Sam and Beth! Columbus, Ohio Engagement Session
“Be strong, be fearless, be beautiful. And believe that anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you.” -Misty Copeland
Sooo, it’s been a minute, but guys, GET READY!!!! July was slow-ish, August was pretty dead [I read a lot of books and started dreaming of new businesses if I’m being honest with you (ha!)], and then towards the end of August, life was like *BAM*… and I feel like I’ve been non-stop since. Which is delightful.
Part of the crazy, was driving over to Columbus, Ohio to photograph these two beautiful humans!
I’ve known Beth since my college days, and she has been a huge M.Rinaye fan before there even WAS an M.Rinaye. She and her BFF Jill were the first to hire me to photograph a friends high school senior photos [hey Karissa!], and then both were in the first wedding I photographed solo [Jill = bride, Beth = bridesmaid]. In college we even did a session with just the two of them [I am totally going to find them and put it in my Insta-story].
The first interaction I had with Sam was when we were planning that surprise trip for Jill, and we were asking people if they wanted to help out and give some $. Sam was like, “I have credit card points!” And because you don’t get things if you don’t ask, I inquired about how he felt if we were to use them towards a convertible, to which he replied, “Convertible it is. Enjoy….”
Soooo, when Sam and Beth started dating, I was like, YES! [you can go ahead and picture me doing fist bumps in the air].
Beth, you’re an awesome human being, and I’m so glad you found Sam, another wonderful human. I love that we’re friends and I get to be a part of your life, AND your wedding day. I’m so excited for your future as husband and wife.
Can’t wait to photograph you again in October!
~Maike
“Life is too short to not have oysters and champagne sometimes.” -Christie Brinkley
So months and months ago, I got a message from Kelsey via Instagram [oh, you don’t follow me yet? You can find me HERE ;)]. As an Atlanta girl living in Indy, she was dreaming up a snowy engagement photography session… but here in Indy, that can be sort of tricky. The one day we could have done it, there was like, SO MUCH SNOW, and to top it off, the temperature was in the single digits, so it was a no-go.
BUT, then Kelsey, being a fellow creative, started dreaming up a summer shoot instead. And while it did rain off and on the day of the shoot, and during our session, the images turned out AMAZING!!! So, if you have photos scheduled, and the weather calls for rain, don’t fret! I mean, don’t get me wrong, if it was pouring buckets, we would have needed to reschedule, but because of the rain, we were able to get this beautiful image of the rainbow above, and some puddle images! Both images, you just don’t get at every shoot. There’s also a lot to be said about having a session that embraces the rain, and uses it to play and be candid…. so ya. Rain can suck, but it can also make your session rock.
And guys, Kelsey and Chris are my jam. Kelsey said something along the lines of being city people, and loving downtown, and I was just like, YES!!!! Let’s wander downtown! We started out in Fountain Square, because I’d stumbled upon a few different places I hadn’t photographed at yet, and then we ended up at Mass Ave. Because of the rain, the sun set pretty quick, which meant we also got a chance to play with some sweet night lighting.
Kelsey and Chris, I love your style and your vibe. It was so fun to hang out with you, and I’m super jealous of your Atlanta wedding photographers; shooting your wedding is going to be rad.
Cheers!
~Maike
“Nuggets > Flowers”
You guys, Angie and Matt are MARRIED!!!!! YAY!
You can see their awesome engagement session in downtown Indy HERE. But I know you’re really here for the wedding sneak peeks, so scroll on down!
If you read through the engagement session blog words, you know I’ve known Angela for like, the last decade. We worked together at a studio in town, and have kept in touch through the years as we both launched businesses and stepped into the world of women business owners. When we worked together, we probably saw both the best and worst of each other… the fun kidding sides, and also the stressed out/freaking out sides. So when we met up with her and her awesome bridesmaids at The Alexander Hotel, I was sort of shocked by how awesomely calm she was. When we came in, I was like, “How’s it all going, are we doing good?” and Angie answered something like, “We had a minor glitter situation, but it’s been handled”. And proceeded to tell me that she was shocked she was so chill too, BUT, and I quote, “I hired professionals to take care of all the important things, I don’t have much to be worried about”.
Ladies and gentlemen. Words of advice.
And guys, there were some parts that were traditional, but a lot that weren’t, and it was so freakin perfect for these two. Honestly. Perfect.
Everyone got ready at The Alexander Hotel [which is SO cool to get ready in. If you’re looking for a rad place to get ready, have awesome inside images, etc, you MUST check them out]. They also had rooms that were like, just a few doors down from each other, and while this might be a bit risky [seeing each other accidentally, and whatnot], it was pretty awesome for us, because we didn’t have to spend a ton of time traveling between the ladies and the gents.
