Lena + Andrew: A Summer Wildflower-Inspired Wedding

Andrew + Lena had just about the most beautiful summer wedding day you can imagine

Surrounded by wildflowers, friends, and family, Lena + Andrew’s wedding day was colorful, romantic, and full of joy! These two were friends in college for several years before they started dating, and decided (the day before a cross-country move for Andrew), to give dating a whirl. 8 years and two graduate degrees later, they got to celebrate their love together at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center!

Enjoy the photos of this gorgeous wedding day, and help me wish Lena + Andrew a BIG congratulations!

—Sam

Here are the vendors that helped make their wedding day awesome!

Ceremony + Reception Venue: Aldo Leopold Nature Center

Officiant: Dave Greiser (friend & pastor)

Jewelry: Automic Gold and Jeweler’s Workshop

Gown: Vow'd

Suit/Tux: J. Crew

Florist: DIY Farmer’s Market Flowers

Desserts: Madison Sourdough

Catering: Banzo

Wedding Coordinator: Sarah Green with Invisible String Events

 
 

Extended Family Portraits at the Town of Burke Park

Peep these adorable extended family photos!

Some of my favorite photos of me growing up were hanging out with my cousins. Maybe that’s because I’m an only child, but we were all really close growing up and I cherish those photos. So as you can imagine, I’m team extended family portraits! Get the whole gang together, just like Lily’s family did, including grandparents, adult siblings, and all the kiddos, and have a blast! We got the formal photos out of the way first (taking time out to do silly face photos of course), then the kids got to play on the playground for the rest of the time, and wow does the Town of Burke have an adorable and colorful playground! Enjoy this sweet extended family and message us to book your own session!

—Sam

 
 

Ava + Ali's Newborn Portraits!

Two moms, two babies, one love

Anne + Amy, who you might remember from such weddings as this one, and such maternity sessions as this one, have brought home their two little ones! Amy + Anne delivered within days of each other, and now Ava and Ali (Alex) are home and getting all the love and attention they could hope for! Congrats to Anne + Amy and welcome to Earth, Ali + Ava!

—Sam

 
 

Vi + Eden: A Beautiful Micro Wedding at Allen Centennial Gardens

Eden + Vi had a tender and intimate on-campus ceremony among the flowers

Vi (they/them) + Eden (she/her) chose to have their micro wedding at the lovely Allen Centennial Gardens, and even made their own bouquets right there at the gardens! Their ceremony was simple and sweet, and then we just got to frolic among the flowers and take pics together and it was absolutely beautiful! Enjoy the photos of this super sweet couple and help me wish them a BIG congratulations!

—Sam

Here are the vendors that helped make their wedding day awesome!

Ceremony Venue: Allen Centennial Gardens

Florist: Allen Centennial Gardens (arranged by the couple)

 
 

April + Bethany: A Fun and Whimsical Wedding Day At the Goodman Center

Bethan + April’s wedding day was colorful, full of personality, and absolutely perfect!

April + Bethany met on Twitter, and what began as one artist admiring the work of another turned into a long distance love that culminated in a cross-country move which Bethany described as the “best decision ever!” and seeing these two together, that is so obviously true. 🥰

As for the wedding day itself, when Bethany was telling what the “theme” was for the wedding day, she said “fun and colorful and silly” and she was spot on! The day was beautiful, filled with gorgeous and rich colors, but also super fun, including a little candy bag station for guests, GORGEOUS floral arrangements and whimsical decor, AND handmade paper crowns for their guests! Also, eschewing more traditional couples portraits, Bethany + April spent most of their couples photo time making chalk hearts and playing basketball together, while singing the Space Jam theme song!

Their wedding party and guests were definitely on the same page with all the excitement, because the dance floor was hopping all night (thanks, Ace!) and was magical to see! Enjoy the photos of this super sweet couple, and help me wish them a big congratulations!

—Sam

Here are the vendors that helped make their wedding day awesome!

Ceremony + Reception Venue: Goodman Community Center Brass Works Building

Hair & Makeup: Soulful Artisan

DJ: Ace with Kuhl Entertainment

Florist: Lily Forest Designs

Desserts: Madison Sourdough

Catering: Goodman Community Center

Decor Rentals: Velvet Rentals

 
 

Family Portraits at the UW Arboretum

What better place for beautiful family portraits than the uw arboretum!

This adorable family braved the heat and the mosquitoes (both terrible) for a fun family portrait session with their kiddos at the UW Arboretum! We saw all kinds of wildlife, found some cool rocks, and got to see my favorite tree (yes, I have a favorite tree). Enjoy the photos of this super sweet family!

—Sam

 
 

Milo's Senior Portraits at the Allen Centennial Gardens

milo’s senior portraits at the beautiful allen centennial gardens were perfecT!

