Family weddings are one of my favorite kinds of events to shoot. I  get to see everyone I love and truly spend some quality time with the bride and groom on their special day. This wedding was my husband’s cousin, Zak’s wedding.  What is really neat about this, is that I have known the groom for about 16-17ish years (I think) and absolutely love his whole family. Megan has been really fun getting to know too. She is a perfect match for Zak. You can see how happy he is when he looks at her with his gigantic smile that crinkles up his eyes in cutest way. I had real tears in my eyes during the ceremony!

It was a very intimate ceremony at Doubledays in Cottage Grove with just some close family members and the wedding party. Afterwards, we went off to Burke Park to take photos and then back to the reception where more family and friends were waiting. My son Wesley was there running everywhere and was very excited to dance fight with the light sabers that the wedding party used for their grand march. Thanks to Blaine at Now That’s Entertainment for keeping the kiddos entertained while the grownups socialized! Megan also made a super cute groom’s cake for Zak. It was so perfect. Check out the photos below to see what she had made for him!

There were some great vendors involved to make this day super special. Here they are:

Venue: Doubledays  //  Dress: David’s Bridal  //  Suits: Nedrebos  //  Rings: Kesslers //  Travel: Wayne’s Ace Bus and Limo  //  Cake: Karen The Cake Lady  //  DJ: Now That’s Entertainment  //  Catering: Doubledays  //  Decor: DIY  and Doubledays

A luxurious February wedding at Our Lady Queen of Peace and The Park Hotel on the Capitol Square.

Our Lady Queen of Peace is full of beautiful stained glass windows and light. It makes a wonderful backdrop for a large wedding! We started our day with Lindsay and Jimmy getting ready at The Park Hotel by the Capitol. I love these hotel rooms because they also have beautiful light and a great view of the Square. All the ladies had on these super cute matching pajama sets and I just had to get a shot of them all together on the bed! Once they were all ready, we headed over to the church and got ready for the first look. The photos of Jimmy’s face when he walked out to see Lindsay are priceless! His grin was so huge! I think from that moment on, that smile did not leave his face.

When we left the church, the wedding party made a fun pit stop to Sellery Hall where they all met and got some fun photos in front of the sign. I also have fond memories from there! Ah, the college days. I didn’t go to UW Madison but I did visit quite often from UWP!  Then we spent some quality time at the Capitol and braved the cold. The ladies were major rock stars and kept their smiles on the whole time. We just hopped on the bus every once in a while to warm up and grab a quick drink and then back out to show off their gorgeousness! I Loooove their flannel shawls. So cute.  The last stop was out at Karben 4 Brewing Company. Of course we had to get a shot in front of the famous unicorn!

Their reception started off with a super fun table run where they went through the whole room and got a photo with every table all within one song. And we did it!!!! Me and Heidi tag teamed and some of the tables really went all out with it. The last one even did a pyramid! So much fun!  Then they played the shoe game where the dj asked questions and Lindsay and Jimmy had to lift either their own shoe or the other’s for the answer. So many fun reactions.

It was such a wonderful, fun, loving and happy day! So many guests came from all over the country to be with them and support them and show their love. All in February! Truly goals!

All of this was put together with the help of many wonderful vendors:

Ceremony: Our Lady Queen of Peace  //  Getting ready location and Reception: The Park Hotel  //  Hair/Makup: Katrina at the Posh Beauty Bar  //  Wedding Dress: Premier Couture //  DJ: The Milwaukee DJ  //  Floral and Cake: Hyvee  //  Second Photographer:  Heidi E Johnson

A beautiful fall afternoon walk at devil’s lake state park is even better

when you get to take photos of a fun and loving couple like Emily and Michael. These two share a great passion for the outdoors and hiking together in beautiful places like Devil’s Lake are one of the best ways for them to connect. Their willingness for adventure and to try anything make them such a great match. It was a joy to spend the afternoon with them checking out all the sights and getting to know them as a couple. Their wedding day is going to be so fun coming up this summer and I can’t wait to see what they have in store!

Katie and Nic were married at a beautiful old church out in East Bristol, Wisconsin.

It was a beautiful November day with a fresh little coat of snow on the ground. Katie was downstairs getting ready with all her bridesmaids and Nic was across the way with his closest friends and family.  These two were such a fun couple always smiling and laughing and Nic was constantly making funny faces. We had a really good time taking photos and getting really natural and fun candid photos. The ceremony was a traditional Catholic Mass and which lasted about an hour. The pianist was absolutely lovely and everything went perfectly.

We got to spend a little time outside after the ceremony at Lake Windsor Golf Club with the wedding party and also just the bride and groom. It was pretty nice out and we were able to really enjoy the beautiful outdoors for a bit!

The Great Blaine Haugen of Now That’s Entertainment lead the reception with nonstop fun. He does games, gets the crowd really going with his fun personality, and of course the ever important Grease montage during the dance! I almost didn’t want to leave but after 10 hours, I think we covered the day pretty well!

My second shooter, Lindsay Meffert, did a wonderful job covering all the little details and candid photos.  I included about 250 of my favorite images below to show off the entire day as a wonderful little story. Enjoy!!!

All of these amazing vendors helped to put together this amazing day!

Church: St. Joseph’s Catholic Church  //  Reception Venue:  Lake Windsor Country Club  //  Officiant:  Father Vince  //  DJ:  Now That’s Entertainment  //  Dress:  Vera’s House of Bridals  //  Groom’s Attire: Nedrebo’s  //  Limo: Gallant Night Limousine  //  Hair and Makeup: Stefanie Sebaski  //  Cake and Cupcakes: Nic’s Mom!!! Julie Hornbacher Julie’s Java House  //  Second Photographer:  Lindsay Meffert

The Wedding Of Steve Schave and Kari Kovacs

So my brother-in-law got married last month! I was so honored that they asked me to be involved with the wedding as not only a bridesmaid, but also to have Azena Photography take the photos. I got Heidi on the phone and asked her to take the reigns on this one. Then I could just be the second shooter and enjoy my day with my family. My husband, Mikey was the best man and my son, Wesley, was literally the greatest ring bearer of ALL TIME!!!

Kari and Steve met at a Rendezvous a couple of years ago, which is surprising that it took so long for them to meet. They both grew up in families who went to these events and traveled in similar circles, just parallel ones. It seems as though they have always known each other. The wedding was very casual and beautiful.  All of the decorations were DIY by Kari and her family. Her gorgeous ceremony structural backdrop was built by her dad and all the food was brought in by the family as well! One of my favorite parts was that we got to choose our own bridesmaid dresses and suits.  It was beautiful but it was cold, I think I may have even saw some snow at some point. But, we had fire, we had love, and we had a lot of beer!

Venue: Blackhawk Recreation Area  //  Lead Photographer: Heidi E Johnson

Oh my god, I’m in a wedding and not shooting it!