Nicole Haley Photography, LLC - Blog » Engagement

Chelsey & Brent – Engagement

admin — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 12:03:07 +0000

“Without the Capitol, we never would have met,” Chelsey told me. Brent was a page for the Michigan legislature at the same time as his good friend, Alan. Alan and Mariam introduced Brent to Mariam’s good friend, Chelsey, and they’ve been dating ever since. Don’t you love it when life works out that way? I do. I also love when couples have totally perfect reasons like that for the places they choose to have their engagement session. And the Michigan State Capitol Building is a gorgeous backdrop nonetheless!

Chelsey and Brent: I had such a great time with you guys! Thank you so much for being so open to ideas and, Brent, for facing your fear of heights along the way. I hope you love some of the images we captured. Thanks for letting me be a small part of this happy time in your lives!

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Bethany & Chuck – Engagement

admin — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 12:20:32 +0000

When I met Bethany and Chuck earlier this year, I knew they were exactly the kind of couple that would be a total joy to work with. Bethany is completely laid back and Chuck has exactly the kind of humor I love – a little bit sarcastic with a few puns thrown in for good measure. When we met, they talked about doing their engagement session in South Haven and I have been excited ever since as I was there for the very first time last year and I completely fell in love with the atmosphere! So we met at the South Haven pier last weekend and spent the next couple of hours taking relaxed photographs all over the scenic areas along Lake Michigan and in the little downtown area of South Haven. Bethany brought along her sister, Jessica, to serve as her stylist which was an amazing idea and Bethany looked gorgeous and stylish the whole time (thank you, Jessica!) – just wait, you’ll see! The day was also a completely gorgeous one – and not in the obvious sunny summer day sort of way – but rather there was a thick fog all along the coastline which added a gorgeous moody feel to so many of these images. Pretty fancy for some romantic engagement photographs! Congratulations to them once again!

When I got home from South Haven later that evening, what else would I do but hop on Facebook? I loved Bethany’s status that said something along the lines of how fun engagement photos were and how she felt rejuvenated after staring into Chuck’s eyes for so long. How adorable is that?

You guys are gorgeous together!

I thought about peeling these shoes off of Bethany’s feet. But I think her sister, Jessica, the owner of the shoes, would have put up a good fight so I refrained.

I am in love with this series. It was all Chuck’s idea to give Bethany a flower and these turned out to be some of my favorite from the entire session. Thanks, Chuck!

Bethany and Chuck: I am SO happy we could make an engagement session in South Haven work. I hope you guys love the preview! I love the connection the two of you have and feel so lucky that I was able to spend some time in a gorgeous place capturing it all! Ten months will go by SO fast and I know you guys will have a wonderful wedding day celebration! Wishing you both all the best,

nicole

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Mariam & Alan – Engagement

admin — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 14:04:19 +0000

Mariam and I had been talking about this session for quite a while. We had a strategy for strolling around the MSU gardens and visiting the Sparty statue. We had a plan. See, we’re both technically planners at our day jobs, which is how I know Mariam. Well, then the torrential downpours came and we had to reschedule the session. No problem though, I’m pretty sure that all happened so we could have the gorgeous weather and dreamy sunlight we did have that evening. Alan, Mariam, and I wandered around the various gardens and they even took me to two gardens I had never seen before – and that I immediately loved – the English garden and the Japanese garden. It was a great photo-filled time and their pup, Zoe, even joined us for a bit!

Could Zoe BE any cuter?

Alan and Mariam: I had such a great time with you guys and, Alan, it was so fun to meet you finally! Thanks for being so open to my ideas and being so dedicated to having great photographs, you guys are a dream and it was definitely an honor for me! Congratulations on your engagement and best of luck with all of the wedding plans as they come together!

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Alexa & Brian – Plymouth Engagement Photography

admin — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 16:05:15 +0000

She thought she was getting a chinchilla. She thought that’s why Brian had been being so elusive. He knew she wanted one and she figured he had been trying to surprise her. So she didn’t think much of it when he called and asked her to come to his work. She showed up, excited about meeting her new chinchilla friend, and started asking what was going on…you know, she had to play along and act like she didn’t know. So, Brian took her to a room where he had a great big box from the pet store and told her to go open it. When she opened the box, all she could see was another tiny little box. That’s when she realized she wasn’t getting chinchilla, she was getting something much, much better…

Alexa is my cousin and she and her twin sister are the first kids I ever babysat so being the person to photograph her and Brian in celebration of their engagement was such an honor for me. Alexa and Brian, thank you for thinking of me for your photographs and thank you for suggesting we get out in the snow, I LOVED the idea. You guys are awesome for braving the frigid temperatures and I had such a great time. Love you lots!

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Jillian & Kyle – Central Park Engagement Photos

admin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:34:57 +0000

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of joining my sweet New Jersey friend, Sarah Postma, at one of her engagement sessions in and around Central Park. It was a little bit of a blustery day but Jillian and Kyle seemed to barely notice and just went on laughing and smiling the whole time. We spent the session ducking into the park and warming up in the surrounding hotel lobbies, which are all so extravagant, and then stopped down in a subway station for a moment. It was such a treat for me to shoot in Central Park so thank you, Sarah, for inviting me!

I won’t lie, it was the third week in October and I was somewhat hopeful for fall colors in the park like the scene in “When Harry Met Sally” but it was mostly still green. Sarah found some great pockets of color but, for the most part, Jillian’s awesome eye for fashion didn’t really need any other colors to pretty up the pictures!

Thanks again, Sarah, and all the best to Jillian and Kyle!

Sarah’s smile just never really left her face. She was just radiant.

And then over at Central Park:

Love these!

