Portraits by Mandy, LLC

10/28/2026

I was recently featured in an online magazine. ☺️

Read it here:

Today we’d like to introduce you to Mandy Slane. Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?I’m sure every photographer says this, but I really was just “that girl with a camera” growi...

10/26/2026

POV: You have a rather unsettling dream the night before a WEDDING that your camera is going to break. Then you wake up, start packing, and your dream literally comes true. 🫠😱

A photographer’s actual worst nightmare.

Hours before I was supposed to photograph my final wedding of the year, the on/off switch on my camera broke. And while I did have a second identical camera (because, obviously, you NEVER show up to a wedding with only one camera), I knew I wasn’t comfortable taking any chances with the equipment I had left if I could help it. Not on someone’s wedding day.

So what did I do? Frantically Googled what time Grand Rapids Camera opened, texted my sister in a panic (because the adrenaline was surging and I just had to tell someone), and drove to the store to rent another camera body.

An hour round trip and $110 I hadn’t planned on spending. All before the wedding day had even started.

My sister texted back, “Your clients are lucky to have you because other photographers would probably just roll with one camera.”

That stuck with me.🥹

But she’s right. When you hire me, you’re not just paying for the hours I’m physically at your wedding taking pictures. You’re paying for the preparation, the backup equipment, the experience to know when something isn’t worth the risk, and the willingness to do whatever I reasonably can to make sure you get the photographs you’ve been trusting me to create.

Sure, I COULD have rolled with what I had. But I wouldn’t have felt good about it, and I wasn’t willing to take that chance with someone else’s wedding day.
Because your wedding day is once-in-lifetime. And I take that responsibility seriously.

(Thankfully, the camera rental was a success, the wedding was beautiful, and this story is much funnier now than it was that morning. 😂)

Shout out to Grand Rapids Camera for the speedy rental and excellent customer service. They even helped me set the camera up so it would have all the custom settings I was used to with my own.

10/25/2026

A perfect fall day, a very sweet couple, and the kind of work that reminds me how lucky I am to do this. Mikaela and Cameron, you couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful, picturesque day at The Morris Estate!

Every bit of this wedding was simply wonderful. The food was delicious. The desserts were top-tier. The string quartet was fantastic. The DJ kept the dance floor packed. The florals were absolutely stunning. And Mikaela and Cam look like they walked off the pages of a bridal magazine. This event was a serious high note to end the season on. 🤩

Yesterday was my last full wedding day of the season, and as I look back on another year of getting to be part of such meaningful moments, I’m feeling especially grateful. For the couples who trust me, the lovely people I get to meet at every event, and the little moments I’m invited to preserve along the way.

Here’s a little peek at their gorgeous day. I can’t wait to share more!

Vendor Team:
Photo: Michigan Wedding Photographer
Venue & Catering: The Morris Estate
Floral: Trudi Donovan
DJ:
Cake: Bit of Swiss Pastry Shoppe
Music: Wedding Musicians

Go give these guys a follow! ☝🏻 I highly recommend every single one!

10/11/2026

There’s something so special about the season right before your family grows.

The anticipation, the little moments, and the realization that life is about to look a little different. One last season as a family of three before another little boy makes you a family of four.

Last night, I got to photograph my sister, brother-in-law, and my sweet nephew as they get ready to welcome baby boy in December. And getting to document these moments for my own family makes them that much more special.

Life moves fast, especially in these little years. I love having photos that let us hold onto not just how things looked, but how life felt in that season. (I think the last photo here is the best representation of that 😂).

Baby boy, you are already so loved. We all can’t wait to meet you!

09/20/2026

There was a 100% chance of rain yesterday. It had already thunderstormed that morning and dumped inches of rain, and the forecast was basically promising more of the same all day long.

The original plan was for an outdoor ceremony, but Michigan weather just wasn’t cooperating. So we pivoted. We moved the ceremony inside, embraced the clouds, and made a new plan.

But as I’m sitting here looking through yesterday’s images this morning, the weather isn’t actually what I’m thinking about most.

It’s the people.

I have truly never felt so welcomed and appreciated at a wedding—not just by Clyde and Carolina, but by their parents, their friends, their entire crew.

Clyde was genuinely excited to see me when I arrived. I was thanked throughout the day for being there. And as I was leaving, Carolina’s mom told me I had been “a wave of calm all day.”

