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

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

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

Ashley + Ayla: A Surprise Anniversary Proposal!

Ashley planned a beautiful surprise anniversary proposal for ayla at the Allen Centennial gardens!

The proposal happened on their 5 year anniversary (June 6th), and even more adorably, Ayla had also planned a surprise proposal for Ashley (with another awesome local photographer Nat Erlin - https://www.naterlinphotography.com/) for the very next day in the same gardens! So there was a lot of joy to go around that weekend!

First, Ashley had two friends (pictured below) that were sneakily in disguise to keep the “proposal bench” clear of anyone for an hour before the proposal happened, and they did so good AND their disguises were *chef’s kiss*. Once we got the word that it was going down, the two co-conspirators hid inconspicuously behind some bushes (that’s dedication), and I pretended to be a flower photographer for a bit until the magic started!

These two were so obviously and deeply in love it made me smile ear to ear despite the 99.9% humidity and the glaring sun trying to bring my vibes down (nice try, humid Wisconsin early summer, love wins)! We excitedly chatted about birds while walking around the gardens and the UW campus for couples portraits after the proposal. It was a beautiful day with an even more lovely couple, and I am so honored and excited to have been able to celebrate with them! Help me wish Ayla + Ashley a BIG congratulations and enjoy the photos of this super sweet couple!

—Sam

Anne + Adrien: A Cozy Lifestyle Couples Portrait Session

Home is where the heart is

And also where your dog is, yeah? Especially when your dog is as cute as Maggie! Anne + Adrien wanted to have couples portraits taken in the apartment they’ve made a home in together before some big moves that are coming their way, and the session couldn’t have been cozier or sweeter (though, not pictured is the Tornado Warning in the middle of the session that had us chilling in the parking garage for 30 minutes under the building, which was exciting, if less cozy lol). Enjoy these relaxed portraits of this awesome couple and their fur child, Maggie!

—Sam

Freya + Rowan: A Surprise Proposal at Tenney Park

Freya planned a beautiful surprise proposal for rowan at a place special to both of them

These two often head down to Tenney Park to draw and enjoy the view of Lake Mendota, so it felt like the perfect place for a golden hour proposal (spoiler alert: it was)! The proposal was as lovely as can be, as are these two! Enjoy the sweet photos of this even sweeter couple, and help me wish them a big congratulations!

—Sam

David + Alex: A Big Gay Downtown Madison Wedding!

This wedding was fun, colorful, and very gay, all of which we love!!!

You might remember David + Alex from such engagement sessions as this one (does anyone still get Simpson’s references??? If so, please know that I’m saying that in Troy McClure voice.) I’ve been so pumped about this wedding since even before the engagement session, and it was even better than I’d imagined!

From the grooms’ immaculate complementary suit colors to the Pride flags available for all the guests to wave during the recessional, to the Pokemon pinball machine for guests to enjoy, this wedding was amazing in every way! The appetizers? Wisconsin-inspired cheese & meat boards all the way! The photo props for the selfie-station? Team groom, obviously. The dance floor? Fun as hell!

Enjoy the photos of this super sweet couple and their closest friends & family having a blast and being in love, and help me wish these two a big congratulations!

—Sam

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

Officiant: Megan Kessler (friend)

Hair & Makeup: Soulful Artisan

Jewelry: Rings by Lux

Suits: NL Suits

DJ/Band: Shane in Flux

Florist: Cosmic Gardens

Wedding Coordinator: Kyley with OSO In Love Events

Pinball Machine Rental: The Kickback Bar

Kristin + AJ: A Beautiful Downtown Micro Wedding

AJ + Kristin packed a lot of heart into a short but sweet wedding ceremony!

AJ (they/them) + Kristin (she/her) met when their friend & mutual hairdresser, Andrea (also their officiant) started a group chat to introduce them, then immediately bounced to let them take it from there. And obviously it went well, because here are their wedding photos!

