We're so excited you're here!

Thank you so much for stopping by. We are Samantha and Brian, the husband and wife photography team behind A Thousand Words Photography. We are based in Ann Arbor, Michigan but cover weddings near and far. In addition to weddings, Samantha also photographs amazing boudoir sessions, families and beautiful babies in a stylish and casual manner.

We are so excited to share our latest and greatest work with you here on this blog. In addition to posting amazing images, we will post studio news, new products and anything exciting going on in our lives.

Hopefully, you will visit often...and leave a comment, they really make our day!.

If you would like to see more of our work, you can view our extensive portfolio on our website. We would love to talk to you if you are interested in our work. We can be reached at 734.207.3781 or email us at sam@thefineartofweddings.com or brian@thefineartofweddings.com

Best,

Samantha + Brian

Dana and Scot are married!

Dana and Scot are one gorgeous couple!  We had been looking forward to photographing their wedding since we met first met them.  There are some people who just always look good in front of the camera and they are those type of people!  Not only are they easy on the eyes, but they are are such a genuinely sweet couple. 

Dana’s dress was exquisite! 

It is easy to see where Dana gets her good looks…..her mom, Julie, is so pretty.

Like so many of our couples this year, Dana and Scot chose to see eachother before the ceremony.  I love this photo of Dana wiping away the tears when she first saw Scot.  Many people think that when the bride and groom see eachother before the ceremony, emotion is lost….I dare you to look at these next 2 images and say that!

The positively stunning bride.

I LOVE this image……..definately my favorite portrait of the 2 of them!

Oooooh, but I really like this one, too!

 

Seriously…..how gorgeous is she?

Look at that smile!

Look at those eyes!  With Dana’s smile and Scot’s eyes, they are going to have beautiful babies :-)

The ladies looked fierce.  I love seeing past clients at weddings.  We photographed Nikki’s wedding earlier this year (third from the right).

Ok, so this is something that is usually pretty typical to see at the end of the night…..but this was before the ceremony!

I love this photo of Grandma watching as Dana and Scot signed their Ketubbah. 

After the ceremony, we snuck outside for a couple of sunset shots….look at how everything is bathed in such a warm, golden light.

The ballroom looked spectacular.  Dee Dee Hoffman (www.ddhpartydesign.com ), along with Breath of Spring, transformed the room with flowers, candles, chivari chairs, gorgeous linens and uplighing.

Think Dana was scared?

Dana and Scot, thank you for choosing us to photograph your wedding and be a part of such a wonderful wedding.  We had so much fun with you, your friends and your families….thanks, again :-)

So much to come!

We just returned home after photographing a destination wedding in Florida earlier this week and it is super late and we have a wedding tomorrow, but I wanted to put up a quick post to announce that there will be many many posts to come this week.  Currently, I am having an issue posting photos to the blog, but as soon as I get this straightened out, I will be posting like mad :-)

~Samantha

 

 

Vanessa & David are married!

We photographed Vanessa and David’s wedding way back in…..well, let’s just say it was HOT outside!

Vanessa and David met in New York, where they both currently live ( I LOVE New York….the city, not the reality show ;-)  Their wedding was an elegant affair that looked like it jumped from the pages of Grace Ormonde.  With their dark hair, gorgeous smiles and ridiculous good looks, it is easy to see why these 2 fell for eachother. 

Vanessa got dressed at the Kirk in the Hills, an amazing church where the ceremony took place.

Anyone who is a Sex and the City fan will see the resemblance that David has to “Big”.  Funny thing is that he has that same charisma….a little bit cocky (in a good way ;-) and a smile that probably gets him out of a lot of trouble!

Vanessa is drop-dead gorgeous!!!

These next 2 are my some of my favorite portraits ever:

Kirk in the Hills is a gorgeous church……..BUT, they do not allow photographers into the sanctuary during the ceremony, even for the procession.  We were able to capture a few in the “holding area”, but this is one of my faves that we got during the procession.

Now those are genuine smiles!

Loooooooove this one:

The reception was at Meadowbrook and the details were exquisite:

Since it was raining when we arrived at Meadowbrook, we weren’t able to get outdoor photos before the reception.  Later in the night, we convinced Vanessa and David to sneak away for a couple of minutes for a couple of portraits in the mansion…….I definately think it was worth it!

 

Vanessa and David, the only thing better looking than your venues was the two of you!  Thanks for being so incredibly good looking and making our jobs so easy ;-)  Now….go enjoy some Pinkberry for me!

Jenn & Brian are married!

We photographed Jenn and Brian’s wedding at Greenfield Village earlier this summer.  The day was absolutely perfect….gorgeous light, a beautiful sky, a picture perfect setting and a couple that is absolutely head over heels in love :-)

Jenn’s hair was sublime…..one of my favorite do’s ever.  So chic, so classic….perfect for Greenfield Village!

