Michelle & Mike

As the doors of Michelle's dressing room opened she peeked out at me with a smile. As her bridesmaids primped and adjusted her many layers Michelle smiled. As she spoke of her excitement for the hours to come her smile grew wider. When Michelle & Mike finally emerged from their private meeting her smile had extended from ear to ear. Mike truly lights up Michelle's face... just his presence and the memories of the love they share are always present... a twinkle in her eye or a dimple in her cheek. His love is always present.

Michelle & Mike I hope you had a wonderful time on your honeymoon in Tahoe. Thanks again for allowing me to be a part of your special day. It was truly a pleasure.


I love this shot... favorite!






Michelle has such a beautiful smile...















This photo makes me giggle.. how cute is he???



Chocolate is a great favor idea.. but how appropriate are M&Ms for Michelle & Mike :)

Paige & Shawn

I awoke to storms.. loud thunder claps and rain pelting my window pane. Not a great wake up call when your photographing an outdoor wedding. As I showered and prepared my equipment for the day the thunderstorm continued outside, even knocking the power out for a brief time. As the hour approached for Paige & Shawn's wedding though the skies cleared and gave way to a breathtaking blue. The weather couldn't have come together more perfectly... and it certainly was an incredible day for an adorable couple.

Paige & Shawn had such a beautiful intimate outdoor wedding. It truly was a coming together of family and friends to celebrate their deep level of love and respect for one another. A good friend neighbor Bob performed the ceremony and Shawns brother made the cake. He even shipped in all of his baking pans from his home in the south to make sure things were done right! Like I said... this was an intimate affair that made even me feel like a member of the family. Paige & Shawn thank you again for allowing me to be a part of your beautiful wedding day. It was such an honor.... and of course the cake was an added bonus! :)









This photo makes me smile:) Paige & Shawn had no attendants so guess who got to hold her bouquet.... Dad.







Soft filtered effects are not normally my style.. but I really liked how they worked on this image....



Shawn really does make Paige glow...

And so ends the retreat.....

Crash, pop, sizzle.... those are the sounds that have been haunting my dreams this week. My main computer crashed. Don't you just love technology?!?! If your waiting for a session to be proofed, posted or blogged have no fear. All images are thoroughly backed up as soon as I complete a shoot.. so everything is safe. Sadly though, here I sit in front of my second computer, where I thankfully still have internet access but of course much of the information I need is being held hostage on my main server. I wonder if I talk to it sweetly if it might be more inclined to just turn on for me??? It's pretty much heard every nasty name I could throw at it in the last few days... think I hurt it's feelings?! Anyway, my incredible husband/IT tech is working on the situation full time today. Hopefully we will be up and running again when I return home from my wedding. Otherwise it will be another night spent with a bottle of wine until I'm able to take it in for service on Monday.

Stay tuned for these blog posts coming up.....

Paige & Shawn

Michelle & Mike

Stephanie & Kent

Sara & Phil

Cassandra & Chris

Erin & Duy

Jamie & Chad

Anna & Derrick

A much needed retreat.....

For months now Aaron and I have been discussing the need for a vacation. Not the "gosh, it would really be nice to get away for a while" conversation. It was more along the lines of "We NEED to take a vacation, and soon!". Now don't get me wrong... I love what I do. I thank God all the time that my career is something I absolutely love. However, when you work in the wedding industry inevitable you will be working on the weekends. Working 6 days a week... every week doesn't leave much time for Aaron and I. A vacation is the only real guarantee that our time will be spent completely focused on one another. What an incredible treat it was to wake up everyday to my incredibly handsome hubby! Another day, stuck spent with you? Bummer ;)

Not really having a weekend off for a vacation we settled on taking a Monday thru Friday off. So following a wedding on Saturday the 19th and a gig for Aaron we made the drive down to O'Hare early Sunday morning. (We flew out of O'Hare since my wedding the following weekend was to take place in Elgin, IL... look for some fun photos of that incredible event coming soon!) It had been so long since our last vacation we didn't want to waste any time.... looking back we probably could have affording at least a few hours for a later flight! Aaron's gig Saturday was in LaCrosse and he played until bar time. I spent Saturday night backing up my wedding files and finally packing.. and he spent the night driving down from LaCrosse only to pick me up and continue our drive to Chicago. Needless to say, I don't think either of us heard a word of the flight attendants safety speech!

From Chicago we flew into Burlington, Vermont... yup, Vermont. I know... big time vacation hot spot! When we discussed a vacation we both agreed we wanted to keep it to a short flight, so tropical destinations were out... and we wanted to make relaxation the key, so no big cities. That's how we settled upon the Adirondack Mountains and Lake Placid in particular. Turns out our dot on the map was a perfect fit! After a short trip to Montreal we spent the rest of the week in Lake Placid hiking, shopping, enjoying some live music and even took a trip whitewater rafting. Each night ended the same... with a relaxing soak in the hot tub. It was perfect! Sooo my thanks to everyone who patiently waited for my email/voicemail responses after getting an "out of office" reply. I so appreciated your understanding.


