I had the great honor of photographing a winter wedding this past weekend. I was very excited for this shoot because it’s been a few years since I’ve photographed a wedding this time of year. Lindsey and Nick were fantastic to work with and tolerated all my ideas out in the cold and snow. (THANK YOU GUYS!!) I will do a full blog post when they come back from their honeymoon. In the meantime, I will be posting sneak peaks of their wedding pictures on our facebook page.
Check it out here!
Amy called me about six months before her wedding day and said they’ve decided to cancel their Eau Claire wedding and head to Jamaica to get married. I didn’t say it to her, but I was secretly wishing I could go with them! I wished them a great trip and hung up the phone. About two hours later I got an email from her asking if I’d like to join them! A couple months later I had a plane ticket! I had a lot of sleepless nights thinking about this trip…traveling alone, leaving my kids, the equipment, memory cards, the airport….For months I had envisioned arriving in Jamaica and having to get into a rickety old cab alone for a two hour drive to the resort. I STRESSED about this drive. Every worry I had about this trip was for nothing. It was one of the BEST EXPERIENCES I’ve ever had as a photographer, and with the greatest couple!!! There was no rickety old cab. There was a tour bus, and the worry about my memory cards going through xray – well I bought a photobank and it was worth every penny. I loved this wedding so much that I want to photograph more destination weddings! It’s affordable too. Contact me if you are planning a get-away wedding 🙂
I arrived at Breeze’s Resort around 5:00pm and met everyone on the beach. I loved them all!! I had my camera in hand already and snapped a few shots of Amy & Channing at sunset….
[ see these photos and many more on our FACEBOOK page! ]
The next day was a day of relaxing on the beach. We did a little snorkeling and we all laid in the sun…..maybe a little too much 🙂 The morning of the wedding, some of us were a little burnt. That is probably an understatement. Clothes hurt to touch my skin.
Amy and Channing were married in the morning. It was breezy and sunny! They chose to get married in the chapel that overlooks the ocean. I fell in love with this little building…..and got quite obsessed with another old building next to the resort the day of the wedding!
[ the next few photos were taken the following week back in EC at the Metropolis for their reception ]
The morning after their wedding, we woke up to rain. Amy & Channing and I agreed to do one more mini shoot on the beach at 6:30 a.m. before I had to fly out. We met for coffee and just waited a bit to see if it would let up – and it did! It turned out to be my favorite shoot of the trip!
A MILLION THANK YOU’S to Amy & Channing for having me come and photograph your special day! I loved every minute of it!!
I was nervous on the drive down to this wedding. The sky was dark and the rain was steady. It was late October and I was really hoping the wedding party would be cool about going out into the wet & cold. I was so very happy when I met up with Nicole at the salon and she was totally happy and relaxed. She said she WOULD GET HER DRESS WET. After all, you wear it once. Her demeanor put me at ease. The entire day just flowed and to our luck, the rain did subside after the ceremony and we were able to stop at a park and have a lot of fun. The fresh rain made the little color that was left outside vibrant, and in some pictures, it still looks like early fall.
See these photos are more on our FACEBOOK page!!!
Tyler was such a surprise at the dance. I heard the DJ announce that he would have to DANCE for the garter. I actually felt nervous for him. I had only spent the day with him, but he seemed smart, polite and even kind of shy. There was no way in my mind he was a dancer. And Oh-my-goodness I was wrong. He was an incredible dancer! I could just feel the crowd closing in on him to get a better look! Every time I hear the song that was played for that dance my face breaks out in a smile thinking about how much fun it was to witness.
The day was not without mishap. We arrived at the reception to find the cake half it’s size. Yep, it was not properly enforced and the tiers just slid off of each other. They salvaged what they could, and I still think every one enjoyed a piece of it!
See these photos are more on our FACEBOOK page!!!
Yup. It’s official. Life & Style Photography is officially on Facebook! You can click here to check it out and “like” it if you do, and want to be updated on specials and freebies I will be giving away to my very awesome clients! I’ve had a lot of people ask me why I wasn’t on FB before and well………..I LOVE blogs. I have a personal FB account, and didn’t want to start a business page because I was afraid that my blog would start to get neglected. I have made a promise to it that I would never neglect it! This blog is my baby and I will still post here first. I will post additional images of sessions on my brand new FB page, and will also do give-aways too!!! I’m excited to finally do this….and it is one more think I can cross of my list for 2011.
Since every post needs a photo – I thought I would share this one. It was not my idea, but rather the Bride (Heather) asked me to photograph this shot because she liked her husband’s (Jared) version of it he took of another wedding couple. When I snapped the photo, I really didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t until I was looking back through the photos I had edited that I came across it and busted out laughing. There is a lot going on, but my favorite is the look of total disgust on Heather’s brother’s face (guy standing, to the left of Heather).. I think it will be one of those pictures you either love or hate. Anything that makes me laugh, I LOVE.
T H A N K Y O U
TO ALL MY 2010 WEDDING CLIENTS. YOU WERE ALL AMAZING!!
MORE THANK YOU’S TO COME!
He wonders why I haven’t blogged about his wedding yet. I wonder if I will ever be able to organize my thoughts about his wedding to do a blog post that does him justice. You see, he’s a wedding photographer too, and quite the writer on his own blog. I wish I could just sit at my computer and type away The story of Jared and Heather’s wedding day….but words escape me. I gave him the photos I was originally going to blog with, so he could write his wedding story for his own followers (check it out here). I’ve had draft after draft of this post just sitting and waiting for me to finish it…….so finally, I am. It’s after 11pm, two days before Christmas and here it goes…………..finally..
