k. holly photography :: the blog » Engagements

Sarah and Mark :: Engaged!

Kristen — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:06:44 +0000

We had such an amazing fall and early winter! This session was from one of our first dustings of snow. There was just enough to give us a pinch of magic :) We had such a great time strolling around Ann Arbor together, chatting about wedding plans and stopping at a few pretty and cool locations. I love this first set, with the lovely light and color! Then they surprised me with their geek-chic style at the end! Awesome!

Congrats again, you two! Can’t wait for the wedding!!

Susan and Chad :: Engaged!

Kristen — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 15:44:16 +0000

Wine country in the fall, evening light, and a couple in love. Three of my favorite things! It was a gorgeous evening, albeit a bit chilly. We took that as an excellent reason to duck inside Crane Orchard’s bakery for some yummy hot cider before heading over to Fenn Valley for a few more shots in the vineyard. So looking forward to their wedding this coming year, it’s at one of our favorite places! Bay Pointe! Whee! So excited for it, I can already tell it’s going to be an awesome day, we just love these two!

Katee and Casey :: Engaged!

Kristen — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 04:42:26 +0000

Katee and Casey!!! Okay, I have a really funny story about how we met… Katee might kill me for this! Nah, she won’t. She knows I love her :) So rewind to last winter. We were at the B.O.B. downtown with a group of friends, I think it was Valentine’s weekend. My girlfriends were all glittered up, and I was very pregnant. I wore what I thought was a pretty sexy little black & white leopard print maternity dress. (In pictures, I look more like a spotted cow, pretty sure.) Anyhoo, so we were taking pictures and I was attempting to pose and look as cute as my girls, but just feeling… well, uncute. All of a sudden this other very cute girl comes bouncing up to me, wide-eyed with a huge smile on her face, and she asks if I’m K.Holly. She gushes about how she can’t wait to get engaged, so they can plan a wedding, so they can hire us,… da da da… Adorable. She’s maybe had a cocktail or two ;) Meanwhile, her not-yet-fiance is watching and holding back a snicker and a smile. She and I chat for a minute, and then we part ways. My mood was instantly lifted, and Jamie will tell you my head might have swelled just a bit. This girl just made me feel like a celebrity! I had a little extra glow the rest of the night :) For the next few months, every time I’d get a new wedding inquiry, I’d wonder if it was her. Then one day, several months later, as we were wrapping up a wedding consult, the groom gets a sneaky smile across his face. A look of panic rushes over hers as he asks us, “do you remember, at the B.O.B…” and I go, “It was YOU!!!” We all laughed about it, apparently she was super embarrassed about it. Little did she know how happy she’d made me that night. We already were loving them from the consult, but once we knew they were THEM, it was IT. We were in love with these two. So when it was time for their engagement session, we were totally geeked! They picked a gorgeous color palette and great locations. They knew our work well, so they knew this field would be perfect. I couldn’t believe we hadn’t found it before! The light was ah-maaaazing! Everything just came together so beautifully. As it should. Awesome couple, awesome session :) I love these ones on Western Michigan‘s Kalamazoo campus, but just wait for the field. Goodness!

Ready for it? Golden gorgeousness!

Her EYES… !!! Katee, you are gorgeous!Le swoon! SO cannot wait until the wedding! It’s going to be awesome. You’re awesome. Love you two! :) k+j

{ Cristyn and Carson :: Engaged! }

Kristen — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 01:26:22 +0000

I know I say this all the time, but I am SO excited to share this one with you!! Cristyn and Carson are a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e. Like eat ‘em up adorable. Not only cute, but they are so sweet and kind. Cristyn is a ball of giddyness. She’s happy, positive and a total ray of sunshine. (My kind of girl!) Carson… ::sigh:: he adores her. The way he looks at her… aw man. Melt. And he’s not too shabby himself :) Together, they are an amazing couple, and the kind of friends you would want to have. We are SO happy for them, so happy to know them, and very much looking forward to the moment their lives join together. I can’t even imagine how fun their wedding is going to be… we had an awesome time with their country engagement session!