We absolutely could not have asked for better weather (especially with the heat wave that came in just after we did these portraits), and the blooms at the gardens were gorgeous as well. We also got to enjoy a musical performance as we wandered the gardens, and then we eventually branched out into other areas of campus to take advantage of the beautiful ivy-covered buildings, before finishing up with some sweet photos of Milo and his mom! Enjoy the photos of this awesome and chill senior session!

—Sam

 
 

Amy + Anne: A "Two Moms, Two Bumps" Maternity Session!

Bean & Squishie arriving in july!

When Anne + Amy contacted me about a maternity session and shared that they were both due in July, I could not have been more excited! They had a beautiful Sun Prairie wedding in 2024, so what better way to celebrate almost two years later than with their maternity session in the same location!

With ultrasounds of both Bean and Squishie, as well as some ADORABLE tiny shoes (honestly, who doesn’t freaking lose it over tiny shoes), we walked around Sun Prairie in the same places where they celebrated their wedding and got to celebrate the upcoming additions to their family!

Help me wish these two a BIG congrats (x2) and enjoy the photos!

—Sam

 
 

Morgan + Justin: A Beautiful Summer Wedding Day at Cave of the Mounds

Justin + Morgan had A beautiful queer & covid-conscious wedding day celebration!

These two became friends as physics majors in college and a few years later decided to give dating a whirl, ending up at the live-action Dora the Explorer movie as their first date night! Over the years they’ve made a life for themselves full of adorable little creatures to care for (like their cats, Rutabaga and Kiwi), wonderful friends, and supportive family, all of which culminated in a gorgeous and sunny wedding day in Wisconsin!

Having a COVID-conscious wedding day was important to both Justin (they/them) and Morgan (they/them), and so while indoors, guests were masked (folks had some ADORABLE mask bling!!!), but most of the festivities took place outdoors on the grounds at Cave of the Mounds (which if you haven’t been, it’s heavenly)! Their wedding day was full of big and small touches that made the day even more meaningful and important. In lieu of presents, Morgan + Justin asked their guests to contribute to one of 3 charitable causes that are near and dear to their hearts. They had Morgan’s grandmother’s polaroid camera for guests to enjoy (that we got to take some photos on as well - y’all KNOW how much I love polaroids)! And they also had a beautiful remembrance area dedicated to family members who are no longer with them.

The day was sunny, fun, and full of joy! Help me wish these two a big congratulations, and enjoy the photos of their wedding day!

—Sam

Here are the vendors that helped make their wedding day awesome!

Ceremony + Reception Venue: Cave of the Mounds (Grounds & Visitor Center)

Officiant: Lu (friend of the couple)

Hair: Rebel Hair

Jewelry: Brilliant Earth

Gown & Veil: Bon Bon Belle Bridal Boutique & Belle Botanical Creations

Gown Tailoring: Anna’s Tailoring Studio

Suit: Generation Tux

Desserts: Miggy’s Bakes

Catering: RedBarn Catering

Unity Glass: Hot Shop Glass Studio & Gallery

 
 

Mary Alice + Alex: A Romantic Spring Engagement Session at Tenney Park

Can there be a perfect engagement session?

I don’t know, but this was about as perfect as they can go! Mary Alice + Alex chose to begin their engagement session at Tenney Park by reading heartfelt vows to each other beneath the shade of a gorgeous tree, and if that wasn’t awesome enough, their dog, Winnie, was also dressed as a princess for the session 😍 (Special shout out to Brea for being an awesome dog wrangler and a quick-draw on the peanut butter!)

As we traipsed around the park, we saw all manner of wildlife (which feels auspicious), including a bunny, ducks, a baby Robin (with it’s family making a ruckus around us about this wee one’s first flight), AND A FREAKING BEAVER, which we originally thought was a muskrat until we got a better look. Truly this session could not have been more magical if one of us had been Snow White lol.

Enjoy the photos of this super sweet couple, and their shamelessly adorable dog, Winnie, as well as some of the wildlife we spotted along the way! And help me wish them a BIG congrats on their engagement!

—Sam

 
 

Ariah + Alyssa: A Surprise Proposal in the Peonies!

Ariah planned a romantic surprise proposal in for alyssa at a peony farm!

Alyssa’s favorite flowers are peonies, so Ariah knew a picnic proposal in the flowers (at the gorgeous Ovans Peony Farm in Beaver Dam, WI) was going to be the perfect spot to pop the question (and she was right!).

Alyssa had suspected a proposal might be happening, but she was convinced it was going to be the following weekend, and so the surprise proposal really was a surprise! Ariah had a custom-made blanket that said “Alyssa Will You Marry Me?” on it that she rolled out for the picnic (see the pics, it’s adorable!) along with the cutest picnic basket you’ve ever seen, complete with snacks (thanks for the cookies, they were delicious!), sparkling wine and wine glasses!

Alyssa said yes (if it wasn’t obvious by how madly in love these two are), and they celebrated with a toast and some frolicking in the flowers, then headed off to dinner with their families (another surprise Ariah planned for Alyssa) to celebrate more!

Help me wish these two a BIG congratulations, and enjoy the photos!

—Sam