SOOOO, ladies got ready, and all sparkley, dudes got dressed and all dapper looking, then we did a first look in an awesome hallway in The Alexander, and proceeded to take AMAZING images throughout the hotel.
Their ceremony was SO beautiful. When we met up initially, Angie told me the ceremony was the most important part. At that point they didn’t have much worked out, but they had their pastor locked in to marry them, and the church booked for their date. I love that. And the words and promises spoke during their ceremony totally reflected how much it meant to them to be married.
Favorite parts of this wedding: Angela’s dress [so stunning!], the conversation I had with Matt’s dad where he pretty much bragged on how much they love Angie, the fun but also laid back bridesmaids, the mini church reception that was followed by a night out at The Raskellar drinking beer and listening to live music outside in the beer garden.
Matt and Angie, you guys are so awesome. I’m glad we’re friends, and Ashley and I were honored to photograph your wedding day.
Cheers!
~Maike
Hair : Bride [Angie]
Make Up : Bride SeneGence [Angie]
Flowers : Bride [Angie]
Ceremony : Faith United Church of Christ
Reception Venue : Faith UCC & Rathskeller Biergarten
Music : Spotify
Catering : Circle City Catering
Dress : Von Maur
Bridesmaids Outfits : Skirts – Morning Lavender, Tops – Amazon
BRIDE & GROOM Q&A:
Most memorable moment?
A : At the end of the evening my brother, who works at the Alexander, took us to the rooftop balcony and lit a tiny little tea light candle and brought Matt and I two glasses of champagne. It was so amazing to sit and reflect on the day together! I was so overwhelmed with gratitude that I had a good little cry.
M : The first look. Seeing her in that dress and so happy made me realize that this is the best day of my life!
Advice for future brides/grooms?
A : Do you. It’s incredibly overwhelming and there are so many choices. Hire the right people to help you out, our photographer, our pastor, and our coordinator were all excellent at what they do. On the day of, I had full trust in them and so I didn’t have to worry.
M : Don’t over complicate things. This day is about you two, and the details are minuscule compared to the meaning behind why you are actually doing this….for each other.
Funniest memory?
A : When Matt tried to put his ring on my finger during the ceremony :)
M : The homily about chicken nuggets being more important than flowers.
If you could do it all over would you change anything?
A : Nope. It was perfect… I can’t imagine a better day.
M : Absolutely not.
Honeymoon?
We are headed to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic to an all inclusive resort!
Any others vendors you want to give a shout out to?
You, obviously :) [awe shucks, thanks!], Scott Simmons our Pastor at Faith UCC, Brittany Peak & Circle City Catering, The Alexander Hotel
“Love isn’t something you find. Love is something that finds you.” Loretta Young
Meet Diana and John! While they aren’t getting married in Indy [darn it!], they hired M.Rinaye to photograph their engagement session here! They’ve been here for a few years now, and last fourth of July they got engaged downtown at the war memorial building, [so obviously we had to work that awesome building into our shoot!] Since they’ll be moving out of town in the next couple months, they wanted to get some engagement photos to remember their time here, and this season of their life.
We started the session with their sweet kitty cat DJ! I’ve only ever photographed an engagement session including a cat one other time [remember Meredith and Jeremy’s engagement session?] And I don’t have a cat [just two dogs, a husband and a 1 year old], so this is sort of out of my wheelhouse. I kept trying to make noises for him to look at me/the camera, and jump around and talk to him… and guys. HA! Cat’s do not care one bit if you are acting like a fool. They only want to do what they want to do. So the first part of our session with DJ was largely up to him: where he wanted to go, which way he wanted to look, and if he was okay being picked up or not [what did seem to work, was lots of pets from his humans to keep him happy for a few moments of non-wandering].
After that we headed downtown to the canal, where we had THE BEST LIGHT EVER. Okay, maybe I’m being dramatic, but seriously, golden hour is awesome. The Indy canal is awesome. Being outside without snow or rain is awesome. And everyone else thought so too, because it was SO busy. But delightfully busy.
Diana and John, I loved hanging out with you for your Indianapolis engagement session! So glad I came up in your google searches :). Best of luck in your next endeavors and your wedding planning this next year!
Cheers!
~Maike
“My heart is like a singing bird.” -Christina Rossetti
You guys remember Roxanna and Brad’s maternity session? The one where it looked like we were all fine, but it was actually REALLY cold [Indiana springs; never know what you’ll get!]
