On Saturday last weekend, I was privileged to have been able to photograph an amazing evening honoring an amazing woman here in Grand Rapids. This brithday celebration was different from most in that this lady was adamant that the evening be about her guests, and not her. After interacting with (and photographing) her children, I can see instantly how well she has done as a mother… which is very impressive considering her packed schedule. God being first in her life, with family next… and then friends who are as close as family to her… its easy to see why so many people were in attendance.
The event was was decorated in great detail by the unmatched Jodi Bos of In Any Event. If you want the best event possible… you simply need to call Jodi. Hands down, her events outshine any other events I’ve ever been to… be it a wedding, birthday or any occasion worthy of celebration. Every detail is covered, so many in fact that is near impossible to capture each detail in photographs alone. But I’ll try… at least with a few images below as a small sampling of the amazing spectacle.
I should first point out that some of these amazing images were captured by my good friend Ryan Prins of Ryan Prins Photogarphy who worked as my 2nd shooter under the Coastline Studios name. Thank you Ryan for your talents and skills. We make a great team, and I always enjoy shooting with you.
Here are some great detail shots to tell the story.
A creative presentation of some Hors d’oeuvres. Another small detail courtesy of Jodi Bos.
After a cocktail reception, all the guests moved into the main dining area. Here are some details shots taken before the guests arrived.
Everyone had shrimp tail salads to start the meal.
One of the highlights of the evening was a private concert from John Ondrasik who is the lead singer from Five for Fighting. He sounds amazing live… just as if I was listening to the CD. Simply outstanding.
A view of the guests enjoying the concert.
After the concert the doors were opened to reveal a beautiful dance floor with numerous details and decorations… again Jodi shows us why she is the best.
And what would dinner be without dessert? How good does all this look! Wow!
It was am amazing experience. And I can’t thank my Coastline Studios team enough for their mad skills. Thanks Jay Irwin, Adam Kring and Greg Ohlman for doing the video, and of course Ryan Prins for photography. And one last shout out to Jodi… amazing job.