Sam + Joe: Wedding 2.0 in the Mountains of Colorado

Sam + Joe celebrated their 3 year anniversary with a vow renewal in Boulder, COlorado

Boulder is an incredibly important part of Sam + Joe’s story; It’s where they first said “I love you” to one another. These two had originally planned to get married in Boulder in 2020, but, as we all know, 2020 disrupted a lot of wedding plans. They opted instead for an outdoor micro wedding in Madison (see the pics here) that was lovely, but kept dreaming of a celebration in Boulder, and in 2023, decided to make it a reality!

They started the celebration on Thursday at Rayback Collective, which is a magical place with food trucks, yard games, beautiful and interesting murals, and tasty beverages! We stopped back there on the day of the wedding 2.0/vow renewal celebration to take photos at one of my favorite geometric murals ever.

Next up was the “rehearsal dinner” on Friday evening at the Rio Grande Restaurant in downtown Boulder, where the wedding guests had tasty Mexican food and desserts and the kiddos learned how to make origami frogs for fun!

The wedding day 2.0 itself was absolutely gorgeous. There was some threat of rain, but the skies cleared just in time for photos, and Saturday was one of the brightest (and hottest!) days we spent in Boulder. Sam, Joe, and I made our way up the Flatirons to take photos in the mountains just before the vow renewal ceremony, then headed down to the lawn of Chautauqua Park for the main event. My son, Ben, even helped second shoot the wedding ceremony with me, which was an awesome first!

The vow renewal ceremony was short and sweet, and Sam + Joe repeated their original wedding vows from 2020, but they hit even harder this time around, given the last few years of trials that Sam + Joe have gone through since wedding day 1.0.

Following the ceremony, Sam, Joe, and Ben and I headed to a few spots around Boulder to take photos of the happy couple, and then onto the reception, at West End Tavern for BBQ (delicious cauliflower steaks for the vegetarians among us) and very fancy drinks. There were tender speeches, dancing, and cake as the sun set around us.

It was such a beautiful celebration of love, care, and tenderness, and I am so honored to have been able to celebrate love with these two not once, but twice!

Help me wish them a BIG congrats on their 3rd anniversary!

—Sam

Here are the vendors that helped make their wedding day awesome!

Ceremony Venue: Chautauqua Park (Boulder, CO)

Reception Venue: West End Tavern (Boulder, CO)

Officiant: Maid of Honor and Best Man

Bridal Gown: Torrid

Desserts: Costco

Catering: West End Tavern (Boulder, CO)

 
 

Madi + Rysa: An Intimate, Queer Downtown Madison Wedding

Madi + Rysa’s wedding day was filled with fun and laughter (which in my opinion is the perfect kind of wedding day)!

Madi (she/her) and Rysa (they/them) met at Plan B originally (A queer Madison bar that sadly is no more) and began hanging out more and more, and planning gay movie nights, Drag Race marathons, and other fun outings, until they made things official. Even though they wanted a small and intimate wedding day at the Capitol building, it was important to them to work in photos at the formerly Plan B “L-O-V-E” mural on Willy St., and we had so much fun goofing off, doing cartwheels, and dancing pre-ceremony.

Once it was time for the ceremony, it was short and sweet (folks after my own heart - mine was also very short and sweet), and then onto more pictures with family and very close friends, and a walk around State street, as well as some fun photo ops with their beloved dog, Trixie (who is a VERY good doggo)!

It was a beautiful and hot summer day, perfect for the start of a very big adventure.

Congrats to Madi + Rysa!!!

—Sam

Here are the vendors that helped make their wedding day awesome!

Ceremony Venue: Wisconsin State Capitol Building

Jewelry: Rysa’s Band - Chalmer’s Jewelers | Madi’s Ring - Kessler’s Diamonds

Wedding Gown: David’s Bridal

Wedding Tux: Jazzman

 
 

Sarah + Patrick: A Romantic Orpheum Theater Wedding

The Orpheum was the perfect romantic venue for sarah + patrick’s wedding

Sarah + Patrick wanted a beautifully romantic wedding day with a more intimate vibe, and a wedding day that worked in their mutual love of music! They knocked it out of the park with the gorgeous floral installations for their ceremony, family style meals for each table, and the amazing live band (seriously, so fun!) to finish off the evening with dancing, laughter, and pure joy!

Everyone on their wedding day was so happy to be there, and I’m ecstatic that we got to celebrate with them!

Congrats to Sarah + Patrick!

—Sam

Here are the vendors that helped make their wedding day awesome!