ANYWAY, they’re back with a plus one! Meet Ruby!
How adorable is she?!? And pretty much brand spankin new. She was 3 and a half days old when we photographed her first photo session and she ROCKED it.
So here’s the deal with newborns and newborn photoshoots: you’re are pretty much just on their schedule. Sure, we can do some tricks here and there, warm everything up, swaddle tightly and shush the baby, but if they’re like, “Nope”, you gotta roll with it and adapt. But holy cow, Ruby was SO into her photoshoot [apparently when you’re up all night partying/nursing/checking out your new digs, you’re fine perfectly sleeping through your photos and acting all adorable].
Also debuting on the blog is Ricky! This bird is super cool guys. And I love that the pictures with him and Ruby sort of make him look huge [ha!]
Roxanna and Brad [now known as: “Mom” and “Dad”], were both born in July, and the birthstone of July is Ruby. Also, Rubies are the most mentioned precious stone in scripture [I had no idea! Also, the jewelry Roxanna is wearing are ruby’s. How perfect!]. Her middle name is Marie, Hebrew for “wished for child”. So her name means our “precious wished for child“.
**Also, side note; when we were confirming their address, Roxanna [who has a small thing for birds] made sure I knew I needed to come into the house through the garage because they have nests in the wreath on their front door, so it’s out of commission for the next couple of months while the tiny birds hatch, grow, and leave the nest. How sweet is that?!? And how perfectly timed for their new ones arrival too! It all just seems so fitting for there to be so much baby love happening in their home.
I’m so glad you guys found me! I love that I got to take photos of your first family portraits together, and Ruby’s very first photo session. You guys are awesome!
Cheers!
~Maike
“You don’t choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them.” -Desmond Tutu
So three littles under 3 is a little bit crazy [ha! All the momma’s with this situation are probably like, “preach!”] But guys, there is also so much beauty in the chaos. And Aishah and Sarosh are so perfectly embracing this time in their lives with their three small humans.
Introductions! The newest member of the family is Zoha, and the reason I was invited out to photograph this beautiful family, She was two weeks and one day old when we hung out, and was AMAZING. She might actually handle all the chaos even better than her parents. She was SOOO sweet! When I got there, she was hanging out in her carseat, and I maybe thought she could be a doll and not a real baby [I can’t even remember when Z was that small! I need to go look at his newborn pictures to fully remember his tiny-ness].
Next up is brother Humza [middle child] and sister Nyla [the oldest].
Favorite things about this shoot: the meanings behind everyones names that Sarosh schooled me on [Humza means tiger, but specifically the tiger when he’s pouncing on his prey], how sweet Nyla was to baby sister, that we got to involve grandma/grandpa [Dada, and Dadi <-did I get that right guys?], as well as Aishah’s sister and her baby, and that no one lost their cool when the toddlers were loosing theirs :).
Aishah, you’re rocking the momma gig. I’m so glad you found me to photograph you and your family! Hope adapting to a family of 5 continues to bring you more beautiful moments!
Cheers!
~Maike
Max, Stacey and Strawberries! [Almost] One Year Old Photography Session, Indianapolis Indiana
“Sometimes you’ve just got to grab an apple – or grapes, or strawberries. Something that’s healthy but maybe a little bit more adventurous, if you can see fruit as adventurous.” -LL Cool J
You might recognize this good looking duo from their family photography session a few weeks back. After that session, Stacey e-mailed me hoping we could do another session capturing Max doing all the things he started to love right after their initial session.
I came back to their house and we played with blocks, laughed in the curtains, and just did some awesome photos of exploring and playing. Stacey and I talked about how all of these moments go by so fast, but how they are all so beautiful. It’s one of my goals this next year to bring out my big camera more often with Zander, and just take some of the everyday photos of him doing his thing, and maybe set up some timer shots of both of us doing life things together as well.
When Stacey and I started e-mailing about this shoot, we also started dreaming up a couple fun things, which is why there are both balloons galore, and the amazing strawberry shots! For those of you not on the sugar train with a cake smash, this is an EXCELLENT alternative… or really just an excellent idea in general for any age [I have plans with Z for a watermelon shoot later this summer… stay tuned].
So guys, moral of the story, YES I totally want to photograph you, and double YES if you want to brainstorm a cool different shoot. I’m so glad we did Max and his favorite food on this awesome white background. I love like, ALL of them [there’s even one where he’s squeezing a somewhat mangled strawberry that sort of resembles a heart – ha! It’s great.]
Enjoy friends!
~Maike
