With all that emotion of the day, how could I not fall in love with these two and their tribe. They welcomed us into the fold and we had a blast on the big day sharing in the blissful chaos.

Every detail was beyond perfect; every moment was beautifully epic; every smile was blissfully genuine. Cheers to the happy couple...may their marriage be as epic as the start.

Their laughter and smiles made for a portrait session where I could not help but smile behind my camera. These two just fit together like two laser-cut puzzle pieces. It was my pleasure to be apart of such a charming occasion.

It is hard for me to write this one as I am blinded by tears before I even start. This month, we took my daughter, Loralei, to the Muny for the first time. "Little Mermaid" was playing and she sure does love her Princesses. For those that do not know, the Muny is the outdoor theater that runs 7 weekly shows during the summer. Several ladies from my family have held season tickets for decades. It has been a wonderful tradition and I was so excited to, finally, add Loralei to that tradition. There are 8 ladies that go every Wednesday, sit in the heat an enjoy the show and each other's company. My Gramma held her tickets for over 40 years and it was always a highlight to her summer. She insisted on bringing her binoculars to every show in her plastic vinyl "Muny" bag. She had that bag for at least 15 years. It was like a Mary Poppins bag with tissues, snacks, umbrella and various other "Gramma" trinkets; it was funny though, it magically never looked full. She loved all the classics and would offer a traditional opinion over all the new shows and argue with my sister, the theater buff.

This past winter, my Gramma passed away. The woman that I idolized and loved with all my heart had been whittled away from Alzheimer's disease for nearly 7 years. Even though she might not remember what she had for breakfast or know where she was at time, she still enjoyed going to the Muny, singing to each song and wiggling in her seat. I would look over at her during the show, she would have a little smile on her face mouthing the words to almost every song. She just loved that place and spending time with her girls. The past few years, her body was too frail to sit in the Midwest heat, but she was always there in spirit with us.

Since her passing, my family had a plaque added to her seat. What better way to induct Loralei into the "Muny ladies" than to let her sit in that seat for her first show. Channeling her inner "Gramma", she was enamored with the music, her eyes swam with Ariel around the stage, she wiggled with Sebastian as they were under the sea nearing falling out of her seat. I didn't see much of the show except through the eyes of my 3 year old baby girl. Watching her would have brought a smile to Gramma's face. She would have loved that Loralei had become a Muny lady and that the tradition was extending another generation. Gramma never really knew Loralei but she could always make Gramma smile with her giggles and silly antics. That little girl could brighten the darkest of days just with a smile. Gramma would have loved to hear Loralei describe the colorful fish on the stage and see her using her hand binoculars to search for Ariel after she had left the stage. It was just a great night. I could feel her there watching with us but I would have loved to see her face one more time.

It has been so hard to watch her struggle these past few years. I know she is at peace now, getting daily hugs from my Uncle Jim but I selfishly want a hug too. I miss those talks we had at her kitchen table where she knew exactly what to say to right a wrong and make everything better. Ted Drewes tastes a little less sweeter without you to enjoy it with us but I suffer on at eat it away. So for now, I will wiggle a little dance when I am grocery shopping; I will smile at every denim shirt knowing you would have bought it to add to your collection; I will watch Cinderella on repeat with Loralei, sing every song and dance in our pj's to Bibbity Bobbity Boo. Those are just a few of the things that will pay daily homage to your 80+ years of legacy.

You are not here in body but you have left a legacy of loving family and friends and your spirit lives on with all of us. So now I wipe the tears, hug my baby girl and drink a glass of wine for you. Smiley loves you to the moon and back, Gramma.

To tell you a little about these two, it is simple - love at first sight. They just knew they found their mate for life. To use the words of Phoebe Buffay, "He's her lobster." As the session progressed, I could really see more than just love or adoration for each other, I saw respect, admiration and it was just beautiful. To capture all those emotions in one session was a hard task, but these two sure made my job pretty easy.

Here's the world's most adorable couple and their contagious smiles...

During their engagement session, we laughed, they fished - I watched, we danced, and got to know each other even better. These two met via eharmony but it was a perfect match as they quickly fell for each other. She knew he was the one about 3 months into their relationship but it took him a little while longer. It wasn't until she saved his "precious" grill from a rain storm that he knew she was a keeper.  Spending just a little time with these two, I knew they could hold onto to each for the rest of their lives.

We wandered around one of their favorite parks and captured some amazing moments just chatting and having a few laughs (usually at me). Besides the snake scare we had in the field, it was a perfect afternoon. If their wedding next May is anything like this session, it will be a day full of lots of laughter and big smiles.

I believe in life’s unscripted moments of imperfect grace.

Those moments that are filled with the ones you love and the true emotions that go along with it.

I sit in the chair in our little house and watching my daughter build an endless tower of LEGO's and look around this room. This room that always feels so big but yet so small. This room full of the perfect Pottery Barn furniture which we saved for months to afford and a overflowing bookshelf of little girl toys including but not limited to a vintage Playskool kitchen, pink shopping cart and metal frying pans from IKEA’s amazingly awful kids section.

It's walls are the perfect paint color, a buttery shade of “Stable Hay” smudged with little fingerprints and dotted with dirt speckles. The large picture window is flanked by my first sewing project: curtains I spent hours upon hours piecing together and then even more hours re-piecing together (I probably should have measured first). The first quilt I ever made is all bunched up on the couch from my husband sitting there just a little bit ago. It's the best quilt to cuddle up with while watching a marathon of "Fixer Upper" and planning our next household project. Across the room, I see our beautiful PB furniture speckled with dust on its top, noes prints from the dog adorn the glass windows and scattered envelopes piled up from today’s postal delivery. It looks messy and cluttered but I’ll get to it later; there are towers to build right now.

