for the first part of our 10 year marriage, we fell into decorating like all of our friends and the classic pottery barn look (**sidenote: we do still like some things at pottery barn…. just using it for a more visual picture). it was a fairly simple and classic look, with neutral colors and adding a shot of “boldness” was going crazy with a patterned pillow on the beige couch. looking back, ben and i both agree that we not only decorated in a way that was not necessarily our style, but we hadn’t even come to grips with what our style was! GASP!! when we decided to remodel our unfinished basement into our working studio, our style was the most important element. this is the place where we meet with wedding clients, other vendors, and carry out our daily workload. but for us, it has also become our favorite place in our house. we were able to start from scratch and not only decorate however we wanted, but also design the floors, ceiling, walls……. everything!!! and 97% of the time, we had a blast doing it. what is the other 3%, you ask? if you are married…… you already know the answer. in fact, there is only one small wall in our studio that is still incomplete and it’s the only wall that we haven’t agreed yet as to how we will finish it. and that is where YOU come in! we are taking suggestions for what to do around the TV. ben wanted nothing….. mindy wanted the windows (that are currently hanging) to be painted and then…. something a bit more, just to make that area feel complete. soooooo…. bring on your suggestions….. and of course other comments, please!!!

we will let the photos speak for themselves as to what our studio now looks like, but we sure do have to mention the fantabulous people and places that helped us make it a reality!! let’s first give it up for randy ross, a good friend of ours that is crazy awesome with not only creating and constructing, but also loves to design. we pitched randy our vision and away with it he went, adding his own stupendous details and inventions along the way. and we are super happy to share him since he is so awesome……. so here are his digits (847.525.4617). give him a jingle. and of course we have to give a big shout out to our incredible friends, ben + laura harrison, lisa ruff and tom abrams for not only their creative opinions, but also manual labor of love.

mid-century industrial modern with a splash of vintage and retro flair was the look we were trying to achieve. yeah…. we mixed it up….. we’re crazy like that. we don’t play by the rules of decorating and it is only important that we are both happy with our choices. our pieces were found all over the place and we would scour the internet, ebay and our favorite stores until the perfect piece was found. mike and rich over at easttown antiques know us by name in there and we usually don’t leave empty handed! they are our favorite antique store in town not only because they have awesome stuff, but also because they are so darn friendly. some of our other large pieces came from our new favorite store in chicago, salvage one. where do we begin?!!! four floors of reclaimed and completely incredible pieces. one of our favorite things about salvage one is that they rent it out for weddings, receptions and other events. did we also mention that we are dying to shoot a wedding there? so 2010 couples…… check this place out….. it’s stylish but comfortable, vintage but modern and super crazy cool all rolled into one. anthropologie, blue door, ebay, crate-n-barrel and fulton antiques helped us fill in the details and overall…. we are so HAPPY to have a space to call our own.

enough of my babble….. introducing……. STUDIO 6.23….. the makeover.

on the count of three, everyone say “hey” to our new intern, ERICA!! 1…2..2 1/2….3…

erica has actually been with us now since the second week of january, but this past week was the first time she was able to be with us when we had our cameras out….in the freezing cold…

so how did luck strike us with someone like erica?! she asked if she could do an internship with us at the perfect time!! and it was such a nice email, we simply had to meet her. and it’s all history from there. and what exactly does an intern for STUDIO 6.23 do? well, she’s helping us develop our intern program of course honestly, we feel that while learning photography and editing is very important, we’re focusing our internship program on learning what’s involved with running a photography business….what happens behind the curtain…and what keeps photographers up on facebook so late at night. blogging. workflow. processing orders. and the list goes on.

so today we’re giving a shoutout to erica, our first intern, who has been absolutely amazing and has set the bar very high!!

and now a bit more about erica…

6.23 if you could live anywhere in the world, where do you think it would be?
ERICA i was born & raised in the country but my heart is in the city! i would love to live in london!