The wedding ceremony at the Wisconsin State Capitol Building was beautiful, and the guest list was just the immediate family of both Kristin + AJ (check out the adorable sibling pics and the adorable accidentally matching dad tie pics below!). I love micro weddings, and this wedding was a perfect example of why they’re so special! It’s intimate, personal, and just right for couples that don’t want “a whole big thing” but do want to celebrate with their very closest friends & family.

Despite the cold, we were able to play around outside for couples photos after the ceremony, before Kristin + AJ and their whole gang headed to Harvey House for dinner.

Enjoy the photos of this perfect wedding day, and help me wish these two a big congratulations!

—Sam

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

Ceremony Venue: Wisconsin State Capitol Building

Officiant: Andrea (friend of the couple)

Florist: Sunborn Gardens

Stormy + Meier: A Sports Lovers' Multi-Cultural & Multi-Faith Wedding

Meier + Stormy’s wedding was a beautiful celebration of love and joy

When I was connected with Meier by a friend early last week, I was told about Stormy + Meier’s situation, which is that Stormy was not only diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer just last week, but that he was also told at that time that the cancer is terminal, and he has months to live. Based on this news, Meier + Stormy decided to book couples portraits (check them out here) and to plan a wedding in a matter of days (no small feat) to connect them together eternally, and to celebrate their connection with friends and family and their faith communities. Despite the reason these two decided to move their wedding up, this is not a story about death, it’s a story about love and joy.

During their couples session, I was awestruck by the bond these two share. The laughter, the good-natured teasing, the giggles, and the emotions. It was a beautiful day, and I was 100% correct in assuming their wedding day was going to be one to remember.

The wedding theme for these two sports lovers was “Wisconsin Badgers” (and a sea of folks decked out in Badger Red were there to cheer the couple on) and the wedding was scheduled for Sunday 2/9/2026, early enough that the couple, along with their guests, wouldn’t need to worry about missing the Super Bowl! 🏈 Their rescue pup, Jupiter “Juju”, was there to act as a ring bearer and he did such a good job, but even a dog as cute as Juju couldn’t steal the show, because Meier + Stormy were too incandescently happy for anyone to look away from them. The multi-faith Jewish & Christian wedding ceremony was a mix of serious, hilarious, and pure joy, and the celebration afterwards was just as sweet as the couple themselves. 

Stormy + Meier have a beautiful and loving community supporting them, and they have each other, but the road ahead will be rough as they shift their focus to bucket lists and end of life planning. Please consider donating to the GoFundMe for Stormy + Meier, which will be used to help care for Stormy in a variety of ways during this period, but most importantly to help him realize his lifelong goal of going to Africa, allowing him feel deeply connected with his ancestors in the time he has left. If you’d like to donate, click here.

Enjoy the photos of this beautiful wedding day, and help me wish these two a BIG congrats!

—Sam

Korben + Storm: A Surprise Double Proposal!

Not just one proposal, but two proposals, at this beautiful surprise engagement session!

When Korben reached out to plan his surprise proposal to Storm, and explained that he had made a choose your own adventure scavenger hunt, ending with a proposal at the Wisconsin State Capitol Building (even hand-making 4 different rings for Storm to choose from in true choose-your-own-adventure style), I was so excited to celebrate with these two, but after Korben’s proposal (Storm said yes!) Storm had a surprise of his own for Korben, which was proposing inside the Capitol Building! Friends and family all helped this proposal go smoothly and a few were even there to cheer the couple on! This was such a joyful and beautiful (if insanely cold) day and I am so happy for these two! Help me wish Korben + Storm a BIG congratulations!

—Sam

Alex + David: A Late Fall Engagement Session

David + Alex (and their adorable puppies) had a beautiful late fall engagement session!

It was cold as heck, so we split our time between Picnic Point with the dogs and the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (sadly no puppies allowed there) and were able to beat the cold quite well and get some beautiful photos to celebrate their engagement! Help me wish a big congratulations to these two, and we can’t wait for their wedding next year!

—Sam