I don’t just see the flowers in the vase, the pictures on the walls, and the candles on the shelf, or the various decor items placed in the room, I see the many trips to Home Goods with my husband lovingly pushing the cart while I walk up and down the aisles, the 1000’s of pinsticks from various perfect or less than perfect sewing endeavors with my mom (the world’s best seamstress), the mushy couch cushions from many late nights curled up with IzBits as she fell asleep in my arms again.  I see the home we made fit for our family, our lives, our love.

This room, this house, this home, this life will probably be in a perpetual state of “almost there.” Not always exactly what we dreamt of but always perfect in the moment. This room might need a good vacuuming and dusting; it might need a new coat of paint and definitely reorganized to reduce the every growing pile of toys, books and princess paraphilia. However, this room is perfect for pillow parties after a long day at work complete with pizza, ice cream and “Tinker Bell.” Even though it might not ever be clean again, it always feels safe and warm every time I walk through the front door.

It is the home we found nearly 10 years ago; the home we plan to cherish for years to come, the home we have built our family.  It might be not be perfect, it might not be huge, it might never be “done” but it will always be home to me and mine. Now, back to our endless routine of "building up."

There are so many favorites from their session + like I said, I just can’t wait to share them with you today!! ENJOY

These traits make Peter and Katie an amazing couple who, like I mentioned in the beginning, are SO easy to love. I wanted to share their stories from their day one that so beautifully SHOW this “thing” about Peter and Katie that we noticed right away: that he adored her and she adored him. It was evident from the first time I met them and culminated on their wedding day.

With a 100% chance for rain this day, their love kept every single drop away. From their vows at the Basilica, to their bridal portraits at the park, to their first dance accompanied by the Fabulous Motown Revue to Katie's birthday surprise complete with sparkling candles and confetti.

It was an epic kind of day for an epic couple. Enjoy!

We had a beautiful spring day for their wedding day and under a gorgeous pavilion, they said their vows in front of their family and friends.

We even spent a few private moments in the sunlight air to dance a little with these two wonderful people before they swept off to their beach honeymoon.

These two lovebirds were so in love that it made the day so much more emotional and lovely. There’s something so powerful behind a photograph when you let go and don’t try to mask your emotions. Scroll down to see the teasers of Jenny & Brian's best. day. ever!

A special thank you to Allison Kate Events for all your help. It was a pleasure working with you two lovely ladies.

After you get engaged, the questions immediately start coming — “When is your date?” … “Where are you getting married?” … “What are you envisioning for your day?” My hope for today’s post is that it would help give you direction as you begin (what can be a very overwhelming process of) planning your wedding!

Since I can only claim to be an expert in the area of photography, the following are my biggest tips for planning — from proposal to wedding day — from a photography standpoint!

1. Just a general (but very important tip in our opinion!) to start this off — planning a wedding is a LOT of work! We always suggest hiring a wedding planner! Trust us, they will save you money, time, and a lot of stress! Reach out to us if you need suggestions or just need a shoulder to lean on. We have supported so many brides throughout the years.
2. From our experience, and after consulting with a lot of experienced photographers that we work with, it’s safe to say that photographers book out about one to one and a half years in advance of the wedding day. If you have your heart set on a certain photographer, reach out to them sooner rather than later! You might even consider emailing or calling them before you tour venues/set your wedding date (if the specific date isn’t important to you!). With good communication and planning upfront, it is definitely possible to avoid the dreaded “We’re already booked email” from your photographer by choosing your date, venue, and photographer all at once!
3. Save-The-Dates are typically sent out six months-ish prior to the wedding day. If you want to include an engagement photo on your Save-The-Date, set up your engagement session at least two months prior to this send-out mark. This will give your photographer enough time to shoot, edit, and send over your final photos. This will also give you time to get a design to the printers. That process can take about 2-3 weeks.
4. Begin (seriously) planning your “day-of” wedding  timeline three months out from your wedding day.
   • When will hair and makeup be done?
   • Are you going to do a First Look?
   • Who is going to be in family photos?
   • When is the ceremony?
   • Cocktail hour?
   • Reception?
   • Planning in advance will allow you to ask your photographer and planner any necessary questions so that you can plan a day that best suits your specific needs.
5. It is a good idea to have your final “day-of” timeline solidified one month before your wedding day. This timin will allow you to send out your timeline to family and bridal party in advance. They can familiarize themselves with the schedule for the day. Not only will this give you peace of mind (hooray for one more thing checked off that to-do list!), but sending your timeline out early to those who are heavily involved in your day will allow them to ask you questions right away (instead of on your day!) and avoid any stress that could be caused by timeline confusion on your wedding day, like your groom standing in his underwear minutes before he is supposed to head to the alter.
6. Day of, relax and trust your photographer! ENJOY the day, be IN the moment, and know they are working hard to capture all of the incredible experiences of your day so that you can relive them for decades (and then generations) to come : )

As a quick overview, to make things easy for you!:

• 1-1.5 years out from your day — book photographer
• 8 months out — engagement session
• 6 months out — send out Save-The-Dates
• 3 months out — plan “day-of” timeline
• 1 month out — “day-of” timeline solidified and sent to family/bridal party
• Day of — relax and ENJOY! Hand your cell phone to your MOH, leave your watch in the hotel room and let the best. day. ever. happen!

I love that they were adventurous with me to go play in the park with their fur baby and then visit the brewery to see some Christmas lights. Can't picture a better wintertime engagement session

Look at these two and see all they have been through for their love....and her amazing blushy pink dress!!!!