I got a call from Jared a few weeks after I had Layla. He was a guy getting married who liked my work and wondered if I would photograph his wedding, Oh, and he photographs weddings himself. Gullllppp…I remember thinking, Ohhh, this could be a total nightmare or this could be something great. Fast forward ten months and I can say, YES their wedding was great. What I liked about Jared, and what I still do, is his open-mindedness and willingness to just be honest about his work. I’m a pretty honest girl, so we blended perfectly. It’s refreshing to have a colleague who is young and ambitious and wants to further his business like I want to further mine. He’ll probably be faster at it than me. As he would tell you – I’m an old lady : ) There’s only so much I can get done in a day with two kids hanging from my desk wanting attention..not to mention I’m rounding the corner to the big 30 . We old people need naps. 🙂
Heather was a total doll when I met her. She’s beautiful and sweet and totally has a camera presence. She is about the easiest person I’ve ever photographed. Jared is a lucky guy and he knows it. You would think that their wedding was the easiest day of photography for me….well, no. I’m being honest, it wasn’t. The sun was bright and the leaves had mostly fallen so we struggled in the morning to find even shade to work with. Their church was nice, but not one that you would want a lot as a background, so we were left with the parking lot and the sidewalk with I think the last tree that was holding onto its leaves before winter. I love that tree. It gave me a beautiful backdrop and it’s shade to work under. I seriously could have hugged it! Here’s Jared taking a walk with his boys, thinking about the biggest day of his life…
Here’s Jared on the phone booking another wedding. J/k. Well maybe he is, I don’t know!
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Oh I love this tree. Soooo much.
Heather received a very special necklace for her wedding day. I love capturing moments of real emotion.
After the ceremony, we hopped on a bus and went to the apple orchard. I was still concerned with the sun, but Jared didn’t have a care in the world. Any time I would ask him what he thought, he’d say “It’s up to you…I’m just here to get married and eat chicken.” Brent and I scouted this apple orchard the morning of the wedding. The sun was in a different spot then, but somehow it worked when we returned at around 4:30 p.m. I love this first shot of Heather.
She really wanted a picture with a tractor too. We couldn’t move this one, the engine had started on fire the day before and it was parked by a shed. Luckily, by the time we reached it, the sun was at a good angle. 
I think this is one of my top 5 favorite spots of the year. I love the crates. I wish we had more time there, but even with the few minutes we had, I love all these shots.
I really wanted to get a shot of Jared photographing Heather. Can you believe he doesn’t photograph her a lot? 
Jared really enjoys photographing receptions. He uses a backlit flash for a lot of dance pictures. It looks great. I usually approach my dances using the existing light and popping a low fill-flash if needed. I really try to always use the available light. I really like Jared’s approach and this year when we head to Vegas, I am going to make him teach me. I will still use existing light for 90% but it is great to have some backlit. Below is an example. There was nothing special done for this shot. I just had Brent hold a flash on slave mode and just got lucky with one picture.
This image below is using existing light. I just shot at a higher iso.
I really want to thank Jared for contacting me. I have enjoyed his friendship and look forward to my first trip to Vegas in February. Jared is going to show me the ropes at the big Photography Convention. Stay-tuned then as I’m sure he’ll grace my blog again! Congratulations Jared and Heather!! Wishing you both many many years of happiness!!
Erin and Mike were married in Birchwood, Wi. I have been looking forward to this wedding for a couple reasons. One being, they were getting married at the Catholic Church in Dobie and Two, because I knew the chemistry Erin had with Mike and it showed on camera. I got a little sentimental when Brent and I pulled up to the church. It was the church where my mom said she would run through the fields for mass on Sundays as a kid. A church where she said the French would sit on one side and the Irish on the other. Then one day it burned to the ground and the priest asked them if they could all get along well enough to build a new one. They did. And it is so beautiful and so simple. In fact, the first person we saw as we walked on the grounds had a big smile and a thick Irish accent. Brent, I think got a little, no A LOT sentimental when we got to Mike’s family farm. Mike’s family has a farm that has its own private lakes and I do believe touch other public lakes, where they have stories of catching huge fish. It’s the quickest way to win my husband’s heart. Either talk about a big fish, or catch one. The day was perfect, Erin’s dress was stunning, and we really, really enjoyed the new scenery and the way it showed through on photos. Erin & Mike, thank you for being so laid back and cool and for including us in your wedding! Erin – finally, your blogpost is here!!
Ashley and Scott were married a couple weeks ago in Bruce, WI. It was one of those crisp, cool fall days. The sun was shining brightly and I was so glad to spend most of the day out in the fresh air with them. Ashley is really into pictures. That’s probably understated too. I’m friends with her on facebook and she always has new photos posted. Her husband, Scott….well he isn’t so into pictures. Before their wedding, I actually worried a little that he wouldn’t want me around them all day photographing. And, well. I was totally and pleasantly surprised! He was so awesome all day long…….and maybe…..he even started enjoying it?! I know I did. Ashley was game for anything, and never once complained about being cold or wanting to go in when it started sprinkling. Like I’ve said before, I love photographing in small towns. I always feel like it’s something out of a movie. Her little church reminded me of Runaway Bride, the bridge we went to looked like a scene out of the Notebook. Well, the whole day was like a great romantic comedy 🙂
Jared – I had to post this 🙂 Her ring finger looks pretty empty! Hint Hint..
Dana and Zack were married at the end of September on one of the most beautiful fall days we’ve had this year. I loved the location at a church near Owen Park. However, as I drove by Owen, I had to do a double take when I saw the state of it! The entire park was under water, so needless to say we didn’t shoot there. They also had their reception at a place I’ve never been to before, the Masonic Ballroom. It was very cool.
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