Marian & David // Winter wedding in Marquette, MI

This is how you know the world is small…

2 years ago I started dating my current partner in crime, Jarrod. Jarrod’s step-mom’s nephew, Tyler, (Are you following me?) messaged me about a month ago. His wife’s brother, David, was getting married. (Really, are you following me? Because…I’m not even sure where I am at this point.)

Tyler messaged me on Facebook and said -

“Totally random questions…

1. do you take photos, like semi decent ones?

2. if not, how do you feel about controlling a cellphone to film a zoom call of a tiny tiny wedding.

3. are you available on Monday 1/11 in the afternoon? lol”

I proceeded to say “so fun fact….”

Long story short - on January 11, 2021, Jarrod and I made our way to Rippling River Resort Campground in Marquette, Michigan! It was a brisk but perfect January day here in The UP and the air smelled of woodsmoke along an actual rippling river. Chickadee’s were jumping from tree to tree, edison bulbs were strung across the trees, and it was a quintessential spot for a “tiny tiny wedding.”

I asked how the two met and turns out, David was in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan but set his location to Melbourne, Australia on Tinder (how cheeky.) Little did he know, Marian, who was in Peru, set HER Tinder location to Melbourne Australia. Let this be known, neither of them have ever been to Australia! * insert cry laughing emoji here *

I LOVE their story.

Marian & David said “I do” with both of their close family members surrounding them along with all their loved ones watching on a live Zoom call!

Afterwards we ventured to McCarty’s Cove and the lower harbor bell for some photos because their last name is Bell. I love connections.

They enjoyed a lovely catered dinner and drinks at The Hewitt Onion Tower (check this Airbnb out, it’s a DREAM and a gorgeous Marquette historical home!)

This day was filled with so many smiles and shared joy amongst everyone! Congrats to you both!

Hopefully you’ll make it to Melbourne for a honeymoon one day! ;)

-enjoy xoxo

Ria & Dave // Middle Island Point Elopement

Ria and Dave are lovely musicians. They packed their bags and made it to Marquette, Michigan to visit their long time friends and to explore the area for a week…and to get married! 2 weeks prior, I received an email from Ria stating that they had postponed their wedding with family and friends and our friend Dani Simandl joked (but not really) that they should just come up to her families house on Middle Island Point in Marquette, Michigan - aka the most beautiful spot in The UP.

It’s amazing and too much to put into words how far away from town this spot makes you feel even though it’s just minutes north on 550. Being surrounded by the cliffs, the quiet meadows, and the 360 views have a way to make you feel so at peace and connected with everything around you. Ria and Dave eloped with their close friends surrounding them while standing on a giant cliff facing Partridge Bay. Dani read the vows, Adam played the cello, and Kelly and Lauren were crying and giggling the whole time.

Afterwards they enjoyed macarons, drank Akvavit (Norwegian liquor) out of homemade pottery (made by Ria’s parents!), and laughed and laughed and…you guessed it laughed. This night was filled with SO MUCH JOY! Once the sun started to set, Ria and Dave enjoyed a sunset cruise in a canoe. Congrats to you both!

-enjoy xoxo

Katie & Johnny // Camp Twin Creeks Engagement

I met these two love birds back in 2012 at Camp Twin Creeks and through the years, our friendship has flourished and their love has grown. Johnny proposed to Katie at Niagara Falls this early summer. I was driving to West Virginia from the west coast and received a Facetime call from Katie with a huge smile on her face as she raised her hand up to show me the ring. 

We decided camp would be perfect for their engagement photos and on the last day of Johnny's visit, we reached for the umbrella's and decided to have some fun. 

I love these photos because they aren't dressed up. They're wearing Chacos, old rain jackets, and clothes that they'd wear on any day...well Katie wouldn't wear a dress unless it was Talent Show night BUT that's not the point. They're relaxed, they're lovin' each other, they're getting MARRIED Y'ALL! 

Rain is considered good luck isn't it?  

Enjoy x

Natalie & Jordan // Walloon Lake

My favorite frames from my dear friends, Natalie & Jordan Neal's wedding in Northern Michigan. 

Enjoy x 

Kelly + Ty // Livingston Engagement

It was the late afternoon of August 21 when I received this text  

Kelly, my cousin who helped me find my way out here to Montana, said yes to Ty, Livingston local, and an overall hilarious and wonderful guy during the equinox! How cool, right? 

It was right here at a little pull off a few minutes outside of Livingston that he popped the question.  

Last night before the sun went down, the two showed me the spot and we took a few photos along with their fur baby, Buck. Enjoy!  

Jon & Michelle // Where big love starts

I met Michelle at Northern Michigan University, a mutual friend (Woohoo heyyy Kelsey, I know you're reading this) introduced us during a Presbyterian Campus Ministry meet-up. Just this past winter I received a message from Michelle asking me if I still lived in Montana and if I could photograph her elopement in Big Sky! What luck! I've been looking forward to this day all summer and I can not get over how magical the evening went. We start out at Rainbow Ranch Lodge...

When it came to their wedding details, Michelle and Jon knew they wanted it to be an experience shared only between them and that it should be done in a place they found beautiful. Rainbow Ranch Lodge is a dream of a property tucked away in Big Sky Country, Montana. With an amazing room next to a trout filled pond, movies on the lawn, and a river running just past the bridge, who could say no to the ideal Montana experience?

Surrounded by haze-shrouded mountain tops, they had their first look as the sun started setting off a small road near their ceremony spot. Jon actually had to hide in the outhouse while Michelle drove by with the officiant so we could get the perfect angle. So funny!

At last, it was time for vows. We arrived at a clearing in a mountain meadow just off the Rainbow Ranch property. It was there where they officially promised themselves to each other in words that were hushed by the sounds of a nearby stream and the wind in the sage.

I'll just let the photos speak for themselves...

My dear friends,

Thank you for putting your trust in me to capture your special day. I loved every minute of it even when I was laying on my belly in mud next to the river and tripping over sage bushes. May your love for each other only grow stronger with the years to come. Enjoy.

-Jenna

A river runs through it...

As I sit here in my room I can hear the neighbor kids next door splashing around in their blow up pool. Warm summer air is blowing through my window and the sound of The Yellowstone River is the perfect white noise for a late June afternoon. This is one of those personal development days where I'm free to dream up my future and think about where I really want to be and I think it's here. I think Montana is the perfect oasis to make my dreams a reality. I've been busy this summer taking photos of white water rafting trips, staying out too late with my flying pig family, and getting a Chaco tan.

I'd also like to share a great mini photo series of my boss, Sandy. She's amazing, no doubt about that. I feel so blessed to work for a woman who truly cares about her business, her employees, and always has a smile on her face. She came to me last week to see if I could take her portrait for an upcoming book she'll be in and it was a definite YES. I drove down the river to her newly built home and we came up with some seriously gorgeous portraits. The pooch in the pics? That's Norman. I just love how her beauty shines inside and out. 

“At sunrise everything is luminous but not clear. It is those we live with and love and should know who elude us. You can love completely without complete understanding.”- Norman Maclean”