“…true love is never blind, but rather brings an added light.” —Phoebe Cary, American poet
I don’t do a ton of stylized shoots these days [having a kiddo makes it hard to get all the planning and preparing ready for a shoot like this]. BUT, I’m so glad to be the photographer for this awesome shoot at The Speak Easy! [Also though, Kaitlin from It’s KEE Events was a huge help in pulling everything together and making it happen: planner win, hire her guys, she’s totally rad].
Have you guys been to The Speak Easy in midtown [aka: So-Bro]? It’s delightful. My husband has been a member since we’ve moved back to Indy 4 years ago [it’s a co-working space when they aren’t hosting events]. If we were to be getting married this year, it would 100% be on my list of venues. It’s industrial, but cool, and laid back, and SO MANY OPTIONS for creativity. I’ve been wanting to get into the space to shoot for years now!
I was chatting with Jess [the Venue Manager at The Speak Easy] a few months ago, and we started dreaming up a shoot to show off all the awesome things the space provides, and the really cool portrait opportunities around the area [hello awesome blue/green wall!!! You’re my favorite!]
And then one thing led to another, and our small little shoot suddenly became a bigger shoot, and then a little bigger of a shoot. BUT GUYS, there were so many amazing talented vendors involved, and our three couples were also SUPER [more on that with each blog].
So to start off with, meet Lyndsey and John! I met them at a wedding I attended last year [actually, it was my second shooter, Ashley Hayhursts wedding!] John married Ashley and Matt, and him and Lyndsey’s entire style was just LOVELY [that night they looked dashing, and then connecting through instagram, I was pretty much sold that they NEEDED to step in front of my camera some day]. And when we were thinking of models and the kind of look that would totally rock in the Speak Easy space, I was like, “Lets ask them!”
Link to all the vendors below! Lyndsey and John, thanks for coming out and modeling for us! You two are wonderful humans, and I completely enjoyed being inspired by your looks for this shoot.
Cheers!
~Maike
PS: I’ll follow this up with two other couples who we also photographed that day. Stay tuned!
*Guys, if you are looking for a one-on-one experience in a cozy beautiful boutique to find THE dress to walk down the aisle on your wedding day, DEFINITELY check out LUXEredux Bridal Boutique. Tell Lexie I sent you! She’s SO good at her job.
*This duo are a hair and make up DREAM TEAM for wedding stress. Maddie & Kendra with Hello Gorgeous did such a beautiful job on Lyndsey’s hair and make up! And their vibe from the moment they walked in was so warm! LOVED having them in the space to get our models ready!
*That awesome bowtie and suspenders? Dapper Gent!!!! I loved Colleen’s stuff so much that I found her at Indy’s Yelp Bazar in December to buy a Christmas bowtie for my kiddo.
*This wall, is SOOOO iconic SoBro. Obviously if you get married at The Speak Easy, you need to have portraits taken in front of this building [I was once admiring it/taking phone photos in front of it with a friend, and a lady from across the street started chatting with us about it; turns out she painted it and another (in purples and pinks just south on the Monon)].
*Sweet calligraphy on an awesome old window done by Lydia [To Be Written Shop ]. If I could, I’d probably hire her to write all my thank you notes ;).
*This couch. When I saw it on our list from Violet Vintage, I was like “ooh, yay!” But when it was delivered, pretty much everyone was drooling with how awesome it looks and how perfect it went with the entire dreamed up theme for this shoot. Also, Chrissy, made that floral H for the shoot [Special Occasion Designs by Chrissy]. I LOVE it.
*Lisa with Where Pigs Fly and Such posted in a wedding vendor group about all these awesome old windows, and a vision she had for hanging them and creating this awesome set up, and IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT! It was so fun to incorporate into the shoot.
*gold flatware? YES PLEASE! We can thank Violet Vintage for those beauties!
*The Speak Easy has a lofted area, so you can get really sweet images from above [like the one to the left above]. Can you imagine the awesome first dance photos that could happen from this view?
*Pretty dining table florals are from Where Pigs Fly and Such. I love how PERFECTLY they go with the entire table layout.
*Special Occasion Designs by Chrissy also came up with this sweet floral for the grooms jacket, and NO PINNING NEEDED! You just tuck it into his pocket [also, no pocket square needed!] It is AMAZING, and looks sooo cool.