And some subway shots:

Angie & Larry – Michigan Engagement Photos

admin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:07:00 +0000

I always love when a couple knows just how to make each other laugh. It definitely seems like Larry and Angie know how to do that for each other so we had a great time just walking around Larry’s neighborhood – which happens to have a gorgeous lake – and having some photo fun during their engagement session earlier this week. They are a riot and I can’t wait for their March wedding!

Angie and Larry, thanks for being such good sports even though I know you were partially frozen during most of our session! I had a great time with you guys and totally appreciate your senses of humor. I’ll be counting down for March now!

We did manage to sneak in a little fall color.

This one just makes me happy:

So pretty!

And I love this final series because it shows the little smile that seems to always be on Angie’s face while Larry is talking to her.

Heather & Ken – Michigan Engagement Photos

admin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 23:21:48 +0000

I met Heather at Jody and Don’s wedding in September. Heather was Jody’s maid of honor and I remember her calming presence that day as well as her extremely heartfelt toast at the reception. I was so excited when, amidst editing photos of Heather and Ken dancing that night, Heather emailed me to tell me about their November wedding.

So, I met the happy couple at their new home in Fenton on Saturday morning for some engagement photos and, as I drove in, I hoped the rain would play nicely with us. Lucky for all of us, it did! It sprinkled a little but along with those sprinkles came the dust off the trees so their amazing colors were even more vivid. Heather wanted to get some photos in front of their new home and I loved that idea. Just as I’m moving out of the first home Eric and I have had together, I can really appreciate the importance of these images. So, we began the session with some relaxed engagement portraits on their porch. Heather and Ken were wonderful! They just sort of fit together and did amazing things without me even telling them. They are a totally relaxed couple and full of fun. Heather even mentioned to me that she’s bad a being serious – got to love a lighthearted gal!

Heather and Ken, I can’t wait for your wedding in just a few short weeks! It was so great to meet you guys as a couple on Saturday and get to know your styles some more and laugh with you both over lunch at French Laundry. You both radiate love for each other and I’m honored that I will be there to witness your vows. Until then, I hope you enjoy your preview – and good luck with the rest of your de-wallpapering process!

Everything about this scene makes me happy. Red on the trees, pumpkins on the porch, and some natural confetti all around. Oh, and some happy people in love!

Heather and Ken are so lucky to have some amazing trees on their property. We headed to the backyard to get some images with this gorgeous yellow tree – Heather knew it would look great with Ken’s shirt. Love it!

Who wouldn’t be this happy with a white picket fence around?

After we finished up, we headed across the street to the beach on Lake Fenton where Ken officially proposed to Heather. I loved that we could capture a place so important to them in these images.

And I loved the reflective and emotional feel to this one. They just look so… connected.

Then we headed to Millpond Park in downtown Fenton for some more photo fun. This park might be small but it was awesome!

Heather and Ken, you two are beautiful together!

Ken was just getting warmed up in this one…

Warmed up for what, you ask? For this! I love when a couple gets a little goofy.

Jody and Don – Engagement

admin — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 21:20:45 +0000

As soon as I met Jody a few weeks ago, I knew she was going to be a blast to work with. We talked about all of the details of her and Don’s wedding and I could tell just how excited she was – not only for the wedding, but for the part that comes after. And I love that! The excitement, that is. So, when the three of us met earlier this week for their engagement session, I knew it was going to be a great time. Well, Jody totally brought her game face and I was so thrilled to meet Don who was just as laid back as she was.

We had a great time wandering around the Horticulture Gardens at Michigan State University taking in the amazing smells and sights. I can’t wait for their wedding in September!

Jody told me at our initial meeting that Don’s family LOVES to dance and that no celebration in their family was ever complete unless they moved tables, couches, and chairs to break it down a little. So I figured they would definitely be up for some dancing shots – and they totally were. I can’t wait to see them in action at the wedding!

Like I said, they brought their game faces…

I loved the way they just kept making each other laugh throughout the whole session. Just awesome.

Thanks, Jody and Don, for such a good time. It was so nice to spend some quality time with you both!

And, as a side note, my friend Melissa of Telltale Photography recently posted a great note on her blog about the benefits of having an engagement session and I know I could definitely relate so I wanted to share it here.

Happy Thursday!

Sara and Brandon – Engaged!

admin — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 01:03:34 +0000

They met in high school but didn’t start dating until he was getting ready to go away to college. Through the many years apart, and even through the rivalry between their schools, the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, Sara and Brandon have managed to fall more in love. They had walked along the same path several times believing in the legend that if they crossed the right place at the exact right moment and all of the stars aligned, they would one day be married. Well, here they are, almost one year from their wedding date! We met on the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor for their engagement session and since I have a special place in my heart for high school sweethearts, I was extra excited!

Sara and Brandon, I had a great time with you guys and I hope these images capture the fun you both have together and your excitement for the future. All the best wishes to you both!

Mark and Alex – Engaged!

admin — Mon, 25 May 2009 17:39:11 +0000

Alex and I were interns together after college and we’ve worked together on and off for the last five years. One thing I noticed about her from the very beginning is that she always has a smile on her face and something nice to say. She is definitely one of the sweetest people I know. So I was super excited when she told me a few months ago that she and Mark were engaged. I’m sure he loves her for her sweetness too!

The three of us took some time last week to celebrate their engagement with some photos around the Michigan State University campus. Alex went to school there and Mark is one of the talented coaches of the amazing men’s basketball team so it was the perfect place to be. You can see some of my favorites below.

Mark and Alex, thanks so much for such a fun time. I had a great time with you both on our photo adventure! I wish you all the best in the future.

Rock it, Alex.

I’m serious, Alex is always smiling!

I love the way Mark was pulling Alex in here:

We had to get one with the famous Spartan statue: