Chris and Michelle met at Rosie’s in Chesterfield when each of their friends convinced them to go out for the night. Michelle went over to apologize to Chris for her friend and ended up sitting at his table and talking to him the rest of the night. A year and a half later, Chris proposed to Michelle with the help of Alexis, Michelle’s daughter, and their dogs. He tied the engagement ring to their dog Mia’s collar and then popped the question to which she obviously replied “Yes!”

I had never met Chris before but had grown up with Michelle so when I saw on Facebook that they had gotten engaged I was so excited and secretly hoping that they would ask me to photograph their day! My first time seeing Michelle and Chris together was at their engagement session and I could tell how much they loved each other from the moment we started shooting. Their smiles never left their faces, and although they were a bit unsure what to do when the engagement session started, they did an amazing job! I loved working with them so much that I asked them to model for me again for a session in January. That day ended up being one of the coldest days of the year but Chris and Michelle braved it out and I am so thankful they did, the images turned out great!

After our last session being so cold, I was looking forward to working with both of them on a warm day. The weather leading up to their wedding was beautiful but as Saturday approached the weather predictions kept getting worse. They were predicting rain and a drop in the temperature which made me so worried that I went out and purchased 12 umbrellas just in case we did have rain. Luckily the rain stopped as I arrived at the hotel and we ended up not needing the umbrellas! The day was COLD, and the girls froze, but we were able to go outside for pictures.

Chris and Michelle’s day turned out to be a nice day and they were surrounded by lots of friends and family. For portraits we were only able to stay on concrete because of how wet the grass was but we made it work. I wish Michelle and Chris the best of luck and that they enjoy their happily ever after. Congratulations Chris and Michelle (and Alexis)!

I don’t cry for a lot of things, but this mother-daughter dance got me! The hug they shared the whole time was so special!