Gorgeous!!

Eee! Cute right?! Adore you two!! See you soon :) k+j

{ Amy and Andrew :: Engaged! }

Kristen — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 23:11:49 +0000

I am SO excited to share Amy and Andrew’s fall engagement session with you! It was one of the last beautiful fall weekends, with gorgeous golden leaves and amazing sunshine. On our way to Lansing, Jamie and I were talking about their session and what we and they had in mind. As we were arriving on the Michigan State campus, I had a last-minute idea. So I texted Amy and asked her if they had a football handy, and they did! It made for some super fun & playful pictures, they’re at the end! Not only are these two totally gorgeous, but they’re one of our nicest & sweetest couples. I’m SO glad the day worked out like this, the light and color was just to die for!

so.cute!

Sparty!

Love love love the playful little football game! You two are crazy adorable :) So fun!! We love you two. Can’t wait for the wedding!! :)k+j

{ Bailey and Devon :: Engaged! }

Kristen — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 04:03:26 +0000

Oh man I am missing these warm days!! A few weeks ago, we met the adorable Bailey and Devon downtown Grand Rapids for their engagement session. It was a gorgeous morning – the leaves were still on the trees, and we had some of that bright sun that we love working with! The light was amazing in the orchard for the second part of our session. (Sneak peek at the top! I love this picture!) And for the first part, we did a more urban look downtown. I just love their style. A little urban, a little country. A little leather and sequins, a little knits and prints. Fabulous!

::sigh:: I love this one!

Seriously, you guys are too cute :)

Congratulations again! We loved spending the morning with you two!

{ Emily and Darrell :: Engaged! }

Kristen — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 00:18:27 +0000

I’m just totally smitten with these two. Oops, three! I love when couples bring their pups along! :) I loved the locations we chose for their session, it was perfect. A little bright colorful urban, and then a little fields, grass, sun and sky! And a little snuggly, nuzzly, giggly love of course! Wheee!

Guys, take note of Darrell’s wardrobe choice. Nicely done, so stylin’! And Emily, I knew you’d be ridiculously adorable :)

{ swoon! } In. Love! Can’t wait for the wedding!

{ Nick and Nicole :: Just Because! }

Kristen — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 01:00:53 +0000

It’s Nicole! And Nick! On the blog! Finally!! If you know me from high school or college, then you know Nicole. We were pretty much attached at the hip in high school, co-captained our cheerleading squad and lived together in college. Shared a love for brownies that was unrivaled. We’re two of a kind. Best friends. Soul sistas. We share half-birthdays. And a great-great (is there a third great?) grandmother. I was her maid of honor, and she was mine. These past five years, we’ve lived further apart than we ever have, and yet a quick phone call brings us right back to where we left off. I miss her like crazy.

This September, she and Nick hopped on the train from Minnesota to spend a few days with us. We were headed to Robinettes Apple Orchard for some yummy donuts and cider, and I took my camera along. It was about time I took some pictures of these two! They’ve been married for six years, and are still one of the most awesome couples I know. They’ll be all lovey and sweet one minute, teasing and picking on each other the next, and then back to swatting each other on the rear end with a smirk. It’s real love, peeps. Meet my best friend Nicole, and Nick, that cute boy who lived up the street…

These are my FAVORITE! Probably not theirs, but these are SO them. Driving each other crazy. I love it!

>>— Asher Photo Bomb!!! —<<

(I promise we don’t take our baby to all of our photo shoots. Just the ones of our friends ;)

Hey, who’s that hottie baby daddy? Meow, Jamie! ;)

Okay, back to Nick and Nicole… smooch!

Nicole, you are soooo beautiful. Seriously. SO. Beautiful. Gah!! I love you guys! Come see us again soon please! Michigan misses you!

