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

Julia and Ben met in undergrad at the University of Wisconsin Madison. He is actually originally from Germany but lived around the United States for some time before coming to Madison to meet his future bride. It was really neat hearing so many guests speaking German and even during Ben’s speech, he spoke to them in their language.  I didn’t know that some of them didn’t speak english and asked one of the kids to listen for our knocking when we went outside for sunset photos outside the Madison club. It was pretty funny when I realized they had no idea what I was asking!

The happy couple cited their vows at the First Unitarian Society on July 20th. We barely escaped a crazy storm inside the Capitol and heard sirens going off with warnings but luckily it passed and the light was so beautiful the rest of the evening that we were able to take some really incredible photos outside the Capitol and on the rooftop of Monona Terrace. This was the first wedding I have shot at the Madison Club since their basement renovations and WOW is it beautiful! The ceiling is all glass! The entire setting was just beautifully set up by the staff and also Kennedy Turner running the show from Blueprint Events. She doesn’t to a ton of weddings but she should! Everything was perfect!

My favorite part about the evening was when Julia got up to have her dance with her dad and the song she chose was Kermit’s Rainbow Connection. This is one of my all time favorite songs! I get all emotional when I hear it. Don’t you? I tried to pull out my Muppet voice earlier to get a laugh and had no idea that she also loved the Muppets. What a great day!

Here are some of the amazing vendors who helped create such a perfect celebration!

Ceremony: First Unitarian Society  //  Reception: The Madison Club  //  Floral: Generations Wedding Flowers and Photography  //  Cake: Clasens European Bakery  //  Officiant: Adam Tierney Eliot  //  DJ: Josh Kuhl /  Kuhl Entertainment  //  Piano Player: Brian Schultz  //  Event Planner: Blueprint Events, LLC  //  Wedding Dress: Vera’s House of Bridals  //  Bridesmaid Dresses: Azazie  //  Second Photographer: Klara Krause

A lush june day in madison, wi was the perfect backdrop for holly and eric’s lovely spring wedding.

I feel been so blessed to have met Holly and Eric. They are incredibly sweet, fun, love to laugh, and you can tell they are so very much in love. The two of them met at the end of 2017 on one of the greatest inventions of this day and age, a dating app. There are so many of them these days but the one these two used were for like minded Christians and it worked perfectly. It only took two dates before they knew they were in love. As a wedding photographer, I love hearing how people meet and fall in love. I also enjoy hearing how they got engaged! These two had a romantic sunset on the beaches of Devil’s Lake engagement. Can’t get much better than that!

Their wedding day was so perfect. This June has been one of the nicest (least hot!) months I think I’ve ever experienced during the unpredictable Wisconsin spring/summer wedding seasons. The church they go to is just beautiful. Airy, modern and full of character. For me, it is all about the visuals and for them, of course, is their faith, vows and family. They had a lovely ceremony followed by heading over to Aldo Leopold Nature Center for the reception. The remodel at Aldo is finished and so lovely! Bright walls but still with the rustic feel and lots of great light. They still have the fun rooms with the rotating planet and the projector room where Holly and Eric played a slideshow. There was a moment out in the field where I thought we may be attacked by some protective geese watching over their cute little goslings but we made it out with a beautiful soft sunset and lots of laughs.

Congrats on your marriage Holly and Eric!

Vendors who helped make this day so perfect:

Church: High Point Church  //  Reception: Aldo Leopold Nature Center  //  Officiant: Rev. Lloyd Biddle  //  Musicians: Dheeraj Charles and Jianting He  //  Wedding Dress: Vera’s House of Bridals  //  Bridesmaids Dresses: Etsy- DC Dress  //  Grom’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse  //  Wedding Rings: Kesslers  //  Catering: Hyvee  //  Floral: Hyvee