Fall Family Portraits and Leaf Piles!

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Ah toddlers and 5 year olds… Is there anything as guaranteed as them to drive parents crazy and also make them smile? Probably not

And so it is with Alex & Kayleigh, being delightful and hilarious during our outdoor portrait session at the UW Arboretum, and also making sure that their parents and I got a great workout running around to keep up with them. My legs were very sore the day after this session!

One of my favorite things about photographing Kim, Peter, Alex, and Kayleigh, besides the adorable children of course, is Kim & Peter always take at least a little time to get some photos of just the two of them. Parents, that is so important! Just think about it next time you’re doing family photos, and I promise you won’t regret it!

Enjoy these fun family portraits, and if you’ve got any toddlers or 5 year olds at home, I hope they make you smile and give you a little break today. ;)

-Sam

 
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Jax's Senior Portraits in the Arboretum

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This is an interesting year for senior portraits, because it’s been an interesting year for seniors

Hearing Jax talk about how he and his friends spent their time in Junior year compared to this year reminds me of the struggles we’ve all had adjusting to the curveballs 2020 has thrown at us, but I’m always amazed at how adaptable young adults are. I’m hoping before senior year is over, Jax can safely get back to eating ice cream with friends over lunch. ;)

Here’s to this year’s seniors, especially Jax!

-Sam

 
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Katie + Axel: A Romantic Wedding at the Old Schoolhouse in Merrimac, WI

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The Old Schoolhouse in Merrimac was the perfect backdrop for Katie + Axel’s wedding day!

Katie + Axel’s wedding was romantic, laid back, and full of personal touches. (Katie actually helped me decorate for my own wedding day in 2016, so I was not surprised at all to see how beautiful their wedding decorations were!) They were also lucky enough to have their wedding on one of the last gorgeous and warm (but not too warm) days of the year, surrounded by their closest friends and family. :)

Enjoy the photos from Katie + Axel’s wedding and help wish them a hearty congrats! Also, if you want to see their super cute winter engagement photos, check them out here.

-Sam

Here are the wedding vendors (with links) that helped make their wedding day amazing!

Ceremony + Reception Venue: The Old Schoolhouse

Officiant: Yvonne Hooks (Bride’s Mom)

DJ: Theran Curkeet

Bridal Gown: Vera’s House of Bridals

Groom’s Tux: Men’s Wearhouse

Engagement Ring and Wedding Bands: Kay Jewelers

Dessert: Sandy Kakes (Cupcakes, Wisconsin Dells) and Asha Patton (cutting cake by a family friend)

Catering: Cliff “Cooks” (Bride’s Parents)

 
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Family Portraits on Willy Street

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I got to spend time with this adorable family on Willy Street for their family portrait mini session!

Lindsey, Ben, Aisa, and I got to enjoy what might have been the last nice weekend of 2020 by popping over to Willy Street and walking around the murals and parks there for their family portrait mini session.

Check out the photos from this fun session!

-Sam

 
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Family Portraits at Pope Farm Park

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I got to photograph Char + Corey and their kids (and grandbaby!) at Pope Farm Park and we all got to enjoy the lovely late summer weather!

We photographed Char + Corey’s wedding just over five years ago and I was so happy to get to see everyone again and meet the newest addition to the family (plus significant others) at the same place where I photographed Char + Corey for their engagement portraits! Kind of a full circle kind of moment and I freaking love those. :)

Enjoy the photos and help me wish a happy belated 5 year anniversary to Char + Corey!

-Sam

 
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6 Reasons You Should Have a Micro Wedding

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We loved micro weddings before they were cool

First of all, what are micro weddings exactly? A micro wedding is typically a wedding that is 20 guests or under.

Second of all, this post is not for you if you have spent your entire adult life, or at least your entire engagement, dreaming of throwing a giant celebratory wedding day bash with every single one of your family, friends, and casual acquaintances in tow. If that sounds like you, there’s no judgment here! We love big parties too! In fact, while my first wedding was a micro wedding, Rob and I had a reception that was so large we literally invited our three favorite clerks from our local Blockbuster Video (and they came!), which means that not only are we old AF, but that we can enjoy a big get together and the fun photo opportunities they provide as much as the next person!

