One of the greatest things about photographing a friend’s wedding is that I get to spend the whole day with them and make sure to get the most personal, intimate, and real photos I can get. Kelly was so wonderful to work with! I loved how every time Brian said something funny to her, she would have this full on, head thrown back laugh that was just contagious. I got my first taste of this during their engagement session in the spring. I had not met Brian yet so had no idea what I was in for. He is one of the funniest and sweetest men I have ever met. We had the best time and when the wedding came around, I knew we were going to have a wonderful day and was ready for it.

Kelly had a vision that was so beautiful and inspiring. First of all, the First Unitarian Society is one of my favorite ceremony venues in Madison. Not only because it is unique and the architecture is beautiful (Hello Frank Lloyd Wright!), but also for what they stand for. All inclusive, non judgmental of any faith,  unbiased and spiritual. During the ceremony Kelly brought in “The Blue Brigade” which was all of their young relatives, and had them each bring her a flower at the beginning of the processional to create her bouquet. It was such a sweet way to include everyone and since there were so many young people, it was only right to have the reception at the Children’s Museum downtown! The design of all the flower arrangements was done by the insanely creative bride and then given out to guests at the end of the night as favors. I even got to take one home and I just love it! It is a centerpiece in my living room right now! It had a very tropic vibe and the cake was amaaazzziiing!

Her look was magazine worthy from her gorgeous dress from Vera’s right down to her sparkly butterfly shoes by Badgley Mischka. As I was taking photos of the rings, I noticed the inscription inside of Brian’s ring that said “Per Aspera, ad astra” and then something else that I couldn’t quite make out. But what I do know, is what Per Aspera, ad astra means: “through hardships to the stars” in Latin! How cool is that???

By the end of the night, I had a chance to sit down with a couple of long time friends and play some pong and enjoy a delicious beer. I just know these two will have an insanely wonderful life together. With all that laughter, how could they not?

I had a hard time narrowing down to just a hundred images for this one. So, you get to see quite a a bit of this wedding. I hope you enjoy!!!

Awesome Vendors Involved:

Ceremony:  First Unitarian Society  //  Officiant: Reverand Kelly Crocker  //  Reception: Madison Children’s Museum – Coordinator: J Belmont  //  Cake:  Trish Figueroa  //  Catering: Blue Plate Catering  //  Bar Service: Roman Candle  //  Donut wall: Cedar and Spice  and Greenbush  Bakery  //  DJ: Kuhl Entertainment – Patrick Archer  //  Flowers:  Felly’s Flowers  //  Wedding Dress: Vera’s House of Bridals  //  Grooms Tux: Jazzman  //  Brian’s Ring: Boundless Bands on Etsy  //  Kelly’s Wedding Band: Blue Nile and Engagement Ring designed with Trisha and Brett at the Diamond Center

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

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

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!