Abby + Matt: A Gorgeous Rooftop Wedding at MMoCA

Abby + Matt’s wedding was vibrant and filled with joy!

And the views of the Capitol building and the Orpheum on the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA) in the heart of Downtown Madison didn’t hurt either. ;)

Their wedding day theme was world-building, with the colors of the sea and sky worked into the details of their wedding day. Abby’s bouquet was made of paper flowers which were in turn made out of pages of The Hobbit (no one knows more about world-building than Tolkein), and instead of a unity candle, they symbolized their union with two adorable little birds making a nest together.

Help me wish Abby + Matt a hearty congrats, and enjoy all the lovely details and big moments from their wedding day!

-Sam

Here are all the vendors (with links) that helped make their wedding day awesome!

Ceremony & Reception Venue: Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA)

Officiant: Dana Pellebon (friend of Bride & Groom)

Bridal Gown: Vera’s House of Bridals

Hair & Makeup: Where it's At Studio (Bride’s hair) & Brideheads for other Hair & Makeup

Wedding Jewelry: Jeweler's Workshop

Paper Bouquet & Boutonniere: Made by a friend

Florals: DIY

DJ: John Frerick (DJ Senseless)

Catering: Fresco

Wedding Desserts: Batch Bakehouse

Rentals: Projector from Game Crafter

Alisha + Nathaniel: A Black Earth Rainy Day Micro Wedding

Alisha + Nate may have had rain on their wedding day…

But like everything else about getting married during a pandemic, they rolled with it!

Alisha + Nate met during college through mutual friends, but they actually fell for each other while playing trivia together (Remember trivia? And places? And other people?) and like many of our clients over the last year, they had originally planned on a larger wedding day, but when COVID still wasn’t over in early 2021, they made the decision to have a small ceremony with immediate family this year at Nate’s parent’s house in Black Earth, WI, and then celebrate with a bigger crowd in 2022.

The wedding day was simple and lovely and in addition to immediate family, the wedding day was also attended by Alisha + Nate’s dog, Laverne. After a short and sweet ceremony, we went outside with some umbrellas for a bit to take full photo-advantage of the drizzle (I love rainy day wedding pics) and before we knew it, it was time for them to head to a celebratory dinner!

Enjoy the wedding pics of these two love birds, and join me in congratulating them on their wedding! I can’t wait for more celebrations with these two and their families in 2022!

-Sam

Here are the vendors (with links) that helped make Alisha + Nate’s wedding day awesome!

Wedding Dress: Lulus

Catering: Pig in a Fur Coat

Hair: love + light hairdressing

Makeup: Julia Grace Salon

Suit: NL Suits

Flowers: Sweet Pea Floral

Erin + Matt: A Halloween Micro Wedding

Mad Scientist Meets Library Science at this Halloween Micro Wedding

Erin + Matt had originally planned for a much larger wedding at the Madison Central Library downtown, but like so many weddings planned for this year, COVID-19 had other ideas.

Instead, these two shifted gears to plan the sweetest Halloween micro wedding ever, with safety for their guests & vendors being top of mind. I LOVE the mad scientist meets library science decor they went with, and how they had 100+ guests join them via Zoom to share in the celebrations!

Enjoy these photos of Erin + Matt’s awesome wedding day, and check out their engagement session here.

- Sam

Here are the wedding vendors (with links) who helped make their day awesome!

Ceremony & Reception Venue: AirBnB (John George Ott House)

Officiant: Janelle Greene (friend of the couple)

Wedding Coordinator: Lauren Schaefer, The Get Together Events Co.

Wedding Gown: Vera's Bridal & Monetti Tailoring

Groom’s Tux: The Black Tux

Bride's Engagement Ring: TQ Diamonds

Bride's Wedding Ring: Maksimoff Designs (Etsy)

Groom's Wedding Ring: Middleton Jewelers

Bride’s Hair & Makeup: Breanna D, JV Hair Artistry

Venue Decor, Wedding Party Flowers, and Flower Crowns: Daffodil*Parker

Wood Flowers for DIY Bridal Bouquet and Groom Boutonniere: Sola Wood Flowers (assembled and arranged by the Bride)

Wedding Cake: The Looking Glass Bakery

Catering: Adamah Catering

Placecards: JDCraftStudio (Etsy)

Paper goods (invite & postponement): Minted.com

Paper goods (save the date bookmarks): designed by bride

Fall Family Portraits in the UW Arboretum

Who says teenagers hate family photos?