That said, this post is for you if you’re a couple that cringes at the idea of a big to-do, or the idea of being the center of attention in a large crowd. This post is for couples who want to do something special to celebrate their union, but aren’t necessarily looking for the traditional trappings of a wedding day, like first dances, endless speeches and glass clinking, or big crowds. Read on to hear about 6 reasons that micro weddings are the bomb (is that still a cool thing to say?), and why you should totally consider one!

Reason #1 - Less Stressful

Even as a person who loves weddings, I can acknowledge that wedding planning is stressful as hell. There are so many moving parts, that unless you hire a wedding planner (and there are some amazing ones we can recommend), you’re looking at basically a second full-time job just to get your wedding planned and off the ground. Having a micro wedding involves considerably less (though still some) planning, and is therefore considerably less stressful!

Reason #2 - Less Planning Time

With less to plan, you can pull together your dream tiny wedding in much less time than it takes to pull together a larger gathering. That means if you want to be married in two weeks, you can make it happen! Just make sure the vendors that are important to you (such as photographers, officiant, etc.) are available for your preferred date.

Reason #3 - Less Costly

Less guests = less costly. It’s just basic math. When planning a micro wedding, even if you get pretty darn fancy about it, and even if you’re providing food (which is optional), you’re still feeding and providing refreshments for far fewer people than a traditional wedding. In addition, because of the smaller guest list, you open up a world of possibilities for venues or locations. Being able to get more creative with where your wedding is held (due to the smaller guest list) allows you to often pay much less, or potentially nothing at all, for your wedding venue, and that’s a win for your pocketbooks! Also maybe more money left over for a honeymoon or for other wedding-related things you’d like to splurge on!

Reason #4 - More Flexible

If you are planning a 120 person wedding outdoors, you are going to need a backup plan in case of inclement weather, and having access to such a backup plan that accommodates that many people is often expensive and also maybe not the experience you were hoping for. When you’re having a micro wedding, where your guest count is 20 guests or under, you have a lot more flexibility when it comes to things like inclement weather and rain day backup plans! You also have more flexibility to do things like have a weekday wedding, because there are less guests to plan around, and that can also help you save some money with some of your vendors who may offer discounts for weekday weddings, versus weekend weddings (not applicable to all vendors of course).

Reason #5 - More Time With Your Guests

Speaking of your guests, one of the biggest regrets I had from both my weddings, and one of the biggest regrets I hear from our couples, is that they feel they didn’t have enough time to spend with each of their guests, because there were so many and because the day goes by so fast! Well, micro weddings don’t necessarily make the day go by any slower, but what they do give you is the gift of more intimate and undivided time with your closest family and friends. The people who matter most to you in the entire world. Being able to spend more quality time with these special people on your wedding day is an absolute gift, and it’s one of the most amazing and joyful things about having a micro wedding.

Reason #6 - More ‘You’

The larger the wedding, frankly, the harder it seems to be to make it exactly what you want, and to make the day reflect who you are as individuals and who you are as a couple. That doesn’t mean big weddings can’t be unique and awesome, it just means you have to try pretty hard to make them so, and that it’ll likely add to your wedding day expense to do so. When you have a micro wedding, you’re stripping the wedding day down to its most important components; the two of you and your love for one another, and your absolutely closest friends and family. The day automatically becomes more ‘you’ in doing so, and you have a wonderful opportunity to go all out on small details if those are important to you, because you’re going all out for yourselves and a handful of people, versus a ballroom full of people. This is truly a gift!



So if you love the idea of a micro wedding but are on the fence, consider these reasons why you should totally, positively, absolutely go for it! We also offer special elopement and micro wedding packages to meet your needs and we absolutely adore micro weddings! Get in touch if you’d like to talk about options, and also check out this gallery of Micro weddings for inspiration!



-Sam











Why We Love First Looks

 
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It's no secret; we LOVE first looks! 