That one really stuck with me.

And then there was the way Clyde and Carolina handled the whole day. They didn’t care about the rain. Or the mud. Or the fact that their ceremony had to move inside.

They cared about one thing: They were getting married. To their best friend.

And they were surrounded by all of their favorite people. And judging by the absolutely PACKED dance floor, EVERYONE came ready to celebrate.

So yes, yesterday involved a few pivots. The rain could have easily been the thing everyone talked about. But what I’ll remember is a couple who refused to let the forecast steal an ounce of joy from their day, and a room full of people who made it very, very clear just how much they loved them.

Congratulations, Carolina & Clyde!

09/17/2026

Ever since becoming a mama to a little boy, the mother-son dance at weddings has hit a little differently for me. 🥹

But this one?

This one absolutely wrecked me.

Their song was Her Little Man by Jami Grooms, and somewhere between photographing this mama dancing with her son and hearing those lyrics about the little boy who grows up and one day dances with his mom before some lucky girl takes her place…

I was done. 😭

Because now I can’t watch these moments without thinking about my own little boy.

The tiny hands.
The first steps.
The years that somehow fly by.
And the fact that one day, that little boy will be a grown man standing beside the woman he loves.

And this mama will get her one more dance.

So yes, I was behind the camera doing my job.

But I was also standing there as a boy mama, watching a glimpse of something I know is going to come far too quickly.

And apparently I am NOT emotionally prepared for it. 😂😭

This is one of the reasons I love what I do so much. I get to photograph these moments for my clients… while occasionally getting my own heart completely wrecked in the process. 💛

Video: Leslie Botello | Professional Content Creative
Photo: Michigan Wedding Photographer
Venue: North Lake Weddings + Events

09/16/2026

Sometimes you just need to get out and play.

Last night’s styled shoot was exactly that for me—a chance to flex a creative muscle, try some ideas, and photograph just for the fun of it.

When you’re photographing paying clients, there’s a beautiful responsibility that comes with creating images for someone else’s memories. But every once in a while, it’s fun to take all the expectations off the table and ask yourself, “What do I want to try?”

No pressure. No shot list. No worrying about whether this is exactly what my client envisioned.

Just creativity, three beautiful models, a very cool retro boat, and a ridiculously cute little town. (Saugatuck, you are a photographer’s dream).

I walked away feeling creatively refreshed and reminded that sometimes the best way to grow as an artist is to simply give yourself permission to play.

So here’s a little peek at last night’s creative adventure.

Vendors:
Photography: Michigan Wedding Photographer
Planner: Beloved Events and Rentals
Dresses:
Hair and Makeup: .bride Bombshell Salon & Spa .bombshelbdb
Boat Rentals: Retro Boat Rentals Saugatuck
Florist: Season.
Models: maureen/mo belcher Jess Carey Eva Aaron

08/31/2026

When the groom says he wants “something fun” for the guys…

Oh, I gotchu. 😂

One b**r.
Six grown men.
One very serious foot race.

These guys understood the assignment.

Just make sure you save this one for AFTER the ceremony. 😉

Video: Leslie Botello | Professional Content Creative
Photos: Michigan Wedding Photographer

08/30/2026

Butter yellow dresses, colorful florals, a beautiful pond, and approximately a million thoughtful little details.
Maddy and Jack’s wedding day was every bit as joyful and gorgeous as it sounds.

Maddy thought through everything—from the stunning florals and colorful details to the sweetest little treats for guests to take home to their doggies.🥹

Their ceremony overlooking the pond at North Lake Events was the perfect setting for the beginning of this next chapter, and the whole day felt so completely them.

Joyful, colorful, intentional, and full of so much love.

Maddy & Jack, yesterday was pretty darn amazing!

Here’s a little peek while I try to narrow down approximately 4,000 favorites.

Venue: North Lake Weddings + Events
Florist: Dana Hicks, WEDDING FLORIST
Photo: Michigan Wedding Photographer
Content Creation: Leslie Botello | Professional Content Creative
DJ: JellieFish Productions
Caterer: CK Catering

08/29/2026

Camera? Check.
Lenses? Check.
Memory cards? Check.
Emergency hair clip the size of a small aircraft? Absolutely. 😂

My long-hair girlies know.