Each of my couples get a questionnaire to fill out before their wedding day. In addition to an engagement shoot, it allows me to get to know my brides and grooms better. One of my favorite questions is “How did you meet?” The answer is always a surprise to me. Sometimes I get stories that are expected, such as high school sweethearts, meeting through mutual friends or even online dating. However, once in a while I get a story that I wouldn’t have imagined! Kristen and Noel’s story is definitely one of them.
They met at Hope College through Kirsten’s best friend and (now) maid-of-honor – or as she likes to call her – “Best Woman.” This is where the story gets interesting. Noel was attending as an international student from Burma. They started dating, got engaged and when Noel moved back to his hometown in Burma, Kristen followed him. She lived there for a little less than 2 years before coming back home to apply for his fiancé visa!
Which brought them to their wedding day. It was an intimate wedding at the Detroit Marriott Livonia on a blustery day in March. Like their surprising story, their wedding day had a few happy surprises too. The weather was unseasonably wonderful for March, we even had some sunshine that allowed up to do portraits in downtown Northville. But I don’t think anything was better than their first look. The emotion by both Noel and Kristen was too much for me. How beautiful were all of their couples portraits? Kristen looked so stunning in her bridal dress. She purchased it from Allure Bridal in Livonia and absolutely gushed about how amazing the women there were.
A beautiful wedding day is made by their presence of family and friends, as well as a team of hard working vendors.
Hair and Makeup: Charisma Salon and Day Spa
Ceremony + Venue: Detroit Marriott Livonia
Videographer: Damion Stevenson
Invitations: Paperless Post
Dress: Allure Bridal
Florist: Merri-Craft Florist
Pianist: Laura Beck & Jeannette Mills
DJ: Joey K (Joseph Kaleniecki).
Uplighting: Bart Edwards of GlobalExcite
Hashtag: #BurMericanWedding