Okay, I'm not going to say that everyone should do a first look before the actual ceremony, but... I'm willing to firmly declare that most couples would benefit from a first look. 

There are lots of reasons for this, and only some of them are selfish on my part. 

Reason #1

Precious alone time! This may be literally the only time on your whole wedding day that you and your partner get to have a private moment. And while it's wonderful that you get to spend your big day surrounded by friends and loved ones (and the random folks your friends and loved ones brought with them), it's also pretty darn great to have even 15 minutes where it's just you and your partner. Where you get to hug and be excited and have an intimate moment acknowledging that holy crap you're about to get married! This is a really beautiful time, and a little moment of peace in an otherwise fun but hectic day! 

Reason #2

More gorgeous photos of the two of you! Okay, this one is a little selfish on my part, but I also have you two in mind here! Regardless of whether you wait until the ceremony to see each other or you do a first look, the photos are going to be wonderful and meaningful, however, when you do first look photos, the pressure is off! You can take your time being excited to see each other. You can bask a bit in the excitement of this momentous occasion with your very favorite partner in crime. And all the while, we can be taking more gorgeous photos of the two of you, which is an opportunity we don't get when couples wait to see each other until the ceremony. I promise you that first look photos will be some of your favorites of the day

Reason #3

Cocktail hour! Not for us, for you. Let's be honest, would you rather be taking formal photos after your ceremony while everyone else is enjoying the cocktail hour, or would you rather already be done with formal photos, sneak away for some fun pics of just you two (or even you two and your wedding party) and then still make it back in time to enjoy a celebratory drink that you worked so hard to plan? I know which one I'd prefer, and I have a feeling you do too. When you do a first look, you get to spend more of the day together, as partners, because you're not hiding from each other for more than half the day! And that also means that you can knock out things like formal family photos before the ceremony, so that you can get footloose and fancy-free faster! 

 

Ultimately, whether you and your partner decide to do a first look, or wait until the ceremony to see each other, is a matter of personal choice, but if you don't have a strong personal or cultural reason to wait until the ceremony, I'd encourage you to let this tradition go, and do that first look! 

--Sam

Bonus Reason! 

 Just look at these gorgeous first look photos from some of our recent weddings! 

 

Sam + Joe: A Nature-Filled Madison Micro Wedding

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While Sam + Joe originally planned on getting married in Colorado, COVID pushed them to have a small but mighty beautiful Madison wedding ceremony in 2020, with a Colorado celebration to come in 2021!

Colorado holds a special place in the story of Sam + Joe’s relationship, as it was the first place they said “I love you”. While I can’t wait to be able to help them celebrate their union there in 2021, I am also thrilled to have been able to help them capture their 2020 wedding here in Madison.

The UW Arboretum, Willy Street, Lake Monona, and Olbrich Gardens are some of Sam + Joe’s favorite nature-y spots in Madison (yes, I know nature-y isn’t a word) and we stopped at all of them on Sam + Joe’s wedding day for photos and fun.

I love all the little details that these two worked into their wedding day, including a reference to the mountain goat who was making obnoxiously loud noises during that first “I love you” in Colorado, a tie pin with Sam’s handwriting on it, bracelets with their important relationship dates, the DIY jewelry that Sam made for herself and the bridesmaids, and a whole host of other special little ways to celebrate. Sam + Joe even got me a pin shaped like a roll of film as a thank you (which led to me needing to explain to my 12 year old what film is, and now feeling old, but at least old with a cool pin).

Help me wish Sam + Joe a hearty congratulations friends, and stay tuned for part two next year!

-Sam


Here are the wedding vendors (with links) that helped Sam + Joe make their micro Madison wedding gorgeous!

Ceremony Venue: Olbrich Park

Reception Venue: Vintage Brewing Company Whitney Way

Officiant: Teresa Chrismore

Bridal Gown: Torrid (with alterations by Bride’s mom & sister)

Groom’s Suit: Men’s Wearhouse

Bridesmaid Dresses: ModCloth

Wedding Bands: TQ Diamonds (Bride’s Rings by Verragio, Groom’s band by Dora)

Other Wedding Jewelry: DIY by Bride

Bride Hair Stylist: Aniu Salon in Middleton

Groom Hair Stylist: Freya at Blue Chip Barber Club

Florist: Naly’s Floral Shop

Wedding Cake: Craig’s Cake Shop

 
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11 of Our Favorite Wedding Rings

 
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Wedding Rings are as unique as the couples who wear them...

