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

Ann + Sam: A Romantic Maternity Session at the UW Arboretum

And baby makes three…

Ann + Sam (who you may remember from such weddings as this one) are having a baby! (Ann is doing all the hard work, obvs). These two decided to have their maternity session at the same place they had their first look on their wedding day, and it could not have been more beautiful! Enjoy the sweet photos of this even sweeter couple, as they look forward to welcoming their little Squidling in July!

—Sam

Pree + Nic: An Intimate At-Home Wedding

y’all know we love micro weddings, and this one was so sweet and loving and just perfect!

Pree + Nic had a beautiful and relaxed wedding day at their home Mazomanie, WI, surrounded by their closest friends & family (with Pree’s mom, Anu, joining them via a video call from India)! I love at-home weddings and portrait sessions because of how deeply personal the place is for each couple. Nic + Pree had loads of favorite hidden spots around their property that were perfect for photos! Their wedding vows literally brought tears to the eyes of their guests (and themselves), and it was a pleasure to celebrate with these two! Help me wish them a big congratulations!

—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

Emma + Nate: An Intimate Downtown Madison Wedding 1.0

Emma + Nate had a beautiful wedding day celebration, almost a year ahead of wedding 2.0!

They wanted their legal wedding ceremony to be small and intimate and joyful, and it was! They’ll have a bigger celebration next year, but this wedding day was as lovely as it was fun, and the food was delicious! Enjoy the photos of these sweethearts and help me wish them a big congratulations!

—Sam

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

Ceremony Venue: Wisconsin State Capitol Building

Reception Venue: Lucille’s

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

Fireball Reunion 2026

Fireball never dies

And as those of us who love the Fireball event know, it’s been living in our hearts since the last live performance in 2018 (shoutout to the online Fireball in 2020 as well!). This reunion performance was brilliant in every way, and I’m so honored we got to capture it! Take a peek at some of our favorite photos from the Fireball Reunion, and let us hope that Emily & Jesse bless us again at some point with more of this magic!

—Sam

Here are the folks who helped make this event happen!

• The Crucible (@cruciblemadison)

• The Fireball Producers Emily & Jesse (@fireballmadison)

• Tamale & Safety Third (@tamaleandsafetythird | @tamalerocks)

• Red Rum (@redrumperformanceart)

• Vertigo Belly Dance (www.facebook.com/VertigoBellydance/)

• Daisy Chains (@epistemophilia)

• Cruel Valentine (@cruelvalentine)

• Rosemary Maybe (@rosemarymaybe)

• PlezHer (@plezhersssea)

• Neimo (@neimo.cristal.sworld)

• Cycropia Aerial Dance (@cycropia_aerial_dance)

• The Golden Alchemist (@theegoldenalchemist)

Welcome Home, Goldie!

Marigold’s lifestyle newborn portraits were full of playful chaos and love!

I absolutely love lifestyle family portraits, especially when it comes to newborns. There’s something beautiful and affirming about the chaos of kiddos running around and parents holding them, along with their new little sibling, that just makes me so happy! I think it’s because even when parenting is hard, the joy in the everyday is profound.

Holly + Rich and their two older kiddos, Fiona and Winnie, welcomed home their new little sister, Marigold just a few short weeks ago! Goldie is settled in at home, and is exactly as adorable as her name (which is to say very)!
Enjoy the photos of this sweet family, and welcome to Earth, Goldie!

—Sam

Lifestyle Family Portraits At Home

There is something so sweet about the realness of lifestyle family portraits in the home

Brigitta reached out about photos because she and her wife, Janine, recently celebrated their 5 year anniversary and wanted family portraits that reflected their life as it’s unfolded over these last several years. When she mentioned they wanted to do portraits at home, I was super excited, because I love in-home lifestyle family portraits! For one, lifestyle family portraits are less about getting the kids to act in ways that feel unnatural to them (sitting still for instance), and two, they’re a beautiful way to celebrate something more akin to day to day life with your family and your little ones. For Brigitta & Janine, that included their 3 kiddos, ZZ, Sagan, and Fletcher, the kids’ au pair Pertunia, and Meeko, their older doggo (3 cats not pictured, because new humans are scary - fair enough kitties, fair enough!).

The moments captured were unscripted, joyful, and most of all, reflected the beauty of everyday life for this lovely family!

—Sam

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