A view from our hike... breathtaking!



Okay... so the rock wasn't really big enough for the both of us! But this is why I love this man so much, he humors me. :)



Just a few snaps I took on one of our hikes...







And the final day of our trip... which also happened to be Aaron's birthday. He knew exactly how he wanted to spend it. Sooo I pushed my fears aside and donned a wetsuit on a cold rainy day... turns out whitewater rafting is sooo much fun! Our guide told us that they had unusually high waters for this time of year. The water is rated from 1-5, with 5 being the most difficult. We rode level 3 & 4 waves. This photo is courteous of Melody Thomas Photography... we're the two yellow helmets.



This photo cracks me up! Aaron looks like he is having such a blast... but then check out the guy in the last seat on the left... not exactly the same response!

Tracy & Todd

Thunder clouds and buckets of rain. Inch after inch... rising slowly, threatening destruction to everything in it's path. These memories are all too vivid for many residents of Wisconsin who struggled through the flooding this summer. Difficult memories. For Tracy and Todd though the memory of these floods brings about a different response. They are a reminder of the love and dedication a parent feels for their children.

When you look at the images from Tracy and Todd's wedding day there are no striking reminders of the torrid rains earlier this summer. You won't see any reminders because, well Tracy's parents simply wouldn't allow it! With their daughter's wedding less then two weeks away, and scheduled to take place in their backyard, Tracy's parents spent hours sandbagging and shoveling mud back into place. Desperately trying with ever ounce of remaining energy to save the landscaping. To save the beautiful stonework and flowers planned in details over the past year from washing away their daughters dreams of a 'simple' backyard wedding. Oh and did I mention they did this all even during the rainstorms, often late in the midnight hours?? To say that Tracy's parents are amazing is an obvious understatement.

When you witness Tracy and Todd together there is no question in my mind why Tracy's parents went to such lengths to fight off the floods. They are simply put - perfect. There is an unspoken togetherness when you see them that just seems so natural... as if together, is the only way they could possible be.

Tracy & Todd thank you so much for inviting Karen and I into your lives. Your wedding was such a beautiful display of family love and support. It was inspiring to witness.
Congratulations again!

We found these adorable antique spices in the family kitchen and couldn't resist....







Watching the guests arrive....



Mr. & Mrs. ! Love this shot that Karen grabbed - Favorite



And of course, my perspective.... doesn't this make you want to cuddle? :)



I love this shot. Tracy & Todd's epics were also taken at her parents in January, so fun to see the different seasons. You can check out that session here.





I love a good father daughter moment...

Julie & Josh

At the tender age of 5 Julie knew with a great deal of certainty that 1 + 1 = 2 . As the pigtails were replaced by french braids in middle school she also learned that 3 + (-1) = 2. Same result... different steps to get there.

As a mature and beautiful adult now Julie has perfected her math skills. As it turns out 1 white dress + 2 strappy heels + 5 groomsmen + 5 bridesmaids + 1 handsome groom all = 2 people united in what is certain to be a marriage that stands the test of time. Considering that Julie & Josh are both accountants and met working at the same accounting firm... I'm going to trust their math skills are much more fine tuned then my own and that they have perfected this equation.

I first met Julie & Josh when they were referred to me by Jamie & Brian... who's wedding you may remember from last fall. (Thanks again you two!) When I saw Julie & Josh cut a rug at the wedding in November I knew I was in for a good time. In the past year they have perfected those dance skills and even choreographed an amazing first dance to start their reception off right. Julie & Josh congratulations again! Thanks for a truly amazing party. Julie - the next time I'm throwing a bash I am definitely hiring you! This girl has some serious design skills... just beautiful.







Are they not adorable together?!?!





Love it!!!





Julie put in some much time and attention to every detail of the wedding... I have never seen
the Masonic Center look so amazing. I simply couldn't pick just one or two images!



The incredible bouquets were by Personal Expressions in New Glarus.

Andrea & Lee

Believe it or not long before K-Fed was on the scene Ms. Spears fell deeply in love with a man in blue tights. But really... who among us hasn't swooned over a man in tights?!?! Anyone.... okay, so maybe it's just me. :)

When Andrea & Lee first met it was at a Halloween Party. Andrea was looking adorable in her knee highs and plaid school girl outfit.. rocking the persona of Britney. All eyes were certainly on the innocent school girl who had just burst onto the music scene. With her adorable pigtails and curvaceous body, Britney had her pick of the crowd that evening.... but there was only one man who could turn her head... the man of steel himself. Blue tights and a red cape? Britney was putty in his hands.

To find your soul mate is an incredible thing... to find them while dressed up as someone else?!?! amazing. Andrea & Lee congratulations on finding that one person who compliments your very being. It was such a pleasure working with you both. Karen and I can't wait to hear what Halloween holds in store for you this year. :)





I love the light in this shot...







Love this image Karen caught through the church doors... Favorite!







AYKM??? These two are so adorable together! Favorite



A little fun with a texture.....