The Tuesday before Thanksgiving we all met out at Joe's grandparents home and 100 acres of land in Reedsburg to hang out, wander and photograph these lovely two - the weather was perfect, a little snow a little fall leaves and a lot of sun. I love when the couple picks a place that means something to them for their sessions, it brings a little comfort for them and I get to know them a little better hearing the stories they have - these two have spent many weekend up on the land exploring and relaxing, and I get it - this place was a little slice of heaven - from the epic long driveway to the perfect sunset just past the tree line.  

It's pretty daring planning a wedding in late November in Wisconsin and for Sarah Jane and Michael I would say they were pretty lucky. On the one winter day we had this year, these two lovelies exchanged their vows and had an epic dance party with their family and friends and it was a pretty amazing day to be apart of. It may have been windy on Lake Michigan but our first look session at Humboldt Park in Bayview was a winter wonderland dream - what everyone wishes winter always looked like and SJ and Michael braved the cold for some magical photographs. I've been lucky enough to know these two for years, I met SJ through my siblings and have spent many of my weekend visits to Milwaukee with both Michael and SJ, whether it's in my sister's backyard around a fire or a visit to Michael's shop, Alt's Antique & Floral (and yes, he made the center pieces as well as SJ's bouquet) or a craft fair where SJ sells her incredible art, it is always lovely to spend time with these two gems and I felt so honored when they asked me to document their wedding day.

You may remember these lovely two from a blog a few months back when I met them in Chicago, where they are currently living to spend an afternoon wandering the city that they love. A few weeks back these two traveled to Madison, Wi to meet up with their friends and family to tie the knot and celebrate their love story -- A windy fall day but beautiful and really just perfect. A wonderful ceremony followed by my time with their wedding party on a trolley to a lovely dinner, speeches that made every single person cry, to a song Kyle sang to his lovely bride (another moment where there wasn't a dry eye) to an epic dance party that was hard to leave.  

You two are wonderful and I am so thankful I got to be apart of this day, enjoy! 

A party in a Library to celebrate Michelle and Carey. A perfect fall day, a beautiful venue, a ceremony that made everyone cry, a perfect sunset session followed by a wonderful meal by Underground catering and to end the night a dance party. This day was a pretty great day to be apart of and I am so thankful I got to document it.  

Every few years I get to hang out with Lola and June and take their photographs. It's pretty amazing to watch these girls grow up through my lens and this year we had a new little addition to add in the frame, little miss Darcy!  

Rebecca and Tom's wedding day was so perfect -- a small no-fuss gathering to simply celebrate two wonderful people and their beautiful love story. Before their ceremony the 3 of us went for a walk down Willy St. and took some photographs of the two of them, followed by a beautiful ceremony with vows that made everyone reach for the tissues.  

Fall is my favorite time to photograph with the crisp air, the pretty colors and the layers of clothing and a few weeks back I met up with Jenny and Bobby in their Eastside flat for some record listening and photograph taking followed by an evening at Wingra Beach and the Arboretum. These two are quite lovely, and I'm looking forward to their August wedding next year!

It's the first week of October when it is beginning to feel like fall here in Wisconsin and instead of digging up my sweaters, scarves and beanies, I pack my bathing suit, dresses and shorts and board a flight to the desert heat in Palm Springs to extend summer for just a little longer. Palm trees, swimming pools, mountains and two wonderful families to celebrate two lovely people - Whitney & Josh.  

Vendors:

Venue & Catering: Parker Palm Springs

Wedding Coordinator: Sitting in a Tree

Florals: Root 75

Videographer: SparkStory - Joe Petrilla

Rentals: Planks & Patina // Found Vintage Rentals // Classic Party Rentals

Cocktail Hour Music: Aloke

DJ: Dart DJ

Cake: Exquisite Dessert

Hair: Gardner Edmunds // Makeup: Maja Janjic

  On the last weekend of September I took a drive to Glenwood City to the beautiful venue, Birch Hill Barn to document Shane and Margaret getting married and celebrating with their friends and family.

This day was perfect, like really perfect -- the weather, the community, the vows, the venue, the food, the music and the line dancing -- I cried about 5 times and there are so many favorite moments from this day it is hard to narrow them down. I left this wedding feeling so blessed to have been apart of this day as well as so thankful for this job that I have - I get to be apart of one of the greatest day of 2 peoples lives, and that really is a wonderful thing.

A little over a month ago Jake planned a scavenger hunt for Danielle that led her to James Madison Park where he then asked her to marry him. A few weeks after that we met up to take a walk from their home to that same park for a sunset engagement session, a perfect night to reflect on their relationship and get excited about their future together -- plus they are totally adorable and I had a blast hanging out with them.