LLLOOOOOOOVVVVVEEEEE this image!  The flowers in her hair, the light…..the cleavage ;-)  Just such a feminine feel to it.

I am in love with the movement in this shot.

No flowers or romance needed for a classic image of the guys…..just add beer!

Brian and I went to high school together, but didn’t realize it until after they had booked us to shoot their wedding.  I should have known though….smart people come from Livonia Stevenson (Go Spartans! ;-)

The lovely Martha Mary Chapel

Sooooo sweet!  Brian got teary eyed when Jenn appeared at the top of the aisle.

But this is what the tears transformed into:

I love this picture…..it is something outside of time.

What an expression!

After the ceremony, it was time for a drive in an antique car to take photographs.

I love how the sun caught all of the particles in the air.

One of my favorites of the day!

This one too!

And this one!

How cool is this dance floor??

I love video lights!  We got to work with Matt (videographer) and Steve Miller (DJ) from Mike Staff Productions….they are such a great company.

Jenn & Brian we really had sooo much fun with you! (especially me, since I wasn’t chasing the car around the village ;-) 

Tiffany & Mark are married!

We made a trek to the Midland area earlier this summer to photograph Tiffany and Mark’s wedding.  The church that they chose to have their ceremony was absolutely stunning (St. Stanislaus Kosta Roman Catholic Church).  Churches like this are so rare and hard to come by, so shooting in a cathedral like this is a real treat. 

We also had the pleasure of working with one of our favorite videographers, Aaron from Captured Productions.  (www.capturedproductions.com ).  His work is amazing!  If any of our brides are looking for a videographer, please consider hiring Aaron (and his wife, Renee).  Also, I know many of our past brides still come back and read our blog;  Captured Productions offers Day in the Life videos which are videos of parents and kids just being themselves….they really capture the special relationships of parents and kids.  We are going to have one of these made with Jett.  When I watched the sample of the Day in the Life movie, I actually cried (always a great sign if images of strangers can evoke that kind of emotion!)

Back to Tiffany and Mark’s wedding and on to the images! 

The image reminds me of the jokes “How many _____ does it take to screw in a lightbulb”, only this can be titled “How many bridesmaids does it take to dress a bride?”

The dramatic decent down the aisle…4 different views:

1.

2.

3.

4.

A very happy moment :-)

Usually in a church like this little decorations are needed, but the flowers going up the aisle and on the altar really added to the drama and acted as a funnel to the focal point (the bride and groom :-)

Woo Hoo!  The new Mr and Mrs!

We stopped at a bar in downtown Bay City and got some of my favorite images of the day:

My absolute favorite of the day!!!!!

After the long stop (longer than planned due to a problem with the limo bus ;-), we went to Dow Gardens for photos of the wedding party and Tiffany and Mark.  Sometimes shooting in parks can be a bit boring, but luckily we found this cool door on the side of the utility building…..how did they know that the girls would be wearing green dresses? ;-)

Tiffany and Mark had their first dance as soon as they were introduced into their tent reception.  Gotta love all of the paper lanterns hanging throughout the tent…they added so much drama.

Mark’s sisters gave a heartfelt (and tear filled) speech….I love this iamge of them hugging right after their toast.

Tiffany and Mark, you had a gorgeous wedding and we thank you for choosing us to capture all of the moment that made your day so special.  Congratulations!

Luma & Kris are married!

Luma and Kris were high school sweethearts from my alma matter (Livonia Stevenson), so I knew they would be a super cool couple.  Luma looked amazing…..and Kris looked…..exactly like his brother (kidding, he looked pretty darn daper, himself)!

Between the downpours on their wedding day, we were able to get a ton of outdoor photos (let’s  hear it for brides who don’t freak out if the bottom of their dress gets a little wet!)  I can guarantee that with the way Luma looked, no one noticed a think ;-)

Luma looked absolutely incredible

My *favorite* picture of Luma…….isn’t she gorgeous??

Brian absolutely rocked the groomsmen photos at this wedding….so much that I MUST post 3 of the images.

Love the composition of this one.

This was stolen just after their exit from the ceremony :-)

These next 2 are 2 of my favorite portraits in quite awhile, they have such a modern feel …..I think I am going to frame them together.

I cannot stress enough how cool lighting can transform a ballroom and add interest and depth to photos….if you are on the fence about whether or not to use suplemental lighting at your reception, please do it!  You will not regret it.  If need be, cut back a little on the floral and apply the savings to lighting.

See, cool lighting (and a kick butt photographer ;-) can make even a bouquet look amazing.

Thank you guys for inviting us to capture all of the moments of your wedding day….you were both a delight to work with!

Vita & Dan are married!

Vita and Dan met in college…….in a photography class (no pressure on us or anything ;-)  

They were married at Waldenwoods with the lake behind them and a gorgeous blue sky above them.  I am soooooo far behind in blogging, so I will let the photos do the talking! ( After all, a picture is worth A Thousand Words!)

