The light was down right amazing. The location couldn't have been more beautiful. The bride was the epitome of glowing and gorgeous. The wedding party was fun, playful and full of personality (and carrying two buns in the oven!). The love in the air was thick and warm. It was a perfect wedding day. 
The ceremony was at Kohler Andrae State Park which was beautiful and I think, quite an unknown gem. Lindsay and Ben smartly chose to marry at just the right time of day for the most beautiful light filtering in through the trees. 
Lindsay & her girls hand-tied their own bouquets that morning, and they were beautiful:
For a girl that stops traffic, the only appropriate shoe shot:
Remember what I said about the light?
Just before they are announced:
The only time I've ever seen the guests get the bubbles rolling perfectly:
The fantastic wedding party:
I was having WAY too much fun with the light:
The reception was held at Breaking Bread in Sheboygan. 
It was a beautiful wedding day, the kind that everyone dreams of. Lindsay & Ben - I had a wonderful time capturing your day. Congratulations!
There were too many lovely shots to post individually on the blog, so be sure to check out the slideshow:
Friday, October 31, 2008
Lindsay & Ben | Wedding
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Maggie & Steve | Engagement
The golf ball hit the cup with the familiar hollow sound and a slight rattle as it settled into the divot at the bottom. He crouched down in front of the hole and looked inside. Moving quickly, he pulled the ring box out of the front pocket of his coat and quickly substituted the box for his ball in the hole. He turned around to see if she had gotten suspicious, and found he was safe. She was blowing her nose again. She had been sick for days. He almost felt bad about dragging her out of the house today when he knew she should be in bed. But time was marching on and he had to do this before their one-year anniversary or she was going to start expecting it. And he had put together such a good plan, and darn it, he was determined to make it happen, whether she was sick or not. He had already delayed the whole scheme by a few days. He stepped aside and she smiled, lining up her ball and club. With a calculated and confident swing she hit the ball. It rolled towards the hole, hovered just on the edge for a second and then fell in. She walked over, scooped up her ball and turned away towards the next green. He was incredulous. She hadn't seen it! Now what? Well, he thought, the plan had fallen apart this far, why not just scrap it all together and just go for it? He called out to her - "Wait! There is something in the hole!". She turned around, and he pointed it out. She picked it up and hit one knee. 
Maggie & Steve are another eHarmony success story. Their first date had been at a mini-golf course, so Steve's carefully calculated engagement plan had been quite fitting, even if it didn't go according to his plan. And plan he does. We had a very specific plan in mind for their engagement story, and at the last minute we changed those plans to downtown Cedarburg. It ended up being a blast. I don't know that it would have mattered where we shot in all honesty - Steve is constantly cracking jokes and making light of the situation. And Maggie is constantly cracking up in response. 
I put them in front of this green wall and gave Steve instructions to make Maggie laugh. In response, he did what is affectionately known as the "yoder dance":
And a little halloween fun in honor of the season:
Enjoy the slideshow!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Adrienne & Chris | Engagement
The water was calm, the crickets were barely chirping, there wasn't even a wind - just a slight, slight breeze. Even Adrienne was calm, relaxed, happy. Yet he stared down at the camera in his fingers, hands trembling, sweat beads forming on his forehead. He took a deep breath. This moment right here, it wasn't the hardest part. He knew she was going to say yes. So many other things had been harder. Telling her he loved her. No, that had only been hard for a second. Asking her out for the first time. No, that was easy. Spending 4 and a half years apart. Well, not much beats that. Well, not much except hearing "Sit down, son." come out of what he hoped was his future father-in-law's mouth. They both knew why he was there. That had been a moment to sweat. And sweat he had. But this, this was just a formality almost. He knew the outcome, didn't he? Giving his head a quick shake, he wiped his hands on his jeans, set the camera down, hit the record button and ran back over to Adrienne who was waiting to take their picture in front of the lake. When he reached her, she smiled, and instead of turning back at the camera with her to smile he got down on one knee. 
I love this shot. Adrienne and Chris met in gym class in high school, during a dance unit. Here they are trying to show me the crazy dance that brought them together:
We had a ton of fun on this shoot. Adrienne and Chris had lots of ideas as we explored, and we discovered (well, I discovered) that Adrienne has a strong fascination with birds. You'll see what we found in Anthropologie that she was pretty stoked about in the slideshow.
Enjoy the slideshow:
By Special Request - A Birthday.
Since this particular honoree never got a birthday post last year, by special request I am bringing them out of retirement just for her (and then they are going back to days of no schedule, McDonald's coffee and naps on the couch). 
Monica has been an absolute force in my life from the moment I met her. As the story goes (and I assure you it is entirely accurate) Monica emailed me in September of 2007, back when she was the owner of J. Cricket Events and asked to meet with me, well to basically evaluate me for use with her clients. I took that meeting, thrilled to make a connection with a planner and figured I would get a few weddings from it hopefully. I had no idea how much that simple act of saying yes to a meeting would impact my business and my life. A week later I walked into a Starbucks, sat down after a friendly handshake and neither one of us stopped talking for the next three hours. We quickly discovered that our meeting was more than serendipitous. The pictures of her wedding at the Lake Park Grand Staircase had inspired and solidified the ideas for my own, our husbands are eerily similar and our tastes are too. Sometimes you meet people who you just instantly click with. By the time I left that Starbucks I knew that this girl was my friend.
