When Genevieve and Alex told me they were going to have a vampire wedding, I burst into flames…

Well, if I was vampire, and depending on whether we are talking about Anne Rice or the twilight sparkly vampires, or maybe I got a special ring from a witch so I can go outside during the day, (Can you tell that I love vampires?). I could have exploded like Vampire Bill before he became all powerful! Sookie!  Luckily, I just got super excited and put on my all black outfit and got ready to take some dark gothic photos of very willing subjects. And, they showed up on film!

The wedding cake was so pretty and so very black. The theme went above and beyond with beautiful deep velvety reds that matched the bride’s blood thirsty lips. The Madison Club was such a perfect venue for this and the bartender smiled while pouring the signature cocktail into glasses with vampire teeth and enough alcohol to make you rise from the dead.

One of my favorite moments of the evening was when the best man talked about how he and Alex watched Twin Peaks at a sleepover when they were young and got completely freaked out. If you know, you know. The owls are not what they seem and my arms bend backwards.

Ok, well, now you have had a peek into some of my freak mode nerdy fandom, here some lovely photos that I took with my wonderful friend and talented second photographer extraordinaire, Heidi Johnson.  Enjoy!

 

Artist Cred: Venue: Madison Club | DJ: Jukebox Bandstand

When you mix together Union South, Camp Randall, Memorial Union and Bucky Badger for a wedding, you’ve got the recipe for extreme fun and wild dance offs.

Hannah and Brian were married right in the heart of Badgerland and surrounded by family, friends and many fellow UW-Madison alumni. It was a gorgeous day and everyone was ready celebrate these two 9 years after first meeting in high school! Their love of the outdoors and drinking beer with friends make them a really fun couple to be around. One of our very important stops was at the Memorial Union to hang out for a bit at the lake! Every single person in the wedding party was fun and nice and very good looking. We definitely had a lot of fun taking some crazy pics in addition to the traditional ones.

A few memories that really stood out for me were when Hannah first put on her dress and walked out in front of her bridesmaids, the first look when Brian lost it a little (so frickin cute) and also when Hannah walked down the isle! But right before that, Hannah and her dad took a shot before going in. I had my second shooter, Angie capture that moment while I was up front with the groom. I didn’t hear what kind of shot it was but hopefully something to make their breath smell good for the big moment 😉 Maybe fireball? Haha I know that was going around on the bus. Speaking of the bus ride, I had the song “Lick my neck, my back” stuck in my head for a full day after the wedding! Lol. Anyway, it was so much fun and to top the night off, there was a donut wall with Greenbush donuts and Bucky made an appearance and danced with everyone until it was time for me to go. I took my donut home because I was still full from the delicious dinner. Union South has a wonderful catering staff and really handled  a 300 guest count with ease.

Hannah and Brian did such an amazing job planning and designing this wedding! Their list of wonderful and trusted vendors who helped the day run so smoothly are below:

Second Photographer: Angie Stroud  // Venue: Union South  //  Rentals: EZPZ Marquee  //  DJ: Jukebox Bandstand Tom running the ceremony and Austin at the reception  //  Floral: Sweet Pea Floral  //  Hair and Makeup: Liz from Lovely Elegance  //  Grooms Attire: Nedrebo’s Formalwear //  Wedding and Bridesmaid Dresses: Brandi’s Bridal Galleria  //  Transportation: Gallant Knight  // Planner and Designer: Patti Paulin at Union South  //  Wedding Rings: Kesslers  //  Donuts: Greenbush Bakery

 

It was a glorious day for a trip to the zoo to see some penguins…

Emily had one thing she really wanted to do on her wedding day and that was to see some penguins in her wedding dress. It was about 90 degrees and humid but they hung out in their cute little cave in the background and made her penguin dreams come true!

I also had my dream come true taking photos of Michael and Emily in front of the giraffes! And boy did they come out to play! We got some great laughs walking around and hitting up some of the classic spots too. The one with the giant polar makes me laugh every time I look at it. It’s like he is watching over them with loving eyes! Hahahaha, awesome.

Their ceremony took place on the rooftop of Monona Terrace. As Emily and her father walked down the isle, I panned over to see Michael trying to hold back tears but by the time she got up there, it was full on. The groomsmen were also letting loose with the emotions. I love such a close group of friends and family. Everyone was so friendly and sweet and we just had the best day ever.

