Meredith & Kalen! South Bend, Indiana Wedding Photography
“If you can’t run, you crawl. If you can’t crawl– you find someone to carry you.” – Joss Whedon
It’s very possible, that if I were getting married next month, I would make MANY of the same choices in wedding things that Meredith and Kalen made. But Ronald and I aren’t doing that again ;). So instead I’ll just stick to showing you photographs of their awesome day!
I love how they put their unique spin on each different aspect of the wedding and the reception, and if it didn’t fit them, it didn’t need to be included in their day. Good job you two! My favorite things about their wedding: the red flower that we got from a passerby on the walk to our portrait spot, Meredith’s love bracelet, New Day Meadery bottles/drinks (remember their engagement session? New Day is where they got engaged), Meredith Tattoo’s [duh], barrette from Meredith’s Grandmother (her beautiful mother sewed her veil into it), the amazing passionate prayer at the beginning of the service, and Kalen’s awesome blue suit.
Additionally, their bridal party was really great. Their church is located just south of downtown South Bend, and while it maybe was a bit of a walk, I’m so glad that we squeezed in some amazing portraits around that location! They are some of my FAVORITES! Seriously love them.
And love you guys!
~Maike
ps: Special thanks to Stephanie Kime for second shooting two in a row with me!
*obviously the two on the left might be just a bit better at looking crazy than the two on the right ;)
*THIS guy! You guys, if you haven’t tried Pitt’s in Mishawaka, you MUST. I don’t even really like bbq, but their food was SO AMAZING. Seriously, go here! The mac’n’cheese was AMAZING.
Hair : Amazing Matron of Honor, Kim
Make Up : Absolutely amazing Matron of Honor, Kim
Florist : Lemler in the South Bend Farmers Market [Dayla was so easy to work with!]
Ceremony : Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church, South Bend [bride and groom’s home church]
Reception Venue : The Brick, South Bend
Sound/Lights : The Simple DJ [Tony, bride and groom’s friend and great DJ]
Cake/Cookies : Mini Delights Cupcake Shop in Elkhart [Ashley. Gosh the cupcakes were YUMMY!!!]
Catering : Pitts BBQ, Mishawaka [Robert made the food memorable]
Dress : Nancy’s Bridal, Indianapolis [Watters]
Shoes : INC International
Bridesmaid Dresses : Nine West at Macy’s & Eliza J at Nordstrom
MUSIC:
bride & groom first dance : Make it to Me, Sam Smith
father/daughter dance : Just Breathe, Pearl Jam
mother/son dance : Forever, Audra Mae
BRIDE & GROOM Q&A:
Most memorable moment?
M: Getting to see how handsome Kalen looked in his snazzy suit. It was nice to get to see just him during such a chaotic day.
K: Seeing Meredith walking down the aisle and seeing the huge smile on her face.
Advice for future brides/grooms?
M: Focus on the one you married. Love every aspect and decision you made!
K: Take the timeline as a rough estimate. The timeline won’t happen, no matter how hard you try.
Funniest memory?
M: Trying to release rows and thank everyone for coming after the service. Kalen kept getting on me for not rotating the aisles and I was too excited to pay attention. He’s good at keeping me in line and grounded.
K: During the wine box ceremony, Meredith wouldn’t let me help her up the stairs and said “I got this” and Pastor Taylor jokingly asking if I was sure I wanted to marry her. Meredith is clumsy…
If you could do it all over would you change anything?
M: The day was perfect. I would not change a single vendor. But I would only change the size of the reception. We had no time to enjoy ourselves and talk to loved ones.
K: Keep family close and try to work out any past baggage. A marriage is about joining of family, not loss of family.
Honeymoon?
We went to Old Mission Peninsula, MI. We had a wonderful time! Old Mission has wonderful wineries for way less than Napa Valley, CA or Sonoma, WA. The views were gorgeous and the wine tastings were fun and delicious! It was a nice and adventurous way to end such a busy week.
Lastly, are there any other vendors that you LOVED and want to give a special shout out to?
I know this is our photographers blog but…I have to give the biggest shout out of the wedding to our photographer! She was beyond amazing. She was patient, sweet, SO accommodating! She was up for anything (even driving to Indy for photos :) She radiated love for what she was doing the entire time. When she showed up for the wedding day, I felt as though a friend had shown up to take photos! That alone made the day easier and more enjoyable I could not be happier to know such an amazing person and photographer!
I also have to say that we were incredibly blessed to have the vendors we had. They all did their part and were a kind of wonderful we didn’t expect.
What a beautifully fun wedding! I love how they made their day so them!
I am obsessed with the red wall with the blue and white advert! I would blow that up in a giant metal wall hanging! Love this wedding. The couple has so many cool little details of the day….love their style. You two photographed this beautifully!
Um, hello. These are perfect. I adore all the detail and getting ready shots. So so dramatic and gorgeous! And the bride and groom portraits, just beautiful. Beautiful work!
These are so, so beautiful! LOVE the colors of this wedding! Those first shots of her inside with the getting ready shots – oh my. Stunning.
Her dress is to-die-for and all the colors!!! Love!!!
What an awesome wedding! I love all the details and the venue was so unique! I love gold rings too so naturally I’m obsessed with her ring. Awesome location for bridal party photos too!! You did an amazing job capturing so many wonderful moments for this couple!!
Oh my goodness, her dress is so so fun and BEAUTIFUL! You did a fabulous job! Seriously, with the laying down image?!! NAILED IT!
They are a hot couple! I love her tattoos. New Day Meadery is down by me! Great job on the photos!
gorgeous wedding!!! LOVE the laying down one!! the details of this wedding are incredible!
Love all the details!! This couple is gorgeous! Such happiness and love in every image! Awesome job!!
What a fun couple and what a perfect day!! Love all of the details and the fun city vibe through the portraits!!