Venue : The Speak Easy [Jessica]
Wedding Day Planner : It’s KEE Events [Kaitlin]
Bride/Groom Model : Lyndsey and John Helling
Hair/Make Up : Hello Gorgeous [Maddie & Kendra]
Wedding Dress : LUXEredux Bridal Boutique [Lexie]
Dining Table, Chairs, Place Setting Rental and Couch : Violet Vintage [Megan]
Catering : Nameless Catering [Hannah]
Invitation Suite : Noteworthy Expressions [Eileen]
Flower Ring/Floral H : Special Occasion Designs by Chrissy
Suspenders/Bow Tie/Bridal Clutch : Dapper Gent [Colleen]
Floral Hair Piece : Couture Keepsakes [Karen]
Hanging Windows/Greenery/Dining Table Florals : Where Pigs Fly and Such [Lisa]
Vintage Wedding Ring : Katie Carder Fine Jewelry
Calligrapher : To Be Written Shop [Lydia]
5 Tips for Hiring Your Wedding Photographer
Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.” — Aristotle
There are SO many different stages to planning a WEDDING: excitement, starting to dream up ideas, narrowing down the guest list, setting a date, finalizing the budget and THEN the point where you start to hire your wedding vendors! First check is written and it all starts to become real.
Most of us haven’t studied much event planning and have minimal first hand experience hiring these type of event vendors. I’m here to help you! In case you’re new here, my name is Maike [like: Mike-uh], I’ve been a professional photographer since 2006 and started my wedding and portrait photography business in 2010 [M.Rinaye Photography].
Before you start writing checks, I have FIVE tips to hiring a photographer so that beyond the wedding day, you will have beautiful heirloom photos to remember the promises and fun for years and years to come.
ONE | Meet in Person
Try your best to meet up in person. Sometimes logistically you can’t make this happen, but Skype or Facetime are good substitutes, and a phone call is a good runner up option.As a photographer, my job is to shadow you ALL day.I’m the only vendor by your side from the moment you sit in the makeup chair until your magical sparkler exit.It’s SUPER important that our personalities mesh.Obviously beautiful photos are important, but surrounding yourself with people you like and are comfortable with will be invaluable in creating the ideal atmosphere on your wedding day.
TWO | Ask about Cameras
Ask how many cameras your photographer will bring.It might seem like a weird thing, but as digital photographers, we’re basically carrying around tiny computers, and we all know that even the best computers CAN run into problems, get glitches, or stop working randomly.You want to make sure your photographer has a back up camera in case that happens.I photograph with two cameras strapped to me [because I don’t like changing lens while shooting], so if one isn’t working properly I can grab the other and not miss any special moments.If they both have issues, I have a third camera in my bag I can pull out in an emergency.
THREE | How Many Photographers
We were just talking about computer glitches, but just as important is having a second photographer, for some of the same reasons and some different ones.Many professional photographers can shoot a wedding solo [I’ve done it!] BUT, there are perks of having two photographers. You can get photographs of two things happening at the same time; such as you and your dad hanging out before you walk down the aisle to your love, AND your love waiting anxiously to see you walk down the aisle in all your wedded glory.A second photographer will also provide more candid angles, such as the main photographer will have you looking at him/her for traditional poses, while the second photographer will be watching for the side photographing you laughing with your bridesmaids in between formal shots, or a cute photo of the flower girl being adorable to the side of the bridal party shot.And lastly, as we talked about in the point before, it’s a security measure.The first kiss often lasts 2 short seconds.With two photographers on it, it’s less likely to be missed.
FOUR | Full Gallery
You’ve probably looked over their entire website and read through the last 50 blog entries, so you have a feel for who they are and how they shoot, but you don’t know what you don’t know!If your photographer is like me, LOVES the portrait side of things, and really flourishes in their art during that portion of the day, they might have an unbalanced amount of these images on their website/social media [I am guilty of this, I’m sure].When you ask to see a full gallery or album of wedding day images you’ll be able to see every part of the day and how they approach it.A photographer could be amazing at candids while you get ready but not be strong in a dark reception venue.You want to make sure you know what to expect when you get your images back after your wedding.
FIVE | Engagement Session
I know there’s a budget involved and sometimes there’s a time crunch or you don’t NEED engagement photos, but ABSOLUTELY make time for an engagement session with your wedding photographer.I include complimentary engagement sessions in each package because I think they are SO important to making your wedding day go smoothly.Engagement sessions give you a trial run with your photographer, AND, when you see the images before your wedding, you have a chance to see poses you LOVE [and can request for your wedding day portrait time], or maybe you notice a weird thing you do with your hands or face that you want to make sure NOT to do on your wedding day.Additionally, this gives the photographer a chance to really get to know you, see how you and your partner interact, and which poses fit you best.You get trial runs for your hair and makeup, so you should absolutely get a trial run for photography as well.
