Aparna + Ankit: Novi Garba Raas

Garba night is hands down one of our favorite events during the weekend-long Indian wedding festivities. In many instances, it's the first night where the majority of both families come together and celebrate these amazing couples. The night is often filled with unending laughter, dancing, AND THE COLORS ARE GORGEOUS!

It is without a doubt a night of excitement, parting, and unity. From the rehearsed dance numbers performed by Aparna+Ankit's family and friends, to Aparna's flowing and jaw-dropping dress, and every other breathtaking sari in the room that night — this was one of the standout highlights of their weekend for us.

Veronica + Todd: The Korthals Wedding Trailer

There are wedding days when all we want to do is Instagram Story every single moment, right there on the spot, because it's too perfect not to share with everyone! Veronica + Todd's wedding was just such a day, and it honestly made for the best start to our wedding season earlier this year. It was like all the right moments, chances, and pieces fell into place and we were more than floored by all of the beautiful things happening all around us!

From every bright and beaming smile Todd had when he looked at Veronica, to the more than rambunctious and entertaining bridal party to keep us all laughing throughout the day, to Veronica's gorgeous lace-covered dress; all the details were perfect. But so were the moments, too! Their first look was wonderful and the rain held off as long as we needed it to. Their gift exchange seriously could not have summed the two of them up better. The toasts left us swooning for this entire family. And to top it all off the night ended with a dreamy paper lantern send-off, which ended up being even more eventful than we expected it to be.

All in all this day, this couple, their love - it all was one for the books!

Cinematography: ShadowShine Pictures

Photographer: The Focused Soul

Florist: Blooms by Bri, LLC

DJ: Dramatic Dimensions Entertainment

Wedding Cake: Weber's Inn, Ann Arbor

Catering & Bar: Weber's Inn, Ann Arbor

Wedding Dress: The Wedding Shoppe

Venue: St. Paul Lutheran Church, Weber's Inn, Ann Arbor

Aparna + Ankit: Novi Mehndi Party

For over a year we waited to kick off this special and wonderful weekend. From their gorgeous and colorful engagement ceremony to a dreamy evening of engagement photos out on Lake Michigan, we knew A+A’s weekend would be one of the most exciting ones of the entire year for us.

Aparna and Ankit's weekend-long celebration started at their homes with their family and closest friends gathered together for a night of traditions, games, mehndi, and so much more. That night alone was such a whirlwind of excitement, joy, and laughter and it without a doubt set the tone for what would be THE PERFECT weekend. 

So much love for these two, and this is just the beginning!

Happy Father's Day from ShadowShine Pictures!

Dads come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Literally! Some are tech nerds, some our sports fanatics, some are basically clowns, and some are simply put our best friends. But no matter the type of dad we each have, biological or adopted, or discovered, our dads have been our hero's from day one. Whether it was tossing the ball around with us in the backyard, teaching us how to build our first working train set in the basement, comforting us after our first breakup, teaching us how to shave, helping act interested when we were picking out our dress for the first school dance, or simply being that shoulder to lean on whenever things got tough: our dads have been there, always.

We can all probably admit we don't call home enough, or show our best side to him as often as we should, but the dads in our lives never stop loving us. They continuously point us towards the path of truth, being a good person, and working with everything we have in us to make this world a better place - even if it's just one bad dad joke at a time. So this Father's day remember to celebrate the man in your life that gets to wear the title "dad" honorably.

Paige + Noah: Lake Michigan Engagement

I met Paige a few years back just before her and I set off with a group to Zambia, Africa on a relief and documentary trip. Luckily for us a nice long layer over in London, England and what seemed like an unfathomable amount of time on the various plane rides provided us with plenty of time to get to know each other. Instantly I knew that this was a bright, generously kind, and outright hilariously funny girl that would one day meet a man just as equally wonderful to match.

Enter Noah. It wasn't long after we got back to the states that I started hearing Paige talk about him and there wasn't a question in my mind that she was smitten with him. Over the next year or so after that, through some trying and growing adventures shared between the two of them, Noah and Paige started dating and honestly I could not have pegged a better match for her. Noah's carefree lightheartedness was only surpassed by his compassionate demeanor and it was evident in every look and every smile he had around her that his heart was Paige's and her's alone.

Getting to watch these two grow together as a collective unit, ready to set out and change the world, has been incredible and altogether a blessing for all of their friends and family. These photos just begin to scratch the surface of how much fun, love, and joy is shared between these two for the other, and that is the honest to God-truth.

-Matthew

Kristen + Chris: The Groeneveld Wedding Trailer

Sometimes (read a lot of times) we have to remind ourselves on wedding days that we are not dreaming, that the drop dead gorgeous and graciously sweet couple we are filming and sharing the day with is truly this amazing, that the backdrop to their beautiful day is real and that we're not off in some fairytale land, and that the love we are getting to witness is true, unfailing, and pure on every conceivable level possible. And that literally sums up Kristen + Chris's day!

We can't help but get caught up in all those feelings and moments every time we look through their wedding photos and films - and without question we can't help but stop grinning ear to ear! Kristen + Chris got married at the breathtaking, rolling grounds of Pine Knob Carriage House and believe us when we say that wasn't even the most magical part of the day. Every time we turned around Kristen was just glowing, Chris couldn't stop smiling, and we had the hardest time trying to keep from swooning over the two of them the whole day.

Their wedding was no doubt one of the fairytale weddings you pray for and we are so thankful to these two for letting us share in their day, celebrate their love with them, their family, and their friends, and for reminding us again why we love doing what we do for a living. Take a minute and spoil yourself with some breathtaking veil magic, flowing ivy walls, dazzling wedding dresses, and dreamy couple moments in Kristen + Chris' wedding trailer!

Photographer: EJ Dowd

Florist: Memorable Creations by Bonnie

Hair and Makeup: Ashlee Ann on location hair & make-up

DJ: Ultimate Sounds Entertainment Group

Wedding Cake: Holiday Market

Catering & Bar: Pine Knob Carriage House

Wedding Dress: Nancy's Bridal

Venue: Pine Knob Carriage House

Happy Mother's Day from ShadowShine!

If we are being honest our moms are basically superheros, so we thought we'd give an extra special gift this year in our latest team film, dedicated soley to these amazing women on Mother's Day!

They gave us life, they raised us, they struck fear in us when necessary, and overflowing joy more often than not. They've always been there as a warm embrace ready to make all our problems go away, and they are always just a phone call away when we've had a less than amazing day. Our mothers may all look different both internally and externally, but they all have one thing in common: they love us unconditionally. 

We each, every single person around this world, are better because of the mothers in our lives. Whether by birth or nurture they are the women who have shaped us into who we are today and continue to teach us what it is to be compassionate, driven, and a good person all ways round. We'll never be able to fully thank them for all that they have done for us, all that they have poured into our lives, or all of the many phone calls we should have made but that they forgive us for nonetheless.

This weekend make sure to join us in wishing each of our moms the very happiest of Mother's Days!