And I couldn’t be happier! This family is always a joy to photograph and are such good sports when I make them do goofy things for pictures (like the expand and contract game, and the ‘let’s have a flossing competition!’ game). And after all, the family that flosses together, stays together (that’s a saying, right?)
Enjoy these fun family photos!
—Sam
Erin + Matt’s engagement session was a blast! For one, it was a perfect and beautifully crisp fall day, and for two, what adult doesn’t love throwing leaves at other adults? (None adults, that’s who).
We can’t wait for Erin + Matt’s Halloween wedding next year, but in the meantime, enjoy the photos of their rad engagement session!
— Sam
Alright, so not only is Aisa just about the cutest name ever, but so is Aisa herself! We had fun tromping through the UW Arboretum and taking photos, and Aisa even made a good-natured demand that I carry her while we were walking around (which made it a little hard to take photos but was adorable). Enjoy these sunny and fun family photos!
—Sam
During our lovely fall family portraits with Levi, Tabby, and El, El found a cold little bumble bee, and was able to help the little bee get warm. El then proceeded to set the bee up in comfort in their hair for the duration of the photo session, so what you’re not seeing in all these photos is that under El’s blonde locks, there is a cute little bumble bee getting warm.
Beyond the obvious adorableness of El finding a bumble bee guest star friend, Levi, Tabby, and El were so fun to work with, and we had a great time taking photos at the UW Arboretum! Enjoy the photos of this awesome family!
—Sam
Evelyn + Carly gave chase in an epic game of tag during their family portraits. They threw leaves, did cartwheels, and gave their parents (and me!) a run for our money! Enjoy these fun fall family photos!
—Sam
I photographed Erin + Eric’s wedding in Spring of 2018 (check out the photos here) and was so happy to be able to photograph their daughter Eliza for her 6 month portraits!
We had a good time at the UW Arboretum, and Eliza was fascinated by the camera (I feel ya, kiddo, they’re super neat)!
Enjoy these sweet family photos!
-Sam
I have the honor of photographing Kim + Peter’s family once or twice a year, and we finally got to do family portraits in the late summer timeframe at the UW Arboretum!
I love how the photos turned out and look at what a cute little ham Alex was! You can tell he loves having his photo taken. Kayleigh was adorable and adventurous and, as Kim later told me, managed to hold off throwing up until about 20 minutes after the session lol! Turns out she was a tough customer on smiles because she wasn’t feeling well, but she still did great during the session!
Enjoy the photos!
-Sam
Cary + Lena first met in college in 2005. They stayed in touch for some time, and well, one thing led to another and those things eventually led to a birthday in 2018!
When I first talked with them about their wedding, I knew it was going to be a good one! For one, I loved how they were a perfect mix of practical and excited (which I think is basically my whole personality boiled down into one sentence), and for two, who doesn’t love an Under the Stars themed wedding?!
The wedding day itself was gorgeous, but what I loved the most was the little stuff, like how Cary + Lena did their own thing in ways that worked for them, like getting ready together instead of having a first look, and taking photos at the Madison Municipal Building (which apparently is a more romantic location than I would have given it credit for), and having vegan and vegetarian fare for the wedding appetizers and dinner (Y-U-M)!
We loved celebrating with these two! Enjoy the photos, and please join me in wishing a hearty congratulations to Cary + Lena!
-Sam
Here are the vendors (with links) that helped to make this Under the Stars wedding even more magical!
Ceremony + Reception Venue: Madison Masonic Center
Officiant: Dan Lindstrom
Bridal Gowns: Cary - Vera's / Lena - David's Bridal
Wedding Jewelry: Cary's ring - Chalmer's
Hair + Makeup: Union Hair Parlor
Florist: Sweet Pea Floral
Wedding Cake & Desserts: Bloom Bake Shop
Catering: Green Owl
Lynn + Brian are two of the sweetest humans ever. They are so fun and joyful that they couldn’t help but have an amazingly joy-filled wedding day! We started the day off at the First Unitarian Society, where the ceremony took place. Lynn + Brian opted to do a first look (and you know we love those!), and had both teared up before we even got them to the rendezvous spot!
As we went through the day, I was particularly struck by the care and tenderness Lynn + Brian showed to each other constantly. Wedding days can be stressful, and anyone would be forgiven for letting that stress get under their skin a bit, but these two were as cool as cucumbers (do the kids still say that?) and were just so damn sweet to each it made me smile the whole day.
After the ceremony and the formal photos, we made a pit stop at their new house to take some photos with their two kitties (which we also did for their engagement photos, which you can see here) which was a first for us as far as wedding photos with pets goes!
After the photos with the kitties, we headed to the UW Arboretum for some beautiful nature-y shots, then we went on to Willy street, home of all the coolest murals, to take more photos!
The reception was at the High Noon Saloon, complete with a phenomenal live band and everything! The celebrating that went on at the reception was awesome, and the band kept the dance floor full all night!
The day was, honestly, pretty perfect and we are so excited to have been able to celebrate with Lynn + Brian and their friends and family! Congrats you two!