CHEERS!
And that’s it! Five tips for hiring your wedding photographer! I hope you were able to find useful information for your wedding day planning and for starting your search for your wedding photographer! If you love the photography shown here in this blog, and think we’d be a good match, I’d love to grab drinks and chat more with you! [e-mail me at ohsnap at mrinaye dot com].
Happy wedding planning, and best of luck!
~Maike
PS: Find more M.Rinaye Wedding Photos to wander through HERE: http://www.mrinaye.com
Kelly and Dan! Indianapolis, Indiana Secret Wedding
“I wanna tell the world we finally got it all right” – Sara Bareilles
I’m part of a few different Indianapolis based photography groups, and when someone was like, “My friends having a surprise wedding!” I was all “PICK ME! PICK ME!!!!” And guys, after e-mailing back and forth a few times and chatting on the phone about her and Dan’s big day, she DID pick me! [YAY!!!! Surprises are one of my favorite things in LIFE].
As a fellow October bride, I can attest to the fact that Indianapolis October weddings are a totally crap-shoot as far as weather is concerned [my wedding I was prepared to wear cute boots and sweaters during the weekend festivities (minus the actual day when I wore that whole big beautiful white dress ;)], but ended up sweating a lot and wishing I had on a light dress instead. So Dan and Kelly’s October 27th wedding was a toss up. Would it be warm? Would it be cold? Would the colors have changed yet? Would we still have green everything? All things considered, this was a DREAM wedding. It might have been just a bit chilly, but there was no rain [or snow!], the colors were magnificent, and the day was just SO beautiful.
When Kelly said they had only been engaged for like, 2 minutes, and were going to throw this surprise wedding, I conjured up in my brain that it might be more of a backyard barbecue type wedding [which I also love, don’t get me wrong], but then I showed up and they had legit put in the time and energy for a full blown beautiful wedding. I loved the small details they incorporated, and her color pallet fit the fall outdoor colors MAGNIFICENTLY.
So guys, just ya know… letting you know, if you’re thinking of a surprise wedding, hit me up!
Kelly and Dan, you guys were awesome! Kelly, you were a trouper in the chilly weather, especially when I kicked you both out onto the lake so we could take some beautiful row boat imags. I’m so excited to share these with you, and so proud of the beautiful images we created together!
Cheers!
~Maike
ps: Also, your new big beautiful family is great, and I’ll be around next year if you’re looking for some more family photos to hang on your walls ;).
Hair : G. Michael Salon – Amilee
Make Up : Bride
Flowers : Bride [with flowers from Blooms By the Box]
Ceremony/Reception Venue : Brewski Lake
Music : Rented DJ equipment from Markey’s Audio
Cake : Taylor’s Bakery
Catering : Foxgardin
Dress : Maggie Sottero – McKenzie
Brides Shoes : DSW
Bridesmaids Dresses : Saved By The Dress
MUSIC:
bride & groom first dance : You Make it Easy, Jason Aldean
BRIDE & GROOM Q&A:
Most memorable moment?
K : When Dan picked me up out of the rowboat, then seeing the beautiful setting and all my favorite people.
D : The vows Kelly prepared for me.
Advice for future brides/grooms?
K : Only get married if you have zero doubt that you’re making the right decision because there is someone out there who is your perfect match, and you will know it with 100% certainty.
D : Marry your second wife first.
Funniest memory?
K : The hilarious after-party hayride.
D : Our officiant kept things light and funny.
If you could do it all over would you change anything?
K : I wouldn’t change a thing. It was perfect.
D : Maybe make it a little warmer, but it was perfect otherwise .
Honeymoon?
Leaving in two weeks for the British Virgin Islands.
Any others vendors you want to give a shout out to?
Foxgardin – The food was amazing, and the staff went above and beyond! Taylor’s Bakery – Wonderful cake and cupcakes, and for a great bargain too! Many people ate more than one! Markey’s Audio – Super easy to work with, and Justin walked me through the entire setup before I left with it, and I was able to set it up all by myself! M.Rinaye Photography – You were amazing! You were the first person to make me feel relaxed that day. So easy to work with.