Okay, I mean, everyone says that, obviously, and most of the time it’s true, but this family has 3 teenagers (or nearly teenagers) and even if they’re just faking it really well, they always seem to have a pretty fun time during our annual fall portrait sessions, and that makes for some super fun photos! I mean, dance-offs are always fun right?

Also note that parents Erin & Dan also make time for photos of just the two of them, which I strongly encourage all parents to do during family portrait sessions!

Enjoy these fun family photos in the Arboretum!

-Sam

Family Portraits on Willy Street

I got to spend time with this adorable family on Willy Street for their family portrait mini session!

Lindsey, Ben, Aisa, and I got to enjoy what might have been the last nice weekend of 2020 by popping over to Willy Street and walking around the murals and parks there for their family portrait mini session.

Check out the photos from this fun session!

-Sam

Sam + Joe: A Nature-Filled Madison Micro Wedding

While Sam + Joe originally planned on getting married in Colorado, COVID pushed them to have a small but mighty beautiful Madison wedding ceremony in 2020, with a Colorado celebration to come in 2021!

Colorado holds a special place in the story of Sam + Joe’s relationship, as it was the first place they said “I love you”. While I can’t wait to be able to help them celebrate their union there in 2021, I am also thrilled to have been able to help them capture their 2020 wedding here in Madison.

The UW Arboretum, Willy Street, Lake Monona, and Olbrich Gardens are some of Sam + Joe’s favorite nature-y spots in Madison (yes, I know nature-y isn’t a word) and we stopped at all of them on Sam + Joe’s wedding day for photos and fun.

I love all the little details that these two worked into their wedding day, including a reference to the mountain goat who was making obnoxiously loud noises during that first “I love you” in Colorado, a tie pin with Sam’s handwriting on it, bracelets with their important relationship dates, the DIY jewelry that Sam made for herself and the bridesmaids, and a whole host of other special little ways to celebrate. Sam + Joe even got me a pin shaped like a roll of film as a thank you (which led to me needing to explain to my 12 year old what film is, and now feeling old, but at least old with a cool pin).

Help me wish Sam + Joe a hearty congratulations friends, and stay tuned for part two next year!

-Sam

Here are the wedding vendors (with links) that helped Sam + Joe make their micro Madison wedding gorgeous!

Ceremony Venue: Olbrich Park

Reception Venue: Vintage Brewing Company Whitney Way

Officiant: Teresa Chrismore

Bridal Gown: Torrid (with alterations by Bride’s mom & sister)

Groom’s Suit: Men’s Wearhouse

Bridesmaid Dresses: ModCloth

Wedding Bands: TQ Diamonds (Bride’s Rings by Verragio, Groom’s band by Dora)

Other Wedding Jewelry: DIY by Bride

Bride Hair Stylist: Aniu Salon in Middleton

Groom Hair Stylist: Freya at Blue Chip Barber Club

Florist: Naly’s Floral Shop

Wedding Cake: Craig’s Cake Shop

Heather + Mike: An Olin Park Micro Wedding

Heather + Mike, like many couples, had to make some adjustments to their wedding day plans

They had originally wanted to have a fall wedding, but when COVID threw a wrench in those plans, they decided to have an intimate micro wedding at the beautiful Olin Park in Madison, WI. It was short, sweet, and absolutely filled with love!

Heather + Mike have been inseparable since their first date at Geeks Mania, and it was an honor to photograph the beginning of the next part of their life together!

-Sam

Here are the vendors (with links) that helped make their wedding day awesome!

