Oh why hello there lovely people! Wedding season is in full swing and June is turning into the busiest month of the year…but I love every second of it. I love traveling around the area, walking onto different pieces of land…knowing that two people in love will be saying their vows to each other within hours. That is so awesome…so awesome. You know what else is awesome? I just got my new packaging for 2014 that is going to ROCK your world. I literally cried when I put it all together! Literally… Don’t worry though, I will be showing that off soon! But enough about me!

Erin and Justin…your day was perfect. I say that a lot…but this is no joke…your day was perfect. The sun was shining, a cool breeze was falling over the water, we didn’t get bit by a single mosquito, and you totally got married. YES! Thank you Erin and Justin for allowing me to capture your day, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face when I got home. Your happiness and love for each other reminded me of what is important, and I can’t wait to see what the rest of your journey together brings! Enjoy this one people…it’s a long one :)

The Vendors:

Ceremony and Reception: Riverside Receptions // Florist: Camille’s Floral  // Cake: Mother of the Groom  // Hair: U.S. Hair Mail & Body  // Dress: Affairs to Remember  // Catering: Little Ricky’s  // Ceremony Band: Drop the Dawg

Cristina and Evan… your love is something special. Just from spending a few hours with you both, I could feel how much love you have for each other. But it’s an easy love, it’s easy for you to love each other… when it’s meant to be. And you are gracious enough to smack mosquitoes off of each other. Seriously…at this session I’m pretty sure all the mosquitoes in Indiana hatched that evening and followed us around the whole time. Thank you both for sticking through the awful attack, and thank you for showing my camera your love. My camera was very happy that evening. I can’t wait for your big day, the love will be overflowing! Also, thank you McIntosh Greenhouse for letting us use your beautiful space!

Thank you Janie Yoder for shooting alongside me for this big day! I couldn’t have done it without you!

Alexa and Chase…your wedding day was what a wedding day should be like. No stress, only laughter, only happiness…centered on love. It was such a blessing to witness. I’m so thankful that this day was how I started off the busy wedding season. It reminded me of why I’m in this business in the first place. Weddings aren’t centered around the cake, the decorations, the tables (of course those things matter)….but weddings should be centered around the people eating that cake. The two families coming together as one standing around the decorations. The love and laughter beaming from the tables. That’s why people throw a big party in the first place! To celebrate the wonderful gift that marriage is. To celebrate the beginning of a wonderful story between two people who want to spend the rest of their lives together. That’s what it is about. That’s what this day was about. Thank you Alexa and Chase, for being awesomely in love.

It is officially wedding season up in here and I am knee deep in editing for beautiful sessions and weddings…and I love it so much. Today I’m sharing an adorable engagement session straight from the windy city, but it was not a windy day…it was a gorgeous day! This session was oh so great….oh so great. We (Jordan came with me for the first time!) tromped around Danielle and Steve’s neighborhood in Chicago, hopped over train tracks, played on their roof, and witnessed the most insane fog we’ve ever seen. You will see what I mean below. Thank you Danielle and Steve for showing me the place you call home and for allowing me to capture your love story. You both have amazing spirits and one amazing love story…oh and amazing taste in food. The Crab Rangoon at the Thai restaurant was indeed the best I’ve ever tasted :) Without further ado…here is Danielle and Steve…we like them a lot.

Ashley and Joel. Your spirits amaze me! From the moment you first emailed me, I knew we were a perfect match. There is nothing more magical when the connection between a client and photographer is just….perfect. It makes it possible to capture some of the most heart-felt and honest photos and this session was just that. So much laughter, so much happiness, and so much celebration. There is a lot to be celebrated when God puts two people together in His perfect and unexpected timing. And I love that the timing allowed me the privilege of telling this story.

Well people, I totally shot this Senior Session last night and here I am blogging it :) Man oh man, was this a good session. Jean is so stunning that I couldn’t stop squealing like a little girl after every picture! We ran around in the forest, laughed a lot, threw blankets around in the air, hung out with 4 deer in the woods, sang songs and created pure magic. It’s so fun to shoot with people that have been following your work for so long, it’s like a dream come true for everyone involved. And I think it was meant to be that we rescheduled this shoot 3 times because of rain…this day was insanely beautiful. I hope you all enjoy looking at these photos as much as I enjoyed taking them ;) Jean and Emma, thanks for a wonderful evening and I think we should all hang out again. Running around the forest with you both was exactly how I wanted to start my week. Good luck in California Jean, you beautiful little creature you…

I have been dying to share these photos for quite some time! The photography world has taken me so many places and has challenged me to really look at what kind of art I want to create. This photoshoot was a complete vision I’ve had for a long time that I got to see come to life and I’m blown away at what it has done for my heart. Creating beautiful photographs is not just my job, it’s my passion. And just recently I’ve discovered how much I love capturing women…the strikingly insane beauty of women. I wanted to do a photoshoot that would be a glimpse into the kind of boudoir sessions I want to create, and I am so excited to capture more women in this way. A big thanks is in order for Brittany and Kendra who were the hair and make-up artists for this shoot, they will be doing other boudoir sessions with me as well. Also thank you Sam and Lindsey for volunteering your time and beautiful faces for this shoot! I feel so blessed. Creating something like this has been magical for me. Can’t wait to create more.

If you read my last blog post, I’ve had quite the adventures in March. This post is part 2 of my stellar vacation, the first half was in San Diego and this half was in the city that literally never sleeps. Las Vegas isn’t my favorite city…but as soon as I drive 30 minutes away from the lights…it becomes one of my favorite places on earth. The desert is a magical place. And the fact that thousands of photographers are gathering in the city at the same time for the WPPI conference makes it one big photography party. This was my second time visiting the exact same dirt and cacti filled oasis and I love it…oh I love it. Abbey, Lindsey, Brandon, and I tromped around the desert for 2 of the 4 days we were in the city and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. Thank you Vegas…for having the desert so close by…it makes 4 photographers very happy :) Here are my favorite memories: GIANT margarita filled cups, Polaroids in the desert, my first and last time gambling, Lazers and Blazers (hundreds of photographers getting down on the dance floor), Jesse getting stuck in the net, I was a part of my first Harlem shake video, pizza in bed, poolside lounging, and meeting and catching up with so many amazing photographers. I will never forget any of it.