I have no brief meetings, no short conversations with Monica. You will often find us sitting in a car, chatting away for hours, having gotten there in the first place with intentions of one of us dropping the other off for the end of the day. We have leaned on each other over the past year plus as both of our businesses have taken off. We have pushed each other, held up the mirror of hard reality and been the ear to listen. I know I wouldn't be where I'm at without the support and incredible un-ending flow of encouragement she has given me with my business. Monica is always the first person to remind you how fabulous you are, how amazing you are and give you a hug. I am so very grateful for this wonderful woman who I call my friend. I am someone who has been blessed with an amazing set of friends, and Monica is definitely one of them.
So... Happy Birthday Monica!
Head on over to her blog and drop some birthday love on the girl!
Response
Hmmm.... suggest the mere idea to take away Miscellaneous Monday and suddenly you all have emerged! Thanks for all of your wonderful comments. It is so nice to know others are reading the blog and enjoy it. I love comments and got such a kick out of having so many yesterday!
Hubby (and Ringo) did a little victory dance last night and Hubby kept walking around, shaking his fist in the air and declaring "The people have spoken....and Hubby is right!". Miscellaneous Mondays are here to stay.
I have two more posts coming up today, maybe three. So hang on to your seats.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Miscellaneous Monday
Does anyone read the Miscellaneous Monday posts (besides Hubby)? I get the feeling that these aren't a popular feature, and I'm happy to steer the blog more towards what the readers want to see. Let me know in the comments today if you look forward or even enjoy the Misc. Monday feature, or if you would prefer something else. And a clue as to what that something else is, or what you do like - would be most appreciated. Because really, if Hubby is the only one reading them - then I can just email it to him every Monday.
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This last weekend was my one weekend off from the Wedding Guantlet that started 10 weddings ago and continues on from this point for seven more. I'd like to say I spent the whole time in a spa or lounging on the couch - not so much. I did get a bunch of work done (meaning more shoots are edited than have been blogged about (!). And I got to spend some time with a few neglected people in my life.
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My BF Jamie and I took our dogs out for a nice long walk in adorable Greendale. When we both went to put their sweatshirts on (it was pretty chilly) we discovered that we had both bought the same one for each of them. It was totally hilarious, and so indescribably cute. Chasing them thru the park we both thought this was a great foreshadowing of our lives to come - I can just see us dressing our kids alike and chasing them in a park one day. Ha!
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I got spend a little time today with my Mom and we baked her signature chocolate chip cookies. She is famous for them in the family, and though they largely follow the recipe on the back of the toll house bag, she has her own touches that make them uniquely hers, and very, very hard to copy. I love cooking with my Mom, well because for one, she is an excellent cook (and Lord knows I could use a little of that), two because she has a great way of teaching without making you feel dumb, and three because cooking or baking with her always comes with great stories of my Grandma, who taught her to cook. That is most definately a person I miss very much, and many of my memories of her revolve around cooking too, so I love hearing my Mom tell these stories.
The cookies came out perfectly. I must make my notes so I can attempt them on my own next time.
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My Brother-in-Law's mother is in the hospital with a sudden illness. Get better quickly Liz!
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Our niece had a Birthday this weekend - and we missed the party. I know I've given up the birthday posts - and I have a policy against doing them for those under 18, but since we missed her party, I wanted her to have a little shout-out. Happy Birthday Jordan!
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Some claim to have seen fleeting glimpses of snow today. Anyone who says they have is crazy in my book. I'm still trying to enjoy the falling leaves and not mourn the loss of summer. Snow is a bit pre-mature at this point. Can we at least get past Halloween?
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A bunch of people I know were at the New Kids on the Block concert this last week. I find it hilarious that a group I adored as a 6th grader (and my first concert - remember that Christie?) is now popular again in some odd way. Jamie reports that the concert was really good. I am skeptical.
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Ringo can't wait to show everyone his Halloween costume on Friday. Yes, I have become that person.
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I've got something new I'm launching later this week. Can't wait to show you all!
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Almost forgot: Starbucks now has signature hot chocolate. The caramel one with salt tastes just like you are drinking the heavenly truffles from that Bride & Bloom feature I was telling you about last week. The salt really makes it. Heavenly!
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Have a good one!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Heather & Chris | Wedding
Heather & Chris were a bit of a last-minute booking for me, about six weeks before their wedding. We didn't have any time to fit in an engagement session for these two since they live in Ohio, so that is why you haven't seen them before. No matter, their day was fantastic.
The ceremony was at the gorgeous Gesu on the Marquette Campus, which really can't be beat for drama and beauty:
Chris had his Dad serve as his Best Man. I thought this shot shows a great "like father like son" moment. Almost identical mannerisms:
We headed out for some picture time with the wedding party and their parents:
This little guy (the ringbearer) was so awesome for the camera. He just looks fantastic, I swear he is a child model, or at least he should be ( I tell you he did this pose all on his own). To his Mom - if you are reading this - I would be happy to take more pictures of your little man. He was a joy to work with!
I'm going to skip ahead for a moment and say the same about this little munchkin too. She looks fantastic on camera - so photogenic. I'm not sure if they are siblings or cousins, but they did dance together. (Same offer to her parents):
Awesome Bouquets:
It was hot:
Fantabulous wedding party:
After we sent the wedding party back to the trolley and headed down an alley for some time with just Heather & Chris, two groomsmen came walking up (see the slideshow) with these shackles. I thought they had made them just for the occasion, but it turns out they borrowed them from a nearby construction site. Seriously, two of my favorite shots from the day. I am in their debt:
Then it was off to a fantastic reception at the Eisner Museum:
Check out the slideshow for some serious guest antics and more beauty from the ceremony: