was absolutely frigid! I felt so bad for the wedding party especially the girls and Anika who were all in sleeveless dresses. We stuck with it and ended up with some awesome photos!

Anika and Andrew met in their church praise group. If you spend any time around them you can tell that their faith is strong, and they truly lean on God for everything. Their ceremony beautifully reflected this. It was so refreshing for me (a preacher’s daughter) to appreciate the time and thought that went into planning their ceremony. I could tell that they were thinking ahead to not only their wedding day, but their marriage as well. Their families prayed over them during the ceremony. They washed each others feet as an act of service as Jesus did, and they incorporated so much music! It was one of the most moving ceremonies I’ve been a part of. I found myself thinking, ‘You can’t cry. You have a job to do!’ Luckily I made it through!

The reception was packed with eloquently spoken speeches, funny stories and so much fun on the dance floor. This was certainly a memorable day for me. I find myself smiling as I type this just remembering how I felt the whole day! I am so thankful for the opportunity to photograph days like this and for the incredible people I meet.

Anika and Andrew, what a beautiful start to your marriage! Congratulations! I wish you the best!