We accept a limited amount of weddings per year. Now booking select 2026-2027 dates.

Garden of Love Films

The heart behind the lens.

We’re a husband-and-wife team crafting wedding films and photography with honest light, intentional color, and story-first direction. Your memories, now preserved as art.

Our story

Garden of Love began with a belief: that the beauty of a wedding isn’t in perfection, but in the quiet moments that feel like forever. The breath before the vows, a hand squeeze in the aisle, the roar of the room when the music hits. We create in a way that lets those moments breathe. Sound. Color. Pace. All in service of something true.

We work as one creative team across film and photo so your story feels cohesive. A unified tone, a shared eye for light, and a process that keeps you present.

AT A GLANCE

Based in Toledo & Detroit • Available worldwide

We accept a limited number of weddings each year

Photo + Film team for seamless direction

Sound-forward editing • Intentional color

Meet the team

Married, parents, and creative partners - we’ve lived real life together. We know love isn’t performative, and that’s exactly how we approach documenting it.

Tiernen Rice

Director & Lead Cinematographer

I keep things moving, read the room, and make sure the day feels fun instead of stressful. I’m equal parts calm and hype, focused on pacing, emotion, and the moments you didn’t even realize were happening.

We don’t just show up and film.. from the time you book until delivery - we’re with you, helping guide the experience so you can stay present while we tell the story the way it felt.

Thistle Rice

Lead Photographer & Producer

I’m drawn to honest moments and gentle direction. My approach is grounding, encouraging, and quietly observant, as to allow people to feel comfortable being themselves. I care deeply about creating photographs that feel organically you and meaningful years from now.

I’m a documentarian at heart... here to support you, keep things light, and make the day feel easy while we capture it as it unfolds.

Our approach

Presence over performance. We guide when needed and melt away when not. The day should feel like yours, not a production.
Sound first. Vows, toasts, ambient textures. We design audio like score so your film breathes with memory.
Intentional color. A restrained palette with skin-first grading for an editorial yet natural feel.
One voice across mediums. Photo and film planned together for cohesive direction and timeline flow.

Our approach

Presence over performance. We guide when needed and melt away when not. The day should feel like yours, not a production.
Sound first. Vows, toasts, ambient textures. We design audio like score so your film breathes with memory.
Intentional color. A restrained palette with skin-first grading for an editorial yet natural feel.
One voice across mediums. Photo and film planned together for cohesive direction and timeline flow.

A few milestones

Grateful to the couples, planners, and venues who trust our work.

RECOGNITION

Featured & Published

Select weddings featured by leading publications and venues across the Midwest.

CRAFT

Photo + Film Team

A unified creative process for cohesive storytelling and calm wedding-day flow.

SERVICE

Limited Weddings

We accept a limited number of commissions each year to give each story room to breathe.

Kind words

What couples say about the experience.

"Amazing Duo!"

Did a wonderful job capturing the love and bliss we felt on the best day of our lives. As an admittedly in-photogenic bride, they really got the best out of me lol. I loved that they really treated us like people and not customers. They best photography pair for that wants their emotions bursting through the picture! Thank you both again so much!

"Where do I even begin?"

Tiernen and Thistle have been AMAZING during this past year! We got our engagement photos done in October and they were everything we dreamed they would be, and we had no doubt in our mind that the wedding would be spectacular as well! These two make you feel so comfortable during the shoot, and there is never an awkward moment. They do an amazing job posing you, giving suggestions, making you laugh, ugly cry(in a good way), and all in all have a good time. We will definitely be using them in the future for any other events we may have. They don't just feel like business partners, they feel like family to us. We love working with you guys and cannot wait to see our wedding photos!

"They deserve every star in the sky, not just 5!"

They helped us through the entire wedding. They made sure that we didn't miss any special moments and the end result had us both in (happy) tears! If you need a photographer/videographer...look no further. Anyone can hold up a camera and hit a button, but these two have an eye for the actual art of photography!! They captured moments that others would have missed and became our friends at the end of the day. I look forward to using them again for all of my photography needs!