Sarah and Bobby! Indianapolis, Indiana Wedding
“We’re all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness—and call it love—true love.” -Robert Fulghum
And they’re UP!
Welcome to the blog again Sarah and Bobby! [They had their engagement session last fall-ish, where we might have froze just a bit…. their wedding photographs outside for their labor day weekend wedding however, we did NOT freeze #allthesweat.
I’m so excited to share these wedding photos with you! The day was filled with beautiful moments. We had an impromptu first look with Sarah’s dad, that had everyone sniffling with how much emotion was in the air, then the couples first look on a beautiful bridge in their neighborhood [side note: if you don’t have a spot that’s important to you to incorporate into your first look, it’s totally cool. We’ll find a perfect spot. In this case, I love the fact that they can go and walk over this bridge and remember their first look as often as they want].
Their vows were AWESOME, and I loved that the pastor brought up a story about when Sarah and Bobby were first dating, Sarah [an actuary/numbers girl], said something along the lines of, “There’s a high probability that this guy is THE guy”.
Sarah and Bobby, you guys love each other so well. I’m so glad we’re friends, and that I was invited to be part of your wedding day and taking this beautiful photos of your promises to each other, and your partying with your friends.
Hope you enjoy all your ‘firsts’ as husband and wife!
Cheers!
~Maike
Hair : Evan Todd Salon
Make Up : Crystal Haffner, Beauty by Crystal
Flowers : P&D Flower Farm
Wedding Day Coordinators : Christine Kingery Events
Ceremony : Common Ground Christian Church
Reception Venue : Indianapolis ArtsGarden
Music : Jared Wade Entertainment
Cake : Ritz Charles
Catering : Ritz Charles
Dress : Morilee from Bridal Superstore
Brides Shoes : Toms :)
Bridesmaids Dresses : Azazie
MUSIC:
bride & groom first dance : Perfect, Ed Sheeran
father & daughter dance : I Loved Her First, Heartland
mother & son dance : You’ll Be in My Heart, Phil Collins
BRIDE & GROOM Q&A:
Most memorable moment?
S: The moments I spent with my dad were most memorable. Our relationship is fine, but we aren’t close (especially like my mom and me). From the impromptu first look Maike arranged for my dad and me, to him walking me down the aisle, to him giving a welcoming speech, to our father-daughter dance, and as we danced to “Sweet Caroline” together, I will forever cherish our moments together that day.
B: 1) Discovering Sarah got the inside of my ring engraved without me knowing saying, “My Love, My Teammate, My Superman”. 2) going through the Taco Bell drive through with Sarah on our way home still wearing our fancy clothes and having the employee question why we were getting Taco Bell if we just got married.
Advice for future brides/grooms?
S: Take a deep breath, you’re doing great, everything is going to be fine (something my matron of honor told me a bunch leading up to our wedding day and even leading up to walking down the aisle).
B: Make sure wedding duties are shared so no one person gets too stressed.
Funniest memory?
S: I’ve been struggling with this one for days and still don’t have a great answer, so here are a few small ones: Watching Mr Whiskers interact with everyone getting ready at the house, Watching the bromance between Bobby and his best man (who I had never met until the day before), When Sweet Caroline played, everyone on my dad’s side of the family circled up around him and started chanting, “Ed, Ed, Ed” because he did some animated dancing to it at a wedding two weeks before, Seeing all the guys go leaping for the garter, When Bobby realized his ring was engraved, The Taco Bell story, Watching the flower boys and ring barer go down the aisle. Ok, the list is probably too long now…
B: Going through the Taco Bell drive through with Sarah on our way home still wearing our fancy clothes and having the employee question why we were getting Taco Bell if we just got married.
If you could do it all over would you change anything?
S: Nope!
B: I would help Sarah out more with wedding planning.
Honeymoon?
We’re not taking one until December, which I totally stand by because we spent the majority of the few days we took off after the wedding sleeping! We will be headed to Isla Mujeres, though.
Any others vendors you want to give a shout out to?
Jared Wade!!! [guys, I agree, if you’re searching for a DJ, give Jared a call, he’s awesome].
Beth and Sam! Delaware, Ohio Wedding Photography
“Scars and struggles on the way, but with joy our hearts can say, “Never once did we ever walk alone.” – Matt Redman
When it comes to promising to love and cherish another human by becoming husband and wife, there are so many different ways to accomplish that. There’s elopement, there big-fat-greek-wedding type, there’s destination weddings, etc.
