wedding | wednesday. monogram stamp.

Here is a lovely addition to your wedding invitations, thank you notes, favors, or anything else that you would like to be monogrammed! You can buy these stamps HERE with your letter of choice- for an affordable price. :)

wedding | wednesday. 'tea bar'.

Cute idea! :) How about a "tea bar" at your shower or reception?! The tags are made from heart shaped felt and would be easy to hot glue. You pick your own selection of teas. I think everyone would love it!

mark + laramie | wedding

I had the great honor of photographing Mark + Laramie's beautiful wedding. This is a bit of how I would envision my own wedding. :) I loved the garden feel. The day was very relaxed... no need for stress. :) We had "on and off" rain showers, but it cleared off just in time for the outdoor ceremony. And the reception was in a barn! :) Mark + Laramie are so sweet together and love each other deeply. From the moment I took their first engagement photo, I knew I was glad to be on their wedding journey with them. Check out more of their images HERE. Greatest blessings, Mark + Laramie, on your new life together!

trewern | family

Yesterday, I had the privilege of photographing this precious little family. I have never seen such a continuously happy baby in my whole life! :) (which definitely helped with photos!!) I've known Holly for many years (our moms were suite-mates in college). It's fun to see her so happily married and now with sweet little Paisley. I had to throw in a couple of extras for the sneak peek... I couldn't decide... I love them all! :) ENJOY!

the lighting is so amazing on this one!

I LOVE her expression! :)

I love how affectionately Kyle and Holly are looking at each other. :)

lots of ruffles and a big bow! PERFECT! :)

adventures of HCP | madison, wi | day 3

This morning consisted of some much needed sleeping in. We then walked down the street to Marigold Kitchen for brunch. That's where I took these photos of our breakfast. :) After that, we walked, and walked, and walked. We went down to a terrace on the oceanfront where there was such a beautiful view of the water and the capital building.... then, we took another walk all the way down State St. and stopped in some shops and thrift stores along the way. We were pretty worn out by the time we made it back to the room... headed over to Starbucks to do a little work. By this time- it was sprinkling... and I had a session at 5pm! We definitely prayed that the rain would pass over... and it did! The sun came out, and we were able to do our session with Tom + Jenni. They are seriously the sweetest couple. I feel so blessed to know them. The fact that they have been married for a few years really helps them to feel comfortable with each other in front of the camera. We definitely got some beautiful and creative shots! We took another walk down State St. and had dinner at Ian's Pizza. If you live in or near Madison, run- don't walk- there! Yummy! After getting some Coldstone to take back to the room, we watched Cake Boss and packed up for our morning flight. I was still wanting to get a photo of the Capital building after dark- so, I took a quick trip outside- in the rain- in the street... a lady standing nearby said that I was awfully "gutsy"... oh the things I do for a cool photo! Well, it was a wonderful trip. God definitely gave me the strength that I needed and an awesome opportunity. A special thanks to Brett+Alana and their families for making it possible and for taking such great care of us! Wishing you a lifetime of blessings and happiness.

adventures of HCP | madison, wi | day 2

Here we have the Madison "dream team"... lots of work and a little play!

For a recap of the big wedding day yesterday... Our day started out with a trip to Starbucks as all wedding days should. :) We were left with a car for us to drive around... about 30 minute drives to get to each location... that was an adventure in and of itself... good thing I'm pretty good with directions and finding my way! :) Photos started at 9:30am at the home of the bride... it turned out to be a sunny and warm day. We followed the limo everywhere and took photos at Olbrich Gardens and on the Capital square. Lots of amazing photo opportunities. It was a large wedding party- 6 bridesmaids and 6 groomsmen. We then went to the ceremony site- Windsor golf club- for more photos and the ceremony- which started at 3:30pm. The reception was absolutely gorgeous... everything just sparkled! We headed out at around 8:30pm.... after a successful and extremely long day... feet and back swollen and aching- just being honest! :) If you have photographed a wedding for 12 hours- you know what I mean! We tried to find an ice cream spot on the way back to the hotel but ended up in the midst of the University campus full of detours, road construction, and one-way streets... let's just say it took a while to get out of there! lol. We ended up heading back to good ole McDonald's... where the cashier thought I ordered 10 oreo McFlurry's. ha. Thanks but no thanks! :) So happy for Brett + Alana. They truly had a fabulous wedding day. Be looking for a sneak peek photo or two this week! :) You are going to love them!

