A Great Gatsby Inspired Michigan Wedding at Tollanders Tree Farm

A Great Gatsby Inspired Wedding

saying "i do" with flapper dresses and moonshine

    Erica and Cory. They are nothing short of perfect for each other. They are the definition of soulmates. And they are 2 of the kindest, most caring, creative people you will ever meet. And always happy. They are always smiling.

    Diamonds, feathers, teacups, and cupcakes. Flapper girls and classy women.

   Moonshine, cigars, suspenders, and bow ties. Prohibition men and trouble making boys.

   This is the world you are about to step in to and it’s nothing short of fabulous. It’s above and beyond what you ever envision on your wedding day, or any day. It’s a beautifully choreographed day of love put together by the two main stars of the night.

   This was such a magical day to be a part of, and let’s be honest, it’s 100% a photographer’s dream. This is the stuff magazines and Pinterest is made of! This is the wedding everyone wants and tries for but falls short because they don’t pay close enough attention to details or they are just not willing to put their all into everything they do.

   This was 8 hours of dress up, 8 hours of fun and games, 8 hours of stepping back in time and celebrating love, sass and class with laughing, crying, dancing, drinking, and beautiful stories being shared.

   Now watch as we tell you their story through photographs-

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Check out the full Love Gallery

Check out these love birds unique engagement session

Want to see another beautiful wedding check out Randy & Avery's Wedding

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Marysville Rustic Summer Wedding

A beautiful Summer Wedding in Michigan

the classiest rustic themed wedding you've ever seen

   It’s a hot summer morning, the sun is baking the Earth, and hidden behind a hotel door is 2 rooms full of beautiful girls running back and forth in oversized button down shirts with flawless hair and makeup.
   In the middle of them stands a Bride... calm, stunning, and smiling.
   A few doors down holds a room full of men, standing, fully dressed, relaxed, with a bottle of Jack pulling the room together on the bathroom sink. Amongst them is a quiet and handsome Groom.
   It’s Avery and Randy’s Wedding Day and we’ve just arrived at the hotel, right before everyone does the finishing touches and we leave to have the Bride and Groom see each other for the first time.
   The First Look between Avery and Randy was something that looked as though it was pulled from a fairy tale, and the First Look Avery did with her Father was nothing short of a fairy tale as well.
   The family piled in and out as we did Family Portraits, right before leaving for Bridal Party pictures.
   The boys teased Randy as they all took turns getting photographed with him for the big day. The girls stayed cool in the AC. After the boys showed off their best poses and bombarded Randy we got the girls out and it was their turn. Every single girl different, every single girl stunning. We photographed them 2 at a time while the rest fussed over Avery’s dress and their good / bad sides in between shots.
   Right before leaving everyone climbed up a hill, heels flying, and we got the whole crew together.
   The ceremony was lighthearted and personal with Randy and Avery reading their own vows out loud, which lead right in to an amazing reception. After dinner we watched the emotional dances between father and daughter, and son and mother. If you want to cry with people you’ve just met- watch these dances up close and feel their emotion spill out of them...
   It’s something that gets me every time, and I always walk away feeling so privileged that I am there, witnessing that moment,  and so thankful we were asked to be a part of this day and allow it to stand the test of time through photographs.

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Want to see more love stories unfold? Check out the full Love Gallery

If you like this wedding.. Check out Jen & Zach's Barn Wedding

For a more a vintage feel check out Cory & Erica's Gatsby Themed Wedding

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We create our own "Through the Looking Glass" moments

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Watch the video to see an AJBC fairytale unfold- 

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Photographer- AJBC Photography
Poem- Autumn Carufel
Assistant 1- Taylor Walsh
Assistant 2- Jake Carufel
Model- Lauren Cross
Wardrobe and Props- Lauren Cross Designs

Belle Isle Conservatory, Detroit Michigan

(Below: Poem written out, followed by individual portraits found in the above film.)

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There is a truth in this world that I refuse to believe. 

The truth that everything has to be exactly as it seems.

Because, you see, I am a dreamer, and I am a collector. 

I am a believer and I am a fairytale wrecker.

But not in the way that you probably think I am.
I don’t sit down and destroy books of fiction. 

I sit down and give those books vision.

I open the pages and give them eyes.
I open suitcases and watch as hopes come alive. 

Because when I was a kid I was told fairytales aren’t real.

You can’t blame my parents, it’s just how the rest of the world feels.

But me, I knew different.

Me, I knew more. 

Me I knew wanting something that was impossible was just through a hidden door. 

A door I would find eventually in my life.

Where plays and toys and make believe...

Would slowly show itself to me.

But as something new. Something real.
Something I could touch
and something I could feel. 

And no I’m not too old to feel this way. 

I say you’re too old, for taking my dreams away.

So go back to a time where all you wanted was to be free.

And start realizing your head is the only thing that makes it so it can’t be.

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Photographer- AJBC Photography
Poem- Autumn Carufel
Assistant 1- Taylor Walsh
Assistant 2- Jake Carufel
Model- Lauren Cross
Wardrobe and Props- Lauren Cross Designs

Belle Isle Conservatory, Detroit Michigan

The back story:

2 years ago I posted on facebook that I wanted to do a creative shoot. That's how I met Lauren. She said she might be interested so I quickly stalked her on facebook. Her look was unique and gorgeous, so I knew she would fit the part. But then I started realizing she was also an artist, a maker, and a collector. We had similar loves for old and grungy things, so we decided to meet. I drove to her house in Marysville where she showed me room after room after room full of beautifully old and rough pretties! 
And then she took me to the back corner of the basement to show me The Door, and an idea was born. We spent the next hour developing the story- a girl playing make believe finds a door, enters it, and then finds herself transported in to this land where her daydreams are now her reality. 
I think I secretly live through my photography, because that's all I want out of life- magic, all the time. 
We kept in touch, passing back and forth ideas and photos. My schedule FINALLY allowed for me to fit the shoot in! My husband Jake, my assistant Taylor, and myself drove to Marysville where Lauren allowed us to gather up her precious treasures and take them to our first location. The sun was shining, the weather was perfect, and right away I KNEW, I just knew, this was going to be one of my favorite things I had ever shot. 
We filmed, photographed, laughed, and left with plans to meet again a week later, when we would haul the heavy antique door down the road, down a hill at 8 am, balance it on the roots of an old tree sticking out above the water, and then drive to Detroit. 
Because we had photographed at what looked to be a more modern conservatory for our "make believe in real life" scene  I wanted to go to a much older, much more original concept of a conservatory for our "entering the fairytale world" scene, and so it came that we traveled an hour + together to The Belle Isle Conservatory in Detroit. Belle Isle is beautiful and not only was it a wonderful place to end our shoot and tell our story perfectly, it allowed us a day to just enjoy something new and unique together, which is becoming more and more important to me with every shoot I do. 
It used to be just about the photos for me, because that was what I was taught portrait photography was. Now it's about the whole experience. Because if not for the experience, then for what?
Afterwards we shopped in Ferndale and got some tasty sushi and quietly drove back home after a long and creative day. 
It took me another year to sort through it all, find the time, and get to a place where I could properly put it all together. 
Our video we filmed is still not done, but I am ecstatic to release these images accompanied by a poem I wrote for it. 
And to think, it all started with an old door.  

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If you loved the Concept of "The Door" then you should also check out "The Pillow and The Pond" and The Burning Shack- they are some of my favorite projects to date!

Check out the full beauty gallery here

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