-Sam
Here are the kickass vendors (with links) that made their day even more wonderful:
Ceremony Venue: First Unitarian Society
Reception Venue: High Noon Saloon
Officiant: Rev. Jerry Mosser
Band: Blue Water Kings
Groom’s Tux: Lucca Men’s Clothing
Wedding Jewelry (Rings): Chalmers
Hair: Hattie Chamberlin (IG: @anomaly.beauty)
Florist: daffodil*parker
Event Coordinator: Ashley Kuehnel of Midwestern Bride
Wedding Cake & Desserts: Mai Kou Vang (IG: @kousteroni)
Catering: Upstairs Downstairs Catering
Table & Chair Rental: Event Essentials
Decor Rental: A La Crate Rentals
When asked to tell a little story that gave me a glimpse into what their love was all about, Bailey said frankly that she was reminded Mason was the one every time he put up with her puns (and vice versa) and I think that says a lot about how much these two value having a good time together (and a good laugh because puns are hilarious)!
Hanging out with the Bailey’s side of the wedding party during the getting ready portion of the day was nothing short of magical! We sang along to Toto’s Africa (as one does) and just generally had a ball. When it was time for the first look, Bailey made her entrance via that awesome staircase in Orpheum’s grand lobby, and then we were off for some fun rainbow colored wedding party photos, including a guest appearance from Woodford, their Chow/Lab mix!
The ceremony was gorgeous (I’m gonna be honest, I wasn’t sure how hard lighting would be in the balcony of the Orpheum, but it was pretty sweet and if any of you are considering getting married, there, you should do it!) and the reception was fun and funny and filled with joy; All the things a wedding reception should be, including some pretty hilarious toast pranks!
Enjoy the photos of these two, and join me in wishing a big congratulations to Bailey + Mason!
- Sam
Here are the vendors (with links) that helped make their day A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!
Ceremony + Reception Venue: The Orpheum
Officiant: Casey Keyes (bride’s cousin)
Bridal Gown: Vera’s House of Bridals
Groom’s Suit (and all wedding party suits): Generation Tux
Wedding Jewelry: Luo Jewelry
Hair Stylist: ANiU Salon and Spa
Makeup: DIY by the Bride!
Florals: DIY
Event Coordinator: Sarah Davidson with Harmonious Union Events
Wedding Cake + Desserts: Bloom Bake Shop (2 small cakes) and Costco (sheet cake)
Catering: Blue Plate Catering
Ingrid Michaelson: Keep Breathing
Rilo Kiley: The Execution of All Things
Guster: What You Wish For
Nada Surf: Always Love
Neko Case: I’m an Animal
Ryan Adams & The Cardinals: Let It Ride
Clem Snide: All Green
Belly: Feed the Tree
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club: Echo
Laura Veirs: Spelunking
Iron & Wine: Flightless Bird, American Mouth
Lord Huron: Until the Night Turns
Lana Del Ray: Born to Die
The Weakerthans: Slips and Tangles
Yo La Tengo: Sugarcube
Sufjan Stevens: Casimir Pulaski Day
Annie Lennox & Steven Lipson: Don’t Let it Bring You Down
The Coral: Pass It On
Avenue Q Musical: For Now
I had a rough night last night. Couldn’t sleep for anything, was having a pain flareup, had the start of a wicked headache (plus cramps, because being a lady is rad); you get the picture.
After clocking tops three hours of sleep combined, I decided to take the day to rest, and unsurprisingly felt incredibly guilty. Guilty for missing out on work I felt I should be doing, guilty for taking a day to not be productive (though I still watched some tutorials from bed and did dishes, so… Not entirely unproductive). The point is, I took a rare rest day, and felt so bad about it the entire time I basically ruined it.
All these thoughts go through my head in times like this. Thoughts that I’m a failure (for needing the rest) that I’m lazy (for not being productive enough), or that I’m a fundamentally bad person in some deep, intrinsic and ill-defined way. I enumerated in my head the ways in which I’m a bad mom, a bad wife, a bad business owner, a bad worker, a bad friend, and used my need for rest as yet another stick to beat myself with.
It can be so. damn. hard. to get out of that shame cycle once you’re deep in it, right? It always reminds me of this song by Emmylou Harris, Red Dirt Girl. There’s a line in the song that goes like this; “One thing they don’t tell you ‘bout the blues when you got ‘em, you keep on fallin’, cuz there ain’t no bottom, there ain’t no end.” It speaks so much to how I feel when I’m in the middle of one of these episodes.
I’ve been reading a lot of about self-compassion lately, and it just so happens that I was finishing a chapter on it while I was deep in my feels (you know, all the “you suck and you’re letting everyone down” feels), and I took a breath, and decided to ride it out. Decided I didn’t have to go deeper into Pit ‘O Shame, but could call it what it was, which is fundamentally untrue, while still honoring that I was feeling depressed about it. I did a sit (which is what we call meditating at my house, and I actually do it lying down because my back is so bad), hugged my husband and my kid, pet my kitty as much as she would let me, and just tried to recognize that this too shall pass.
The concept (and practice) of self-compassion is very new to me. I’m hard on myself as a general rule, and learning to give myself grace and the room to have, oh I don’t know, human needs and flaws and things, has been really difficult and really slow going.
I don’t have a snappy ending for this post, or even a point really, other than that depression and shame are hard, but wanted to get it out there in case anyone else is struggling too. You’re not alone, this being a human being shit is not for the faint of heart, and even when it feels like you couldn’t possibly, I hope that you can find just a teeeeeeeny bit of self-compassion within you, and use that to start to work your way back up out of that dark place. Start small, remind yourself you’re a human being and you’re doing the best you can, and let’s see where we both go from there.
-Sam