Abby Rose Photo

Tamara + Steve | winter engagement session!

admin — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:54:35 +0000

It’s been FOREVER since I blogged an engagement shoot. This is the perfect one to get back into the swing of things Steve and Tamara are an absolutely adorable couple (and pretty kickass photographers themselves!). I was so honored when they chose me to shoot them. Most of my couples are opting to wait for the warmer months to do their engagement photos, but Tamara had her heart set on a winter shoot. I must say, I’m pretty thrilled with these. As long as you bundle up a bit (long underwear is KEY) shooting in the wintertime is FUN! The stark landscape is actually pretty beautiful, and the light has a soft, ethereal quality to it that is totally divine. Enjoy!

their adorable pups joined us for a bit in the beginning

seriously – the way these two look at each other!! I MELT!

thanks guys! we are SO EXCITED for the wedding – our first of 2012!!

Maddie’s Masquerade | Michigan Bat Mitzvah Photography

admin — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:22:54 +0000

Another fab bat mitzvah to share! I seriously have the BEST time shooting these

A few portraits at Shaarey Zedek

and onto the party! This was such a darling one – the theme was “Maddie’s Masquerade”

LOVE HER DRESS!!

I love how they incorporated images from our lifestyle shoot into the event decor. I took these dramatic, black-and-white portraits of Maddie in the studio and graphic genius Barb Mandell created these pieces.

BEST BAT MITZVAH SHOES EVER!!

fun masks for the guests to play around with

Maddie has SO MANY FRIENDS – it was tough keeping up with her all night

super-cool dance routine preformed with StarTrax MC Dennis

yummy dessert table

the hora!

it’s not just the kiddos having a blast!

I loved this little father-son moment

dancing the night away….

Thank you Maddie and fam! We had an absolute blast!

synagogue: Congregation Shaarey Zedek / party: Franklin Hills / event design and planning: Leslie Jacobs / DJ and MCs: Star Trax / day-of-coordination: Party Assurance

Phoebe + Bryan | Kentucky wedding!

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 21:42:07 +0000

my goodness, my lil’ old blog has been neglected lately – which is a shame, really – because I am sitting on some absolutely INCREDIBLE events to post. Here is the first of many! We traveled to Kentucky last year to photograph Phoebe and Bryan’s wedding – this was hands-down one of the most artfully styled weddings I’ve ever seen. Every last detail was so thoughtful and beautiful.

The weekend began with a festive rehearsal dinner at Woodford Reserve distillery.

the blessing

and now onto the main event! the wedding day celebration, which was held at the historic Shaker Village just outside of Lexington.

not one, but TWO amazing dresses. A Vera Wang for the ceremony, and a Monique Lhuillier for the evening

the most beautiful fall day you could ever hope for….

a set of candlesticks with the lyrics to ‘my old kentucky home’ for every guest!

crazy amazing bouquet (by Bel-Air Florists)

adorable kiddos

beautiful ceremony site

after the ceremony guests enjoyed lawn games and a killer bluegrass band

CAKE PINATA!!!

some really amazing musicians on hand to perform

and a bonfire (and s’mores!) to wind down the night….

AMAZING. Thanks Bryan, Phoebe and family for including us in your day!

VENDORS: venue: Shaker Village / florist: Bel-Air Florist / wedding planner: Marcie Hancock, A Thorough Fare / tent & decor: Skyline Tent Company / furniture: The Event Company / bluegrass band: Whistlin’ Rufus / reception band: First Impression

Emily’s Bat Mitzvah

admin — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:01:00 +0000

Such as lovely family and fun celebration! Here are just a few quick favorites from Emily’s Bat Mitzvah last month

synagogue:Shir Shalom/party:The Henry Hotel/DJ:StarTrax/DOC:Party Assurance/on-site activities:Entertainment by Design

Want to see more? As I was pulling images to blog, there were so many I loved, I decided to make it a featured gallery in my portfolio. Check it out here!

holiday pricing is here!

admin — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 22:51:34 +0000

Sooooo, after my inbox nearly collapsed under the weight of all the black friday/cyber monday spam, I just didn’t have the heart to send out a mass email – but, hopefully peeps will see this here and on facebook

It’s time for the annual holiday sale! hooray!

This year I’m offering 20% off all enlargements and canvas. You can order through me, or right online (if your gallery has expired, just shoot me an email and I’ll re-activate it).

Simply enter the code: ‘holiday’ at checkout to apply the discount.

Have fun! Photos make the BEST holiday gifts – and anything you order will ship straight to your door, beautifully giftwrapped

OH! And in case you hadn’t noticed, this here is a brand new blog! snazzy, no? make sure to update your RSS feeds so you don’t miss anything!

Annie + Brian | Ann Arbor wedding photography

abbyrose — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 19:04:21 +0000

I absolutely adore Annie and Brian, and LOVED shooting their stylish Ann Arbor wedding last month These two met training for a marathon, which I think is just the neatest thing – what better preparation for marriage, huh?!