6.23 if your favorite color could be a crayola crayon….. what would it be named?
ERICA summer days. my favorite color is yellow. canaries + banana popsicles + that polka dot bikini + the sun = summer & the perfect yellow :]

6.23 stores and styles that you love………
ERICA i love the “earthy” vintage look & i love accessories!! i have such a weakness for scarves! :] stores? huge forever21 & american eagle fan! they have great colors, accessories & jeans

6.23 what do you just LOVE to photograph?
ERICA i love to photograph couples & models. couples are so fun! i love capturing candid moments with couples. models are just absolutely beautiful & usually open to just about any location & any outfits which i’m a super fan of!

6.23 who is more fun to work with…. mindy or ben?
ERICA oh geez! i love them both for what its worth! do i have to?? rock paper scissors…mindy! she is an artsy, easily distracted girl after my own heart!! working with her is like working your best friend you’ve known for years. ben is the boss man & equally awesome tho :]

6.23 describe your personal photography style? how would you want someone to describe your photographs?
ERICA i love urban; awesome looking building,great colors, ect. i want people to look at my pictures & say “wow thats beautiful” :] i don’t care what i’m taking a picture of, i want it to be beautiful!

6.23 pick one song that describes you…. or two, if one is too hard!
ERICA gotta pick 2…first of all “i gotta feelin” by the black eyed peas…lets live it up! i try to live each day to the fullest. secondly, “who i am” by jessica andrews…nothing changes who i am :]

happy ALMOST valentine’s day!!!

last year, we didn’t get our christmas cards out until around valentine’s day. haha…oops! so we’ve surrendered and switched to doing valentines day cards instead we’re thinking we might even get them out ALMOST on time (less than a week late?!)

and in the spirit of our new tradition, today we’re sharing the picture that ALMOST made it on the card. it was between this one and another. so if you haven’t met our kids yet, meet (from left to right) langley (aka, “princess peach”, 4), keegan (7), and carter (5)!! yup…we love ‘em!

marty and rachelle are simply two of the most beautiful people we’ve ever met. inside and out. we didn’t want to leave biggby the first time we met…we could’ve talked for hours. they are both so amazingly creative, thoughtful and kind. every time that we connected — whether on phone or email — we walked away with a smile on our face.

so imagine how excited we were to spend a whole day with them!!

one crazy fun part of this whole story, though, involved the fact that they had an outdoor wedding planned….in NOVEMBER! i’m not gonna lie here. we were in florida the week before their wedding and we were a wee bit nervous about what michigan weather had in store for us. rachelle kept telling everyone that it was going to be the most beautiful day ever…and it totally was!! no joke…it was like 60 or 70 degrees. you kidding me?! in november?! i’m pretty sure rachelle has earned the right to say “i told you so” for years to come!

we’ve been so excited to share these pictures! every detail was so perfectly crafted (we’re talking hand made owls here people!!), and all the friends and family were so crazy nice. the best weddings are those where every aspect of the day are a reflection of the bride and groom. that was totally the case here. artistic. thoughtful. and personal. marty and rachelle…you inspire us!! and we can’t wait for our next cup of coffee with you. and now….some of our faves…

this was the perfect way to end our 2009 wedding season…in la jolla, california with the amazing drew and rochelle! mindy had only been to california one time before and it just happened to be to la jolla — which pretty much became one of her favorite places on earth. (i can still hear her asking …”why don’t we live here, ben?”) so when drew and rochelle called about a wedding in la jolla, let’s just say we were more than excited!!

drew was actually an old friend…I lived down the hall from him in college, and mindy got to know him through soccer connections. and then rochelle became an instant friend when we drove up to laguna to have dinner with her family our first day in california.

rochelle knew she wanted a rooftop wedding… and she found the perfect pink vintage hotel right on the water in la jolla. (heck, we could hear the sea lions barking while we were crashing in our room at night). and you should’ve seen what she did with the place!!! perfect flowers all over the place, a white tent for dancing, swank lounge chairs… you couldn’t help but feel cool just being there.

drew and rochelle….thank you, thank you, and thank you for inviting us to be a part of your day! it was so beautiful, and the two of you are SO wonderful together. can’t wait to see you again!! and now, here’s some of our faves from your perfect day….

