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!

Morgan + Thomas

It all started 6 years ago with Thomas wearing a pair of bunny ears and asking Morgan to prom after following a crazy trail of Easter eggs with a code inside. Of course she said yes, I mean come on! How cute is that??? They went as friends but fell in love all the same. For years they kept a long distance relationship visiting each other from LaCrosse to St. Paul even without owning cars for the first few years. They would take bus rides to each other even though sometimes it would take several hours just to get there. One of my favorite stories is of their first kiss where Morgan had to dress up like a boy to sneak on campus at midnight to kiss Thomas under the Arches so he could become a true Tommie at the University of St. Thomas.

There were so many great stories printed on cards about their relationship on the tables at the wedding. What a great idea to share with your guests! I grabbed a few so so I could share some stories for this blog post! It was such a beautiful day and everyone was so sweet. You could just feel the love between Morgan and her parents. Especially during the father/daughter dance and she gave him a bunch of “Butterfly kisses.”

Vendors involved in the gorgeous day:

Ceremony: Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church  //  Reception: Wyndham Garden Hotel  //  Dress: Charlotte’s Bridal  //  Floral and Stationary: Pages + Petals  //  Cake: Creative Confections-Alicia Russell  //  Hair and Makeup: Ultimate Veritas Spa and Salon  //  DJ: Andrew Szlapka

A Picturesque Wedding at the Hilltop in Spring Green, Wisconsin

Brittny and Jake had their gorgeous wedding on August 25, 2018 .  The Hilltop is one of those venues where it is spread out and you get to walk around this giant sprawling picturesque place and just truly enjoy your experience. I could spend several days there just shooting all the beautiful landscapes! I would need a 5 hour session with the wedding party to take advantage of all it has to offer. WOW!

These two have been together for a really long time and have been through many things together. You can tell their connection is very deep and strong and full of love. I was able to capture the serious side of things too which make some really powerful portraits. Especially up on top of the hill overlooking the valley. I still have lots of image to go through from this wedding but wanted to share some of the ones that really stood out to me. I hope you enjoy!

Vendors: Venue: The Hilltop  //  Caterer:  Cafe la Bellitalia //  Cake: Carl’s Cakes  //  Wedding Dress: David’s Bridal  //  Officiant: Nate Ivanowski //  Hair: Sam Whitcomb  //  Details and Signature Cocktails: Brittny’s Parents! Carol and Gary Campbell  //  DJ:  Sam Laws  //  Floral: B-Style Floral

I must say that Bri and Steve’s wedding was an absolute dream to photograph. Not only is Bri a professional photographer, but she also lives on a beautiful farm where Steve built her an amazing studio. It was the perfect wedding venue! The entire area is set up to take photos. It was so much fun being able to take advantage of all their beautiful landscaping, bluffs, available light studio, and a gorgeous old barn where they had their reception!

I first got to see their little plot of heaven when I went out for their engagement session last fall. The barn wasn’t quite ready yet, but Steve put a lot of hard work into it and now it has wonderful flooring, a bar and lots of space to party! I’m sure Bri has lots of plans to use if for all her gorgeous families and senior sessions. If you live in the Brodhead area and need a photographer, check her out at http://www.brilarsenphotography.com

One of the best parts of the day was when Bri’s sister hired a pilot for a flyover during the ceremony. I sent Heidi up to take some amazing aerial photos of the whole farm and ceremony. She also took some funny behind the scenes photos but begged me not to show them. I am still debating on that though!

It is always such an honor to be asked to photograph another photographer. Especially a wedding! Thank you so much for reminding me of how much I love my job and sharing your beautiful home with us.

Sunset Wedding Photo

What a great group of vendors!

Second Shooter: Heidi E. Johnson  //  Venue: Bri and Steve’s Home  Bri Larsen Photography  //  Dress/lace jacket/veils: Marah’s Elegant Bridal  //  Men’s Attire: Macy’s  //  Flowers: Bri and Steve’s farm and Sam’s Club //  Catering: Peppercorn  //  DJ: Jim Zainer  //  Hair: A Cut Above  //  Makeup: Tropical Exposure  //  Guitarist: Jim Perona