Michigan Wedding Photography | Gold & Elm Wedding Photo

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Michigan Wedding Photographer

Capturing the Unscripted.
Creating the Unimaginable.

Real Moments & Creative Vision

Your photos should feel alive, not posed to perfection. They should be full of emotion, rich in color, and shaped by your connection, the atmosphere, and the world around you. From candid moments that unfold naturally to prompts that bring out your personalities and cinematic portraits crafted with intention, every image should tell a piece of your story in a way that feels personal, expressive, and unmistakably yours.

Guiding the Experience & Capturing the Real

Some of the best moments happen on their own. Others start with a little direction, a change of perspective, or making the most of the space around you.

I know when to step in and when to step back. I’ll help create opportunities for natural interaction, bring out your personalities, and use light and surroundings to make each image feel intentional. When the real moments unfold, I’ll be there to capture them.

The result? You get to stay present, enjoy the experience, and walk away with photos that feel like you—full of personality, emotion, and moments worth remembering.

Behind the Camera

Your wedding isn’t meant to look like everyone else’s.

Weddings aren’t perfect, and they’re not meant to follow a checklist of moments that need to happen. You’ve seen other weddings, saved the inspiration, and pictured how your own day should look. But those moments belong to someone else. Your wedding should be about creating an experience that’s entirely your own.

Let go of the expectations. Be present. Let the day unfold, imperfections and all. Because the moments that mean the most aren’t always the ones you planned for. They’re the ones you felt, the ones that caught you off guard, and the ones you couldn’t have imagined beforehand. That’s what makes your wedding yours.

Your Wedding Isn’t Like Everyone Else’s. Your Photos Shouldn’t Be Either.

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The Experience, in Their Words

"Do yourself a favor and hire Rich! My husband and I have had the absolute best experience with him capturing our most important day. Our engagement photoshoot was such an amazing opportunity to get to know each other, and we were just blown away at how incredible our pictures came out. Rich has such an artistic eye, it's so impressive. He really gave his all and we were so impressed and grateful for his hard work. We had no idea how to pose for photos going into the day, Rich helped direct us how to do so and the pictures truly looked so effortless. We received so many compliments on our engagement pictures and can't wait to see our wedding pictures. He was such a pleasure to work with and completely understood the vibe I was going for on both days, with minimal need for explanation. He was extremely kind and patient. I have experienced other wedding photographers to be very rude and aggressive when trying to get photos (esp on the wedding day), not Rich! He was calm, cool and collected the entire time. He spoke kindly and with respect. I will be suggesting him to all of our friends and family and look forward to using his services in the future for any photography needs! Thank you again Rich!!!"

Let’s Connect

Every wedding is different, and I’d love to hear what you’re dreaming up. Tell me a little about the two of you, what you’re planning, and what matters most. No pressure, no expectations — just a chance to connect and see if we’re a good fit.

What Couples Say

"We were looking for fun, romantic, light & bright photos that are also timeless and true to color, and man did Rich deliver. Communication was amazing- he doesn't take long to respond and is easy to get ahold of. He was so easy to work with from handling a little last minute chaos with engagement photo locations to us replanning our entire wedding within three months. He made sure our engagement and wedding photos went without a hitch. Not only was Rich fun to work with, but he was a fantastic resource and we enjoyed the levity and expertise he brought to every step of the process. Our photos are STUNNING. I will recommend Gold & Elm to anybody who will listen!"

Madison + Chris

Zola

"Rich was absolutely phenomenal. He was patient even when it was like herding cats with our crazy family. He gave great suggestions for what photos to get and was very GI with the flow considering we thought it was going to rain all day and then we ended up taking some outside shots anyways. He puts your mind at ease all day and never makes you feel anything but beautiful and special on your big day. We loved having him and will suggest him to everyone we know that needs a photographer for any life event! ”

Kaytlynn + Daniel

The Knot

"Rich was incredible — he helped us plan what photos we wanted and all the logistics surrounding them from Day 1 via multiple meetings, so we felt already confident going into our wedding that we would be happy with the final product. He was super flexible and made it clear that he was there to support us in making sure everything went smoothly… and it did! His suggestions of poses and locations were excellent and really captured the spirit of the day and our love for each other. The pictures of us and our families/attendants came out gorgeous, and we are incredibly grateful for his expertise. He got everything right — from detail shots to group pics. (And the candid photos of the reception are incredibly fun and will be cherished for years to come, as well!)"

Annelie + Tom

Google

Real Moments & Creative Vision

Real Moments & Creative Vision

Guiding the Experience & Capturing the Real

Behind the Camera

Your Wedding Isn’t Like Everyone Else’s. Your Photos Shouldn’t Be Either.

featured on:

The Experience, in Their Words

Let’s Connect

What Couples Say

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