There were so many moments I could write about like the friendly guy giving us money at the zoo or the other very friendly guy giving Michael pocket snacks but the one that really stands out was during the reception. They had everyone sing happy birthday to Grandma and one of their close very friends, who coincidentally shared their birthday that very same day with my mom and brother! Both of them were very surprised and even more when they each received a special birthday cupcake! I definitely had a tear in my eye!

My favorite part of the evening was when my second shooter, Heidi, and I got to go up to the rooftop with the bride and groom for sunset. We had just enough alone time with them to get some truly beautiful and intimate shots. What an incredible place to have your wedding! In all my years of doing this, I don’t think I will ever get tired of taking photos on that rooftop. Cheers!

It was such a beautiful day and these two did an amazing job planning it. There were so many amazing vendors to make this day so perfect!

Venue: Monona Terrace  Ceremony on Rooftop and Reception in Community Terrace  //  Getting Ready: Hilton Madison Monona Terrace  //  Wedding Dress and Bridesmaid Dresses:  Elaine’s Wedding Center //  Grooms Attire: Nedrebo’s Formalwear //  Floral: B-Style Floral  //  Wedding Cake: The Looking Glass  //  DJ: Jukebox Bandstand  //  Hair and Makeup: Arch Apothecary  //  Travel: Wayne Ace  //  Second Shooter: Heidi Johnson

 

Chris and Pam put together this super fun, intimate wedding in just a few months. They met up with me beforehand at Olbrich Gardens where we had an hour to just walk around and take photos. This is one of the most beautiful places in Madison to go take photos, especially for weddings. This year they are renovating so they are not hosting weddings but we just got a permit and were good to go! Pam and Chris love the Thai Pavilion so we made sure to spend some extra time over there. They ran through a flock of wild flamingos and jumped over hedges to get the perfect shot! The ceremony was small and intimate with just some close family near by with Chris’s brother officiating and Pam’s niece and nephew as the ring bearers. Afterwards, we took advantage of the beautiful weather and got some great photos outside the Capitol and the top of State St. You wouldn’t really think about the Ale Asylum for a wedding reception but these guys did and it was just lovely. We took over the entire upstairs and patio and enjoyed all of their incredible beer and cocktails. I really enjoyed spending time with these two. Photos were important to them and you can tell by the way they look at each other and laugh at all the jokes that they had a great time and were relaxed and truly enjoyed their day.

 

 

 

This romantic apple orchard wedding in northern Wisconsin was full of beautiful rustic accents, cupcakes and a popcorn buffet.

It was raining on and off the entire way up to Edgar from Madison but I had high hopes that it would be perfectly clear for us. Luckily, the clouds did move on leading up to the most perfectly sun kissed day. I arrived the evening before to check out the venue and see the rehearsal. Rock Ridge Orchard sits in the countryside just between Marshfield and Mosinee, WI.

Hailee and Daniel love playing all kinds of sports together and playing with their adorable dogs who you may have met in my previous blog post from their engagement session! Hailee is also obsessed with To Di For’s cupcakes and was able to get some for her wedding before Diane closed up shop! I think she may need some cupcake therapy in the future. I did make sure to take lots of photos for her so she can at least think of the good old days. Maybe they can go back to the orchard in the fall for some honeycrisp apples and bake some pie!

They also had Adonis Catering bring in their big ole BBQ and served up some ribs and chicken for dinner! Oh my god, it was sooooo good! The bride and groom ingeniously had bibs for the bridal party so they could enjoy their food without fear of ruining their beautiful wedding attire. I keep thinking about how much fun this wedding was how I was able to really get some beautiful photos of Hailee and Danny out walking around later in the day after their first dance. This is always my favorite time of day because they are relaxed and happy and it really shows in the photos.  Check out my photos below from this wonderful day!

Also, the day wouldn’t be as perfect without all these amazing vendors:

Venue: Rock Ridge Orchard //  Wedding Dress: Blushing Willow Bridal Boutique //  Bridesmaid Dresses: Brandi’s Bridal Galleria //  Grooms attire: Men’s Wearhouse //  Wedding Rings: Chalmers Jewelers //  Hair and Makeup: Brenlynn Craker  //  Floral: Krueger Floral  //  DJ: High Volume Entertainment  //  Catering: Adonis Catering //  Cupcakes: To Di For