If you know me, you know I love plants. From where I sit, at my dining room table, as I write this, I can count 21 plants (less than half of my total collection). I can look out the back windows of my house and see the backyard garden that I started back in 2020, shortly after I bought my home in Detroit. It’s November 14th and my cherry tomatoes are still producing because we haven’t had a hard frost yet, to kill the tomato vines. In my cut flower garden, the cosmos and borage are going strong, and in my front yard, there are two rose bushes that still have flowers on them, despite the cold. I have created a little Oasis, in my tiny little corner of Detroit. I mean it, I love plants.

So, obviously, it goes without saying that I love photographing weddings at Planterra Conservatory. Everytime I walk into this venue, it feels like walking into a dream. You leave the crisp cold Michigan air, to walk into a space where warmth wraps around you, the air smells like the jungle, and almost everywhere you look, something green grows. It’s no wonder Emily & Nate chose Planterra as their wedding venue. To walk into the space is to be utterly charmed by it. I loved how Emily & Nate used this space, playing up the whimsy with delicate details and pops of color.

They each started their day getting ready at home; Emily in the home she and Nate share, and Nate in the home he grew up in, overlooking the Arb in Ann Arbor (the backdrop of many afternoon naps while I was a student at the University of Michigan).

By far, my favorite part of the day was their favor, a handwritten note for each and every wedding guest detailing exactly how much they each meant to Emily & Nate, and how special it was for them to be there at their wedding day. I’ve always been a lover of the handwritten note or letter, and I lived vicariously through the delight of the guests I caught reading their note. One thing was really clear, those notes and this wedding day, were filled with loving detail and care. I hope we all follow in the example of Nate’s mother, who literally kicked her shoes off so she could dance with her son. 

Emily & Nate, thank you for having me along for this day in this magical place and reader, if you’re considering a wedding at Planterra Conservatory and you’re on the hunt for a wedding photographer, please reach out. I love this place.