{ Samantha and Bradley :: Engaged! }

Kristen — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 03:00:58 +0000

We just adore Sam and Brad. As fellow photographer duos, we have a lot in common! We have lots to chat about, share a sense of humor about the same things, and have a similar vision and style. They actually met at a photography workshop, how cool is that? They’ve since merged their businesses into one, and they’ll soon officially be a husband and wife team! (Check out their blog, here!) They are everything our photography is about – happiness, love, and hearts full of light. We are honored that they chose us to photograph their wedding this spring – we already know it’s going to be amazing. Photographers have the most thoughtful details and well-planned out weddings! (It’s totally true!!) Sam and Brad’s style is vintage, romantic, soft. I loved how their details for this shoot will translate over to their wedding. Vintage cameras, flowers, mason jars, textiles… swoon! They incorporated similar colors and feel to set the stage… Add some glowy light, beautiful setting, and the sweetest, happiest couple ever… magic!

Congratulations again Brad & Sam!! Very much looking forward to the wedding this spring! xoxo, k+j

{ Coming Soon! }

Kristen — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 18:30:30 +0000

We have had such a beautiful fall! A lot of our 2012 to-be-weds wanted fall engagement sessions, so we’ve been busy shooting! Now that the temps have dropped and the rain has been falling, I’m back in my office with cameras on the shelf. It’s time to edit, edit, edit! We’re lucky to have such lovely, patient couples. (wink, wink!) They deserve a sneak peek while they wait for their full collections, don’t you think? :) I thought so too :)

I can’t wait to share the full sessions, they have been so awesome! More soon! xoxo, k+j

{ Megan and Sean :: Engaged! }

Kristen — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 17:02:38 +0000

We have had such a gorgeous fall. It makes me so happy! Bright sun, warm colors… perfect for engagement sessions!! We’ve been busy working with our 2012 wedding couples, getting to know them and setting the stage for their upcoming weddings. Megan and Sean met us out on a lovely glowy evening, and we had a wonderful time with them! They are both so nice, and so sweet together :) And I LOVE her style! This little white dress is one of my favorite engagement outfits ever, so perfect!

Balloons!

Haha, so fun! Looking forward to the wedding!

{ Mindy and Chad :: Engaged! }

Kristen — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 23:12:09 +0000

It was a gorgeous morning in Northern Michigan, on Lake Leelanau. The sun had just risen, the air was crisp, grass dewy. Love, sweet. A perfect start to Mindy and Chad’s engagement session, and a great day for us to get to know each other. We are so excited for their wedding next spring, which will be held up north as well. It’s going to be gorgeous!!

Isn’t her dress adorable? Love it!

Jamie captured this second spinning image with the light filtering in. One of my favorites of the day!

Hop in the lake to get a cute shot? But of course! :)

Congratulations again you two! See you soon!!

{ Brittni and Jeff :: Engaged! }

Kristen — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 17:16:45 +0000

I love these images to bits! The couple? Gorgeous. Lovey. Laughing. The location? Simple, midwest country, airy. The light? My favorite kind of glowy. The mood? Romantic, lighthearted, sweet. And just a touch of sexy. Everything an engagement session should be! Brittni and Jeff, we adore you and cannot wait to photograph your wedding next year!!

{ Ashley and Harry :: Four Year Anniversary! }

Kristen — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 03:32:25 +0000

What’s better than an engagement session? Anniversary session!! Ashley and Harry have been married four years this month, go love! Ashley is a portrait photographer here in Grand Rapids – we met a few years ago when we were both just starting out. I shot her best friend’s wedding in 2009, and we’ve kept in touch ever since. I was SO excited when she said that she and Harry wanted to do a session! They are completely adorable together, and super fun too! We laughed through their entire session. I didn’t know Harry as well before, but now I feel like I’ve known him for ages. He’s hilarious!! I can see why they like each other so much ;) When we were talking about style and what they wanted in a session, they each had their own idea. Harry wanted city, Ashley wanted country. Harry, technology. Ashley, books and romance. I feel like we did two whole separate sessions! So… um… there’s a lot of pictures, I had a lot of favorites! We started downtown…

This half is Ashley’s pick, and my favorite too! If you’ve been following my blog for awhile, you know I love romantic, dreamy, glowy sessions like these… ahhhh… love!