As you may know, Rob and I are HUGE fans of telling people's love stories, and so it would stand to reason that wedding rings, an outward symbol of the love and commitment a couple has for each other, are one of my favorite things to photograph! The variety is astonishing, and goodness knows we've seen so many beautiful wedding rings during our adventures, but here are a few of our absolute favorites! If you're not married yet, hopefully the gallery will inspire you when the time comes, and if you are married, we hope this little love letter to wedding rings serves as a reminder to cherish your own, and all that they symbolize in your marriage. 

--Sam

 

Heather + Mike: An Olin Park Micro Wedding

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Heather + Mike, like many couples, had to make some adjustments to their wedding day plans

They had originally wanted to have a fall wedding, but when COVID threw a wrench in those plans, they decided to have an intimate micro wedding at the beautiful Olin Park in Madison, WI. It was short, sweet, and absolutely filled with love!

Heather + Mike have been inseparable since their first date at Geeks Mania, and it was an honor to photograph the beginning of the next part of their life together!

-Sam

Here are the vendors (with links) that helped make their wedding day awesome!

Ceremony: Olin Park

Wedding Planner: Plan Simply by CJ

Florals: Bridal Wish Design

Bridal Gown: ThredUp, Nordstrom Rack (Top is Adrianna Papell and skirt is Lauren Conrad)

Groom Outfit: Mens Wearhouse, Levi, Monroe Street Shoe Repair

Engagement & Bridal Wedding Band: Stag Head Designs

Groo Wedding Band: Alexi Russell Jewelry

 
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Alisha + Nathaniel: An East Side Engagement Session

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Wedding planning in the time of COVID can be stressful, but at least the engagement session can still be fun!

While we’re crossing our fingers and hoping for the best for Alisha + Nathaniel’s 2021 wedding date, we got to let off a little steam (or pick some up? I don’t know, it was really hot) at their engagement session over the weekend!

We hit up some favorite places on the East side of Madison for photos, like the newly renovated Garver Feed Mill, the ‘Love’ mural on the now closed Plan B, and the Zaremba mural on the side of Pig in a Fur Coat. I got to meet their adorable doggo, Laverne (I’m sincerely hoping that her name is a Laverne & Shirley reference), and we even saw a little bunny friend!

Enjoy the photos from this awesome engagement session!

-Sam

 
 

Aubrey + AJ: A Luscious Summer Wedding at Fields Reserve

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Aubrey + AJ’s wedding day was a perfect summer day in the Wisconsin woods!

Though the wedding day plans were a bit different than they have have been originally, thanks to COVID-19, Aubrey + AJ made the best of a tough situation and had an absolutely gorgeous wedding day surrounded by their closest friends and family, in the beautiful wooded area around The Fields Reserve.

The smiles, the laughs, the jewel-toned wedding colors, the perfect summer weather; their wedding was truly a celebration of their love with those dearest to them! Congratulations to Aubrey + AJ!

-Sam

p.s. You can check out their downtown Madison, WI engagement session here!

Here are the wedding vendors (with links) that helped make their wedding day amazing!

Wedding Coordinator: Sammi Hintz of Wishful Weddings

Ceremony + Reception Venue: The Fields Reserve

Officiant: Daryl Castona

DJ: DJ Magic

Bridal Gown: Mori Lee Perla from Belle Saison Bridal, Austin, TX

Groom Suit: Joe Custom from Men’s Wearhouse

Engagement Ring & Wedding Bands: The Ring Austin and Rustic & Main

Hair & Makeup: The Posh Beauty Bar

Wedding Party Attire: David's Bridal and Men’s Wearhouse

Florist: Blooms By Brandi

Wedding Cake: The Looking Glass Bakery

Catering: Hyvee Catering

 
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