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I'm Dawn, your friendly neighborhood elopement, wedding and portrait photographer. Have some fun exploring my little corner of the web and be sure to comment introduce yourself!

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You’re in the middle of wedding planning and you finally decided on invitations. If you’re about 8-10 weeks out from your wedding date, you’re getting ready to slap a stamp on those babies and drop them in the mailbox. This is one of the most exciting moments in wedding planning, because you’re finally sharing this […]

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April 23, 2025

What To Do When Wedding Guests Don’t RSVP

CLARIFY YOUR VISION

CLARIFY YOUR VISION

Congratulations on your engagement! This is such a life-changing moment. And the time spent between dating and marriage is exciting and busy, but it’s also a bit weird. There’s kind of a flood gate opening situation that happens during this time of your lives and it can start to feel like everything is just up […]

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August 19, 2022

8 Tips for Newly Engaged Couples

CLARIFY YOUR VISION

CLARIFY YOUR VISION

LGBT couple at Disney's Port Orleans French Quarter Resort

If you’re recently engaged and you’ve even briefly considered having a Walt Disney World wedding, this post is for you! My husband and I went through the Disney Fairy Tale Weddings process ourselves back in 2009. While there have been lots of updates including how events are structured and priced, for the most part the […]

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July 26, 2021

Cinderella's Castle at Walt Disney World

Resources for Planning a Walt Disney World Wedding

CLARIFY YOUR VISION

CLARIFY YOUR VISION

Note: This article is based on my own observations and experiences working in the wedding industry since shooting my first wedding in 2011. Not every couple, parent, person, cultural or religious community, or wedding vendor is going to agree with me and that’s okay. My purpose in writing this is to emotionally support couples (especially […]

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May 13, 2020

The COVID-19 Wedding Trend I Hope We Keep

CLARIFY YOUR VISION

CLARIFY YOUR VISION

I sat down with my recent bride Kelly to talk about how to plan a Mackinac Island destination wedding. We get into the nitty gritty of planning her out of state wedding in northern Michigan. Kelly had been dreaming of a wedding on the island for years and when her Fiance Bobby agreed to it […]

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October 17, 2019

Mission Point Resort Mackinac Island destination wedding

How to Plan a Mackinac Island Destination Wedding

CLARIFY YOUR VISION

CLARIFY YOUR VISION

Hiring a wedding photographer (or any wedding professional for that matter) can feel daunting. I remember going through the process with my husband, my Real Simple Wedding Guide in hand (may it rest in peace) trying to ask the right questions. If you’re anything like us, you’re excited, but also a little overwhelmed. You might […]

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June 12, 2019

5 Details to Consider Before Hiring a Wedding Photographer

CLARIFY YOUR VISION

CLARIFY YOUR VISION

Bride and Groom kissing on Main Street on Mackinac Island

You just got engaged…Congratulations! You’re probably getting ready to change your relationship status, upload a proposal photo or ring selfie and tell your grandma the news. Those seem like obvious first steps to take right? Getting engaged is so exciting, but after the initial high, it can be really stressful. There are some things you […]

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January 23, 2019

Pear shaped diamond engagement ring

Just Engaged? What to Do Before You Start Wedding Planning

CLARIFY YOUR VISION

CLARIFY YOUR VISION

The royal wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Meghan Markle is this weekend and the world is abuzz. This week, as I was hearing little news snippets (gossip really) , I started thinking how Harry and Meghan’s wedding story can teach us commoners some valuable lessons about the process of going from fiancé to spouse. 1) No one knows […]

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May 18, 2018

5 Lessons the Royals Can Teach Us About Wedding Planning

CLARIFY YOUR VISION

CLARIFY YOUR VISION