I super appreciate Sam and Beth took what was important to them, and stuck to it. While I had an inkling they might choose to elope, they knew there were too many important people they wanted to share this moment, and these promises with. BUT, that didn’t mean they had to do things the traditional way.
Beautiful moments of the day: how many people packed the church, Beth’s sparkly shoes [#imasuckerforsparkles], their beautiful alter covered with framed images of their families and friends [they asked them to bring them before the ceremony], the cookie bar [so many COOKIES!… also brought by family and friends], the little girl who drew a pictures of Beth in her dress, the general chill vibe of hanging out after they said their I DO’s.
This wedding was unlike any I’ve photographed so far. I loved how it was built around Sam and Beth and their community. They created a mold just for them instead of fitting into a mold of what’s expected.
Beth, I’m so glad we’re friends. Sam, you’re super fun, I’m excited you’re now part of our friend-family. I hope these images of your day and your community bring you joy every time you look at them.
Cheers friends!
~Maike
*below, with some of my favorite girls on the planet [incase you didn’t know it, I’m the second from the right :)].
Hair : Quinn Armstrong
Make Up : Wezlynn at The Beauty Lab
Flowers : Bride’s Aunt Susan Kellner
Ceremony : Zion United Church of Christ
Reception Venue : Willow Brook at Delaware Run
Dessert : Cookie table by Aunt Peg and filled with goodies made by friends!
Dress : SGE Bridal
BRIDE & GROOM Q&A:
Most memorable moment?
B : Meeting groom at the front since we walked in at the same time down separate aisles and seeing all the people who showed up.
S : Seeing bride for the first time.
Advice for future brides/grooms?
B : Ask for help. People love to be involved.
S : Don’t stress. Only one thing has to go right!
If you could do it all over would you change anything?
B : Nope.
S : Nope.
Honeymoon?
Surfside Beach, SC (just south of Myrtle Beach) It was perfect. After the season so not at all busy but still warm enough to swim.
Any others vendors you want to give a shout out to?
Note: Enjoyed engagement photos more than expected. Appreciated Maike’s intentional confidence. Maike is funny and made us feel at ease. <- You guys… I love you. #wordsofaffirmationgirl
“Let her tell stories and dance in the rain, somersault, tumble and run, her joys must be high as her sorrows are deep, let her grow like a weed in the sun.” – Blueberry Girl
Hey friends!
Fall is here [ish]…. [hopefully]… [but you never know]. Luckily, Joan, Dill, Evelyn and I were able to grab a piece of that sweet cool weather and the warm fall colors for their Fountain Square Family Photo Shoot. And guys, let me tell you how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE how they all turned out. There’s like 800 amazing ones from hanging out for less than two hours. Picking which ones go on the wall is going to be terribly difficult [ha!]
We know each other because of mutual friends, and really just on facebook, so our first interaction when we met up went like this:
Me: Hi! Yay, you’re here!
Joan: Hey!
….
Joan: So, how do you say your name?
Me: Ha! It’s Mike-uh, it’s German. Also, what name should I call you?
Joan: Our derby names are fine, Joan and Dill.
Joan and Dill are one of those people that I’m pretty sure are more well known for their derby names than their given names. I think that might be a small indication of their awesomeness.
They own Strange Brew down on the south side of Indy, and have a collection of really awesome talents and things they’re involved in [Derby, knitting, bands, books, etc]. Joan is an author of some sweet geek knitting books [if you knit/want to knit, you should probably put them on your Christmas list ;)]. Dill is an international announcer for derby, so if you’re into the derby scene, you might have heard him announcing [ooh, which reminds me of when we went back in 2008, Valentines day, at the State Fair, and they auctioned off derby girl busts, created by artists, in order to raise money for breast cancer (I think), I wonder if he announced that derby event! Ooh, I wonder if Joan was skating then!]
Joan and Dill are awesome humans, no doubt about it, but then there’s Evelyn Winter! And she is SOOOO cool. And sweet. And squishy. And full of happiness. She was a rockstar at this photoshoot, and is so wonderfully loved by her momma and daddy. Since Joan and I are Facebook friends, I’ve been following along with their Evelyn story [Evelyn is only 6 months younger than Z]. Their story is awesome, and science is so cool, and generous friends are amazing. All I’m saying is you should check out Joan’s blog. I love reading it, you too should read it.
So yes, welcome to the blog Joan, Dill and Evelyn!
Cheers!
~Maike
ps: In finding all the links for this blog, I once again came across this video of their gender reveal… so cool.
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
