I am on vacation July 1 through July 7. I will have very limited access to email while I’m gone, and don’t plan on returning any phone calls. I will get to everything when I return, starting on Wednesday the 8th. Thank you for understanding.

I will hopefully have a few pictures to post while I am gone though. Stay tuned! (This post will remain on top here for awhile, so scroll down to see the latest pics!)

Happy 4th of July!

Sunday evening I met up with the Volden’s at their farm. Marc’s oldest son is a senior and Marc and Lori just had a son this winter (now 5 months old). The 5/6/7 month age is one of my favorite ages to photograh, and then I think seniors are probably my second favorite. I was pretty delighted at the age combination, not to mention the farm location! You know I love farms.

I definitely wasn’t disappointed!

The wind picked up a bit just when I took this shot. I think he looks like a rock star!

I forgot to mention Marc’s other child, Haley (I hope I spelled that right!), the cutest Border Collie/Lab mix.

Another member of their family is Leo the rooster. Leo has quite the history. He actually went missing for a year and returned with no feathers. I guess only Leo knows what happened.

And, finally (but DEFINITELY not least) are Lori’s Percherons. She has 11 total! She said they are like “potato chips.” I think I feel the same way about lenses.

Lori actually does carriage rides for weddings and other events with her horses.

You can find out more about Lori’s business and horses, as well as a ton of information about their farm on their web site: Olson Century Farm.

I really enjoyed visiting with this family. This session is definitely what I imagined when I started up this business. I love that I am able to come to people’s homes, especially when it is someplace with so much history and a place that is loved so much. You definitely can’t get this in a studio!

Thanks, guys for inviting me. I’ll come back anytime!

Saturday was Kevin and Danielle’s wedding. The morning was a bit crazy weather-wise. It rained off and on, often in short bursts. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but they ended up with a beautiful day in the end. I started out at Bethel Lutheran (where the ceremony would take place), with the girls getting ready and Dawn Silva (my second shooter) started out their house with the guys.

Danielle loves the color blue and incorporated it throughout the wedding. I really loved her shoes!

The following picture was taken by Dawn.

We braved the weather and did their first look at Pettibone park. Kevin and Danielle surprised each other with a present. They both bought each other the same thing, an engraved watch. I think that surprise was just about the sweetest thing ever.

Despite some quick bursts of rain, we were able to get in a lot of pictures before the ceremony at Pettibone, including one of the new family. And, yes, Kevin is holding a Looney Tunes umbrella in the picture on the right.

Back to Bethel Lutheran for the ceremony

After the ceremony, they hit up a couple of spots for drinks AND pictures.

Danielle’s brother is stationed in Iraq, but was able to come home for the wedding. He definitely helped get the celebration started.

The reception took place at the American Legion in Onalaska. Danielle also loves lighthouses, so they incorporated lighthouses and the beach into their reception. All of the little details were so cute, especially on the cake.

This photo was taken by Dawn.

I have a ton of pictures just like this from through out the reception. You could just tell the whole day that they were really happy to be getting married to one another, and every one else just picked up on that vibe.

I don’t see this very often where they have the parents dance together. I thought that was a nice tradition.

I know I say this at the end of EVERY post, but it is truly such an honor to work with each and every couple on what will be one of the happiest days of their lives. Kevin and Danielle, thank you so much for letting me be a part of your day! I had a blast! Best wishes - I hope Mexico was fantastic!

Saturday was Trevor and Jenna’s wedding at Stoney Creek Inn in Onalaska, WI. We started out though at Riverside in La Crosse with pictures of the guys.

Then to Stoney Creek to capture the girls getting ready and get all of those details that I love.

Two ring shots this time because I love them both.

The ceremony was held inside at Stoney Creek because of the hot and humid weather, but it was hot inside too (the heat came on before the ceremony and the staff wasn’t able to change it). It didn’t seem to phase Trevor and Jenna though. They had a lovely ceremony, with lots of laughing and sweet looks.

After the ceremony, we headed back to Riverside for some pictures. Trevor and Jenna were troopers. It was pretty hot at this point and we walked around a whole lot, but I think it was worth it for all of the nice pictures they will get.

The photo on the left was taken by my second shooter, Dawn Silva.

Back to Stoney Creek for the reception.

The following photo was taken by Dawn.

We stepped outside for some more pictures later in the night. The landscaping around Stoney Creek is so cute. I felt like we were at a cabin up north.

Jenna and Trevor, thank you for asking me to be a part of your day. You two are so sweet, and your family was so welcoming. It was a good day. Best wishes!

More to come!

Last week, I photographed Joel and Karen. They are having a super small ceremony during the week this August, and I am so honored to have been asked to photograph the event.

We started off downtown. Have I mentioned how much I love when couples get dressed up? Isn’t Karen’s red dress the best?

I think they are so cute together, and they laughed a whole lot. Makes my job so easy!

They deserve an award for being the nicest couple ever to do this for me, especially since shortly before this shot, I told them I won’t make them do embarrassing things right on a main street. But, well maybe just stand in the middle of 3rd and Pearl Streets and dip….that’s it.

A quick outfit change, and then some sunset pictures, but the sun went behind the clouds.

The sun kept dodging in and out of the clouds and the whole session I kept running to a spot to try to get a pretty back-lit picture, but then it would go away. Right when I asked them to sit down for this shot, the sun came out. Perfect!

Karen and Joel, it was so nice to finally meet you! Thank you for being so open to all of my crazy ideas.

Stay tuned for their wedding ceremony in August. I can’t wait!

It’s Max Friday!

Sunday (yes, I had two weddings last weekend), was Doug and Caitlin’s gorgeous Riverside wedding. I have so many pictures to share.

We started out at the Holiday Inn downtown.

Their ceremony was held right on the dock at Riverside. We had their first look there.

Then we walked around and got some wedding party pictures, and some of just Doug and Caitlin alone. I really love this shot that Dawn Silva, my second shooter captured.

Beautiful flowers from Monet floral.

Gorgeous!! The only word to describe their ceremony.

The reception was held on the south side of the park. The whole reception was run with the help of their family (I hope I get this right): Doug’s aunt did the catering, Doug’s cousin made the cake, Caitlin’s family made the wine, and Doug’s family made the beer.

The following two pictures were taken by Dawn. The one on the right is a picture of their centerpieces.

Their ceremony took place at 11:30am, so their reception and dance all happened in the afternoon (finishing before dinner time) It was definitely fun to take reception and dance pictures without a flash.

Though, I still used the off-camera flash a bit for a little extra pop.

One guess at what song this was.

If you remember, Caitlin and Doug’s engagement session started off with a malt at the Pearl. I was delighted when they said they wanted to go up there again. How cute are they?

One of my last shots of the day and again, one word - gorgeous!

Caitlin and Doug, what an awesome day. I’m so happy that the weather worked out for you! I enjoyed seeing how everything came together so perfectly. I really enjoyed being a part of it all. Best wishes!