I love this one!! We planned the shot – her with vintage books, him and his iPad. But this actual shot was the first frame – just me testing the light. It ended up being my favorite from the set!

Hellooooo gorgeous!!!

We played a fun little game with a vintage framed chalkboard. Thought it would be fun for an anniversary session. I had them write down what drives them crazy about each other, and what they love most about each other. I won’t include the first ones… they’re hilarious, but Ashley would probably kill me if I published them!! So I’ll just put the reactions, and the nice ones :)

Amazing light + beautiful couple + field of wildflowers…. A very very very happy Kristen :)

Meow!

Ashley and Harry, I absolutely adore you! I had such a great time, so glad we did this!! Your love will be an inspiration to all the newly engaged and married couples out there! Here’s to many more happy years!! :)

{ Sarah and Chris :: Engaged! }

Kristen — Tue, 02 Aug 2011 22:24:44 +0000

A couple about to say “I do”. A little romance, a little fun, a little goofiness. A little grunge, a little glow. We could tell right away that not only are Sarah and Chris in love, they’re also best friends, and complimentary opposites. Exactly what an about-to-be married couple should be. We had a beautiful evening in Grand Rapids, and we happily enjoyed the gorgeous weather and fabulous company!

Speaking of fabulous… her shoes? I die. Sarah and Chris, we can’t wait to see you again! Just a few weeks!!

{ Brennigan and Adam :: Engaged! }

Kristen — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 03:00:21 +0000

Some couples just creep into my heart, and I can’t always explain why. When I read Brennigan’s very first email to me, I was intrigued. She not only wrote about their engagement and wedding plans, she included a link to a super cute video they had made, and a list of five random facts about them. I instantly felt like I knew them, and couldn’t wait to meet. When we met, I knew we HAD to work together! They are super sweet, imaginative and just have that… spark. That special somethin’ that inspires people like me.

Oh, and did I mention that they’re photographers? I should have known ;)

Um, yes, hello adorable people!

{ sweetness! }

Clearly, this is proof that I’m hilarious. (Even if I can feel Jamie rolling his eyes behind me ;)

All of a sudden, we looked up and saw this crazy storm rolling in… yikes! (Quick, let’s get a picture with it! Go!)

Are you in love with them yet? :) B & A, thank you for an awesome evening. We can’t wait for the wedding! Squeee!!! :)

{ Ashley and Curt :: Engaged! }

Kristen — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 14:15:42 +0000

I adore this couple, and this session! The night we were originally supposed to shoot this was one of the biggest storms of the season, which actually knocked down a maple tree in our backyard. No good! But luckily, after rescheduling a couple more times due to the weather, we landed on a gorgeous evening for their engagement – warm air and bright yummy light! Ashley and Curt both looked amazing, and were awesome to hang out with. Very much looking forward to their wedding this fall! Do you love her style, or what? So fabulous!

I totally adore this shot that Jamie took:

Ashley, you have this fierce look DOWN! Meow!

Even though we were doing a more urban look, I couldn’t help myself… had to throw in a little of my signature glowy romantic loveliness :)

They changed clothes, and it was off to the park for some fun, casual pictures… with a tandem bike! And their dog Zeus!!

:: love! ::

And one more of these, just because I love it so much! Look at his smile… swoon! Ashley and Curt, congratulations again! See you very soon!!

{ Lauren and Mike :: Engaged! }

Kristen — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 01:33:56 +0000

I am so happy that summer is here!! We’ve had some really beautiful days here in West Michigan. I’ve mentioned it before, but I have a special place in my heart for morning light… add in a couple in love and their family’s beautiful garden setting, and I am one happy photographer. Make that two happy photographers – Jamie gets pretty geeked about this stuff too :) Lauren and Mike were in town from Chicago this weekend, so we met up with them on Sunday morning for their engagement session. It was a perfect day, and we really loved spending this time with them! They are both beautiful people inside and out, and we are so looking forward to their wedding later this summer!

Yummmmmmy light!

Lauren…. SO beautiful!! Goodness!

Eeee! So cute. We love you!