Engagement | Maya & Clint

Maya and Clint are getting married in September and they picked a very popular, super awesome, amazing photographer ... (no... not me) ...  The Great Anne Ruthmann!!! Yayy!!!  Anne has been a great friend and mentor for me.  I pretty much learned the whole wedding photography thing from her.  She made herself and is hugely successful - something that everyone should admire.  Another thing that is special about Anne that no one can touch is her wonderful personality, the extra good-at-heart love that she has for everyone.  And she attracts such nice people as her clients - this is a talent that I definitely want to have.  I think I'm doing pretty well at it so far... I hope it continues!

But - back on track.  Maya and Clint had an Indian engagement ceremony at a friend's house to celebrate the joining of their families, and I covered it for Anne, since she couldn't be here.

I am convinced that Maya is one of the sweetest people in the entire world.  Every time she sends me an email, she makes me Awwwww.  Even when I'm crabby!!

Very sweet, very cute, very graceful and very *patient* :)

She was all dressed up and stunning! She wore this rich, vibrant, red outfit from India which was very sparkly. There were so many details, I had a hard time getting it all. Needless to say, she looked amazing!!

Here she is, grooming her future hubby, Clint. Now, we all groom our men, but it's extra cute during the engagement time, isn't it?

I don't think he minds.

This is the look that I give my brother just before a tickle fight.

Maya and her family are much more civilized...

On to the actual ceremony - Maya explained to me that it was a short ceremony where the parents do a Tikka (red powdery stain) on their foreheads and give fruits, sweets, or other gifts to the couple. They also receive blessings from God and accept each other into their families.

They really got each other with the Tikka... even on Maya's nose! LOL!

So beautiful and graceful. Just wow! (Love the toes.)

I feel silly for not getting any nice portraits of Maya and Clint before they did any Tikka! I always thought it was just a tiny little red dot... I was wrong. In any case, they're a beautiful couple, they were made for each other. They're both very sweet, very patient, very kind.

Love is, Love is.... Love is Maya and Clint.

Thank you for letting me come and enjoy your engagement ceremony! Thank you for including me, giving me a bangle, and feeding me (yum)! But most of all, I want to thank you for showing up in my life. I don't want to get all mushy on ya, but it touches me to know that there are such sweet and kind people out there. You really are a bright spark of light and love, and it warms my heart to know that people are nice just because that's how they are, or that's how they choose to be, and... uh oh... I'm gonna go sniffle now... oh nooooo.... quick!!!  Hugs for everyone!!!

Where's Delia?

I know.  It's been a long, long time.  I've been in quite a funk.  I had a lot of things bothering me and getting me down about myself, my life and my future.  I'm a pretty private person, so usually when there's no news, it's bad news.  I just bottle it up and bury it as far as I can... but obviously, you can't have too many bottles cluttering up your life... there's not enough room for it all.  

Soooo?  I did some cleaning up.  There are a few bottles left, but I am happy to report that I am on the upswing of things.  I'm very happy with where I am today and I'm excited to see where I go from here.  I do have to apologize to all the people who have been waiting for me to get things done.  I am more sorry than I can say.  I'll be blogging this week... I am not going to sleep!!

To make this post somewhat wedding-related, I also want to thank my hubby, who has been so loving, helpful, and supportive - I don't know what I would do without him.

Marriage is awesome -- I highly recommend it!!

Wedding | Mary & Jarod

Mary is soooooo ridiculously beautiful. She has this dark, exotic beauty about her... and she's so friendly and sincere, I would bet that she has about a million best friends (I wanna be one). I have no doubt that she's one of the most loyal, loving people in the entire world!! Jarod is a lucky one.

Absolute Perfection! Too bad boys, she's off the market now.

Look at these lovebirds!! They're SUCH a gorgeous couple. I've been playing with my black and whites because they're so perfect for that timeless, classy look.

They were married at Mother of God Church in Southfield, Michigan. Stained glass windows, intricate chandeliers, an amazing space.

Who's this goofball??? Pay attention!!

When Mary first contacted me about her wedding, she said it would be an informal, backyard ceremony and reception with just a few family and friends. I have to say that there was a slight change of plans!! This is the entrance to their reception hall:

Holy Cake, Batman!!

... and the little backyard reception had just a few friends and family...

I love this image of Mary. How can you be hot and cute at the same time?

And her dad is soooo charming. He's as lovable as Mary is! He made me laugh and put me completely at ease right away. He's a fun-loving guy who likes to have a good time!

Mary and Jarod's first dance was so romantic -- the atmosphere, their expressions, the love.



Congrats, Mary & Jarod! Thanks for letting me in on your wedding day!! You're obviously a great pair, and the connection between you is so sweet, it makes me smile just thinking of you.

Hugs to you and your whole family!

Portrait Session | Paul

One of the best things in life is your friends.

You know when you meet someone, and you just KNOW that they're a good person? Paul is one of those people. He's all goodness. You can trust him. Pretty cool!!

When Paul asked me to take a few portraits of him so he could "shamelessly promote" himself, I was thrilled to help out. He has such a cool, clean look. And - of course - that violin thing.

(I'm a violinist-geek type too.)

I've been loving the classic black-and-whites these days, but just in case anyone thinks I always do the same thing and get stuck in a rut... I don't!! I have crazy ideas, too. See??

Hmmm... maybe not the best for your professional photos, but fun anyway!! Thanks for trusting me with your image, thanks for letting me pick your brain, and above all, thanks for being a friend.

(Hi Liz!!!)