Ceremony: Olin Park

Wedding Planner: Plan Simply by CJ

Florals: Bridal Wish Design

Bridal Gown: ThredUp, Nordstrom Rack (Top is Adrianna Papell and skirt is Lauren Conrad)

Groom Outfit: Mens Wearhouse, Levi, Monroe Street Shoe Repair

Engagement & Bridal Wedding Band: Stag Head Designs

Groo Wedding Band: Alexi Russell Jewelry

Alisha + Nathaniel: An East Side Engagement Session

Wedding planning in the time of COVID can be stressful, but at least the engagement session can still be fun!

While we’re crossing our fingers and hoping for the best for Alisha + Nathaniel’s 2021 wedding date, we got to let off a little steam (or pick some up? I don’t know, it was really hot) at their engagement session over the weekend!

We hit up some favorite places on the East side of Madison for photos, like the newly renovated Garver Feed Mill, the ‘Love’ mural on the now closed Plan B, and the Zaremba mural on the side of Pig in a Fur Coat. I got to meet their adorable doggo, Laverne (I’m sincerely hoping that her name is a Laverne & Shirley reference), and we even saw a little bunny friend!

Enjoy the photos from this awesome engagement session!

-Sam

Aubrey + AJ: A Luscious Summer Wedding at Fields Reserve

Aubrey + AJ’s wedding day was a perfect summer day in the Wisconsin woods!

Though the wedding day plans were a bit different than they have have been originally, thanks to COVID-19, Aubrey + AJ made the best of a tough situation and had an absolutely gorgeous wedding day surrounded by their closest friends and family, in the beautiful wooded area around The Fields Reserve.

The smiles, the laughs, the jewel-toned wedding colors, the perfect summer weather; their wedding was truly a celebration of their love with those dearest to them! Congratulations to Aubrey + AJ!

-Sam

p.s. You can check out their downtown Madison, WI engagement session here!

Here are the wedding vendors (with links) that helped make their wedding day amazing!

Wedding Coordinator: Sammi Hintz of Wishful Weddings

Ceremony + Reception Venue: The Fields Reserve

Officiant: Daryl Castona

DJ: DJ Magic

Bridal Gown: Mori Lee Perla from Belle Saison Bridal, Austin, TX

Groom Suit: Joe Custom from Men’s Wearhouse

Engagement Ring & Wedding Bands: The Ring Austin and Rustic & Main

Hair & Makeup: The Posh Beauty Bar

Wedding Party Attire: David's Bridal and Men’s Wearhouse

Florist: Blooms By Brandi

Wedding Cake: The Looking Glass Bakery

Catering: Hyvee Catering

Dotti + Kim's Surprise Proposal

Dotti surprised Kim with a proposal at the iconic Madison bar, The Shamrock

There are few things I love more than proposals (maybe weddings), and I have a soft spot in my heart for the Shamrock, so I was all about this surprise proposal!

Enjoy the photos, and join me in wishing Dotti + Kim a big congratulations!

-Sam

Ann + Sam: A Senate Parlor Micro Wedding

Ann + Sam had a beautiful micro wedding in the Senate Parlor of the Madison, Wisconsin Capitol Building

It wasn’t the wedding they originally planned, but Ann + Sam were determined to get married, while still being socially distanced and responsible in the age of COVID-19. They decided to go with a micro wedding at the State Capitol Building, with 8 people total, including the two of them, and us, plus some family dialed in on Zoom!

2020 has been such a tough and important year in so many ways. The pandemic, the disturbing instances of police brutality and racism bringing about a needed cultural shift; it’s an unforgettable time, and for two people who are politically active and conscious, as difficult as the change in wedding plans must have been, the day still seemed so fitting for these two.

It was a gorgeous and meaningful wedding day, and Ann + Sam were so happy, and honestly, it was perfect. We’re so happy to have been able to celebrate with these two!

-Sam

Here are the vendors (with links) who helped Ann + Sam celebrate:

Ceremony Venue: Wisconsin State Senate Parlor

Officiant: Judge Joanne Kloppenburg

Wedding Gown: Vera’s House of Bridals

Wedding Suit: Indochino

Wedding Band/Engagement Ring: Blue Nile (band), Jewelers Workshop (engagement ring)

Makeup & Hair: Rooted Culture

Florals: Sunborn Gardens