A Change of Plans, Married in a Garden | Cafe Cortina Farmington Hills, Michigan Wedding
Cafe Cortina Wedding, Farmington Hills Michigan
Elaine + JoJo and I originally met from The Knot. I cannot describe how kind hearted and amazing these two have been, specially in a pandemic. Their original wedding date was May 16th, but they were one of the firsts to postpone their wedding, but they moved their whole wedding to the same year…just in September. Everything went smoothly, and we anticipated their big day for just a few more months!
This is how I know they are going to make it, and make it out strong together. Our engagement session at Belle Isle in Detroit, Michigan proved to be challenging as well. The weather took a turn and the skies were dark and scary so we had to postpone the rest of their session and come back another day! …but through it all, the windy engagement session, round two a few days later, postponing and planning 2-3 different weddings, they still came out so in love and with nothing but smiles and laughter! I gotta say too, we joked about how their wedding was originally in Warren, Michigan and moved 6 minutes away from my home in Farmington Hills!! I’ve photographed a wedding here before, back in 2017 when I was VERY new to weddings!
See also: Lori + Chuck | Cafe Cortina Wedding in Farmington Hills, Michigan, Elaine + JoJo | Engagement Session in Belle Isle, Michigan
Reviews from Elaine + JoJo on The Knot
Julie is amazing. Even with all of the curve balls that have been thrown at Elaine and I during the pandemic, she still made it a priority to take care of us. She reached out many times to check on us and accommodate all of the changes that we had to make on the fly. We will definitely be calling her multiple times and recommending her to all of our friends!!!
-Joseph (JoJo) Estrada
JULIE IS THE BEST PHOTOGRAPHER EVER!!! She’s amazing and let me tell you my experience with her. I found Julie on TheKnot.com and I immediately fell in love with her work. My husband, Jojo, and I met up with her at Panera Bread. She made sure to sit facing towards the door that way the moment we walked in we would see her. First impression, she’s super friendly, bubbly, and easy going and even got us coffee. Because of her personality, I was very comfortable asking her anything and she answered all our questions. I felt no pressure to book with her, but I immediately knew she’s the one! She was ecstatic when we told her we’re booking with her. Our first photo session with her was the engagement session. The weather wasn’t exactly favorable since it down poured on us, but Julie made sure to capture every photo we could before it rained. She even offered to do a second engagement session to make sure we have the best photos! Luckily, the weather was much better. For both sessions, Julie brought out the best expressions from us. It felt very natural and fun working with her, as if we’ve been friends for such a long time. We received the photos very quickly, about a week and turned out so beautiful! Everyone loved it! It was 2 months before our wedding when COVID-19 hit. Julie made sure to follow up with us with any changes throughout the whole time. She felt genuinely concerned about how we felt having to go through the pandemic and our wedding postponement. She helped us find the best alternative venue for an outdoor wedding ceremony/reception that complies with the executive orders. She was also very transparent with the limitations of what she’s able to do during the quarantine. Having to plan a pandemic wedding, I was super stressed out with all the changes. She was very patient and accommodating with the changes we went through. She helped me put a timeline together that best suits our wants and needs since we only had very limited time in our reception. During our wedding session, Julie exceeded my expectations. She has keen eyes for the best lightning and background so we had the most amazing photos! Very attentive to details, she even courageously removed the bee that was stuck in my wedding dress! Even though we veered off the timeline for a bit, Julie was very flexible and had quick decisive actions with all the last minute changes. After all the festivities, Julie gave us the BEST GIFT EVER! Not only did she give us sneak peeks photos the DAY OF the wedding, she also finished editing ALL THE WEDDING PHOTOS THE NEXT DAY! PLUS she surprised us with a GIF of our wedding kiss! Julie went above and beyond from the moment we first contacted her through email, to our first meeting, our two engagement sessions, COVID-19 wedding replanning, and wedding day. Julie has all the qualities you want and need in a great photographer; Not only is she kind, friendly, bubbly, fun, and creative, but she’s also always looking to improve her skills and equipment to deliver the best photos ever. I couldn’t be happier with how beautiful and sentimental the photos turned out to be. Our family and friends also commented to us that we have a great photographer. They all loved her and her work! Everything went perfect and I was very comfortable knowing Julie had my back. I will definitely have Julie take pictures of our future family because I know she will create happy, beautiful and long lasting memories for us <3
-Elaine Peralta Estrada
Catchfly Photography is a traditional wedding and adventurous elopement photographer based in Farmington Hills, MI. Julie Believes in the little details and in between moments. Nature completely inspires Julie and she incorporates nature into almost every photo she takes. Julie travels to photograph traditional weddings and intimate elopements in Traverse City, Mackinaw City, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Colorado, Arizona, Puerto Rico and Ireland.