So many great people worked on this event:

flowers: pot & box
desserts: sweet heather anne
DOC: twofoot creative
venues: Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Webers Inn
dress: Vera Wang
shoes: Kate Spade
musicians: Dan Rafferty Band
makeup: Marie Santana
hair: posh brides

her dress was incredible!! really unique and I LOVED the back

Brian looking sharp

A quick stop downtown for Ann Arbor photos

stopping traffic on State Street! These guys were fearless

And than if was off to the Botanical Gardens to get married. Loving these billy ball accents and their unique program that folded like a fortune teller

gorgeous bouquets and bouts

love me some relaxed family portraits

SUNFLOWERS!!

and onto the reception! some really, really great details. I loved the black-white-and yellow vibe. Chalkboard vases from B H L D N

UH-MAY-ZING dessert table from sweet heather anne (and yes it tasted as good as it looked!)

they had this really cute setup where guests could write them postcards. and I loved their signature drinks (champagne and lemonade cocktails) with these adorable straws

I really like seeing happy people at weddings

sooo…..when Annie first told me that her dad would be joining the band and singing for her first dance, I was kind of “hmmmm this could be interesting”. BUT dude was like a legit rocker! so cool. This was really one of the most special things I’ve seen at a wedding

THANK YOU Annie and Brian! We seriously had so much fun celebrating with you
xo

erin + neil | ann arbor wedding photography

abbyrose — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 20:28:51 +0000

I just adored these two and their beautiful Michigan League wedding

Erin rocked the most gorgeous Vera Wang dress!

and I loved how her shoes and earrings came together as a little hint of maize and blue

Erin and the girls all looked absolutely stunning – makeup by the fab Tammy Pore

flowers by pot and box – erin had lisa wrap her bouquet stem in a piece of lace from her grandmother’s dress – so sweet

Neil was so dashing in his uniform!!

ceremony in the ballroom. this is one of my favorite images that I’ve captured this year – I just adore all the emotion (i love it when the groom gets choked up!!)

i LOVED all the detailing on this dress. so organic and beautiful!

a sudden storm forced us indoors for the rest of the day….and I love how un-fazed they were. after all, they do say it’s good luck to have rain on your wedding day

some pretty reception details

they set up the cutest DIY photobooth with this fun beach backdrop and Polaroid cameras for the guests to use

the inimitable Mary Ann Ross kept the party rocking

congrats Neil and Erin!! We had a lovely time shooting your wedding

dorothy + jacob | ann arbor wedding photography

abbyrose — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 20:05:04 +0000

this was really a special wedding for me to photograph. Years ago I worked for Dorothy, when she was still operating the late, great Dorothy Gotlib Photography. I was her studio manager, and this was actually the last job I had before I launched my own business. I learned so much about the business of photography from Dorothy, and I’ll always be grateful to her for that She’s moved on to bigger and better things (med school!) and is now doing her residency at the U of M.

Before i share photos, a little more about Dorothy and Jacob. These two have the cutest story! They actually met as roommates (coincidentally, in the same house where these two met as neighbors!). There is some seriously good mojo at 716 North 4th

Wedding at the Ann Arbor City Club – lovely little spot!

bridesmaids all got these beautiful cafe au lait Dhalia wristbands (flowers by parsonage events)

invites and programs were designed by jocelyn gotlib and printed by VG kids.

our groom

dorothy looked stunning

each of dorothy and jacob’s sisters carried their own special bouquet – loved this!

a few moments from the ketubah signing

beautiful chuppah that goes back generations in Jacob’s family

Ann Arbor favorite Laith Al Saadi provided the music for both ceremony and reception

dorothy’s mom actually did this beautiful calligraphy for the place cards – pretty impressive!

loved, loved, loved these tablescapes – so simple, so beautiful.

lovely cake from Zingerman’s Bakehouse

first dance (they took lessons from Dorian Deaver to prepare!)

and the hora!

guests all went home with yummy Michigan cherry preserves

hope you guys had a fantastic day!! xoxo

Oh, and thanks to Alison from Viva La Diva who rocked it out as day-of-coordinator

Alyssa + Peter | Detroit Wedding Photography

abbyrose — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 18:32:09 +0000

loved this wedding! we’ve gotten to know the Simon family pretty well over the past couple of years. They are good friends with these guys, these guys, and these guys – plus, we shot older sister Kristen’s wedding last year! So Tommy and I were super-excited to get to work with them again!

This was an absolutely gorgeous, timeless Detroit wedding. Just beautiful!

I’m a little obsessed with her Monique Lhuillier dress – and I loved her pretty custom hanger (from etsy). If you want a stunning hanging dress shot, I think these are fab! (and of course a gorgeous window to hang it in helps, too!).

something blue (her sister used this same shoe charm at her wedding – I love these traditions!)

here comes the bride!

flowers by breath of spring

first look

ceremony at Blessed Sacrament – one of Detroit’s most beautiful churches

I love this whole series of moments – so much emotion. This is what it’s all about!

a quick stop at the Fox before heading to the DAC for their reception. (note that I totally almost got run over getting these images – but, I think it was worth it!!)

some lovely toasts

first dance

fireworks on the roof!

thanks guys for a truly wonderful day!

Rebecca & Taylor | Ann Arbor wedding photoraphy

abbyrose — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 23:09:07 +0000

I am sooooo behind on blogging (what else is new) – but I am determined to get caught up!

Super excited to share this gorgeous Ann Arbor wedding from last month. Rebecca and Taylor are just a beautiful couple and this wedding had such a classic style. At one point during the day, someone made a joke that they were like Will & Kate and I just had to laugh because it is so true! Plus Rebecca has an adorable younger sister who could totally be Pipa

Anyhow – check out some faves!

Getting ready at St Thomas. The wonderful Tammy Pore did a fab job with makeup!!

and the ceremony….St Thomas is really a lovely church to photograph in – lots of beautiful light!

love this moment

after the ceremony, we all hopped on a trolley to hit up some of rebecca and taylor’s favorite UofM/Ann Arbor landmarks for photos

first stop – the stadium

the steps of Angell Hall:

This was seriously the prettiest group of bridesmaids EVER!

the guys were alright looking, too

the law quad….

CHAMPAGNE!!! (this photo is definitely one of my new faves!)

A classic portrait at Nickels Arcade:

and than off to the Union for their reception!

Each of their tables was named after a different Ann Arbor landmark – so cool!

their first dance

DJ Mechial from the groovematist kept the dancefloor rocking!

thanks guys! Tommy and I loved being part of your wedding day