The last days of summer were spent with my 2016 wedding couples and today I get to feature Gabe and Maddy. These lovely two will be tying the knot next summer and it's been wonderful getting to know them a bit better. We met on a Monday morning for a coffee and stroll around the Capitol square and after we spent the rest of the morning at the Arboretum.

Mel and Marshal, oh beautiful, sweet Mel and Marshal and their amazing wedding at Aldo Leopold Nature Center on an actual fall day. If these two weren't smiling then their eyes were filled with tears -- I mean these two and their love is such a wonderful thing to witness and I felt honored to be at their wedding and documenting every moment of it. So enjoy this day through my lens:  

A few weeks ago I met up with Whitney & Kyle to document their lovely soon-to-be new addition to their family. We drove out to Cambridge to go for a walk in the wood behind their good friends home, a peaceful way to capture such a beautiful moment in life. They had their little girl, Mavis a week after our shoot.

Shane and Margaret got married on September 26th and a week before that we met up in Madison to do a little engagement session. These two are wonderful, they really can't stop smiling when they are together, in constant laughter and they have so much love for each other and it was so much fun to capturing it.

It's Labor day weekend, it's almost 100 degrees and it's Annie & Jake's wedding day. I went to meet with the girls as they got ready and my second shooter of the day, the lovely Amanda Red went to spent the morning with the guys. We met for the first look where you couldn't help but shed a few tears as you watch Annie & Jake see each other for the first time -- So much joy and love. It was a perfect afternoon ceremony with the talented Anna Vogelzang singing Annie down then aisle followed by a wonderful celebration.

One of my favorite things about my job is getting to meet new people and hear their stories and Alison and Jeremy have quite the story. These two are currently living in Casablanca, Morocco working in a school and these two have been traveling together ever since they met on a plane to Bolivia from the midwest a 5 years ago. If you follow my work, you know how much I love traveling,  so when these two emailed me with their story I was so excited to meet them. Alison's brother got married in Wisconsin a few weeks ago so I made a trip to meet them at their wedding venue to take some photographs and hang out.  

A few weeks ago I met up with Kathryn & Chris at the Cherokee Marsh for a little walk and engagement session. It was a perfect evening to get to know each other, hear about their first date and what they have planned for their 2016 summer wedding.

I left this wedding feeling like I was on a cloud - this wedding made me appreciate community and this wonderful city I live in. On the last weekend of August Maddie and Bret got married right next to the tree I often sit in and read at Giddings Park -- it was such a perfect thing to happen in that beautiful little tucked away park people often forget about. My favorite moment of the day was the New Orleans Second Line March to the reception bar. I'm such a sucker for a community of people supporting a couple in their decision to get married by taking over the streets and dance about it - it was beautiful and it is so lovely to see all the people coming out of their homes to smile, clap and congratulate the couple -- personally I think this is a way better way of letting people know you got hitched than update your Facebook status. 

Laura & Josh were married on a Friday with a small gathering of family (blog post here) and the following day they put their wedding clothing back on and had an epic party with all of their loved ones.

I am a huge fan of weddings in 2 parts and this is exactly what Laura and Josh did. Months ago I skyped with these two about their upcoming wedding plans, at the time it was set for everything on Saturday but as their plans formed they called to ask if I was also available the friday before -- They wanted to have a small ceremony with immediate family and have a big party the following day with everyone in their lives -- a wonderful way to make the one day last a little longer and a chance to do two photoshoots! So today I will blog about their first day and next week I'll have their party up.  

Their story in Laura's words: "Josh was out to dinner meeting his best friend's new boyfriend. This boyfriend was doing a stand up comedy show at the bar next door so they all met for dinner first. Laura was their server. Josh flirted. So did Laura. At the end of the meal, Josh left a note for Laura in the bill telling her about the comedy show and inviting her to join for a drink after work.

At the end of her shift, Laura couldn't decide whether or not to go - because that's weird, right?! She started walking over but then changed her mind and started walking away and then back and forth a couple of times...all in front of the wall of windows of the restaurant where a co-worker was inside prodding her to go. Finally Laura stepped inside to find that no one was there! But a beer was needed after all that deliberation. A creepy old man at the bar started attempting a chat when all of the sudden people started pouring out of the back room (previously unknown to Laura) where the comedy show had taken place. And sure enough Josh was there to save Laura from the old creeper at the bar!"

These two are wonderful, I've had the opportunity to spend some time with them through their wedding planning process and I am so happy to have been apart of their wedding weekend.