I am such a sucker for handwritten vows….believe it or not, all these years later, I still cry during some ceremonies…..when I stop crying, I think that is when I should stop photographing weddings ;-)

The handsome groom, Dan. 

I love how everything funnels to Vita’s reflection…

Seriously gorgeous!

Any bride that weather feathers on her wedding day will instantly win points in my book (wait until you see her headpiece!  To die for!)

Ok, so you know the saying “You’re in the dog house!”?  Usually it refers to being in trouble with your spouse…..somehow I don’t think Dan would really mind being in the dog house ;-)  Talk about Man’s Best Friend! (it’s ok, we are the same way with our dog, Champp)

I love this shot that Brian got of Dan

Vita and Dan chose to see eachother before the ceremony.  I cannot stress how beneficial this is.  Not only do you get even more time for even more amazing photos, but you actually get a little time to just be with your future husband/wife.

The SUPER happy couple (I think this is right after Brian ripped the seat of his pant)…..we will do anything to make our couples laugh ;-)

What a great moment….

There are not many ceremony sites that I can think of that are as pretty as Waldenwoods.

I love the way Vita and Dan looked at eachother throughout the ceremony.

I can almost hear Dan singing to Vita in this image :-)

This could possibly be my favorite image of the day.  There is something about the movement and the fact that they are thisclose to kissing….LOVE IT!

We snuck out for a few minutes just before sunset for that gorgeous golden light.  I love this series!  I love how the lodge at Waldenwoods looks like a southern plantation.

And then it was back inside for some serious dancing.  Vanilla Ice even made an appearance (by way of the groom……Dan brought the house down!)

 

Vita, you had one of my favorite dresses of the year and hands down my favorite accessories of the past few years!  You guys are such a cute couple….I hope these images allow you to relive the day each time you look at them :-)  Thanks for choosing us to capture such a monumental day!

My baby is growing up!

I can still remember that wonderful morning….  We set our alarm for 5am, made our way through the bitter cold February weather and checked into U of M hospital.  A few hours later, we met the most wonderful, sweet, gorgeous baby boy.  Today that sweet, gorgeous baby boy started preschool.  Where in the world did the last three and a half years go?!  The saying, “Time flies when you are having fun” definately holds true in this case. 

…….and yes, we were the incredibly obnoxious parents that stayed the entire time and took pictures, after all, before we know it we will be at his high school graduation!

Erin & John are married!

Erin and John are the perfect couple….they are both incredibly nice, good looking AND they are both doctors.  Seriously, some people have all of luck! ;-)

I wanted to steal this pillow…..it is so cheerful and the perfect background for a shot of her gorgeous shoes.

 

Erin rocked a classic look with a modern twist.

John was positively jubilant all day (especially when a bird pooped on one of his groomsmen…..I may post those in a bloopers post later this year!  I could not quite laughing while I was editting those…..but this wedding was far too classy to post the poop pictures here ;-)

The ceremony was held at the gorgeous Shrine of the Little Flower on Woodward.  The guys walked there from the house where they got dressed.

Erin looked positively amazing!

I love this image of John laughing to try to hold back the tears…..

….it didn’t work ;-)

The gorgeous Mr. and Mrs!

I have soooooo many favorites from this wedding, but this next one DEFINATELY ranks up there!

I love the backlight blown out look to this one….

So sweet!

So hot!

Brian is the king of groomsmen shots!

Erin knew how to work it for the camera….

I LOVE the movement in this image.

Another one that ranks pretty high on my list!

Oooh, oooh and this one too!!!

Ooh, ooh and this ENTIRE series!

Since I posted sooooo many of their portrait style images, I will leave you with just a taste of the reception photos (believe me there are sooooo many amazing reception pictures!)…..I see a new sample book in the future ;-)

Thank you Erin and John for being such perfect models and for bringing the love and hotness to the the images :-)

Andrea & Bill’s E-Pics

Ok, so I feel like a teacher who knows that she shouldn’t say she has a favorite student……..but Andrea and Bill really are one of my favorite couples!  From the first time I met with them, I knew that I liked them.  Andrea has the most contagious laugh and Bill acts like he is just along for the ride….but he has a sarcastic sense of humor that make the ride so much fun :-)  We laughed so much while shooting their engagement session, I have no idea how I managed to hold the camera steady!

 

Doesn’t Andrea look like Jessica Rabbit in this image?

In this next image, Bill is doing his best “Blue Steel” (Zoolander reference)

I have no idea how (or why) this next image occurred….

….but it resulted in this one, which so perfectly represents their personalities (and relationship)

So sweet!

Luv the eye-rolling!

This is easily one of my favorite images……..ever!

Sexy time!

 

Andrea and Bill, we had so much fun photographing you and we cannot wait to shoot your wedding in December :-)