Twenty-five years of marriage deserves more than a dinner reservation.
For their anniversary session, these two wanted to celebrate 25 years together with something that felt elevated, fun, and still completely like them. They dressed up, met me at Lyons Square in downtown Grand Rapids, and turned their session into a night out in the city -with a bottle of champagne waiting for the finale.
Oh, and we did all of this during one of those absolutely brutal Michigan heatwaves. Because apparently 25 years of marriage wasn't enough of an accomplishment.
An Anniversary Session at Lyons Square in Downtown Grand Rapids
We photographed their session around Lyons Square, right outside the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel which was such a good fit for the look they wanted.
Their sleek outfits paired perfectly with the architecture, city streets, and more polished downtown setting, giving the photos an editorial feel without making the session itself feel overly formal.
It's also one of the reasons I love photographing couples downtown. We don't need to spend half the session driving around Grand Rapids chasing different locations. A relatively small area can give us architecture, city views, movement, interesting light, and plenty of variety just by walking together and seeing what we find.
Even when it's approximately one million degrees outside.
Champagne, Because 25 Years Deserves It
There was one photo these two knew they wanted from the beginning: a champagne spray to celebrate 25 years of marriage.
So naturally, we made it happen.
It was messy, celebratory, a little chaotic, and exactly the kind of thing I love incorporating into a session because it gives you something to actually do. Instead of creating a photograph just for the sake of creating one, we were documenting a real celebration.
And after 25 years together? Pop the damn champagne.
Couples Photos Aren't Just for Engagements
One of my favorite things about this session is the reminder that professional photos together don't have to stop after your wedding.
You don't need to be newly engaged. You don't need to be announcing something. And you definitely don't need to wait until your entire family is due for updated portraits.
Twenty-five years together is worth documenting.
So is ten. Or five. Or just this particular season of your life.
And if you are newly engaged, this same approach works beautifully for engagement photos in downtown Grand Rapids. Dress like yourselves, make plans you'd actually enjoy, bring champagne - or pizza, cocktails, your dog, whatever makes sense for the two of you - and let the session feel more like a date than a photoshoot.
Because the location matters, but what I really want to photograph is you enjoying being there together.