Ceremony + Reception Venue: The Orpheum

Officiant: Theresa Roetter (family friend)

Hair & Makeup: Bang Salon

Jewelry: Vintage Diamond Engagement/Wedding Ring for Bride and Vintage Wedding Band for Groom

Bridal Gown: Loren by Allure Bridals

Groom Tux: Men’s Wearhouse

DJ: Craig Droessler

Live Band: The People Brothers Band

Florist: Ray Mejia (family friend)

Desserts: The Baked Lab

Catering: Upstairs Downstairs Catering

Day Of Wedding Coordinator: Paige Endres

 
 

Emily + Patrick: A Chic and Modern Wedding at Garver Feed Mill

A beautiful and elegant wedding on Madison’s east side

Garver Feed Mill has been a favorite spot of mine since even before it was renovated (shhhh… don’t tell anyone I used to go there when it was still condemned for photos). I absolutely love the aesthetic and what they’ve done with the venue since it opened in its current iteration, and it was the perfect backdrop for Emily + Patrick’s wedding day.

The day was absolutely lovely (seriously, just look at the photos!) and was so fun and full of joy!

Join me in wishing a big congrats to Emily + Patrick on their wedding, and enjoy the photos!

—Sam

Here are the vendors that helped make their wedding day awesome!

Ceremony + Reception Venue: Garver Feed Mill

Officiant: Jen Patricca Bloesch - United Church of Christ

Hair & Makeup: Melissa Ann Artistry + Co.

Jewelry: Chalmer’s Jewelers

Bridal Gown: David’s Bridal

Groom Tux: Indochino

Band/Entertainment: Velocity

Flowers: Sola Wood Flowers, dyed and arranged by the bride

Desserts: Garver Feed Mill

Catering: Garver Feed Mill

Wedding Coordinator: Kanoe Riedel - Midwestern Bride

Decor Rentals: Tablecloths and napkins from Event Essentials

 
 

Amber + Rachel: A 25th Anniversary Vow Renewal Ceremony

A warm Spring day for a beautiful vow renewal Ceremony

Amber + Rachel’s 25th wedding was special for so many reasons. First, 25 years is a big deal! Second, the original wedding celebration 25 years ago was celebrating these two as a cis-het presenting couple, and so it was extra meaningful for Amber + Rachel to be able to celebrate 25 years together as their authentic, queer selves, surrounded by friends and family who love and support the people they’ve grown into. This time around, Amber was able to wear a gorgeous white wedding dress (that she got for $4.50 at a thrift store if you can believe it!) and it paired perfectly with Rachel’s avant-garde white & navy striped dress!

The love and care everyone showed up with to celebrate Amber + Rachel was beautiful to see, as were their updated wedding vows. I’m so happy to have been able to celebrate with them. Join me in congratulating Amber + Rachel on 25 years together!

— Sam

Here are the vendors that helped make their celebration awesome!

Ceremony + Reception Venue: Olin Park Pavilion

Officiant: Jacy Imilkowski

Wedding Coordinator: Forsythia Events

 
 

Harry's One Year Portraits

The UW arboretum was the perfect backdrop for Harry’s one year portraits!

We had a blast getting photos of this little family at one of my favorite spots, the UW Arboretum. It was hot as heck, but absolutely gorgeous! Enjoy the photos of Harry and his parents, Lynn + Brian!

—Sam

 
 

Emily + Sam: A Willy Street Engagement Session

Emily + Sam had a beautiful early spring day for their engagement session!

I was worried the weather wasn’t going to pan out with how all over the place it’s been lately, but we lucked out, and the day was absolutely perfect! Enjoy these sweet photos of this awesome couple, and help me wish them a big congrats for their upcoming wedding in 2024!

—Sam

 
 

Charlie + Family at the Epic Campus in Verona, WI

Charlie and their family had a little adventure at the epic campus!

I hadn’t been out to the Epic campus in Verona, WI in a few years, and it was just as fun (and as much of a maze) as I remembered! The colors in that subway area are my favorite, and I love how they worked with Charlie, Chelsea, and Doug’s matching outfits! Enjoy the photos of this sweet little family, and if you’d like to see Charlie’s newborn portraits, check them out here!

—Sam

 
 

Francesca + Marshall: An Intimate Lakeside Winter Micro Wedding

Francesca + Marshall are having not one, not two, but three weddings this year

And wedding number one was on a beautiful winter day overlooking Lake Mendota in Madison, WI! Weddings number two and three are coming up later this year (with wedding number two being in England!), but these two wanted to have a small and intimate legal ceremony that was short and sweet (emphasis on the sweet!) with their closest family and friends.

Congrats to these two, and we can’t wait to celebrate with them for wedding number three!

—Sam