adventures of HCP | madison, wi | day 1

Today started very early- 3:30am- to be exact. It's days like these that I'm thankful for the adrenaline that causes you to be more awake than you really are. :) We made it to the airport and caught our flight just in time- 6am. For those of you who know me- this is quite a stretch for me- I usually have a difficult time waking up early! :) So- we got on the plane and got to witness this breath-taking sight over Springfield- wow- is all I can say. Immediately, the lyrics to Phil Wickham's song, Beautiful, started singing in my heart.

I see Your face in every sunrise
The colors of the morning are inside Your eyes
The world awakens in the light of the day
I look up to the sky and say

You're beautiful.

On the flight from Chicago to Madison- there were about 20 people on an 80 passenger plane. The flight attendant said we could all spread out and sit wherever we want... the exit row is always the perfect fit for long legs. ;) So, as we were getting ready for take-off, the pilot informed us that the flight would be 24 minutes long. Seriously?! lol. I didn't know that was possible. As we stepped off the plane in Madison, we were hit in the face by the intense smell of cow manure. (my sis says that the story reminds her of the Hannah Montana movie... if you know what I mean.) lol. We were picked up by the hotel shuttle and given some history about the city. It's really a beautiful place, and I love that it's surrounded by water! We drove by a beach area where there were hundreds of people with their canoes getting ready to race. I so wanted to hop in one! :) After we got to the hotel- which is right across from the beautiful capital building- we went to the farmer's market and maxwell street days that were happening around the capital square. It was a lot of fun! Picked up some cheese and a red velvet "whoopie pie"! We then went to a Mexican street cafe for brunch.... then met up with the bride to go over last minute details and to see one of the photo locations. We then grabbed some starbucks and headed back to the room where I crashed and took a 2-3 hour nap! I never do that! :) That's what starting the day at 3:30am will do to you! :) The rehearsal dinner was on the top floor of our hotel at 7pm- beautiful view and great food! Now- I will try to sleep through the very loud music of the wedding reception that's happening down the hall. :) I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow! But, I'm really loving all of this... I love to travel and have weekend getaways. I will let you know how the day goes tomorrow! Hoping for a little cloud cover to help with the direct sun and heat. Bye for now! :)

norris | wedding

From the day I met Lainee, we have had such a fun time chit-chatting. She has such a self-less and welcoming spirit. So, I was so happy to see how much Lainee and Barrett truly love each other. We went from one extreme to another with a cold winter day engagement session to a hot summer day wedding. But, each one were unique and beautiful. I foresee that we will be staying in touch (even though they moved off to Oklahoma!)... and hopefully have more photo opportunities in the future. I'm so happy for you both and wish you the greatest blessings on your new life together! You can check out some more of their images HERE.

current | work

I think this photo is absolutely perfect in black + white. These are the recipients of the dream love shoot contest.... the first professional photos they have had together.

current | work

Currently working on this lovely engagement session of Nathan + Misty. It was a fun session that really shows their personalities... can't wait for you to see them! Looking forward to their wedding in September... and from talking to Misty about the plans... it sounds like it's going to be just as much fun! :)

kevin and heather.

What a cute couple... I think we could have taken photos all day... and everyone would have been content. :)  I love the unique/classy look of these photos... the lily pads were a pleasant surprise!  I'm looking forward to photographing the wedding at the end of June in Houston!

brian and charlee.

We had such a nice time walking around and chatting during their photo shoot... and stumbled upon some unique settings in the process.  Brian and Charlee are still newlyweds... got married in January... and are expecting their first baby this fall.  Charlee is just glowing... you may notice the baby bump in a few of the photos. :)

matt and staci.

They are crazy about each other. :)  I have just recently met Matt and Staci... so happy for their upcoming marriage.  We had a fun shoot... lots of giggles and silly faces.  I also love how their photos have a bit of a retro feel... so them. :)