MAD HOT!! beautiful, stylish, bold, sassy, fun, outgoing, loving…… downright FABULOUS!! how else could i ever describe my dear micki and her debonaire don?!!! we met with micki for the first time to chat about her wedding and we were ‘insta- friends’. she came with two of her bridesmaids (whom i also adore) and poor ben had to sit through the four of us chatting away….. for a LONG time!!! ever since then…… a friendship made in heaven. micki has also done my crazy hair like a rockstar, since she is the most fantastic hair designer! so to all of our brides….. if you are looking for some seriously awesome up-dos for your wedding day or just someone to do your hair in general…… check out micki at www.strandshairsalon.net. *commercial over.

don + micki had a special time when they met before the wedding (which we love!). after they spent a few minutes alone, we piled in with the wedding party and headed downtown for some photos. what a crazy crew of friends they have, which makes for some serious fun during the day! the ceremony was beautiful and the reception following was a PAAAARRRTAY!!! micki designed and made all of the details herself (with the help from family and friends) and they transformed the masonic temple on fulton into a masterpiece! one of my favorite parts of the night was when ALL of micki’s girlfriends surprised her by busting out pom-poms and singing and dancing around micki to the tune….”hey micki”….. hilarious and so much FUN!!! and the mood all day long just made me smile…. the love, friendships and excitement was undeniably contagious. we had such a blast and were SO thrilled to be part of your day. (and p.s. micki…… we need to go shopping soon!!) and now….. here is the fantastic couple and some 6.23 faves ………. ENJOY!!!

i suppose it’s time to pull out a list of thank you’s, haha…but for us it’s pretty darn to know who to thank! seriously, it would be hard to imagine having any better brides and grooms! they all looked so amazing and did such a great job with all of their details. so kudos to you! and to all of the brides and grooms in 2010, we can’t wait!!

now, here’s the press release which makes it really sound official

Grand Rapids, MI – January 19, 2010 – WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced STUDIO 6.23 has been selected to receive the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for wedding photography.

The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.

STUDIO 6.23 is among the top five percent of all vendors in the WeddingWire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.

“We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards™ program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.”

We are happy to announce that STUDIO 6.23 is among the very best wedding photographers within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire and Martha Stewart Weddings. We would like to thank our past newlyweds for nominating us for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™.

About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire is the only online wedding planning resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding vendors. WeddingWire enables engaged couples to search, compare and book over 100,000 reviewed wedding vendors nationwide, from wedding photographers to wedding cakes. WeddingWire also offers an online community and a suite of cutting-edge planning tools, including wedding websites and wedding checklists, all at no charge. For wedding vendors, WeddingWire provides free online management tools creating the only market opportunity that gives businesses control over their clients, reviews, leads and performance. In addition, WeddingWire has partnered with Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. (NYSE: MSO) to provide its network of local vendors and online wedding-planning tools in the Weddings section of www.MarthaStewartWeddings.com. For additional information, please visit www.WeddingWire.com.

there are just so many reasons why we love lance and michelle. before we even met them, we heard about lance’s hair and we couldn’t wait to shoot it!! then, our engagement shoot was like hanging out with friends. is it possible for a couple to be any more friendly?!

then came the wedding day…and it was pouring!! seriously pouring with lightning and all. we’re not just talking cats and dogs here…but the whole farm. but lance and michelle responded with perfection and grace. this was their day and whatever happened, it was perfect in their eyes. and perfect it was

so they asked if they could go out in the rain and take some pictures!! the day took on a whole new meaning of fun. when it came time for the ceremony, to everyone’s surprise, the clouds parted and gave way to a perfect sunny day. simply amazing!!! the beautiful ceremony was followed with an outdoor reception at the park with lawn games galore! again, perfect.

we also had a first at this wedding — michelle called it “trash the bouquet.” you’ll see the pic below. that was some crazy fun

lance and michelle, we adore you, and we enjoyed spending every moment of your day with you. thank you!! and now, here’s some of our faves…